Sorry for the delay, there'd likely be delay on the next chapters too. I'm having a bad year. I've been really sick and have some medical stuff that is about to make me super broke. And then to top that off, my fridge broke today and my food is spoiled.

I really hope this chapter improves your day so it's so much better than mine.

Rose POV

The panels of the wooden door dug into my back. Paint flaked off, catching under my nails. Slowly, I slid down until I sat on the ground, staring blankly at the window above the bed. Snow fell, the small flakes drifting to the ground in the morning light.

It was so peaceful, and yet my mind and emotions were chaotic.

I desperately wanted to believe in Dimitri's words. His confession sounded sincere—they weren't words just to appease me. And then there was Yeva…

It was too much. I dragged my hand down my face, rubbing my eyes, they were so dry from the amount I had cried. At the rate I was going, I would be dehydrated by sunset. I was so ready to throw my relationship with Dimitri away, but maybe now there was a chance. Maybe we could remain friends.

We could never be more. I realised that after I tried to bring up Ivan weeks ago. While I was sitting in the back seat of the car, nursing the bottle of vodka, I realised that as long as he worked as my bodyguard, we could never be more. It was just a crush that I needed to keep to myself. Dimitri didn't feel the same and never would.

But he could be my friend, and with my current state of friendships, I should hold on to whatever I could get.

"So, you finally spoke to him."

My hand dropped from my face, and I peered up at Mason. His posture was relaxed, hands in his pockets and eyes lazily moving about the small room. I really wanted to throw something at him. "You could have told me," I retorted.

Mason shrugged, kneeling so we were at eye level. "Why would I take away the fun of seeing Dimitri panic when you ignored him?" A smile tugged at the corners of his lips. "You should have seen him just sitting in his room trying to make sense of it all. Ivan felt bad, but I enjoyed it."

I shook my head, trying to fight the smile that wanted to break. Dimitri's struggle with believing me shouldn't bring me any joy, but at least he didn't just throw it aside and ignore what happened as others had. "You're getting better at moving shit," I complimented, "I'm glad it was actually useful this time."

His lips pursed together in a pout. "It's always been useful," he defended.

I could continue teasing, but I suddenly deflated. Mason was my best friend and the one person I'd been able to talk to for the past four years about everything. I didn't bother trying to conceal my inner turmoil from him. "Do you think he means it?" I asked in a small voice.

Mason shifted closer; his hand hovered above my knee and I could almost pretend his touch would be solid and warm. I could almost pretend he wasn't a ghost. "I think he does," he replied after a moment. "I wasn't lying about him spending a lot of time thinking about it. He even asked you about it, but you were still in the hospital and out of it."

My eyes snapped to his. "He did? Did I say anything?"

"You called him an idiot then fell asleep again."

A laugh bubbled out. I pressed the back of my hand to my mouth to stop the sound. Even if two people believed I could see ghosts, I didn't want the others to hear me laughing by myself.

We didn't say much after, sitting silently while I processed everything. After an internal battle, I believed Dimitri, though I was still wary of it. Sure, I could just start a conversation with Mason at the dinner table and see what Dimitri did, but I didn't want to make the next two weeks awkward with his family. It wasn't perfect, but some of the sorrow and pain I had been carrying eased. I wouldn't have to keep pushing Dimitri away.

The clatter of plates and cheerful voices broke me from my thoughts; I couldn't hide in my room all day. Despite being willing to believe Dimitri, I was full of nerves as I stepped back into the living room; I kept fiddling with the velcro straps on my wrist brace. Yeva wasn't on the couch anymore, instead seated at the head of the kitchen table. Her eyes met mine from where I stood, her lips pressed together, and she jutted her chin, silently ordering me into the kitchen.

"Going in?" Ivan appeared beside me. I glanced at him, a feeling of joy seeing the large smile on his face. He was rocking on his heels. "Olena's cooking is amazing." Ivan took a few steps forward to peer around the wall separating the kitchen from the living room. I could pick out Dimitri's deep tone among the many women who spoke. It was a combination of English and Russian, words mixed together and flowing into a conversation I couldn't follow.

