"You're very chipper today Rose," Alberta noted with a kind smile, glad to see a change in Rose after seeing her so sad for so long. She was practically a second mother to the young girl, and it hurt her to see her in so much pain after her recent break up – even if she thought Rose was better off without him!

"I'm just happy," Rose stated, clearing the last bit of cutlery from a recently vacated table in the diner. Once again, it was an extremely slow day, which left Rose with little to do than reflect on her 'arrangement' with Dimitri. Thinking back to their time together that weekend, Rose struggled to keep a smile off her face!

"Any reason?"

"Not particularly," she shrugged. "Just had a good weekend."

Alberta nodded her understanding, but couldn't help the knowing twinkle in her eye – Rose had met someone, that was for sure!

An hour or so had passed and the diner had seen only a handful of customers, leaving Rose bored out of her mind! She wished she had some sort of hobby, so that she at least had something to do while she waited around. She could read, she thought, but who was she kidding? When was the last time she read a book? A sudden image of Dimitri's Western collection flashed across her mind, causing a slight chuckle to escape her lips. Perhaps she could ask to borrow one to read during slow workdays?

"Hello, Roza," a warm voice called, instantly bringing Rose out of her thoughts.

Looking up across the counter, Rose unexpectedly locked eyes with Dimitri's – eyes that not 24 hours ago had been staring down at her in the midst of passion. Rose's stomach clenched at the memory.

"Hey," she managed to stutter out, blushing. How he had crept into the diner without her noticing, Rose had no idea! Usually Dimitri only needed to be in the proximity and the hairs on the back of Rose's neck would stand to attention!

"How was your weekend?" Dimitri asked with a wink, leaning on his elbow against the counter between them. Wearing only sweatpants and a tight t-shirt, with his thick hair tied at the nape of his neck, Rose determined that he was working at the yoga studio today. It took all her strength not to lick her lips at the sight of him – he always looked good in his work gear!

"Oh, you know, the usual. Nothing special," Rose informed him with a shrug, collecting herself and ignoring the butterflies she felt deep in her stomach. Her subconscious let out a little squeal – Rose saw an opportunity and she was determined to push his buttons.

"Nothing special?" Dimitri asked, feigning shock. "You sure know how to hurt my feelings, Roza."

Rose chuckled and shook her head. "Comrade, you have no feelings. You're far too zen for that."

At Rose's slip of his private nickname, Dimitri raised an eyebrow in bewilderment and slight amusement.

"Comrade?"

A pink hue crept onto her face as she realised what she had said. She had only ever called him that in her mind! Was he offended?

"That's sort of what I've been calling you in my head," she explained, looking down at the counter between them.

"Comrade? Really?" He asked again with a wide grin.

Phew, she thought.

"Hey, you call me Roza!"

Dimitri chuckled and shook his head. "Roza is your name, just in its Russian form. Comrade is meant to tease me."

Rose laughed and stuck her tongue out cheekily. "Suck it."

Dimitri's eyes suddenly darkened, and he leaned further across the counter so that they were only inches away from each other. Rose was silently thankful that the diner was empty – there were no customers to witness this display!

"Careful, Roza," he warned, holding her gaze in his. "You don't want to get on my bad side – I'm not sure you could handle what I might do to you."

Rose's abdomen suddenly did somersaults, and her heart beat wildly in her chest. Honestly, what he could do to her with just a handful of words! But she was determined not to let him see the effect he had on her. Swallowing her lust, she smiled.

"Did you come here to order anything, Comrade, or are you just here to flirt with me?"

A low growl slipped from Dimitri's throat, both delighting Rose and making the nervous butterflies in her belly swarm like mad. Choosing to ignore her teasing though, Dimitri leaned back off the counter and smiled cheekily, increasing the distance between the two of them. He new that his lack of retaliation would drive Rose crazy.

"I came in for a coffee - I wasn't sure if you were working today. But flirting with you is a bonus," he teased with a wink.

Rose reached beneath the counter for a takeaway mug, oblivious to the way Dimitri's eyes darkened even further at the way she rolled her eyes at him.

"How do you take your coffee? Cappuccino? Latte?"

