A second chapter to make up for missing yesterday

Dimitri's POV

I couldn't keep Rose off my mind, and it left me drained. Mr Mazur hired me to look after his daughter and ensure she didn't get in any more trouble with the law. I was a glorified babysitter, overpaid to spend time with a young woman I couldn't stop thinking about.

It wasn't romantic. I wasn't allowed to become involved with Rose. Not only would that be unprofessional, but it could also be disastrous for Rose. She wasn't well, and to attempt any romantic relationship would be questionable.

No, I held no romantic feelings towards her, but I enjoyed her company. After our agreement, we developed a friendship of sorts, and I began to look forward to our time together. It felt less like a job every day.

And each day, I found myself questioning Rose's diagnosis. It was small incidents that made me question if maybe she was telling the truth. When the thought crossed my mind, I would dismiss it quickly. Ghosts weren't real.

When I trained her in the gym, she guessed what I would do next—always looking at me with knowing eyes and a hint of amusement.

Again, I dismissed it.

But she knew the timer would go off without even looking at it…

Ghosts weren't real, and I didn't want to make things worse by encouraging her.

I shook the thoughts from my head and ran up the stairs to Rose's room; we had to leave soon, and she had yet to emerge. I knocked and waited, hearing the click of heels moving closer, and her door opened a sliver. Rose peered at me before pushing the door the rest of the way with a nervous expression.

In the weeks since meeting Rose, she never dressed up. While I didn't think of her romantically, I could admit that she was beautiful; she had a natural beauty that didn't require makeup. But the minimum amount she wore made her stunning. With how often I saw her withdrawn and avoiding the world, I didn't realise how striking Rose was when she wasn't trying to hide.

My mouth became dry at the sight of her dress, my eyes running down the length of her body before I remembered myself and focused on her face again. Rose shifted, moving from one foot to the other and attempting to straighten creases that weren't there on her dress.

"Do I look okay?" she asked timidly, eyes flicking to mine and then back down.

I hadn't realised my jaw had dropped; I quickly closed my mouth and replied, "You look nice."

"It's not too much?"

I thought of the designer suit her father wore and the suit and tie I had on for the party. "No, it's perfect," I assured her, "You look beautiful, Rose."

Her cheeks flushed, and her lips pressed together. Rose's head snapped to the side, staring into space before she rolled her eyes and relaxed a little. I didn't mention it; I could pick up when she was interacting with something only she could see. I waited until her focus was back on me before I offered her my arm.

"Shall we?"

The party was not a small gathering. It was much larger than I expected—granted, none of it was something I could expect. It was a completely different world than I was used to. Part of me was thankful that Rose seemed as put off as me.

When we arrived, she scoffed and joked about the extravagance of the mansion, lit up in multiple colours and classical music drifted out the front door. She stayed back with Pavel and me rather than following Abe as he greeted groups of people in the foyer. A few of them cast glances at Rose but she avoided them all. Her nerves were getting the better of her, rocking on the heel of her shoe and clenching her fists; it reached the point that she tried to take one of the offered champagne glasses. I pulled her back and curled a hand around her shoulder to direct her into the main room.

Double doors lead into an enormous room that I could only assume its main purpose was as a ballroom. A glittering chandelier dangled from the ceiling and glinted in the fading sunlight that shone through the floor-to-ceiling windows. The people at the party were dressed up as if it was a formal ball more than a simple cocktail party as Mr Mazur had painted it. Rose's dress definitely wasn't too much compared to some of the women, but I preferred hers over anyone else's.

I surveyed the room for something to take her mind off the glances she received and her nerves, spotting a buffet table as she bumped into me. Focused on her again, I noted how pale she was. Rose stared straight ahead, and I tried to follow her eye-line and find what set her off—except there was nothing there.

"Rose?"

She turned in my arms until we looked as if we were embracing. "It's nothing," her response was shaky, eyes squeezed closed. "I just… I saw–"

Was this why her father invited me? Did he expect Rose to have an episode? While what she saw might not be real, her reaction to it was. I drew her closer, a swell of protectiveness in my chest when others side-eyed her. "Come on," I encouraged and led her through the room.

Rose kept her eyes down and muttered under her breath. Occasionally, she would shiver and flinch back, but she didn't break away from me. I was thankful the side door was cracked open. We walked out onto the balcony, moving out of earshot of others. Some people wandered the gardens, but none paid Rose any attention, and with the shadows of the night, we were more concealed compared to inside.

"I'm sorry," Rose whimpered, fingers rubbing her temples in irritation.

I didn't want to mention her reaction but offered, "Did you want to talk about it?"

She stepped away from me and crossed her arms over her stomach. "You don't believe me," she mumbled. The dejection in her tone hit me hard.