"Are they nice?" I whispered, the nerves hitting hard. My feet felt like they were rooted to the carpet. I couldn't remember the last time I was part of a family meal—it would have been with Lissa's family before the car accident.

Ivan didn't notice my panic, distracted by what he saw. "Wow. Tasha's here."

The tone of excitement in his voice caught my attention, and I eased forward until I could peek without being noticed. Plates covered the table, leaving very little of the blue tablecloth visible; I didn't recognise half of the dishes but the smell was mouthwatering. Olena was busy by the kitchen counter, filling another bowl with a stew that looked similar to what Dimitri had made before. Two other women helped her, based on their looks, I could guess they were Dimitri's sisters. He said he had three, but I couldn't spot the youngest. Zoya and a young teen sat at the table with another baby in a high chair, chatting among themselves.

Dimitri stood by the back door, hanging his duster and the colourful scarf. A burst of joy went through me when I saw him, and then it dimmed. He was talking to a woman with her back turned to me; I couldn't put my finger on why I felt diminished but there was something about how he smiled at her.

I swallowed past the lump that had formed in my throat. "Who's Tasha?" I questioned.

Ivan pointed at the woman beside Dimitri, a bright look in his eyes, "That's Tasha. This is perfect."

"What is?"

"Tasha," Ivan repeated as if it were obvious. "Dimitri has known her for years."

My stomach dropped to my feet. "Tasha," I repeated. A whirl of emotions turned in my chest, squeezing painfully.

Dimitri and I could never be more than friends.

My promise to Ivan weighed on me heavily. "Do you think they would be good together?" I asked thickly. Why was it suddenly so hard to keep my word? I had no issue trying to set him up earlier that morning.

Ivan hummed, "Yeah, I always thought so."

I nodded, unable to reply. It was to help Ivan move on, that was the reason why I agreed to any of it in the first place—I had to keep my word.

I didn't say much at the table, feeling more lost by the minute. Everyone was so happy and the conversation flowed easily—I was like a fish out of water. I barely ate the food I had served myself, taking a spoonful of each dish Dimitri encouraged me to try. He sat beside me, trying to draw me into conversation but I couldn't think of anything to say.

It was like an insider's view of what a happy, loving family was like. It gave me flashes of the happiness I used to experience when eating dinner with Lissa's family; her parents showed me more affection than I ever gained from Janine. But as soon as I focused on those memories, they were quickly replaced with the looks of disdain they gave me the last time I visited; their front door shut in my face and Andre's ghost beside me thanking me for trying.

I couldn't let myself enjoy being a part of Dimitri's family moments because they would be over for me in two weeks, and then I would be back to living in a mansion and barely seeing my father every day.

It was the way I liked it. No one expected anything from me, and I didn't expect anything back. It was easier.

"So what are you studying?"

It took a minute for me to realise the question was directed at me. I stopped listening to what they were saying once Ivan started going down memory lane about Dimitri and Tasha. Her eyes were on me, leaned forward in her seat to see around Dimitri. She gave me such a kind smile that I felt bad for instantly disliking her. Stupid crush.

"Creative writing," I mumbled, praying for the conversation to move off me.

"Really?" she beamed then nudged Dimitri, "Don't let this one start talking about his Westerns. He has an unhealthy obsession."

A soft laughter filled the room from the table; it was teasing, but I could tell it was with a fondness. I ducked my head, pushing around my food. My appetite had left me.

"How did you two meet anyway?" Tasha questioned. "Dimka mentioned working for your father."

The sour feeling stirred in my chest. Dimitri began to reply but I cut him off, bluntly stating, "He's hired to keep me out of jail." The table became silent, except for me. "I have these episodes that make others think I'm crazy, and sometimes that gets me in trouble. I wasn't trusted to be on my own anymore, so Dimitri was paid to follow me around all day. How do you two know each other?"

I couldn't bring myself to look around at the expression of the others, instead staring directly at Tasha with a straight face and waiting for her response. I could see the troubled expression on Dimitri's face out of the corner of my eye, but didn't pay him attention.

