When I woke my mouth was dry. I moved my mouth a few times to generate saliva and pushed up, disoriented. I wasn't in my bed, but the smell was familiar. I laid back down and slipped my arms under the pillow again, clutching it to my face and got comfortable again before my phone pinged from a distance. I groaned and pushed myself out of bed and stumbled from the bedroom. My purse was slung over the armchair, and I dug through it.

"Your phone is very loud."

I jumped a foot and spun around to look at Dimitri. It was a little comical, him being laid out over the couch, his feet dangling over the arm of it.

"Why are you out here?" I yawned.

"Because there was no way I was getting you back to your place last night, so I put you in my room," he yawned, rubbing his hands over his face. I squinted at him and yawned.

I flopped down on the chair and looked to see what made my phone go off. It was the usual notifications. I needed to learn how to minimize the notifications so I could filter what was real people and what was fan pages and such.

As I scrolled, I noticed what I was wearing and laughed.

"How did I end up in this?" I asked with a snicker.

Dimitri sniffed and looked at me. I still had the bustier on, but I was wearing a pair of large sweatpants.

"I'm not sure. I vaguely remember you ripping your pants," he grumbled and sat up. "Do you want coffee? I need coffee."

"I would die for a coffee," I moaned as he stood up and walked towards the coffee pot. I didn't mean to be nosy, but I watched him as he walked away. I had gone with him on a few runs since we met, but I always was taken aback by the muscles on his body. It was like his skin was delicately stretched over the muscles.

"Stop it," Dimitri chuckled.

I bit my lip and looked at my phone "Stop what?"

"Watching me, you pervert," he laughed with a grin. I laughed and lounged with my legs hanging over the arm of the chair. I sent Lissa a message to check and see how she was doing. After that I looked through my notifications, smirking at some of the photos from last night. The real money shot was the kiss.

Dimitri came back and set the coffee on the table beside me, his face appearing next to mine.

"That's a good shot," he mused.

"It is."

Dimitri nodded and smirked. "Your boobs look good in that shot."

I sputtered into my coffee but nodded. "Glad to know someone agrees with me," I laughed.

"I'm sure there are many people who think that," he said as he moved to sit on the couch. I snickered and looked through some of the comments, liking a few that were good and laughed at a few that were not so good.

"Doesn't she have any class?" I read to Dimitri, giggling to myself as I read some of the comments aloud.

"This is why I don't ever read comments," Dimitri smirked and picked up his notebook, sipping his coffee as he made little scribbles in his notepad.

"What are your plans today?" I asked as I set my phone on the table and drank my coffee steadily.

He shrugged. He mentioned he had some running around he had to do, a few meetings with his label. He mentioned having to go to the studio and my ears perked a bit. I watched him smile when he saw my interest and invited me to go with him.

"Isn't that kind of private?" I asked.

He shrugged again. "It wouldn't be completely out of place for my 'girlfriend' to go with me," he said, "Plus then it gets other people seeing you and me together."

I nodded and rested my head against the chair when Dimitri cleared his throat.

"You mentioned last night about the parole hearing."

I looked at him and nodded. "Yeah."

"Are you going to go?" he asked.

"Of course. He has no business getting out. It was his third DUI and he's only served a quarter of his sentencing. No way am I letting him out without a fight," I said as I crossed my arms, "Being moved into another house after that was hard. Especially because I was in a wheelchair for a bit before of the damage to my pelvis."

"You ended up in another house right away?"

I nodded. "Yeah. An older couple in their sixties. Mildred and Barry. They ended up adopting me and they've been good to me. It was different than with the Dragomirs. It didn't feel like someone else's home," I said with a smile, "They helped me pay for school. I mean, I got some money from the accident, but Mildred helped me apply and stuff."

Dimitri smiled before I started to snicker.

"What?"

"If Mildred knew that I was pretending to be your girlfriend, she'd keel over. She loves you," I laughed, "Like the only reason I got good seats to your concerts was because of her."

