Rose POV

I didn't know what to make about Dimitri's deal—agreement. I doubted it would last. Part of me wanted to test it, start a conversation with Mason and see if Dimitri went back on his promise and looked at me like I was having a breakdown. Ivan assured me that Dimitri never broke a promise, but I didn't trust him anymore.

There was a reason why I didn't help ghosts anymore.

It had been a few days since our deal, and Dimitri never mentioned the alcohol or Jesse sneaking in, and neither did my father. Abe wasn't a fan of Jesse, the son of an old business partner. We met when I first moved in with Abe and would occasionally make out or trade favours. After Abe walked in on Jesse and me sharing a joint at his father's house, Abe ended business with them and told me to stay away from Jesse.

Since then, Jesse had developed a skill for climbing the tree up to my window.

"It's Monday," Dimitri announced as he entered the kitchen, his accent still thick from sleep and would be until he drank a coffee.

I rubbed my eyes and groaned, "Don't remind me."

Monday, Wednesday, and Friday—days I had appointments with Deirdre.

"Hey, maybe if you convince Abe I'm too sick to go, he'll call it off," I said hopefully, giving Dimitri one of my dazzling smiles. It was met with a straight face and a slight eyebrow raise. "Fine," I whined, "I'll get ready to go."

"Car or walking?"

"Walk. I've got to check on the regulars."

Last week, Dimitri convinced me to let him drive me to my appointment; I had been dragging my feet, worried Dimitri had told Deirdre about Jesse and our conversation. Though the drive was quicker and more comfortable, I realised I'd grown used to seeing the ghosts on my walk. As annoying as it was to admit it, I missed them. Some ghosts were kind and greeted me, and it felt like I missed something not seeing them before my appointment.

After walking past them three days a week for the past year and a half, I had grown fond of them.

Dimitri walked beside me, not trailing behind like he used to. He didn't even bat an eye when I sidestepped or waved at seemingly nothing. It was a weird experience. When I came to a stop, so did Dimitri, watching me from the corner of his eye.

I looked at the collection of ghosts standing on the sidewalk, a couple of old men dressed in clothes from a hundred years ago. They weren't mean, but if someone walked through them, they always started yelling.

"Follow me," I told Dimitri, grabbing his hand and guiding him behind me and around the men. They dipped their heads at me and I gave them a polite smile.

"Everything okay?" Dimitri asked tentatively and squeezed my fingers. I forgot I was still holding his hand.

"Sorry." I released him and put distance between us again. "I just didn't want to get yelled at." I dropped my eyes and kept walking.

"Today I would like to talk about Mason."

An icy feeling ran through my veins, and I dropped my forehead to the window. Deirdre's office was high up in the city and gave some pretty great views; it was the one thing I enjoyed about the place.

I had started the session the same way as the others, with a few sarcastic remarks and a rundown of why I wasn't crazy. The responses we each gave were practically a script now, always the same thing. Now and then Deirdre would throw in a curve ball, and today that was Mason.

I sighed but didn't face her. "Mason is here. Ask him any question you want."

I could hear her pen tapping on her notebook. "I want to talk about the day he died."

My body locked up. "I don't want to talk about that."

"I think it's important that we do," she replied. "You say that there are ghosts everywhere, but Mason is the only one that follows you around. Why do you think that is?"

I breathed slowly through my mouth, attempting to calm myself down. "I'm not talking about this."

"Why were you out there that night, Rose?"

I jumped to my feet and grabbed my bag, heading straight for the door.

"Rose. We aren't finished yet."

"I'm finished!" I shouted back and threw open the door. My sudden appearance startled some of the others in the waiting room, but I didn't care as I beelined for the exit. Dimitri was quickly on his feet, a concerned expression on his face.

"Rose!" Deirdre called after me, "If you leave, I will have to inform your parents."

"Do it! I don't care!" I didn't look back, though I could feel eyes on me. Footsteps followed me out of the reception area and to the hallway, I recognised the footfalls of Dimitri.

"Is everything okay?" he asked me for the second time that day. I crossed my arms and stared at the elevator doors, waiting for them to open.