Tasha barely contained her shock at my response, glancing around before grimacing. "I see," she replied in a careful tone; one I was used to. "We…We've been friends for years."

"Are you single, Tasha?"

Dimitri cleared his throat, pushing his chair out from the table. "I think I might take Rose to the lake," he announced suddenly, placing his hand on my shoulder.

Part of me wanted to fight him, but the other wanted to get away from the family setting. It brought up too many emotions, and I was already raw from earlier. "Sure," I grumbled, pushing back from the table and my half-eaten food. I paused before leaving the room, shyly meeting Olena's eyes. "Thanks for the meal," I offered sincerely.

She didn't look mad, but I doubt she was impressed with me either.

It was going to be a long two weeks.

The lake was a ten-minute drive away from the house; we didn't speak in the car, and I was waiting for Dimitri to tell me off. It was stupid, and I acted like a child just because I was jealous of his happy family.

It was so much easier to accept the life I got when what I was missing wasn't dangled in front of me. Ever since I met Dimitri, I kept being reminded of everything I'd lost.

Friends. Family. Freedom…

I had the bare minimum of all of it.

Dimitri pulled off the side of the road, it was more of a dirt clearing than a car park. Tire tracks dirted the snow, some footsteps leading to a short pathway. A few cars were parked but it was quiet when I climbed out. I didn't bother waiting for Dimitri, limping to the path with a grumble about constantly walking. I complained about it, but I preferred it to being stuck in the house.

The path led to stairs, a sprinkling of salt on them that crunched under my shoes. The lake turned out to be just that—a big frozen lake surrounded by snow banks and tall trees. The others who had parked were skating on the opposite side, their laughter barely reaching us.

It was picturesque and beautiful, and it dragged me down more.

I spied a park bench and began the trek towards it, hearing Dimitri following behind me. Mason and Ivan had accompanied us, seeming fascinated by the snow like kids. I didn't pay them attention as they whispered excitedly to each other.

"It's nice out here, isn't it?" Dimitri offered as I sat with an over-dramatic exhale.

"Yeah," I retorted, my arms crossed over my chest. "Much better than the city."

"They both have their perks," he replied calmly, taking the spot beside me. I felt his eyes on me for a minute, studying me. Without saying anything, He removed his scarf and wrapped it around my neck. I raised my eyebrows and he simply replied, "You looked cold."

Dimitri seemed happy to just watch the ice skaters; I had expected some talk about me not making things difficult, but instead, he was just enjoying the view. I wondered if he got me out of the dinner for a different reason—did he notice I was drowned in memories?

"Why don't you live here?" I broke the silence, fiddling with the scarf around my neck.

"What do you mean?"

"Here," I gestured around us with my hand, "This town. You like it and your family is here. So why don't you live here?"

He shrugged. "Because I work in the city."

"But…" I pressed my lips together, gazing out at the frozen lake rather than at him, "What if you didn't?" That sour feeling stirred in my stomach, churning and twisting my insides into knots. "I mean, who really wants a job following me around? You could quit." Each word pulled from my mouth pained me. I didn't want Dimitri to quit—I might have before, but I didn't want to lose the one person I felt close to. Despite that, I couldn't be the person holding him back.

"I don't want to quit," he defended, shifting on the bench to face me. "Rose, why would you think–"

"You could move back here and be with your family. And Tasha," I explained.

He could have a life.

Maybe that was it the whole time. It wasn't that Ivan wanted Dimitri to find a partner—he wanted Dimitri to live his life rather than avoid it.

I knew the pains of not living a life, and I didn't want anyone else to do the same.

"Tasha?" the name repeated with confusion. "What does she have to do with this?"

"Ivan said you two are close."

Dimitri inhaled sharply. "Ivan? Is he here?"

I finally made myself face him, twisting around to spot the ghosts. I had been waiting for the questions about Ivan. "Mason is trying to teach him how to move things. I think they want to make a snowball."

The two men were by a mound of snow, both reaching into it in an attempt to pick it up. Mason was succeeding in nudging the snow but had yet to gather enough to throw. Neither overheard our conversation.

