I want to take a moment to thank Book (period) Wretched. They gave me the inspiration for this fic 3 I meant to thank them earlier, and it slipped my brain both times cause I have the memory of a squirrel. It keeps deleting if I put the period between Book and Wretched lol.

I could tell that Dimitri was frustrated. He had four days to complete his album and he was stuck on the last one. He had the music done but didn't have the right lyrics. When Tasha joked about his writer's block, I thought she was kidding. But it appeared that it wasn't a joke, and that was why he got defensive about it.

"Do you know what kind of song you want it to be?" I asked, seeing if being a sounding board would help him get some ideas flowing.

"I'm not sure. The music is slower and more mellow. I don't want something peppy, something with more feeling," Dimitri said and rubbed his hands roughly over his face. I pursed my lips and opened an old document I had on my laptop. It was a list of writing prompts, thoughts I liked or phrases that I toyed with. I spun the laptop toward him and told him to look.

"Will any of these ideas help?" I asked. Dimitri stood up and came closer, looking over the list. He raised a brow as he read the list, a slow nod of his head.

"Rose, these ideas are amazing," he whispered.

I shrugged. "Anything catch your eye?"

He tapped the table and shrugged. "A few. I like the one about Saturdays aren't about romancing anymore," he said and continued to read. I smiled and leaned back on the couch, wiggling my toes as I watched him. As he looked over the list he stopped and went to grab the pad of paper that was on the island. He came back and started writing, stopping every few minutes and mouthing the words to himself.

I watched him a little over a half hour before he looked at me.

"Tasha was right. You helped," he said and spun the notepad towards me. I pulled it closer and read over the words. I had heard the music and I tried to imagine the words to the music. And as I read it, I could hear it. I could hear the way his voice would sound with the music and the lyrics.

"Holy crap," I said with a smile, "I think this is kind of brilliant."

Dimitri smiled and stood up, taking the notepad with him towards the spare room. There was a mini studio of sorts in there, mostly just for him to work on demos. I knew that that was his sacred place and I stayed in the living room, moving to the couch and flopping on my stomach.

I had been dabbling for a while on a piece, not sure where I was going with it.

I won't take anyone down if I crawl tonight, but I still let everyone down when I change in size. And I went tumbling down trying to reach your height. But I scream too loud if I speak my mind.

I closed the document and closed my laptop, getting up and searching for something to eat. I had a little stash of snacks here for when I get a hankering. I pulled a bag of Takis out of the cupboard and opened it, stuffing a few into my mouth.

I could hear Dimitri's voice floating down the hall despite the soundproofing. I walked closer to the door and leaned against it, smiling to myself as I listened to him. As his voice climbed, I felt the goosebumps raise on my arms and I closed my eyes. I could tell already that if he went through with recording this, it would be wild live.

After a few moments of him going silent, the door opened, making me jump.

Dimitri looked at me with a smile.

"Well?" he asked.

"I think it's going to be crazy," I said almost breathlessly. Dimitri nodded and I held up my hand for a high-five. He looked at it and then clapped his hand against mine.

"I should probably let Tasha know that she can tell the wolves I have the final piece," Dimitri chuckled but there was a loud knock and then the front door opened.

"Belikov!" Tasha called out. I smirked at her.

"Her ears must have been burning," I winked and walked down the hall. I met Tasha near the living room and she looked mildly surprised.

"I didn't think you'd be here," she said.

I shrugged. "Dimitri needed help with lyrics. I offered to be a sounding board. It helped me in university when I got stuck," I explained, "And it seems to have worked."

Tasha raised her brows at me and then looked at Dimitri. "You finished the track?" she asked almost excitedly.

"I was starting to worry that I'd have the cut the track completely. But Rose showed me her stockpile of prompts and it seemed to come together beautifully."

I smiled and felt good about being able to help him. I could see how stressed he was over the last few days, and I could see that the rep from the label was nothing but a nuisance. Dimitri brought Tasha back into the spare room and let her hear the demo.

I turned back to the living room when my phone rang. I didn't recognize the number when I answered, but figured it could be any number of people I had been in contact with about the credit card fraud.

"Hello?"

"Is this Rose Hathaway?"

"Yes?"

