Poison Ivy

Ch 24

ROSE

"Do you think of Dimitri as your savior?"

"No, he's my boyfriend."

"It's common for people to fall in love with the person who rescued them. We call it the nightingale syndrome. It happens a lot to people like you who have been through trauma." I hadn't seen Deidra in a couple of weeks since my migraines started. Today was my first day back and she was really pissing me off. I didn't want to talk about mine and Dimitri's relationship. But she kept pushing and insisting we did.

Poor Scarlet, I was petting her so hard she was going to be bald. I had brought her with me everywhere I went, she even had her own bag I carried her in. She was becoming emotional support for me as well as support when I had one of my migraines.

"Do you think you would be in a relationship with Dimitri if it wasn't for him saving you that night."

"Yes."

"You answered that with no thought."

"Because I don't have to think, I know."

"Are you sure about that?"

"Yes."

"Do you feel your relationship is moving too fast?"

"It is moving fast, but it feels right. Can we please talk about something else?"

"Why? Is the topic of Dimitri making you uncomfortable?"

"No, I just feel like you're judging my relationship with him."

"Do you care about my opinion about you two?"

"No."

"I think you do."

Ding

"Time's up, I will see you next week." I grabbed Scarlet, her bag and ran out the door to her office.

"Let's go."I said to Dimitri as I walked right out the door without him.

"Roza, is everything ok?"

"No, I hate her. I need to punch something. Can we go to the gym please?" Last week Dimtiri had finally given in and had taken me to his Gym. I had been begging him since I got out of the hospital to take me. I was going to the gym in my apartment building everyday before the night of the party where Jesse had fractured my ribs. I had been dying to start again and have my workout regime back. It was one more step for me to get back to my normal life.

"Stop, you're going to break your hand if you keep doing that."

"I don't care, what's one more broken bone?"

"Roza."

"Don't Roza me."

"Seriously stop." He grabbed my hands so I could no longer punch the bag. I had been wailing on it for who knows how long. Deidra made me so angry I just needed to get my frustration out.

"Let go of my hands."

"Not until you calm down."

"LET GO OF ME." I said with as much authority as I could.

"No." I tried fighting him, but he just grabbed me and held me close to him. Which made me even angrier and mad tears started to fall from my eyes.

"Just let me go please." I said desperately, I wanted to run, run away from it all and not deal with any of it.

"Roza, please just tell me what's going on?" He said right in my ear. I started crying even harder, these weren't tears of anger, but ones of frustration. He turned me around so he could look me in the eyes.

"Roza." I loved when he called me Roza, but not at this moment.

"Would you be with me if it wasn't for Jesse?"

"What?"

"Would you be with me if it wasn't for what happened with Jesse?"

DIMITRI

"Would you be with me if it wasn't for Jesse?" I was letting her get her frustrations out on a punching bag after her therapy appointment. Something had happened and she was pissed, but she wouldn't tell me no matter how many times I asked. She was being reckless and going to hurt herself so I was trying to calm her down. Poor Scarlet was hiding in her bag, Rose had scared her.

"What?"

"Would you be with me if it wasn't for what happened with Jesse?"

"Roza, where is this coming from?"

"Just answer me." She yelled tears streaming down her cheeks.

"Roza please" She pulled herself out of my arms and started to walk away.

"Oh my God. She was right." I grabbed her arm and pulled her back to me.

"Roza, please just tell me what's going on?"

"Diedra, she asked me if I was only with you because you saved my life. She said that's why we were together. Said I have some sort of infatuation with you because you're my savior." She said in one breath.

"And you can't even give me an answer." She started to break down even more.

"Roza. You haven't given me a chance to. " I pulled her over to the nearest bench and sat her down.

"Roza, look at me. Do you even know why I was walking outside when I found you?" She shook her head no.

"I was looking for you, I wanted to give you my phone number. I waited for you to come back, but when you didn't I went and asked where you were. I walked outside and I've never been so scared in my life when I saw him holding you. I wanted to kill Jesse for putting his hands on you." She wiped her eyes with the back of her hand.

"Once Lissa got there I left, but I didn't want to. I wanted to stay, hold your hand and make sure you were ok. I didn't even know your real name at the time, I didn't care. I gave Alberta my number so she could call me and tell me how you were doing. She called me everyday to give me updates." Scarlet by that point had gotten out of the bag Rose had for her and was curled up on her lap for comfort.

"I felt an instant connection with you from the moment we met."

"I did too." She whispered. I sat down next to her.

"Don't let someone else tell you how you feel or how I feel." I grabbed her hands into mine.

"I love you, Roza."

"You love me?"

"With everything I have."

" I love you too." I then leaned over and kissed her. When our lips parted she leaned her head onto mine.

"I'm sorry I ever doubted you."

"It's already forgiven. I know things are moving fast, but"

"It just feels right." She finished my sentence.

"It does."

"Let's go home." She said and looked up at me with hunger in her eyes.

"Roza?"

"I want you to take me home and to your bed."

"Roza."

"Comrade, I want to do this. Not because I want to prove my therapist wrong, not because of Jesse, not because of anything else. Because I love you."

Rose was peacefully sleeping next to me, scarlet like always curled up next to her. Last night was nothing but amazing. I was nowhere near a virgin, but it was like discovering a woman all over again. I spent an hour just worshiping her body and every scar she had. Some from Jesse, some from a childhood being a tomboy. She would tell me how she got them while I traced the scars, kissing each and every one of them. They were a part of her story, what made her the strong woman I had before me.

I don't think I loved anyone like the way I loved Rose. She brought out the part of me I lost when I broke up with Whitney. After her I didn't think I could love again, but Rose came crashing into my life changing everything. I wished we could stay in this bliss forever.

Thank you for sticking with me and loving this story as much as I do. Soon we will have the trial and the story coming to an end.