Dimitri looked in the same direction I was, and I wondered if he noticed the snow shifting slightly. He released a long breath, "How long has he been around?"

"Since you showed up. He's been following you since he died."

"Why?"

A smile pulled at my lips. "Because he's worried about you. He wants you to be happy—find someone, and settle down–"

"Wait." Dimitri's eyes snapped to mine, his eyebrows knitted together. "Is he why you keep setting me up?"

My mouth went dry. "Technically."

"Why? Why would he ask that? Why would you go along with it?"

"Like I said, he wants you to be happy," I replied, "He knows how much his death affected you, and didn't want you to close yourself off." I pulled at the Velcro on my brace, wincing as I continued, "For why I helped… He convinced me that you would quit if you met someone, so I agreed to help."

"That's why… This whole time," he sighed and reclined on the bench, dragging a hand down his face. "Do you dislike my company that much?" he asked in a dejected tone. I wasn't prepared for the hurt in his eyes.

Every time I thought of when I would explain the truth to him, it never occurred to me that Dimitri would be upset. My hand reached for his, and squeezed; his eyes dropped to our hands then moved to my eyes. "No. It's not like that—not anymore."

"But it used to be."

"Well, yeah," I replied honestly, "I didn't want to be babysat. Ivan brought up the idea early on into knowing you. All I wanted was privacy, and so when he suggested it would make you quit, I thought it was a good idea. But then, I got to know you."

"Then why are you telling me to quit, Rose?" Dimitri questioned, turning his hand under mine so our palms were pressed together. My heart skipped a beat when his fingers closed around my hand. "Do you still want to get rid of me? Is it because of how I reacted? I'm so sorry for how I reacted. If I could go back and change it, I would."

"No. It's not that, okay," I tried to defuse the conversation. I didn't want to discuss it.

"What is it? Have I done something?" he pressed and I felt myself buckle. I couldn't look at him anymore. His hand in mine began to burn.

"You haven't done anything yet."

"Yet?" His fingertips caught my chin, gently guiding my face back to his. It was tender, and his expression was dismayed. "Rose, you're expecting me to abandon you, aren't you?"

My breath caught in my throat. Dimitri saw through me and guessed my fear easily. "Everyone does," I mumbled. Everyone left me eventually—Why should Dimitri be any different?

"Roza," his tone was broken, "I'm not going to leave you."

"Yes, you will!" Tears built, and threatened to fall. I curled my fists, pressing my nails into my palms. "I know how messed up I am. Even without the ghost stuff, I'm still fucked up. Everyone leaves and it's easier if you admit to it now so I don't get my hopes up that you actually care!"

Dimitri was unfazed by my anger. His fingers were still resting against my chin; slowly, they brushed my skin until his palm cupped my cheek, the pad of his thumb catching the lone tear that fell. "I do care," he declared, eyes holding mine and were unwavering. "You aren't messed up. You were dealt a terrible hand and had to experience so many hardships—that doesn't make you messed up."

My lip trembled, and my words stuck in my throat.

"You don't have to push me away. Please, don't push me away," he pleaded, "I'm not leaving you, Roza." Dimitri's body was angled to face me, hand still holding mine, and the other on my cheek. It felt so intimate and caring, I didn't want it to end. "I know I don't have the right to ask this, but please trust me. I'm not going anywhere."

Something about those words pierced my heart.

All this time, I thought I had been waiting on something to believe I could see the dead—for someone not to think I was crazy—but it wasn't. I just wanted someone to stand by me. I wanted someone I could rely on to have by my side no matter what I had to face, but each time, I lost the people I placed my trust in.

Dimitri's promise was so enticing.

I glanced at Mason, the last person I let close to me. It hurt so much when I lost him…

I looked back at Dimitri, meeting his eyes and searching for any hint that he was lying. It was like free falling to trust him—to trust that he wouldn't destroy me again.

I sucked in a deep breath, licking my lips to work up the courage to respond. "O-okay. I'll trust you, Dimitri."

Before you ask, Tasha is not going to be mentioned much again in the story. She's there for the drama of this chapter because I wanted her there.