As I listened to the man talk, I felt a lead weight dropped into my stomach. I slowly sat down on the couch and closed my eyes.

"Has anyone spoken to Lissa Dragomir?" I whispered.

"I spoke to her right before I called you," the man said.

"Okay. I'll be there," I said before hanging up. I dropped my phone onto the couch and leaned forward on my elbows, cupping my face in my hands. I wasn't sure if I wanted to scream or throw up.

"Are you okay?"

I lifted my head and saw both Dimitri and Tasha standing in the living room. I looked at Tasha and shook my head, let out a trembling breath and a few tears rolled down my cheeks.

"Nathan Trembley is going for a parole hearing next week," I said. Dimitri was confused, but Tasha's face showed she knew exactly what that meant.

"Who's Nathan Trembley?" Dimitri asked.

I wiped my face with my hands and cleared my throat.

"Nathan Trembley is the man that killed my first foster parents and brother. Lissa and I were in the car. It was her family; Lissa walked away with no physical injury, but the same can't be said for me. He blew three times over the legal limit after he hit us head one. We were fifteen."

"What happened?"

"I have arthritis in my spine. And because I was sitting in the middle of an old classic car, it wasn't a three-point harness. The lock on the seatbelt broke and I went through the windshield. I hit the ground pretty hard and sustained a lot of injuries. I can't have kids, I don't have a spleen or an appendix. I still get pain in my legs and hips. Lissa has anxiety and nightmares. Seven years is not enough for the lives that he took."

Tasha rubbed her face and excused herself, pulling her phone out of her pocket. I faintly heard her say Lissa's name and I rubbed my face again. Dimitri sat down beside me, a sad look on his face.

"You know I never got a licence because of him? The idea of driving terrifies me because he took almost everything from me that night," I whispered with a shake of my head, "They were the first real family I had. It was one thing for Lissa to lose her family, people were understanding of her pain and grief, but people forgot that they were my foster parents. I lost my family too."

Dimitri shook his slowly and rested his hand on my back.

"I'm so sorry," he whispered. I nodded and sniffed again, looking down at my phone when Lissa's ringtone chimed. I excused myself from the room and went into the bathroom.

I hated to admit that I sat in Dimitri's bathroom longer than the phone call with Lissa. A part of me wanted to be alone, but not alone at the same time. I must have been in there for almost an hour before I came out of the bathroom with bloodshot eyes.

Dimitri was sitting on the couch when I came out, his eyes moving to me.

"Sorry," I whispered thickly.

Dimitri just shook his head at me and patted the couch next to him. Our friendship came so easily and it was nice to have a friend that I didn't exactly have to speak words to for him to understand me. I sat down beside him and he handed me a bottle. I looked at the label and cracked a smile.

"You remembered I don't drink beer," I whispered, taking a sip of the cold cider.

"I thought you might need it," he said and picked up his beer, leaning back on the couch. I pulled my feet up and tucked them under me, leaning against the arm of the couch.

"You know I wrote a poem about it? The accident?"

"You did?"

I nodded. "Yeah. It's a little twisted, but I got a lot of my feelings out. It was of the only pieces I never let Lissa read because I didn't want to upset her."

Dimitri drank his beer. "I used to write about how angry I was at my dad. It's what got me into songwriting," he offered. I knew that his relationship with his dad was touchy, and he would change the subject if anyone brought it up in interviews.

"Yeah?"

"It's funny what writing something down and burning it would do," he said dryly and took a long drink of his beer. I nodded to myself and took another drink of my cider.

"Are any of your songs about your life?"

"None that I've released," he said after a moment, "I haven't been able to get through recording them."

I could understand that. It was one thing to write it down but to have to speak it, that was a different story.

"What happened with your dad?"

Dimitri sighed and frowned. "He was abusive towards my mother. She tried to hide it from us, but it was difficult after a while. You can't exactly hide the bruises on your face," he explained and I felt a shiver roll down my spine.

"That's horrible," I whispered, "What happened after that? Did she get out?"

"When I was old enough, I was bigger than him and I hit him back," he said and took a long drink from his beer.

"How old is old enough?"

"Thirteen."