"I'm fine."

I tried to explain why I was so angry, turning to face Dimitri, only to scowl and turn away. Mason was as pissed off as me, though when our eyes met, he looked sad. I felt like he pitied me.

How bad off must you be if you were pitied by the dead?

I kept my eyes down as I stalked down the pathway, rage boiling under the surface. Soon it would be replaced by fear of the fallout from Deirdre talking to my parents. Janine might push for more restrictions placed on me, and Abe might crumble and support it.

I wasn't paying attention and walked straight through the group of ghosts. I felt the cold shivers seconds before they started yelling. I had wrapped my arms around myself to ward off the chills and then jerked back from the man shouting at me.

"Rose?" Dimitri came to my side, and it set the ghosts off more. Mason and Ivan started yelling back.

The group grew too loud, and I covered my ears. Solid hands rested on my shoulders, gently guiding me forward. I knew it was Dimitri and trusted him; it was a strange realisation.

The feeling of the ghost's touch lingered; a couple had passed through me during the confrontation. It made the chill in the air feel worse, freezing me down to my bones. I'm sure Dimitri felt my shivers, leading me from the walkway and inside a store. The shouts became muffled once the door closed behind us, and I uncovered my ears. Dimitri didn't release me, directing me around the store until we found a table. I glanced around; we were in a cafe, the smell of coffee filled the space and some jazz music played.

"I'll be right back," Dimitri told me. He pulled out a chair for me before slipping off his coat and making his way to the counter.

I stared out the window at Ivan and Mason as they argued with the men. Tears built in my eyes again, and I tried to blink them back. Mason always tried to protect me, still doing so in the afterlife.

Dimitri returned to the table with a little number stand; he sat down but didn't talk—waiting for me to start the conversation. I guess he was keeping his end of the agreement; not once did he look at me like I was crazy.

Not like Deirdre had.

"In that big folder you have on me, does it say anything about the night Mason died?" I asked, not bringing my eyes to his. "Does it tell you that it was my fault he died that night?"

"You can't blame yourself for that."

"We were only up in that stupid tree because of me." I rubbed my eyes, hoping to get rid of the tears before they fell. "I saw the crows, but I didn't know what they meant."

There had been three of them, all sitting around Mason, but he didn't see them. I remembered the sinking feeling I felt in my chest. I knew something was about to happen, but I didn't say anything. I thought it was all in my head.

"You know, I never saw ghosts until he died. It's why they think it was a psychotic break, that his death was too much for me to handle. My mother already thought I was crazy after the car accident." I wasn't sure why I was telling Dimitri everything, but he didn't try to stop me, so I kept going. "I should have died that night—I did die. My heart stopped for ten minutes on the table, but they got me back. No one thought I would wake up because of the head trauma, but somehow I made a full recovery.

"After I was released from the hospital, I could feel things. I don't even know how to explain it other than chills; there were times I felt like someone was watching me or trying to talk to me, but there was no one there." I stared at my hands, becoming lost in the memories of trying to explain it to my mother. She hadn't even waited for me to leave the room before she was on the phone with a doctor.

I was dragged in for brain scans and made to speak to doctors. Each one I told made me regret ever telling Janine. In the end, it was easier to never talk about it again, and eventually, Janine stopped forcing me to go to appointments.

My friends knew, Eddie just guessed I was sensitive to things and didn't question it. Lissa was a bit more put off by it, but she was too lost in her own stuff to get caught up in mine. Mason never thought I was crazy and used to help me get away from Janine when it became too much; we would climb the trees in his backyard.

"Mason was the only one that understood me, and he's dead because of it."

I could remember the sound of the branch breaking and the sight of him lying still on the ground below.

Dimitri remained silent; mumbling thanks to the waitress when she brought us two cups of hot chocolate. He pushed one towards me, wrapping his fingers around his. "My best friend died six months ago. I was the last person he spoke to."

My eyes snapped to his, shocked that he was bringing up Ivan. Of course, Ivan and Mason chose that moment to join us; I tried not to look at them, especially when Ivan sat beside Dimitri.

