Sorry for any mistakes, it was a very quick read-over rather than a proper edit.

Rose POV

Dimitri eyed me; his gaze ran from my shoulders to my feet and then back to my eyes. He walked behind me and tapped my ankles with the toe of his shoe. "A little more," he directed as I widened my stance. "Bend your knees a little."

"I feel like I look stupid."

Dimitri laughed, standing in front of me again. "Learning the proper form is important; it will stop you from hurting yourself," he explained in his zen-like tone.

Strands of hair had fallen from my bun and brushed my cheek; I tried to blow them away. The longer I stood there, the more annoyed I got. "You know, I have thrown a punch before."

He nodded with a hum, pulling on a blue padded glove. "And did your hand hurt afterwards?"

His pointed look when I didn't respond pissed me off. "Fine, old wise one. Just teach me how to punch so I can stop standing like this!"

"I am teaching you," he returned with a slight grin. He held the pad up and nodded at it, "Give it a go."

Dimitri had barely finished the words before I lunged forward, hitting the small black circle in the middle of the pad. I had put all my weight behind it, but Dimitri didn't even flinch from the force.

"Not bad," he commented, "Try again, but don't hold back this time. You won't hurt me."

I gritted my teeth, fixed my stance and punched again.

Dimitri pursed his lips. "Maybe we should try building muscle first."

"Fuck you," I grumbled, but the words held no venom. Dimitri smiled and shook his head at me.

It had started as a joke, yet now I was in the small gym my father had in his house. Tucked in the back where Dimitri and Pavel's private rooms were, there wasn't much in the room, but it was enough to stay in shape. I had mentioned to Dimitri that I used to be on the track team and would work out with friends. I started telling him more stories of high school, including when I punched Mia at a school dance. It prompted Dimitri to ask if I knew how to punch properly.

The whole thing gave me a melancholy feeling. Before Mason died, I had been in shape; running was how I worked through my feelings after the car accident. But then, I lost all motivation to exercise after the medication I was put on. The one time I mentioned it to Deirdre, she said I might be depressed—maybe I was.

"This area is nice. If you want, we can go for a run in the mornings," Dimitri offered. He didn't make fun of how out of shape I was; it was only gentle encouragement. It reminded me of what it used to be like with my friends.

Should I be concerned that my first real friendship in two years was with my bodyguard?

If Dimitri was my only living friend, I was about to make him a dead one. While he had promised it would be an easy run to ease me back into it, it was anything but. Turned out Dimitri was the personal trainer from hell, and I was his latest victim. Now I understood the whispered "good luck" Ivan had given me before we left the house. Even Mason gave up on following us and would just appear now and then to ask if I was giving up.

Once we returned home, I was dripping sweat and gulping down air.

"Maybe we need to go slower next time," Dimitri winced, holding a bottle of water out to me.

I snatched it from him and glared. "You said that was slow."

"It was."

I flipped him off and dragged myself into the house; I didn't even attempt to climb the stairs to my room and instead collapsed onto a couch in the living room. Dimitri didn't follow, disappearing to his own space. It was his day off, making Pavel my guard of the day.

A soft humming drifted from the library; the ghost had an obsession with Für Elise. The times I tried talking to her, she disappeared, and I stopped trying. I did enjoy listening to her sing.

"I didn't know you liked that song."

I jumped, opening my eyes to look up at Abe; he watched me with a hesitant smile. It took a moment for me to realise I had been humming along with the ghost. "It gets stuck in my head," I replied as I eased myself up to sit. "I thought you were out today."

Abe straightened up, his thumbs tucked into the front pockets of his vest. "I felt like working from home today." He glanced around for a second, then asked, "Did you enjoy your run?"

"Yeah," I breathed. "It made me realise how out of shape I'm in, but it was nice to run again."

"Good. That's good. I remember you used to do it often. It's good to get back into it again." He shifted on the balls of his feet awkwardly. "It's good to do things that you enjoy."

I eyed him. "Yeah."

Abe clicked his tongue. He looked around again before sitting in the armchair across from me, rubbing the leather armrests. "You've seemed…happier lately."