Dimitri tipped his head back and laughed deeply. I giggled and sighed.

"She knows every word to Someone You Loved album. It's one of her favourites. It got her through Barry dying," I said and frowned, feeling a small twang in my chest. Lissa went to her grandparents for the remainder of her high school years, and I went to live with Barry and Mildred. Barry died last year from a stroke, and I hated to admit I cried more at the idea of his death than Eric's.

Don't get me wrong; I loved Eric. But he was always Lissa and Andre's dad. There was always that small divide between us. But Barry and Mildred only had one child, and he was in Estonia teaching English now. When I was brought into their care, he was in college still and took a few weeks off to help them care for me. Mostly because I needed help in and out of the bed and they weren't strong enough to lift me alone.. Andrew was a cool guy, but Barry really treated me like I was his own flesh and blood. In the beginning, he'd bring home flowers. It was something he did for Mildred, but every week he'd bring home a bouquet for me too. He bought roses the first time, but every time after that they were always different.

Then it was taking me out for dinners. Father-daughter nights he called it. He'd always put on a nice shirt and take me out for whatever I wanted. He made the extra effort with me, and I loved that Mildred would sit me down in front of the couch and she'd do my hair. It was something so strange and foreign to me. She'd always get me to wash my hair first and then she'd work product into my hair, and then she'd brush my curls with a boar bristle brush, twisting my curls. She taught me how to take care of my hair when I never knew how.

It would take almost an hour sometimes, but during that time she'd get me to talk to her. She used to be a high school counsellor, and would always have the right thing to say, even if it didn't seem like it made sense at the time.

"I'm sorry about your adopted father," Dimitri said sympathetically, "You've gone through a lot of loss."

"It feels that way, but I think it was better Barry went when he did. An autopsy was done, and we discovered he had a tumour. The stroke was quick. But I think being so exposed to loss helped me help Mildred," I said with a small smile.

"Can I ask what happened with your biological mom? You mentioned she got caught up with the wrong crowd."

I bit my lip and got up to refill my coffee. I didn't like to talk about her because to me she wasn't my mom, Rhea and Mildred were my moms.

"It started with booze, and then it moved to drugs. Some guy she dated for a bit got her hooked and that was that. She spent all her money on it and barely had food for us in the fridge. Protective services got involved when I came to school for a week with no food and was caught stealing lunches from other kids," I explained, "And then as I got older, she'd come around the Dragomir's place thinking I'd have money to give her. And then when I turned eighteen, she took out the credit cards."

"And your biological father?"

I shrugged and brought the carafe over to where he was, refilling his cup.

"Never met him. Don't even know his name," I said with a sigh, "But I like to think of Barry as my dad. And I think of Andrew as a brother, like I did with Andre."

Dimitri nodded and whispered a thank you for the coffee.

"Wait. You said Mildred was a fan; wouldn't she have seen by now?"

I snorted. "Mildred can barely operate a printer," I deadpanned. Dimitri grinned and gestured for me to come sit with him when I put the carafe back. He wrapped his arm around my shoulders and pulled me to him.

"I feel like I need to hug you. I can't believe that you are as strong as you are with all of this in your past," he said.

I shrugged but didn't reject the hug.

"Thank you," I whispered and sipped my coffee.

I stood outside the facility and felt like I was rooted in place. Lissa was already here, waiting inside with Christian for me, but I couldn't move. I wasn't ready to see his face because I was still angry.

A few people walked past me, and I vaguely recognized the lawyer that represented us during the trial process. I watched them all walk in and rubbed my hands over my arms.

"If you want to bolt, I'll drive the getaway car."

I looked behind me and let out a breath.

"How did you know where it was?" I asked softly.

Dimitri stood behind me with his hands in his pockets, blending in with everyone else. He had the ridiculous duster on that was starting to grow on me.