"I had just finished my last deployment and was flying home. When I landed, I discovered a voicemail from him. He had called me while driving, telling me that he was about to propose and that I had to meet his soon-to-be fiance." Dimitri's voice became thick, clearing his throat before he continued, "The call cut off. They said he died on impact."

Ivan's lips pressed into a thin line. "I had an aneurysm burst and had a stroke. It wasn't his fault, but Dimitri still blamed himself."

"I was supposed to be back in the States with him, but I signed up for another deployment while he chose to leave the military. I didn't know how to do anything else than the military and was scared to leave. If I had, I might have been there and could have saved him." Dimitri looked out the window, jaw clenched. I could hear the pain in his voice; he sounded so broken.

It reminded me of how I felt when Mason died. How I still felt.

I watched Ivan and wondered why he didn't want me to tell Dimitri he was there. Surely they would both benefit from it.

Mason dropped into the open seat beside me, the table cutting through his stomach. "Wow, dark subject." He pursed his lips and started poking at my cup, managing to make it shift the smallest amount on the fifth try.

I swatted at his hand just as Dimitri focused back on me; I quickly stilled and offered a weak smile. "You can't blame yourself. I doubt Ivan would."

He returned the smile with a tilt of his head, "I don't think Mason would blame you either."

I dropped my eyes, catching Mason shooting me finger guns and winking from the corner of my eye. My smile grew a little. I finally picked up the cup, enjoying the warmth it gave me. "Thanks for the drink, comrade."

Dimitri sighed, but the smile didn't leave his face. "You're welcome, Rose."

Abe wasn't home when we returned, and I hadn't received any calls yet. I expected Deirdre to make a bigger deal of the situation than it was—she and Janine always looked for reasons to get upset with me. Dimitri disappeared when we got home, and I didn't blame him; it was a heavy subject we shared our stories about. He probably felt as raw as I did and needed a few minutes alone.

I caught Ivan's eye before he could disappear and waved him to the sunroom. The Turkish man was yelling in the hallway again, so I closed the door to block the sound out.

"Are you sure you don't want me to tell Dimitri?" I asked. "I know I said I don't help ghosts, but I feel kind of bad for him."

Ivan shook his head sadly, "I really don't think he'll take it well. I'm happy to just watch over him for now."

I bit my bottom lip, tentatively asking, "Why aren't you watching over your fiance? Did you need help with her instead?"

A fond look crossed his face, though it was tinged with sorrow. "Lacy is strong. I know she'll move on in time. I still check on her to make sure, but I'm more concerned about Dimitri." He sighed and walked to the window, closing his eyes and basking in the sunlight. "Dimitri holds the weight of the world on his shoulders and will never do anything for himself. I want him to find someone to care about and finally allow himself to be selfish."

"So you want me to keep trying to find him a date?"

Ivan spun to face me, grinning, "If you're willing to help me. He's opening up to you, so you're perfect to get him out of his comfort zone, even if he hates it."

"Guess I'll have to think of a different way of doing it since I deleted the app." I pursed my lips in thought. I might have to go the more organic route and try introducing him to people instead.

"Rose," Ivan began, drawing my attention back to him. He had his hands tucked into the pockets of his suit pants. "Why are you so willing to help now? Are you still trying to get Dimitri to quit?"

I frowned. While I still hated the fact Dimitri was hired to babysit me, I didn't want him to quit as much. He had witnessed me almost crumble from the effect of the ghosts today and didn't even bat an eye. As much as I hated to admit it, the guy wasn't too bad to be around after he eased up on the hardass attitude.

"Dimitri's kind of cool, I guess," I replied, rolling my eyes at Ivan's smirk. "But I want to help you. I mean, if I can help you move on, then maybe I can do the same for Mason."

"I can help you with that one," Ivan commented, the same sad look in his eyes as he got when talking about Dimitri. "Mason just wants you to be happy, Rose."

I don't remember if I mentioned this earlier, but this story is 100% a slow burn.

Hope you enjoyed the chapter!