"I guess."

"So, you are getting along with Belikov?"

"He's nice enough," I shrugged. Even though I did get along with Dimitri, I didn't feel like broadcasting that to my father. In the end, it didn't matter how much we got along—I still didn't want someone hired to follow me around. But I had to admit I was feeling happier around him. The fact he never looked down on me for talking to ghosts or even brought them up helped. It wasn't the same as Dimitri actually believing me, but it was the closest to acceptance I had had in a while. It felt nice.

Abe rubbed the armrests again. "Good. That's good." The corner of his lips twitched before he sighed and deflated in the chair, squeezing the bridge of his nose. "I've said good enough times it doesn't feel like a word."

I grinned. "I'm glad you noticed it too. Something on your mind?"

"No. I'm just glad to see you smile more. I know I wasn't around a lot when you were growing up, but the times I was, you were always so full of life. It's nice to see that spark again."

I dropped my eyes, crossing my arms over my stomach. I never saw Abe often growing up; even when I moved in with him, there was a distance between us. For some reason, his noticing the change gave me a warm feeling in my chest.

If I ever had to decide who the best parent was, Abe would win hands down, but it wasn't because we were closer—he just wasn't as shit as Janine.

Dimitri had told me stories of his family and how close they were; it made me jealous. I would never be able to have the same kind of closeness with Abe, but part of me wanted to try for something.

"Hey, Abe. Do you mind if I hang out with you today?" I asked before I could chicken out.

The request threw him, eyes widening and lips parting in surprise. But there was a hint of joy that kept me from taking back my words. "It won't be very interesting," Abe pointed out, "but you are welcome to join me in my study."

I tried to smile, but it felt like a grimace. It felt weird to be excited to spend time with my father. "Great. I want some company, I guess," I quickly added. Just like I couldn't admit that Dimitri improved my days, I wouldn't admit how happy his offer made me.

There was no way I could say any of that out loud.

We sat in silence for most of the day, but it wasn't uncomfortable. I knew Abe wouldn't be eager to explain what he was working on because he's always been a little closed off about what exactly he did. I hadn't put in the effort to find out, but I really hoped it had nothing to do with the ghosts I had seen in the basement.

I brought my laptop into his study and set myself up on the leather couch, busying myself with working on my assignments. Maybe the lie about needing company was more true than I realised. After spending the past three weeks with Dimitri always around, I had grown used to the presence of another living person. Mason was always beside me, as he was in Abe's study, but it wasn't the same as being with the living.

The main difference between Abe and Dimitri was that I couldn't just acknowledge the ghosts. I tried to act normal as I positioned myself on the couch and avoided putting my feet through Mason's legs. He took the far end at least, but I still couldn't spread out like I wanted to. Then there was the old man who liked to scream in another language; today, he was muttering while watching over Abe's shoulder. Occasionally, I would hear him refer to Abe as Ilbriham.

"Ivan told me that his name was Emre," Mason commented. My eyes flicked to his, and I raised my eyebrows. He smirked, "The old guy, his name is Emre. Ivan speaks Turkish."

"Emre?" I repeated softly.

Abe's head snapped up. "What was that?"

"Nothing," I replied quickly, "just thinking out loud."

I tapped my fingers along the keyboard. I should feel bad for not actually working on my assignment. Instead, I was trying to think of a way to help Ivan. The dating apps were out; I think if I did that again, Dimitri would go back to being a pain in the ass.

It didn't leave a lot of options. It wasn't like I knew a lot of people to try to introduce him to.

"Stuck on something?" Abe asked, pulling me from my thoughts.

I glanced at him, chewing on my bottom lip. "Kind of." I shifted and tried to think of how to explain what I was doing without sounding creepy. "I was just thinking…I don't really get to meet a lot of people," I finally answered. It wasn't my main problem, but it was one of them.

Abe raised a brow. "You want to meet more people?"

"Yeah. All the people I know don't talk to me anymore or are from group therapy. I used to have heaps of friends, but now…" Dammit. Why did I have to bring it up? Now, I realised just how few friends I had.

