Have some cute Romitri moments 3

It was strange to be climbing into bed when I knew that others were out patrolling. I had checked in with Mason and Eddie, and sat with them when we ate; everyone had the same reaction of being worried I wasn't coming back and being relieved I had.

Originally I was only here to find out about my parents, but I had managed to build a good group of friends that I would hate to lose.

My mind was still racing trying to figure out what I was going to say to Dimitri. I cared for him—that was a lie—I was completely head over heels for him. Just hearing his voice gave me chills. The small look of affection he gave me before leaving for his shift still brought a smile to my face and made my heart skip a beat.

What held me back was that I hadn't been in a serious relationship before. I did one-night stands and hookups, I didn't want to be tied down. And with how unstable my life was, I didn't have time for someone else. But Dimitri was committed and said so himself.

Was I ready to commit to something?

It felt like a stupid question, I was already in love with him. The way it felt when we were together, there was no way it was anything but love—and he felt the same.

I groaned, taking my pillow from behind my head and covering my face with it. This was not the plan.

Before I knew of this other world, and of my parents being alive, Dimitri was just the hot guy at the diner that I flirted with. Even then I was tossing up the idea of asking him out on a real date. That stupid book I brought for him was going to be my opener, give it to him and then casually mention the cinema that was doing a westerns night.

Now, asking him out would be over staking Strigoi together or lifting weights in the gym. Granted, I wasn't against that. He was dedicated to his cause, defending the Moroi and keeping people safe from the Strigoi—it was what I liked most about him. Sure he was a hard ass and a guardian nerd, but I admired it.

I sighed, long and winded. I could go in circles as many times as I wanted, but I always came back to the same conclusion. I wanted to be with Dimitri.

To hell with fears about being in a serious relationship—he was worth the fear because when I was with him. I wasn't scared anymore.

I kept my hands pressed down. It felt so hot and slippery.

No matter how tightly I pushed down on the wound, the blood kept escaping between my fingers and flowed to the ground. I didn't think so much blood could come from one person. My knees were damp where they leaned against the cold ground, the blood lapping at them like small waves.

It was too much blood.

I could hear her screaming. She begged for it to stop; begged for me to save her, but I didn't know how.

"You can't stop this, Rosemarie."

I shook my head, pressing harder on her neck, desperately trying to close the wound. "No. You're wrong! I will save her!"

A cold hand dragged down the side of my face and their fingers wrapped around my throat. "You can't stop what's to come. There is only death."

It became harder to breathe, the fingers tightening until their nails pierced my skin.

"There is only death in your future."

Like a spotlight had been shined from above, the woman's face was no longer covered by shadow and I stared down in horror at my own lifeless body, my throat torn. It was my own blood I was trying to stop.

"This is your future."

I woke with a scream, my hands flew to my throat; the feeling of the cold fingers lingered. My chest rose and fell in quick succession as I tried to break free from the nightmare.

I threw off the blankets and stumbled into the bathroom, turning the tap on cold and splashed my face. It was like a shock to my system, breaking the haze of my mind. The water felt like ice compared to the warmth of the blood.

My blood.

My stomach churned and I had to take a deep breath to calm it. Every time I closed my eyes, the image of my dead eye would appear. I walked back until my back hit the wall and I slid down to the floor, pulling my legs up and wrapping my arms around myself.

Another fucked up dream that my subconscious seemed to love giving me lately. But with each one, it felt more real.

That voice was always the same, the sound sent chills down my spine and filled my stomach with dread. It was the same one as last night—the one that called to me.

I covered my face. The shock of everything made me push it to the back of my mind, but now I remembered being called, hearing my name chanted so I would go to the warehouse.

There was still a lot I didn't know about this world, but I doubted it was normal to hear voices or to see yourself dead in your dreams.

What the fuck was happening to me?

I tried to calm myself down, I paced my small apartment for two hours in hopes of wearing myself out enough that I could sleep. When I was close to raiding the cupboards to find something to just knock me out, I gave in and put on some clothes, and went down a floor.

At the time, it seemed like a good idea, but standing in front of Dimitri's door with my hand hovering an inch from the wood, I felt like an idiot. What was I going to say? I had a bad dream, hold me?

I didn't even know if I should mention the dreams. I would look crazy and needy and be turning a yes into a no.

"Rose?"

I jumped, spinning on my feet and finding Dimitri standing in the hall, head tilted, and expression tired. There was a glimmer of something in his eyes that made me think he was happy to see me. I waved weakly, "Hey, comrade."

"What are you doing?" he asked as he came closer. His expression shifted, studying my face, "What's wrong?"