"Tasha," he said with a small shrug, "I figured you might want the support. Or at least a ride home after so you aren't stuck on the bus."

I walked towards him and flung my arms around his. Hitting him was like hitting a wall, but I like how it felt being hugged by him.

He hugged me tightly and rubbed his hand over my back.

"Thank you," I whispered. Because as much as I wanted to be strong for Lissa, I needed someone in my corner too. Dimitri nodded as I pulled away and walked in with me. Once we got through security, I spotted Lissa waiting. She looked how I felt, distraught and exhausted. The whole week I dreamed about the car accident, about the physio I went through after surgery.

I hugged Lissa once I was closer, squeezing her just as tight as she squeezed me.

"We can do this," I assured her, and she nodded her head with a sniff. We walked into the room and sat down, gripping each other's hands as we waited. When I watched Nathan walk in, I wasn't sure what I felt, but it was a toss-up between vomiting and screaming.

Lissa tensed up but I stared straight ahead. He looked at me and I hope my face portrayed what I felt. The cocky bastard even smirked at me. Thankfully I wasn't the only one who noticed it. A man sitting at the advisory table noticed it too and turned his head to the woman next to him, whispering to her before the hearing started.

I sort of tuned out the beginning of the hearing, mostly because I was trying to keep myself from leaping across the room at him. The hearing board must have said something important because Lissa nudged me gently.

"Hmm?"

"They call you up for your statement," Lissa whispered. I nodded and stood up, walking to the podium and setting the paper I brought with me down. I knew that everyone had told me that forgiveness would make me feel whole, but I wasn't ready to heal. I looked down at the words I had written about forgiveness, but as I stood there, looking at him, I couldn't. I just felt anger.

"Seven years ago my entire life was flipped upside down. I lost the first real parents I had ever had. Seven years ago, Nathan Trembley got behind the wheel intoxicated five times the legal limit and drove his car. Seven years ago, everyone that treated me like family was killed. I had to hold my best friend as she broke when the police told her that she was an orphan. I was told that I would never be able to have children, and if I did manage to conceive, I'd never be able to have a viable pregnancy due to damage."

"Nathan did more than just make a mistake. He cost families their lives and left those of us who survived scarred. I suffer from chronic pain that will never go away and can not be cured, knowing that my body will start to get worse as I age. I feel pain almost every day. So no, I don't agree that Nathan should be released on parole. Because seven years is not enough for the three lives that he took, and the health that he took. It was not his first offence, and it wasn't his second. Allowing him to have parole would only put more lives in his hands. I don't believe that he has any regret or any compassion for what he has done," I said and returned to my chair, letting out a deep breath. Lissa looked at me and I could see that the strength she was holding onto was crumbling.

She gripped my hand tightly and sniffed, a few tears rolling down her cheeks. Lissa stood up next and said her piece, and then a few other people stood up. I noticed Nathan's wife was sitting in the room but looked as sombre as the rest of us. I caught her eye at one point during the hearing and when she looked at me, her eyes watered.

Dimitri tapped my knee and I looked away from Nathan's wife, realizing that the decision was being made about Nathan's parole.

"After hearing all of the testimonies, we the board have denied your parole," the man at the table said, and I sighed a breath of relief. Dimitri squeezed my knee and kissed my head, while Lissa let out a quiet sob.

I was glad to know that he couldn't fool or buy off the members of the parole board. We were all dismissed, and we filed out of the room, going back out through the security checkpoints and outside. I took a deep breath and closed my eyes, rubbing my hands over my face.

"What are you doing now?" I asked Lissa as she let out a deep breath too.

She rubbed her cheeks and shrugged. "My grandparents wanted me to go see them. You?"

"Mildred's," I said, "She told me to come by after. She's been worried about me all week."

Lissa nodded and gave me a quick hug. "I love you," she said softly.

