I was warned about the yelling and the excitement. Dimitri had told me that everyone taking pictures was going to call for our attention, and would even call out strange things to gain our attention. He said that there was also the possibility that they were going to want pictures of us kissing. I knew what to expect, and stayed close to him.

I was also prepared for people to ask questions about Janine. It had only been a month since the media caught wind of what happened, and still, some people would question me about it if they recognized me on the street.

I tried to remember what Maria has said, not forcing any of the smiles and letting myself react naturally. Dimitri wrapped his arm around my waist, angling us together.

"You doing okay?" Dimitri asked, dipping with head down towards my ear. I nodded and smiled at him, licking my lips and mouthed that I was doing okay. Dimitri smiled softly and tucked a curl behind my ear. I looked back in front of me, blinking against the flash of the cameras.

"Just think of how much Millie is going to shit herself when she sees these," I murmured to Dimitri. It caught him off guard and he choked on a laugh, his body shaking as he tried to compose himself, eventually pressing his face into my hair so he could pull himself together. I was laughing too, already imagining the squeal of excitement I was going to get when I spoke to her next.

After a few more moments, Dimitri lifted his head and cleared his throat. I smirked at him and he tipped my chin up slightly with his finger, giving me enough of a warning. I leaned into him when he dipped his head to kiss me, hearing a few photographers calling out for me, but we both pulled back after a moment.

It wasn't long after that we moved away from the proverbial red carpet and into the building. It was an estate that was rented out for events, something that made me starstruck as I looked at it. Dimitri led me through the house and into the backyard, which was the main attraction really.

The backyard was massive, set up with tables and chairs, a stage, with a bar on the stone patio. Dimitri led me to a table and I sighed gratefully as I sat down.

"That was a lot," I said.

"It always is with Victor. If it were up to me, a quiet dinner and some drinks would have been enough for me. Speaking of, can I get you something?" he asked, unbuttoning his jacket.

"That would be great. Whatever you're having," I said softly. He nodded and got up, weaving his way through tables as others mingled around. I spotted Tasha speaking to Ivan and she smiled at me, waving her fingers at me before walking over with Ivan. They both sat down and Ivan ran a hand through his hand with a groan.

"Two hours, max," Ivan said with a side eye at Tasha.

Tasha rolled her eyes. "This is Rose's first event. I'm not abandoning her two hours in so you can get laid," she said and took a sip of her white wine. Ivan blushed and I smirked, crossing my legs under the table.

"So a few people you need to know," Tasha said as she leaned toward me. I leaned towards her and she turned her head, pointing out people that worked closely with Dimitri. She pointed out Victor and told me not to leave my drink unattended around him.

"Not that I think he'd drug you, but I wouldn't put it past him to do something. He's always given me the creeps," Tasha whispered, "Dimitri is counting down the days until his contract is up."

"How much longer is he bound to this label?" I whispered.

"A little over a year," she said with a shake of her head, "He was upstreamed from the label that signed him. He loved them, and they kept true to what image he wanted, but this one wants him to be what they want, not what his fans want. He had the idea of bringing on a female voice for the album, but they shot it down quickly."

"He wanted to do collaborative work and they said no?" I asked.

Tasha nodded. "They wanted to make him into a symbol; one that was always available, but not. Greta really made things work in their favour that way. She's even signed to the same label. They said that if he wanted to do a collaboration, it was to be with her. He said no."

Greta Lyle was a pop singer who sounded like a Christina Aguilera wannabe without the vocal range. It mostly sounded like whining yelling, and she didn't have the biggest following. I had heard her music on the radio, but I never liked any of it.

"Remember that piano piece I worked on in high school? The one that Lissa said was sleepy and haunting in the beginning?"

Tasha nodded and took another sip. "Yeah."

"I let Dimitri play it. He combined two of my pieces and I was stunned when I heard him play it," I said with a grin, "I could only imagine the music he would make if his label would let him do what he wanted."