I dropped my eyes, turning my face a little, "Nothing's wrong." His hand caught my chin and gently angled my face back until our eyes met.

"I can tell that something is bothering you," he pressed, "So what's wrong?"

Dimitri's eyes were soft, a look of understanding and affection in them, so I gave in, "Nightmares."

He nodded, thumb lightly brushing along my jaw. "Did you want to talk about it?"

I dropped my eyes again. "Not really."

"We all get them, it's nothing to be ashamed of."

I fiddled with the hem of my shirt; I wasn't ashamed, but I still wasn't sure about revealing to Dimitri how weird these nightmares were. Maybe it's nothing and I just imagined the voice calling me to the warehouse. I could have made it all up.

I knew I was just lying to myself.

"Why are you out here?" I asked, changing the subject. Disappointment filtered across his face but he concealed it, releasing my chin and dropping his hand; he didn't step away and I was grateful for that.

"We just got back. I was going to change and come check on you, actually," he explained with a hesitant smile. It was endearing how much he cared about me, talking to me like he did at the diner; it made me more willing to lean into my feelings.

I shot him a playful smirk, "You missed me already?"

"It was quieter tonight without you there."

I glanced at his door, "You probably want to sleep, right? You've been up all night."

"I'm actually hungry," he replied, gesturing with a tilt of his head to the elevator, "Would you like to join me?"

Dimitri was silent as we walked to the cafeteria. Once in there, he took two plates and filled them both with food. I was surprised when he chose all of my favourite things. I raised my eyebrows at him in question.

He chuckled, "Roza, for weeks you told me your food preferences when you made me order something every night. I know what you like." Dimitri carried the plates to a table and told me to sit, "Do you want anything to drink?"

I shook my head and dropped onto the seat in front of my plate with a grin. I had told him my favourite food to eat when he would ask what was best to order, I didn't realise he had been committing it to memory.

Dimitri returned with a cup of coffee and practically inhaled it.

"You really do enjoy shitty coffee, don't you?" I jibed, pulling a face at the instant coffee he was looking at like it was liquid gold. "Guess you did come to the diner for the coffee."

He smirked and started on his meal, he got up for a second cup of coffee before he had even finished his food. It was obvious he was tired, but Dimitri was determined to stay up with me.

A question popped into my head, "Why did you start coming to the diner?"

Dimitri's eyebrow raised, cradling his cup in his hand, "What do you mean?"

"Well, I know you were meant to keep a low profile, but you decided to start flirting with me instead?" I pointed out. Adrian had already told me Dimitri broke the rules by talking to me, and I wanted to know why.

He hummed, "The plan was for Viktoria to build a relationship with you; that way if something happened, hopefully, you would tell her. I was just meant to make sure you were safe. Your father didn't like the idea of you working at the diner in the middle of the night."

I scoffed, pushing my empty plate to the side to lean on my elbows, "So you were my assigned bodyguard. Isn't that weird, a dhampir guarding a dhampir?"

"You weren't trained, and you didn't know what you had to look out for."

"Were Strigoi following me?" I asked.

"Not at first," Dimitri replied, eyes flicking to mine. We practically had the cafeteria to ourselves, it was so early in the day still that only a few people were in the room. It made it feel more intimate when he looked at me. "There were these two drunks that kept harassing you, I remember you were the only one serving and ended up throwing them out, but they kept hanging around. That was the first night I went into the diner."

I remembered the night—he definitely stood out with his height and duster. Dimitri had sat by the door and stared out the window the whole time he was there. I tried starting a conversation with him but he was tight-lipped.

"And then you came in every night," I smirked. "Guess it's better than standing in the shadows like a stalker."

His eyes narrowed, and then he huffed. "It was my job."

"And the flirting?" I prompted.

His lips twitched, eyes darkening, "That was because I liked you."

I didn't expect him just to admit it outright, a stupid smile on my face and a slight blush spread over my cheeks. I snorted and then cleared my throat. "Smooth, comrade."

"Come on, I'll walk you back to your room," Dimitri offered, gathering our plates and taking them to the dirty collection bins. I wasn't ready to be alone again but felt bad to be keeping him up any longer.

We didn't talk, but we didn't need to, it was a comfortable silence. I wrung my fingers the closer we got to my room. My dreams were on replay and that voice was still in my head.

Why did it keep calling me?

What did it want?

"Rose?" Dimitri's hand caught my elbow, "Are you sure you don't want to talk about it?"

I chewed on my lip, glancing at my door and then at him. An idea popped into my head. "I have something to give you."