"Just black today please, Roza," he replied, before his eyes searched for the restroom. "I'll be right back."

Nodding, Rose set about making Dimitri's drink, now feeling even more giddy than she had before he turned up at the diner! She was going to have to be careful – just being around him made her feel as though she was on cloud nine, and this was certainly not how she should be feeling given their arrangement. She couldn't admit it to herself, but it was clear she was falling – hard.

As she poured Dimitri's coffee into the mug, Rose heard the jingle of the bell as the diner door was pushed open. Looking up, she saw the familiar sight of none other than Adrian waltzing in – a shit eating grin on his face and signature flirtatious look in his eyes.

Crap, she thought. Not today, Adrian. Not with Dimitri here.

"Good Morning, Little One," he greeted with a wink, leaning against the counter just as Dimitri had done just two minutes before.

"Morning, Adrian."

"And how are you on this fine morning?"

"I'm fine," Rose replied, bluntly. "What can I get you?"

Adrian frowned at Rose's unusually cold tone of voice. "What's wrong? You seem unhappy with me?"

"Nothing, I'm just working," she reassured him, forcing a polite smile on her face. Any other day, Rose would be more than happy to banter with a friend, but given Adrian's blatant feelings and the fact that Dimitri would be back any moment, today was not that day. "I can't really chat," she added.

"Never stopped you before."

Rose sighed, eager to serve Adrian and get him out of there as soon as possible. "What can I get you, Adrian?"

"Oh nothing, I just wanted to see you," he explained with a shrug. "I think I've found a building I'm interested in buying - to turn it into an art studio. I was hoping you'd come see it before I put an offer in."

Rose's eyes lit up. It had been Adrian's dream for some time to get into the art industry, and recently he had been contemplating taking the leap and start his own studio. Seeing him chase his dreams made Rose feel an enormous swell of pride. And being asked for her opinion, even if she knew nothing about studios or art or anything of the sort, Rose felt suddenly excited. "Sure, Adrian. When?"

"Tomorrow?"

Rose nodded. "I'm working tomorrow, but only until twelve. We could go after that?"

As Rose and Adrian made their plans, Dimitri returned from the bathroom – unexpectedly on edge at seeing Rose talking to another man. He bristled at the sight, but quickly pushed the unwelcome feeling to the back of his mind. It didn't matter – Rose could talk to whoever she wanted. She wasn't his, after all.

Once he reached the counter, he picked up the waiting coffee and threw Rose a wink, placing his cash down in front him.

"Thanks, Roza."

"No problem," she blushed, weakened as always by his use of her Russian name.

Adrian, seeing their interaction, suddenly felt very protective of Rose. It didn't help that he though it should be him making her rosy-cheeked and shy! Standing up a little straighter, he felt determined to push this guy's buttons. "Shall I pick you up after work tomorrow then?" he asked, keen to make it known that they had made plans together.

"Sure," Rose nodded, before a slight awkwardness hung in the air between the three of them. Rose felt compelled to introduce the two men. "Dimitri, this is Adrian. Adrian – Dimitri."

"Nice to meet you," Dimitri smiled, extending a hand to Adrian politely. Rose noted that Adrian shook it a little too tightly.

"Yeah, we met before, briefly," Adrian responded, a slight chill in his voice.

Choosing to ignore the man's attitude, Dimitri shot him a friendly – albeit forced – smile. "So we did. How are you doing?"

"Yeah, not too bad, you?"

"Yeah, I'm good thanks."

Oh God, Rose thought. This is so awkward.

"I'm feeling very refreshed after a relaxing weekend," Dimitri added, throwing a very obvious wink in Rose's direction. At any other time, Rose would have melted on the spot, but with the awkwardness of this encounter she simply wished the ground would swallow her whole. "Well, I better go. I have a class soon. Are you free tonight, Roza?"

Rose nodded, unable to find the words to respond verbally.

"Come over?"

"Sure," she managed, almost choking over her dry mouth. "I'll be over after work."

"I look forward to it," he grinned, before turning and walking towards the exit, leaving Adrian and Rose standing in a tension-filled silence.

