Dimitri's POV

I had been so sure of her feelings yesterday but now that I had finally admitted what I had been too afraid to say these past weeks, she was completely silent. Rose was staring into my soul but hers was still closed off to me. I couldn't bear it.

"Please. Say something," I pleaded. Anything was better than silence. Anything was better than not knowing.

But Rose didn't speak. I guessed her intention as soon as she had started lifting her head and leaned down to close the distance between us. The moment our lips met was pure bliss. I didn't know what this kiss meant – it could have well been a goodbye – but, presently, that didn't matter. If this was to be the last time I would feel her lips against my own, I was not going to let my fears taint it. I greedily took what she was willing to give me. Until we both had to come up for air and she pulled away from me.

"Dimitri," she breathed and I felt my heart drop. No. No, this couldn't be it. This couldn't be the moment she was going to reveal that she didn't feel the same way anymore. But I knew, I just knew, she was going to push me off her any second now and tell me— "I've never stopped loving you, either."

I didn't think I had ever heard any words more beautiful than these in my entire life. They exhilarated me and filled me with so much delight that my heart could barely contain it. She loves me! My Roza still loves me!

Perhaps I should have said something more, but I couldn't think of a better way to express my feelings than to channel all of them into another kiss. It held far less desperation and much more tenderness this time, and I never wanted it to end. As soon as I released her arms and planted my hands on either side of her instead, Rose reached up to tangle her hand in my hair, and the way she pulled on it felt familiar and exciting at the same time. I couldn't help the low groan that escaped me at the sensation – I felt her smile against my lips a second later.

"You're playing a dangerous game, Roza," I whispered between kisses. We were in public – in the guardians' gym, no less – and we were already walking a very thin line with me on top of her right now.

She hummed. "I like a risk."

"We should probably leave soon," I went on, but my actions contradicted my words when I made no attempt to stop kissing her. It had been far too long, and I simply couldn't get enough of her.

Rose pulled me even closer, pressing her body against mine, and I knew if we didn't stop this soon, we'd be in big trouble. I couldn't quite bring myself to worry too much, though. I certainly didn't want to stop. Too lost in bliss, I noticed too late that Rose had shifted her position under me in an alarming manner. I had no time to react before she pushed at my shoulder and pulled lightly on my hair to manoeuvre us around. She was the one on top of me now, and I supposed it had been my own mistake to assume she would accept defeat so easily.

For a split second, too, I was afraid that I had only dreamed the last few moments, and we were still in a bitter fight, but my mind was put at ease as soon as I saw the triumphant grin on Rose's lips. I couldn't stop my own smile from spreading across my face. She had changed in many ways since I had left her, but in others she was still the same old Rose. "That wasn't very fair of you."

She let out a laugh and, finally, it was a genuine one. The one I had always loved and missed so much. I hadn't heard it in a long time, and I'd begun to wonder if I ever would be so lucky again.

When she leaned down, I thought she was going to kiss me once more, but her lips only barely grazed mine, and I had no room to move closer. I was completely at her mercy, and I didn't mind it one bit. Her eyes sparkled when she must have come to the same realisation.

"You're right," she eventually agreed, her lips still a hair's breadth away from mine. If only I could shift my position to a point where I had more freedom to move. "Come on, tell me I've won."

I wanted – no, needed – her kiss more than anything else in the world, but so did she. I knew this game well – it was all a matter of whose control crumbled first. Perhaps it wouldn't have to be mine for once. There was a hunger in her eyes that wasn't going to be sated by my admission of defeat. "No."

"You know you want to," she said, and it was quite unfair that she was moving her hips against me for emphasis. I might have caved in if her shift in position hadn't given me the room to move I'd been looking for. In one swift motion, I freed one of my hands and pulled her down to me. She mumbled some words of protest that sounded like something along the lines of 'not fair' but they were muffled against my lips. Regardless, she didn't pull away but rather kissed me back ferociously.

Neither of us had anywhere near as much self-control as we tried to make the world believe and, truth be told, I didn't want to control myself in this moment. It was a dangerous thought, and I reiterated my earlier statement once Rose pulled away for some air. "We really should leave."

"I know," she groaned, then went in for another kiss. When she pulled my bottom lip between her teeth, my resolve almost dissipated entirely. "But I don't want to stop."

God, no. Stopping was the last thing on my mind right now, but the little shreds of reason that had remained somewhere in the back of my mind kept me from giving into temptation right here, right now. "We don't have to stop, Roza."

"But you just said—"

"What I meant to say is… maybe we should take this somewhere more private."


Author's Note:

So... umm... two things:

1) My little vacation time has sadly come to an end, so new chapters will probably not be up every single day. I'm trying for every other day, but I can't make too many promises.

2) Yes, this is another very short update, but there is a reason for it. The next one is going to be a little ~spicy~ chapter. As we all know, this website here does not allow explicit content, and tbh I don't know how much this is enforced these days, but I'd rather be safe than sorry. That's why I decided to split this chapter into two parts. I'll be rewriting the spicy scene in a way that should be suitable for this site so you don't miss out too much.