His eyebrows raised and followed me into my apartment, hand clasped in mine. I dragged him into the living room and told him to sit on the couch as I grabbed my bag and searched through it. I never bothered unpacking it, always sitting there at the ready in case I needed to make a quick escape. The book was at the bottom, the corners creased, but I didn't think he would mind.

I clutched it in my hands, pressing my lips together as I crossed the room back to him. "I don't know if you still want it, but I remember you mentioning it once," I explained, hesitating for a moment before passing him the book.

Dimitri tilted his head, studying the cover with a look of surprise and awe. Then he laughed, "I didn't think you were actually listening." I blushed, that night I was bored and was constantly blowing bubbles with my gum; taking a sick enjoyment at popping them each time Dimitri mentioned something to do with cowboys.

"I listen to you sometimes. You know, when you say something interesting." I dropped onto the couch beside him, "So is it the right one?"

A look of affection was directed at me, "Yes, Roza. Thank you."

I leaned forward before I could overthink it, pressing a quick kiss to his lips. When I drew back Dimitri sat still for a second before he followed, our lips met, more passionate than the last two kisses we shared. Dimitri's hand moved to my waist as mine cupped his face and trailed back into his hair.

Just his touch was enough to light up my whole body, putting everything into the kiss and making my head dizzy from how good it felt. Rather than ignoring the feelings in my chest, I accepted them—felt just how intensely they burned for Dimitri, and it made everything so much better. It was freeing to give into them, like a piece clicking into place.

His lips were soft and tender as they moved against mine. We were just making out, barely any tongue, and yet I melted against him. I already knew what Dimitri was like when he took charge, rough and passionate sex that was mindblowing; but going slow and taking our time was new.

It was nice. It was more than nice—it felt like exactly what I needed.

We continued to make out for a while, shifting on the couch multiple times until Dimitri was on his back and I was on his chest. His arms wrapped around me and held me close as I peppered his face with kisses, laying my head down and his shoulder with a sigh.

"You're comfy," I commented, "I like this."

Dimitri hummed as he tightened his hold, "I like this too." A chuckle rumbled in his chest when I yawned, "You should try to sleep."

"I don't think I can," I admitted, stifling another yawn that wanted to escape. Dimitri's hand moved to my hair and his fingers brushed the curls.

"How about you try? I'll stay until you fall asleep." His eyes softened, a warm smile on his face when I looked up at him. The offer was tempting, with how comfortable it was lying with him. I gave into it, laid my head fall back down, and let myself be lulled to sleep by his heartbeat.

I didn't have nightmares, yet I still jolted awake to a shrill sound and my body being moved. I slipped and felt weightless for a moment before I was caught by a strong arm. My eyes snapped open to find my face pressed into a warm chest, the material of the shirt soft against my cheek.

It took a moment for me to realise that was an alarm going off, and it was Dimitri that had caught me before I'd fallen to the floor. I looked up to see him reaching for his phone on the coffee table, swiping away the alarm. He gave me a sheepish look when our eyes met.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to fall asleep as well," he commented with a frown.

I laughed, then worked my way to my feet and rubbed the sleep from my eyes. "How long did we sleep for?"

"At least three hours, this is the time I normally get up." Dimitri rose from the couch, stretching his back and neck. I winced.

"Sleeping on the couch probably wasn't the best idea."

He shook his head with a fond expression, "I don't mind. Did you manage to sleep alright?"

"No nightmares. It was probably the best sleep I've had in a while," I admitted, scuffing my foot on the carpet. "Thanks."

"Anytime, Roza." Dimitri leaned down and kissed me, pulling back before it went any further, "I have to get ready, and so do you."

I raised my eyebrows. "Ready for what?"

"Training."

My face morphed into a frown. "I don't get to go out patrolling, but I still have to train every day?"

Dimitri chuckled as he picked up his duster and the book I gave him. "Alberta has ordered it as part of your punishment."

I groaned, "How long is she going to punish me?"

"A week maybe. If you do well with it, I might put in a good word for you to get you back out there."

I tilted my head, took a step closer, and dragged a finger down his chest slowly; blinking up at him slowly, "I don't suppose there's something else I could do to get you to put in a good word." I trailed my finger down until I reached the waist of his jeans and brushed over the belt.

Dimitri caught my hand, and brought my fingers to his lips, kissing my knuckles. "No," he replied with a smirk, and then released my hand. "I'll see you in an hour, at the gym."

On the 10th, the VA ficfest will be uploading the stories, and I have submitted three. I'll post the links on my facebook page, there is a link on my profile if you want to come to follow me there for updates and sneak peeks at what I'm working on. :)

Please let me know what you think of the story 3