"So you're with the Russian now?" Adrian asked, once he had processed what had just happened.

"Well… sort of?"

Adrian's eyes darkened involuntarily. "What do you mean sort of? You either are or you're not."

"It's complicated," Rose tried to explain, unable to look Adrian in the eyes.

Sighing, Adrian balled his fists at his side as he felt a wave of anger course through him.

"I've been incredibly patient, Rose," he said through gritted teeth. "You don't deserve complicated. And he doesn't deserve someone like you. I don't trust him."

Rose looked up, her annoyance suddenly matching Adrian's. Who was he to judge Dimitri when he didn't even know him! "You don't know him."

"I know guys like him."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"He's a fuckboy, Rose," he explained, running a frustrated hand through his tousled hair.

Rose scoffed. "And you're not?"

"Not when it comes to you."

"Why are you being like this?" Rose questioned, taking a step back and folding her arms in frustration. "I told you last weekend that I was confused about what I wanted."

"Yes, but I thought you'd have come to your senses by now," scoffed back, rolling his eyes before leaning over the counter towards her. "Come on, Rose. You and me."

"Adrian…"

"No, Rose. I'm serious. You tell me you don't know what you want, and then two seconds later – the Russian's your boyfriend!"

Rose rolled her eyes defiantly. "He's not my boyfriend."

"What do you mean?" Adrian asked, his brows furrowing in confusion.

"Dimitri's not my boyfriend," she shrugged.

"But you're sleeping with him, yes?"

Rose didn't need to say anything for Adrian to get the picture. He knew exactly what was going on, and he didn't like it one bit!

"Oh, come on, Rose! You deserve way better than that!"

"Adrian, I –"

"Look, I better go," he interrupted, too mad to listen to Rose's excuses. He could hardly believe what he was hearing. Adrian thought that he and Rose had made progress in their relationship over the last few weeks, and he had genuinely believed that Rose was willing to give him a chance. He could see now though that it had been a misguided dream. "Call me when you realise you've got more self-respect than this," he added, slamming the door behind him.

"Wow," Rose panted later that evening, falling against Dimitri's pillows and attempting to catch her breath.

Dimitri chuckled. "Are you going to say that every time we have sex?"

"Probably."

"Well, I suppose that's a compliment," he replied, turning over on his side to look at the gorgeous woman lying next to him in his bed.

"Dimitri, I've known you five minutes and you've given me orgasms in the double figures. I was with Mason for three years and I barely had ten."

Dimitri couldn't help the hearty laugh that escaped his lips, nor the swell of pride that coursed through him. "Colourful," he chuckled.

The pair lay content next to each other as they each came down from their post-coital highs. However, Rose couldn't help but think about her interaction with Adrian earlier that day.

You deserve way better than that…

You've got more self-respect than this…

Rose had known Adrian for years, and it was true that he knew her better than anyone – barring Lissa, of course. She couldn't help but think that there was some truth to his words, but she couldn't quite bring herself to admit it.

On the other hand, she was already falling for Dimitri – hard and fast. Lying there next to him, it felt right, it felt natural. He already made her feel giddy just by looking in her general direction and, although they had only embarked on this arrangement for little over a weekend, Rose found herself wishing that there was more between them.

It was true, after Mason, Rose certainly deserved a decent relationship – but could Dimitri give that to her? Or was she simply setting herself up for heartbreak and disaster?

"Dimitri – do you think you'll ever have a regular relationship again?" She questioned quietly, causing Dimitri to open his eyes and raise an eyebrow at her in confusion.

"Why?"

"Just wondering," she shrugged, nonchalantly.

Dimitri sighed and sat up slightly in the bed, taking a moment to consider her question. It surprised him slightly that it wasn't an immediate 'no', and that he was taking the time to think about it.

"No," he finally answered. "I don't think so, anyway."

"Why not?"

"I told you – I've been hurt in the past," he replied, reaching out and tucking Rose's dark hair behind her ear, as usual not wanting to go into detail.

"Hasn't everybody?"

"I suppose," he shrugged, before they fell into another content silence, leaving Rose to dwell on their situation once more.