"I love you too, Liss," I whispered and nodded at Christian. He gave me a tight smile and squeezed my shoulder before they walked to the car. Once they were in the car, I looked at Dimitri tiredly.

"Want me to drive you to Mildred's? I don't mind," he offered.

"You're supposed to be recording this afternoon."

"I made my afternoon free," he said with a small smile.

"For me?" I asked.

Dimitri nodded. "Yeah."

I smiled at him. "Want to meet your biggest fan?" I asked with a wet laugh.

Dimitri smiled at me. "If it will make you happy, I'm up for it."

I knocked on the door and waited for a few moments. The house hadn't changed much since I was here last. I could hear the music playing faintly and I smirked at Dimitri when I recognized the song. I gestured for him to stand beside me, where she wouldn't see him right away.

The door swung open and I was met with the very plump, brown-haired woman that mended the cracks in my heart, her own curly hair puffing out from the heat and humidity.

"Baby," she said and cupped my cheeks, "How's my baby?"

I smiled sadly at her. "I've been better," I whispered. She sighed and frowned with a small shake of her head before looking me over.

"You're so skinny! You're not eating?"

"No, no, I've just been working out a bit," I said with a wave of my hand, "Got to stay in shape for my job."

Her eyes lit up. "Oh! You found something?" she asked.

I bit my lip. "Yes. And you need to promise not to go ballistic," I said with a small laugh. She pulled her hands away and furrowed her brows at me as I stepped to the side, allowing room for Dimitri to step into view.

It took her a second. I watched it all play out over her eyes. the confusion, the realization, and then the excitement.

"Oh my goodness," she said quietly with wide eyes, looking at me in complete shock.

"It's nice to meet you, Mrs. Lewiston," Dimitri said politely and I watched Mildred lose her composure. She bounced on her feet before she looked at me again, a small squeal of excitement slipping from her lips. I laughed at her and watched her hug Dimitri excitedly.

"This is your job?!" she exclaimed.

"I work with Dimitri," I said with a laugh. Mildred took a moment to calm herself down before ushering us inside, wanting to hear the details of how I got a job working with one of her favourite singers.

I led Dimitri into the living room while Mildred said she would put on tea. Dimitri laughed quietly to himself as he looked around the living room, his eyes landing on the row of pictures. He looked them over and I crossed my arms over my chest, a small smile on my face.

"Barry?" he asked, pointing to the picture of me, Mildred, Andrew, and Barry at my college graduation.

"Yeah. He had a sign and everything," I laughed quietly, "Andrew surprised me when he got there. I had no idea he was coming."

Dimitri hummed quietly and looked over the rest of the pictures, commenting at a few. After a moment he spotted the record player and I rolled my eyes, knowing that he was going to get sucked in by the extensive collection they had. I laughed when he pulled the vinyl out for his previous album.

"You should sign it. She'll shit herself when she takes it out next time," I laughed quietly. Dimitri laughed and looked at me.

"I don't have a pen."

I scurried around the living room, finding a purple Sharpie that was probably mine from when I lived here and handed it to him. I didn't watch what he wrote but warned him when I heard Mildred coming back. He slid the vinyl back into place and we both bolted to the couch, trying to appear like we weren't up to no good.

Mildred came back in and eyes both of us, setting her serving tray down.

"What are you two up to?" she asked and I shook my head.

"Why would you think we were up to anything?" I asked.

"Because you look like you used to when you and Andy would move Barry's glasses and put them in the fridge," she said bluntly and I snorted a laugh.

"In the fridge?" Dimitri asked.

"Okay, one time he put his glasses in the fridge and left the cream on the counter. He spent all day looking for his glasses before Mildred started making dinner," I giggled, thinking fondly of how hard she laughed when she found them there.

Mildred smiled and sat down too. "So. Tell me all about this new job," she enthused as she poured tea.

Let me know what you think!

And some song ideas!

I am having so much fun writing this! I've got about fifteen chapters done and I'm nowhere near finished :)