"Did you kick his ass?" I asked with a small grin. He didn't respond verbally, but a small smirk crossed his lips as he took another sip of his beer. I looked over at the table and spotted the notebook I'd seen Dimitri carry around with him since we met.

"Is that your book of secrets?" I asked, wanting to move to a different topic. Dimitri nodded and smirked.

"You have a laptop, I have a notebook," he said with a smile. "I use it to keep ideas, and I have the drafts for a few of my original pieces from my first album in there."

I smiled at him. "I like that you write it all down. It's the scribbles in the margins that make the music," I said. Dimitri nodded.

"You should let me read some of your stuff sometime, I know a few people in publishing," he said with a wink. I snorted a laugh and noticed the time, sputtering on my cider.

"Shit, we were supposed to go to that club thing!" I said jumping up, but Dimitri stopped me.

"If you don't feel up to it, we don't need to go," he said softly but I shook my head.

"No, a distraction would be nice."

I was hesitant about what I was wearing, but Dimitri assured me that I looked the part. I dressed up a pair of skinny jeans with a black lace bustier, heels and some hoops. The makeup was more than I was used to, but when Tasha saw me, she whistled.

"Damn, girl. I forgot how well you dressed up!" she said as she met us, leading us in through the back. The club was packed, but it wasn't the kind of club I expected. It was like a lounge, complete with a live music stage. As soon as I saw it, I remembered that Dimitri would be singing tonight. The fact that he offered to skip either said he wasn't keen on performing or was genuinely looking out for me.

I made my way to the bar and got a drink, eyeing the guy that slid up the bar beside me.

"You look dangerous in that outfit," he mused and I raised my brows at him. He was tall and blonde, with bright blue eyes and a somewhat charming smile. He had a VIP tag on like I did, clipped to his shirt while I had mine clipped to the belt loop of my pants.

"I'm not interested," I said as I put the straw between my teeth.

"Don't worry, I'm not looking to get into your pants," he laughed and I raised my brows at him before walking away with a shake of my head. I slipped to the staff area and wandered, looking for the room that Dimitri was getting ready in.

A woman glared at me as I walked by, snapping at me that I wasn't allowed back here. I unclipped my tag and raised it, but kept walking, poking my head into the room where I heard Tasha's voice. The girl that snapped at me was snarling at me and I sighed quietly as I leaned against the door. Tasha greeted me and smiled.

Dimitri turned and looked at me as he got his earpieces hooked up.

"What are you going to sing?" I asked as a hand gripped my shoulder and pulled me back. I stumbled and dropped my drink as I was hauled down the hallway.

"Let go of me!" I huffed, Tasha, flew out of the room after me.

"Hey! Let go of her. She is allowed back here!" Tasha yelled, jogging after us. We got to the door before someone forcibly pulled me away from the security guard, moving me around them.

"Let's not manhandle my girlfriend," Dimitri said darkly.

The security guard looked at the woman that I walked past earlier. She rolled her eyes and walked away with the security guard. I scoffed and absently rubbed at my shoulder.

"You know, security guards aren't actually allowed to use force to remove someone! It's assault!" I yelled after them. The guard tensed for a moment, his head turning the slightest bit and then kept walking. Tasha huffed and gripped my arm gently, tsking at my shoulder.

"It's definitely going to bruise," she said and turned to someone that was helping get Dimitri ready. She asked them to go get some ice and then looked at me.

"I can probably cover up the redness," she offered but I waved her off. Dimitri looked anxious but I waved him off as well.

"I'm fine," I whispered gently, squeezing Dimitri's forearm softly. He looked at me carefully for a moment before letting out a long breath and nodded, wrapping his arm around my shoulders. I leaned into him and smiled tiredly to myself before I pulled out of his arm.

"Okay, you need to finish getting ready," I said and gently pushed him toward the room he was in before. He nodded and walked back into the room while Tasha and I walked back out to the main room.

"You need a drink," she murmured as we walked, her head on a swivel. I shrugged and went back to the bar, finding a stool to sit on. Tasha sat beside me and ordered herself a glass of wine while I ordered a whiskey.

"I'm surprised that you didn't punch that security guard earlier," Tasha mused.

I snickered into my whiskey. "I didn't think it would be good for headlines," I retorted and Tasha laughed before leaning towards me.