If Rose was going to take the risk and put herself in a situation where she would likely be hurt, she needed answers. She needed Dimitri's justification for why he was like this - she needed to understand.

"Dimitri, I have to ask – exactly why don't you do relationships?" She asked, voicing her unanswered question for what felt like the hundredth time.

Dimitri sighed. "You're not going to let this go, are you?"

"I can't," Rose replied, sitting up in the bed and covering herself with the sheet. "If we're going to keep doing this – just sex – I need to know why."

Dimitri frowned, a slight panic shooting through him. "You're saying if I don't tell you – you don't want to keep seeing me?"

"I need to know, Dimitri."

Sighing deeply, Dimitri considered Rose's ultimatum.

"Okay."

"Really?" She questioned, slightly taken aback. He had avoided the question thus far and she had expected him to brush her off again.

Dimitri nodded, before taking a breath. He had never had to justify himself to any of the women he had slept with thus far, and he wasn't quite sure where to start. But knowing that telling Rose was the right thing to do, he began.

"A few years ago, I had a girlfriend. Tasha. I really loved her, and I thought she loved me," he explained. "I was so happy. Ridiculously so. My family loved her; she loved them. Even Yeva. I ended up proposing to her after two years."

"Did she say yes?" Rose asked, captivated by his voice. She couldn't quite believe that he was sharing this with her!

"Yes," he nodded, solemnly. "It was honestly a really good relationship. We had no problems at all. We'd even bought a house – we'd lived together for about a year. We set a date for the wedding and everything."

"So, what happened?"

Dimitri sighed at the memory. "As we got closer to the wedding, things started changing. We argued a lot. Too much, really. It became very… toxic. But I adored her; I wanted it to work. I thought it was just nerves, you know? Pre-wedding jitters. But… I came home after a class one day, and I just knew something was wrong. I could feel it."

Rose found herself imagining the many different scenarios - images ran through her brain as to what had happened. Did she leave him? Did he leave her? Did she die?

"I found her in our bed having sex with two other men."

Rose's heart stop and her mouth fell open. That was not what she was expecting! "Dimitri…"

"I was heartbroken."

A silence hung in the air between them as Rose processed what she had heard.

"So now you don't want another relationship?"

"After that, I vowed to never put myself in a situation like that situation again," he explained.

"I see," Rose uttered, quietly. However, she couldn't help but feel slightly offended at the idea of Dimitri likening her to his ex-fiancée. "You know I would never do that to you though?"

"I'm sure you wouldn't," Dimitri clarified. "But I thought that about Tasha, too."

"Well, thank you for telling me."

"You're welcome," he replied, reaching for her hand, and placing a soft kiss on its back. "Rose…"

"Mhmm?"

"How long have you known Adrian?"

What?

Dimitri had just divulged a huge chunk of his life to her, and now he was asking about Adrian? Surely this conversation had become far too personal for their arrangement already?

"I don't know… a few years maybe?" Rose shrugged. "Why?"

"Just wondering," Dimitri sighed. "He likes you."

"I know…" she replied, unsure as to where he was going with this.

"Have you two ever… you know –"

At Dimitri's question, Rose almost choked on her own saliva! That was a question she was not expecting!

"No!" She replied, almost too quickly for Dimitri's liking.

"Good."

Good? She thought. What the fuck is happening right now?

"I'm going to order some food," Dimitri told her suddenly, with a slight cough to break the tension. "Pizza okay?" he asked, presuming she was staying to eat. Swinging his legs over the side of the bed and reaching for his underwear.

"Sure," Rose replied, before Dimitri wandered in the direction of the kitchen, leaving Rose to sit dumbfounded in the centre of his bed.

Was Dimitri… jealous?

Hi everyone! Thank you for being so patient with this. If you follow me on my Facebook (HWrites0108) you'll have seen that my mental health has taken a bit of a toll recently. I've not been coping very well, and this along with starting a new job, has left me feeling very low and unmotivated. But my mental health needs to be a priority, thus writing has been sitting on the backburner. I hope you understand.

Anyways, thank you to those of you who have left nice reviews! I really appreciate it and I love hearing your thoughts! Keep it up :)

H