I shrugged my suit jacket off and followed Rose to the balcony's edge. "You can still tell me," I replied, wrapping my jacket around her shoulders. A look of surprise covered her face, fingers grazing the dark blue material before pulling it closer.

"Most times, a ghost doesn't show how they died, but some do." She paused and licked her lips, eyes trained on the garden. "I think it depends on how violent it was or if they are still pissed. I don't know." With a deep breath, her eyes flicked to mine, "Some of the people in there aren't good people."

A chill went down my spine, but I chose to blame the weather. "Did you want to leave?"

Rose gave me a weak smile. "Nah. I mean, there are a lot of ghosts in there, but it's only a couple that are hard to look at. I know who to avoid, and Mason can keep the worst of them back."

I enjoyed how she relaxed when she could talk about it. Around others, there was always a tension in her shoulders and a guarded look on her face; with me, she was more open. It made me feel bad for not believing her, but I couldn't wrap my mind around ghosts being real.

"Besides," she continued, "it would be lame to spend Thanksgiving alone in my room. At least, this way, I get a good meal."

I chuckled. "Can't pass up food."

"Hey, did you see the size of that turkey?" Rose turned to lean against the railing and stare into the ballroom. "I didn't realise it was Thanksgiving."

I tried to keep my eyes moving, but they always returned to Rose and admired how she disappeared under my jacket. The bright lights made her eyes dance, and I was captivated. When she looked at me, I realised I had been quiet for too long. I copied her stance and focused on the people inside. "I never celebrated it much. Ivan did, and sometimes Karo would host a dinner."

"Abe doesn't do anything," she told me with a nod to the party, "this is as close as he gets. My mother never cooked, so I used to jump between Lissa's and Mason's houses. Last year was the first one I spent alone since I was four."

The smile dropped off her face, and all amusement left her. I watched her close herself off and panicked for a way to stop it.

"Do you know how to dance?"

The question broke through to her, drawing her attention back to me with a tilted head, "Dance?"

I gestured to the couples that moved gracefully around the middle of the ballroom. "Yes."

"I can dance, but it's not the kind that's appropriate for this party."

My lips twitched, grateful to have distracted her. "Probably not."

The relaxed expression returned. "Do you know how to dance?"

"Ballroom? Yes," I admitted, smoothing my hand down my tie, "my sisters taught me, I didn't have a choice."

"I bet you were a great dance partner," she teased.

"I was."

Rose laughed, then replied, "Prove it." I could tell that she regretted her words instantly; a sudden blush dusted her cheeks and a nervous look formed in her eyes.

"If you insist." I slipped my jacket from her shoulders and laid it over the railing. I took Rose's hand and tried not to think of how soft it felt. She muttered, but couldn't finish her sentence as I drew her close and directed her hand to my shoulder. "Just follow my lead," I instructed as I took her waist.

With a squeeze of her hand, I began to move us; it was just a Waltz, simple enough to follow. Rose was surprised I followed through, clinging to me as she stared at our feet and fumbled a few times. I released her waist to curl a finger under her chin, tilting her face back.

"Look at me," I told her, holding her eyes as we continued to dance. The blush was more intense, covering her cheeks and down her neck. Without watching her feet, she allowed me to lead and soon was gliding without any mistakes. "Much better."

I thought it would be awkward with the height difference, but Rose fit in my arms perfectly. The skirt of her dress fanned out as we spun, as did the curls framing her face. I couldn't stop watching her.

A smile grew on her face. "I guess you proved it," Rose breathed. I could feel her lean more into me; our pace picked up until we were in time with the music.

"I don't lie about these things, Roza."

She faltered, a confused expression on her face, and I inwardly cursed.

"There you are!"

We both stopped, and I released Rose, moving back another step just in case. I schooled my features, stood behind Rose—as was my job—and looked towards the person approaching us. Mr Mazur met my eyes for a moment before focusing on Rose, waving her towards him.

"Rose, I have some people I would like you to meet."

"Sure," Rose stuttered, following her father inside without looking back.

I swallowed and grabbed my jacket, taking the moment to figure out what the hell I was doing.

"It's a bit cold to be outside, Belikov."

I glanced at Pavel. "Rose needed some fresh air."

"And dance lessons?"

There was a note in his tone that made me wince. I couldn't read his expression very well, but he was either irritated or amused; I assumed the former. "It was nothing."

Pavel hummed, turning on his heel and proceeding back inside without another word. I dragged a hand through my hair and cursed under my breath. It was nothing—it couldn't be anything else.

xXx

Rose's POV

My heart pounded; I couldn't hear anything Abe was saying. I went through the motions of greeting the people he introduced while my mind was stuck on the fact I danced with Dimitri. The whole time, I could only think about how easy it would be to kiss him. Just extend my neck, lean up on my toes, and I could have kissed him.