He opened his mouth to respond, but I cut him off.

"Never mind. I have to get ready for my class," I excused myself, gathering my stuff and heading towards the door. I paused on the threshold, glancing back at my father. "Thanks for letting me hang."

He perked up, eyes lighting up. "Anytime, Rose."

I would never admit it. I wouldn't even let him see the smile that appeared on my face the moment he sat down in his usual seat, with his book in hand.

Dimitri didn't need to be in the room during my class; it was his day off, and he could literally be anywhere else. But like it had become a habit, Dimitri joined me in the sunroom. He even checked I had water before leaning back and becoming immersed in his book. Dimitri was clearly comfortable around me, and that caused warmth to grow in my chest.

I pushed it all down and focused on my class. It was another class I shared with Meredith—the closest friend I had. Our conversations were online, and we would never meet in person despite her living in the same city. I didn't need someone who was in my degree telling others that I was considered insane and a danger to myself.

Part of me wished I could meet her in person. Based on what I knew about Meredith, we would get along. She liked sports and was a big fan of reading; Meredith was more of a book-smart person than me, and I admired it. Especially when I needed random information—she always had the answer.

She reminded me of Dimitri.

I eyed said man across the room—an idea formed.

My camera was on, but I could bring up my private chat with Meredith while seeming like I was listening to the teacher. My fingers hovered above the keys, wondering how to start the message.

Rose: Are you dating anyone?

I decided to just jump straight in. Meredith would prefer it to beating around the bush.

Meredith: Are you asking me out?

Rose: No. I have a friend.

I kept peeking at Dimitri as if he could guess what I was up to.

Rose: He's a decent guy. And super tall.

Meredith: What makes him so decent that he has to get hooked up by other people?

I cursed under my breath. Part of me already guessed that Meredith wouldn't go for it, but I realised it was a chance to practise my speech for others. If I wanted someone to want to date Dimitri, I had to get good at selling the idea of him.

Rose: He's a bit shy and can come off as unapproachable, but once you get to know him, he's great. He has a good sense of humour and is great at sarcasm. He laughs at my dark humour, and that's saying something. He can also cook, like really good meals. He puts a lot of time and care into things and people. Every time I'm around him, he's always making sure I'm comfortable and even makes sure I'm drinking water.

Most of the time, he has a blank expression, but if you can make him laugh, he has an amazing smile. And his eyes are beautiful in the sunlight. You could get lost in them. He has this thing that just always makes you feel safe. Like, I know he would help me out, no matter what the issue is. He's dependable and really cares about you.

I sent the last message, staring at the wall of text, and sighed. I probably overdid it. But once I started typing, I couldn't stop.

It wasn't hard to talk Dimitri up.

Meredith started typing, and I chewed my thumbnail while waiting for her response.

Meredith: I wasn't expecting all of that. I'm not into guys. Are you sure you want to hook him up with someone?

I stared at the screen in confusion.

Rose: What do you mean?

Meredith: Sounds like you already like him. Are you sure you aren't in love with this guy?

I blinked a few times, head cocked and a shocked expression on my face. A laugh bubbled up, but I quickly cut it off before I drew attention.

In love with Dimitri? She thought I was in love with him?

Rose: I do not like Dimitri like that.

Meredith: Sure, Jan.

I exited the chat and focused back on the class, my arms crossed and lips pursed. Why the fuck would she think I loved Dimitri? I was just saying nice things about him. I used to compliment Mason all the time, but I never had romantic feelings towards him.

Just because I was nice didn't mean I liked the guy.

We were friends, and that was it. I could spend time with him and not want to throat-punch him. That didn't mean anything.

Sure, I looked forward to when we spent time together. And I always tried to make him laugh, because it was worth seeing his elusive smile. And sure, sometimes my heart would beat a little faster when he got closer to me.

I would feel a warmth when he went out of his way to make sure I ate…

I was happy when he didn't look at me like I was insane…

But all of that…

It didn't mean…

Fuck.

When describing Dimitri, I was 100% describing my husband :3

Those who know me know how sickly sweet I am about my husband lol