"Let who do what who wanted?" Dimitri asked as he came back, sitting down beside me ad handing me a glass of red wine. I thanked him and took a sip, glancing around at everyone.

"That you would make some amazing music if your label didn't muzzle you," I explained, "I told Tasha that I let you play my pieces."

Dimitri grinned. "She really could make a killing as a lyricist," Dimitri said with a wink and Tasha nodded.

"Oh I know," she said with a smile, "Just imagine the money she could make if she'd just listened to me," Tasha teased.

Ivan smirked at Tasha and took a sip of his beer, stretching his legs out with a sigh.

"Are you performing tonight?" Ivan asked, "I can't remember."

"Victor wants two," Dimitri said with an eye roll.

"Which ones?" I asked.

"He wants Natalie and Save Your Tears, but I told the band I want to do Take Me To Church and Thinking Out Loud," Dimitri said, "I'm not letting Victor treat me like a stringed puppet anymore. This is supposed to be about celebrating me and my album, not celebrating him."

"I wouldn't mind hearing Take Me To Church," I said quietly with a smile. Dimitri winked and rested his arm on the back of my chair when a man walked onto the stage. He moved the microphone slightly and it gave some feedback. My eyes twitched at the sound and Dimitri cleared his throat, muttering under his breath in Russian.

The man on the stage started talking, welcoming everyone to the party and talking about the album. As he spoke, I wondered if he even listened to the album. The way he described it, it sounded completely different from what I had heard when Dimitri let me listen to the album in its entirety. It wasn't a concept album, it was an album of songs that didn't exactly match, but it still worked.

"This guy is a joke," I whispered to Dimitri and he laughed quietly. I took another sip of my wine as the man, Victor, I finally figured out, was still talking. I started to tune him out, absently playing with the cufflink on Dimitri's shirt. I hadn't noticed I was toying with it until I caught Ivan's grin, narrowing my eyes at him.

"What?" I whispered.

"You deserve a raise. If I didn't know any better, I wouldn't know," he said and flicked his eyes between us. It took me a moment to figure out what he meant. I blushed and glanced at Dimitri, but he seemed more relaxed in the positions we were in.

"Shut up," I whispered and he smirked at me with a wink.

"No," he said and looked back at Victor. I shook my head to myself and let go of Dimitri's wrist when he stood up to move to the stage. I took another sip of my wine and picked up my phone, ready to record a video to send to Mildred. The band was ready to go and I smiled at Dimitri encouragingly.

"Thank you, Victor," Dimitri said as he slid his earpieces in, "I want to thank all of you for being here tonight. The release of my fourth album is a night to celebrate. I had a wonderful time writing this album, and I have an amazing woman to thank for getting me through a brief bout of writer's block. So, the first song I'm going to perform tonight is Rose's favourite on the album."

I grinned and rested my arm on the table so that the camera didn't shake as much as I recorded. Hearing the introduction of piano and sombre notes always set my hair on edge when I heard this song, and Dimitri caught me singing the tune on multiple occasions since I heard the album.

I felt shivers when I heard him belt out 'amen', and I grinned again, seeing just how captivated everyone else was by him in the audience. I could see that Victor wasn't thrilled by his choice, but even he couldn't fault him for choosing the song that had been teased so much in the last six months.

I caught Tasha's eye and she had a smile on her face, and she canted her head at me. I knew she had the same thought running through her head that I did. This tour was going to be the best tour he had had yet.

I didn't think that there was going to be an after-party, but it was a spring-of-the-moment idea on Ivan's part.

He leaned down between Dimitri and me and told us to meet him at his place once we felt ready to leave. I raised my brows at him but Dimitri just nodded and ran his fingers over my shoulder.

"He's got a calmer afterparty planned. If you aren't feeling up to it, I can make an excuse for you," he said softly, "I know that tomorrow isn't going to be a great day for you."

I smiled at him and stretched up to kiss his cheek. It wasn't meant to be in romantic affection, but companionship. I didn't think that he would remember the date, but he did. He remembered the little details of my life and it meant a lot to me.