God, I wanted to kiss him so bad.

I could still feel the warmth of his palm on my back.

Like I was attuned to his presence, I glanced over my shoulder as Dimitri approached. His mask was up and I couldn't tell what he was thinking. The bright smile he had given me as we danced was long gone.

"I've heard so much about you, Rose," the woman in front of me smiled, deep red lips framing white teeth. She was taller than me, with flowing blonde hair and a drop-dead body that I could have had if I hadn't stopped exercising. I recognised her accent; it wasn't as strong as Dimitri's but I could pick up on it.

I glanced at Abe and then at the woman; she seemed nice enough. "It's nice to meet you," I replied.

She reached out and patted my hand with her gloved one. "My name is Vera. I worked with your father last year but never got a chance to meet you."

I forced a smile. I tried to be social when I first moved in with Abe, but it was short-lived once people began to talk. After that, I avoided everyone, even when my father tried to introduce me.

"Wow," Ivan gasped beside me, nudging me with his elbow and sending chills down my spine. "She looks like a girl Dimitri dated."

Great. I looked at Vera again and wasn't surprised she was Dimitri's type. Time to hold up my promise. I angled myself to gesture at Dimitri, smiling at Vera as I introduced them, "This is my friend, Dimitri."

I saw his moment of panic; his eyes flicked to mine, wondering what my plan was. He stepped forward and offered his hand to Vera with a polite smile. "Nice to meet you."

Vera's eyes lit up immediately, and she took his hand with both of hers. "Dimitri," she cooed, "you've kept your accent much better than I have. It's wonderful to meet you." Her words switched to Russian, and Dimitri suddenly became more involved in their conversation.

I hadn't heard Dimitri speak in Russian often, just a few curse words he wouldn't teach me. Once, I overheard him talking on the phone but left to give him privacy. His tone was just as deep, but there was a beauty in the way the sounds rolled together. I never had an issue understanding him in English, but I could notice the ease in which he spoke his native tongue.

Ivan stood near them with a grin and a thumbs up to me, his way of saying the conversation was going well. I guess bringing Dimitri to the party had worked as planned—setting him up was the main reason for it all.

Yet, watching Vera and him talking made my stomach twist, and my heart clenched. "I need to use the restroom," I whispered to Abe, excusing myself from the group quietly and quickly.

No one followed, so I doubted Dimitri realised. It was good. It meant he was invested in whatever Vera was saying. They likely had more in common than I had with Dimitri. It was a good thing if they got along; Dimitri would have met someone, Ivan would be able to move on, and I would finally have the freedom from the bodyguard I didn't want. It worked out well for everyone.

Except I felt a sudden sense of loss.

Feeling like an idiot, I beelined for one of the bathroom sinks and planted my hands on the ledge. How didn't it occur to me that if Dimitri left, I would be losing the only person I thought of as a friend? Not even just a friend, but someone I had developed a crush on. It was just depressing and pathetic.

I should be happy for Dimitri, and happy for me. After he left, I could go back to just keeping my head down and waiting for my twenty-first birthday.

"Can you believe he brought her?"

"Imagine having all that money, and having a daughter that was fucking insane. I'm surprised he hasn't committed her."

A girl laughed, their voices drifting around the corner of the bathroom where more vanities were set up. "At least she hasn't started talking to the walls again. Remember when she yelled at a tree?"

"Her dad has to feel sorry for her, that's the only reason she's here," the other replied, "Everyone is playing nice because they want to do business with Mazur."

My fingers curled until my nails cut into my palms. I pushed away from the counter, feeling a sense of numbness wash over me. I remembered exactly why I never tried to be part of Abe's world—why I stayed away from everyone.

I marched out of the bathroom, chose a direction and walked without thought of where I was going; I just had to get away from them. I could have gone up to them and taken my anger out on them. It would have gotten me arrested and committed—a one-way ticket to losing all sense of myself while locked away in a padded room. As much as I wanted to make them regret their words, I wanted my freedom more.

An itch was under my skin, the hurt and anger their words caused twisted and mixed with my emotions about Dimitri. It all formed together like a lump on my chest and I needed to do something to rid myself of it.

The solution appeared in front of me with a cocky grin and lustful eyes. "I heard you were here," Jesse drawled; his shoulder leaned against the wall and hands in his pockets, "You still owe me, Hathaway."

I sauntered up to him and placed a hand on his chest, fingers slipped under his suit jacket. Touching him gave me a rush, a feeling of some control returned to my grasp. Everything else was out of my hands and I had no say, but this I could choose.

I tilted my head, lips just inches away from his. "Let's fix that."