"I don't think you realize how good you've been for him. Even as just a friend, he's been happier. He's not as short-fused behind closed doors, and he's been smiling more. Thank you," she said.

I smiled at her. "You were right. We kind of are the same person. And I find a lot of peace with him. I don't have to hold any parts of myself close to my chest," I said. Tasha nodded and spun in her chair so she was looking towards the stage.

"Did you tell him that 'No Good' was one of your favourites?" Tasha asked. I blushed and shook my head.

"No. Why?"

"Cause it's on the setlist. Christian must have blabbed," she said and I rolled my eyes.

I smiled and shrugged. "Hey, aren't I supposed to be his biggest fan?" I asked with a wink.

"You better act like it," Tasha mused and then gestured to the stage. There was a commotion as Dimitri got on the stage, greeting everyone before starting his set for the night.

"I'm not a groupie though," I snickered.

"Before we start the night, I have to give a big thank you to Rose," he said and gestured to me sitting at the bar. There was small spotlight that landed on me and I just smiled at him.

"She has shown me a lot in the last few weeks, but she has shown me what true strength is. So, this first one, if you don't mind, I'm going to dedicate to her as I know that this is one of her favourites," he explained before starting into No Good. Once he started, the light faded from me and I smiled at Tasha as the music filled the room.

I didn't want to admit that I really did like the sound of his voice. I noticed when he sang, he tried to pull his accent out, cleaning out the words so that they were easier to hear. But the few times I had heard him singing to himself in the spare room, he left the accent there. But I had only heard him perform live once, and it was shortly after I graduated high school.

The bartender set another drink on the bar for me and a glass of water. I thanked him quietly, taking a sip of my water first. Tasha called out in my ear that she was stepping outside and I nodded, crossing my legs as I watched the show. A few other men tried to approach like the one before, but I ignored them, switching to my whiskey shortly after I finished my water.

"How did you manage to land Dimitri Belikov?!" A girl squealed at me. I looked at her and raised my brows.

"Excuse me?"

"We're just curious how you managed to end up with a guy like Dimitri Belikov?" another one asked, "I mean, you aren't much to look at."

I snorted a laugh and shook my head, going back to my drink. Dimitri had just left the stage about five minutes before, so I was holding onto a drink for him at the bar.

"Are you slow? Or are you just not going to answer?"

"I don't need to answer," I said plainly and turned so I was facing the bar again, catching eyes with the bartender. He glanced at the girls and rolled his eyes. I could hear the other girl still talking when an arm slipped around my waist and a kiss pressed to my cheek.

"How did I do?" Dimitri asked, playing it up and kissed my ear.

"You played my favourite, so we both know what I think of the show," I grinned looking at him. Dimitri looked a little tired, and I tossed it off to it being close to midnight. I learned that when it came to sleep, we were two peas in a pod. Don't interrupt us when it comes to sleep.

Dimitri smiled at me and took a long drink of his beer and sat on the stool beside me. The two girls from before were still lingering. The one that asked me how I 'landed' Dimitri had a glare on her face as she looked at us.

"According to some of your fans, I'm not much to look at," I snickered. Dimitri looked mildly offended and asked who. I canted my head towards her, and he looked over my head and then shook his head.

"You're more to look at," he said with a smile. I scoffed a laugh at him, but soon we weren't alone anymore. Someone had come up and wanted a picture. I was ready to move out of the way, but the girl was all too eager to have me in the photo too and then gushed over my shoes.

Once one person spotted us, others did too. One person was there for a magazine article and asked for a picture of the two of us. After a few pictures, there were a few other people wanting pictures for the same reason.

"Want to give them a picture they've been trying to get?" Dimitri whispered in my ear. I smirked and nodded. It was something we had talked about in depth. For people to believe we were together, we had to act like we were together. So that meant looking the part.

Dimitri tipped his head down and pressed a kiss to my lips. It wasn't like we had practiced it because it would have felt awkward, but it wasn't a short kiss. It needed to be believable. But I liked how it felt.

After that it seemed like the photographers got what they wanted, so Dimitri and I relaxed and had a few drinks. And a few turned into more.

No Good by KALEO