"I'm pretty sure Lissa will be into the bottle tonight. Christian whisked her away to Mal Dives to distract her. I'd rather be hungover and sleep the day away," I whispered.

Dimitri looked at my face carefully but nodded, kissing my temple softly. I knew that Mildred would come by anyways at some point to check on me. It was the seven-year anniversary of the accident tomorrow.

We mingled among people at the party, mostly reporters and journalists that were invited to the party.

"When you took the video of Dimitri performing, what were you thinking hearing him sing it live for the first time?" a reporter asked me. It took me a moment to realize they were speaking to me and I laughed.

"I was thinking about how excited my mom would be when she wakes up in the morning and sees that video," I said with a grin, "She is a very big fan of Dimitri's. In fact, I'm surprised she hasn't asked him to sing for her yet. Or if she has found the record he signed and then hid amongst the others at the house."

The reporter smiled at us. "Dimitri mentioned that you helped him with his writer's block. How was that?"

I wasn't sure how to answer it, because I wasn't sure exactly what I did.

"Rose has a degree in creative writing. She was letting me bounce ideas off of her, and all it took was a few phrases from her book of ideas that really sparked me. That and she'd throw her pillows at me if I complained that I couldn't think of anything," Dimitri explained and laughed at the face I made.

"Hey, I was trying to keep you focused. You were getting distracted," I returned. Dimitri rolled his eyes in good nature and the reporter asked him a few questions. It took one look at Tasha and she stepped in, telling them politely that Dimitri would be leaving for the night, and I was amazed at how easily she could swoop in and essentially tell people you're done with a smile.

I could tell that Dimitri's social battery was draining, so to speak and I rubbed my hand over his back, smiling at him encouragingly. We made our rounds, thanking people and saying our goodbyes. I thought that Tasha would be riding back with us, but she said that she was leaving with Ivam now so that she could change.

"I can change?" I whispered with a smile.

"Yes," Dimitri said with tired enthusiasm. I grinned excitedly. While my shoes were nice, my feet and knees were starting to hurt. When we got into the car, I kicked my heels off and sighed sightly, resting my head back against the seat. Dimitri sighed too and pulled his suit jacket off, pulling the tie from his neck and tossing it onto the seats in front of us.

"Overall, I think it was still a success even if it was a pansy show," I said with a smile and rolled my head towards Dimitri.

Dimitri nodded. "It was. It was more tolerable this time. Thank you for being here," he said.

I could tell that it was a sincere statement. We had moved past coworkers and had become friends in the last five months. But instead of accepting that sentimental moment, my brain moved to sarcasm as a coping mechanism.

"It's kind of my job," I joked, but it fell flat. We both knew that it was more now, and I think individually we didn't want to acknowledge it. Dimitri's lips quirked and the way his eyes looked into mine, I could see it all as clear as day.

Dimitri leaned towards me and pressed a somewhat tentative kiss to my lips. I didn't pull away, moving my lips slowly against mine. I could always use the excuse of the excess alcohol in my body, but I knew that I wouldn't. It was short, and when we pulled back neither of us said anything but sat in comfortable silence on the drive back to my apartment, our hands resting just against each other on the seat.

My head was pounding when I opened my eyes. I licked my lips and swallowed before closing my eyes again before they opened. I reached for my phone on the nightstand and looked at it with a sigh before I noticed something.

The nightstand was bare; no moisturizer, no hair ties. Bare aside from a lamp. I bit my lip and slowly rolled over, spotting Dimitri's bare chest before rolling back over, my eyes widening. I took a slow breath and lifted the duvet that was over me, confirming my dawning suspicions. I had initially thought my hips were sore from the shoes, but now I knew the real reason. I looked at the floor and noticed my T-shirt on the floor. I reached for it and searched for my panties before slipping out of the bedroom with my phone. I pulled the door shut softly behind me so I didn't wake him and headed for the bathroom.

My appearance in the mirror was shocking, but not at the same time. Some of my makeup remained on my face from the night before, my hair was tussled and kinked. I went to the bathroom, wincing as I wiped. The first time I'd had sex in years, and I didn't even remember it. After I washed my hands, I cupped the cold water in my hands and splashed it over my wash and then rinsed my mouth. I looked at myself in the mirror again, shaking my head slightly before walking into the kitchen.

I brewed coffee and leaned over the counter as I waited, looking at the notifications on my phone. I sent the video to Lissa and Mia as well, and both sent back messages of excitement, pleading for tickets to the first tour in the city. Mildred had figured out how to send a voice message and I laughed quietly as I listened to it, reacting exactly how I expected her to react.

I heard the bedroom door open, and I looked over my shoulder, watching Dimitri walk into the kitchen with groggy eyes.

"Morning; I started the coffee," I said quietly. Dimitri nodded and yawed, his eyes moving over me, dressed in my t-shirt and panties and then looked back at his bedroom.

He blinked a few times and I looked back at my phone. I felt him move the collar of my shirt.

"What happened here? Is that a hickey?"

I turned my head and tried to look at what he was talking about, but I couldn't see much of it. But I could see the colour and grimaced, turning to face him.

"I don't remember coming here. But I did wake up naked…in your bed. And I'm ninety-nine percent sure we had sex," I said, "Do you remember much of last night?"

Dimitri closed his eyes and sighed quietly. "No, I don't. But I was confused about why I was naked when I woke up," he said, turning and seeing his phone on the coffee table. He went to pick it up while I poured us each a cup of coffee. He picked up his and appeared to be calling someone. I handed him the cup of coffee and he mouthed a thank you.

"Ivan. Hey, um, how drunk were Rose and I when we left last night?" he asked after he took a quick sip. I sat on the stool and watched as I drank my coffee. I couldn't hear exactly what Ivan was saying, but I could hear his laughter. Dimitri shook his head.

"Check my Instagram," Dimitri said and I nodded, opening the app and going right to his page. I gasped quietly and turned my phone towards him. It was Dimitri shirtless, his arms wrapped around a pair of naked knees. You could tell he was intoxicated but had a lopsided grin on his face. I knew it was my legs because of the bruise on the inside of my knee that came up a few days ago.

Grins and silky, soft skin.

Dimitri swiped to the second picture and scoffed, turning the phone back to me. It was me, laying on the bed with the sheets covering my chest, stomach and hips, but the view was directly down as if Dimitri were leaning directly over me. My mascara wasn't as smeared as it was now, but I had a glow to my face as I looked up at him with a smile, my hands outstretched like I was covering myself but I was still in full view.

"Yeah, thanks," he said and hung up the phone, setting it on the counter behind me.

"Rose, I'm so sorry," he whispered.

"What are you apologizing for?" I asked softly with a shake of my head, "We were both drunk. I'm not angry."

"You're not?"

"No. Are you?"

Dimitri looked taken aback by what I asked. "Why would you think I'm mad?"

"Because you were also drunk last night," I said. Dimitri sighed and tucked my hair behind my ear.

"No. Ivan said that after eleven, we were pretty much all over each other," he said quietly. I nodded and offered him a soft smile.

"It's okay," I reassured him, "I think in the moment, it was pretty mutual."

Dimitri sighed and took a long drink of his coffee, but I could see that the situation upset him. I stood up and wrapped my arms around his waist, resting my head against his chest.

"If I tell you I enjoyed it, even though I don't remember anything, will it make you feel any better?"

Dimitri laughed and wrapped his arm around me, and rested his cheek on my head. I could feel him nod to himself and sigh.

"I honestly don't remember anything," he whispered. I nodded in understanding.

"The last thing I remember was dancing on the table with Tasha," I mumbled. Dimitri snorted.

"I'm pretty sure I got that on video."

I smacked his shoulder and pulled back, picking up my coffee again. "I'm sure people are going to have a heyday with that picture," I chirped.

I wish you guys could see the way this story unfolds in my mind. There are no words to explain the scenes, but I am trying my best.

Let me know what you think!:)