The door slammed in Rose's face, leaving her feeling dumbfounded and, quite frankly, betrayed, as she stood there on Dimitri's doorstep like a deer in headlights.
Did that really just happen?
Did she really just rush over to Dimitri's apartment, ready to fall into his arms, only to be greeted by the one-and-only ex-fiancée of his? Or simply just fiancée, she should say - no 'ex' about it, judging by the big, fuck-off diamond ring on her finger!
There had to be some sort of rational explanation, surely? Had she simply imagined him coming to her and pleading for her forgiveness? No, she couldn't have... But then the only logical explanation had to be that Dimitri had been lying to her.
Again.
He had told her he lied that day when he said he didn't care about her, that he did have feelings for her after all. Was that all a lie too? Surely it couldn't have been truthful, if he was only going to run straight back to his ex-fiancée so soon after?
Rose's head was spinning – the webs of lies after lies drowning her in confusion. What was real? Was any of it even remotely genuine?
Without thinking, she turned on her heels and stormed down the hallway, straight down the stairs and out of the building. Being able to count the only other places Dimitri may be besides his apartment on one hand, she took her chances at him being at the studio.
She all but marched the whole way there, her hands balled into fists at her side as she walked. The deep scowl on her face had passers-by exchanging looks and hushed whispers, but Rose couldn't care less if she tried. All she could think about was how angry she was. How hurt she felt at the revelation that Tasha was back in Dimitri's life. The anguish she felt at the fact that just two weeks ago he had been sat in her apartment pleading with her that he was sorry, that he did care for her after all. That had to have been bullshit – how could he say those things to her and then turn right around and get back together with his ex?
Lies, lies, lies...
At first, Rose hadn't believed it for a second – Dimitri couldn't be that stupid, surely? When she had come face-to-face with the last person she'd expected to see, she felt that there had to be some sort of simple explanation for it. But why else would that woman have made herself at home in his apartment without him there? Not to mention the fact that she was quite clearly wearing an engagement ring – that had to tell her something, right?
Perhaps Dimitri was just that foolish after all.
The more she thought about it, the angrier she became. Even more so at the fact that Tasha had been quite transparent about the fact that she knew who Rose was, and had obviously done her research on her! The woman was without a doubt insane.
Rose arrived at the studio in record time. On any other day, she would be mentally high-fiving herself at how quickly she'd got there, without breaking a sweat she might add! But this was no normal day - far from it. This was the most fucked-up, pigs flying through the air, Hell freezing over sort of day.
Walking down the street towards the building, she passed a small group of women in workout gear giggling and chatting away to themselves. A class had clearly just ended, meaning that Rose had the opportunity to catch Dimitri on his own. Not that it would have mattered if he was in the midst of a class anyway. With how angry she was right now, Rose would even have happily interrupted a dinner with the fucking Queen.
The ferocity of the way she opened the door had Dimitri, and the last few stragglers gathering their belongings, almost jumping out of their skins. With no more classes scheduled for the day, Dimitri had been putting the yoga mats away and preparing to run through the rest of his close-down procedures. The last thing he'd been expecting was Rose bursting into the studio with the intensity of a hurricane.
Seeing her in the flesh for the first time in weeks, Dimitri's heart began racing, threatening to burst out of his chest and back to it's rightful owner. It belonged to her now. A smile began creeping onto his face, his eyes sparkling, until he saw the fury emitting from her own.
His grin dropped and his brows drew tightly together. What had happened?
"Roza?" He questioned, dropping the mat he had been holding and making his way over to her.
She began stalking over to him at the same time, meeting him in the centre of the studio.
"Don't fucking 'Roza' me," she practically spat, jabbing him in the chest with her index finger.
Dimitri cast a glance over toward the last two women left in the studio, who were now frantically shoving their belongings in their bags in a desperate attempt to flee a situation they really did not want to be privy to. While his clients certainly loved to gossip, these women could tell that this was a conversation best left private. With a final, pitying look towards Dimitri, they all but scrambled out of the door, leaving him to face the anger seething from Rose's body alone.
"What – What's going on?" He questioned, his mind racing a mile a minute trying to work out what he had done to upset her now.
"You're a fucking idiot, that's what going on," Rose jabbed, her eyes now practically black.
"I probably agree," Dimitri admitted with a shrug, "but, Roza – Rose, I have no idea why you're yelling at me right now."
She scoffed.
More lies.
"Tell your Fiancée to leave me alone," she instructed, stepping backwards to create distance between them and folding her arms across her chest.
I've been watching you. That was what she said, wasn't it? Fucking psycho-stalker bitch.
That was the last thing Dimitri had expected Rose to say, and his deep confusion was still written across his face. "My Fiancée? What?"
Rose laughed, but it sounded empty.
"Don't act dumb, Dimitri. You know I'm talking about Tasha," she answered, clear distaste on her tongue at saying her name. "So what – I reject you and you just let her come crawling back to you? I can't believe you would do that to yourself, Dimitri."
"What? I'm not with Tasha, Roza. She –"
"Don't even bother explaining, Dimitri," she interrupted, not wanting to hear his pathetic excuses. It would just all be lies anyway. "I saw the ring. I thought you'd realised you were better than her, that she was toxic, but hey, if you want to be an idiot than so be it."
Rose's usually bright eyes narrowed at him, causing Dimitri's heart to constrict even further in his chest. Every word she said was like a dagger in his chest – it wasn't even so much as what she was saying, but the anger and spite laced into her tone. Rose had every right to hate him for what he did to her, but he could honestly say he had no clue what she was talking about at this moment in time.
That fact hurt him even more because it meant he couldn't fix it. He couldn't explain the situation to Rose because he had no idea what the situation was in the first place! Something about Tasha...
"But I don't appreciate being stalked, let alone threatened if I so much as look in your direction," she continued, not giving him even a moment to answer back. "Tell her to leave me alone. Enjoy your life, Dimitri. I'll be sure to send you a wedding present."
Rose shot him one final irritated look before shaking her head at him, the anger in her eyes replaced with disappointment. Somehow that hurt him more. Without another word, she turned and walked out of the studio, leaving him standing there in the thick silence, confused and dumbfounded.
The urge to follow Rose was overwhelming. All Dimitri wanted to do was catch up to her and fall to his knees, pleading with her to let him explain. Anything to make her see that he cared for her, that his heart belonged to her - not Tasha. But he wouldn't even know where to begin, especially with having no clue what Rose had been talking about in the first place.
Instead, all he could do was watch as she walked away from him, before finishing up at the studio and making his way home.
The moment he opened his door and stepped into his apartment however, he understood what had happened. For there, sitting nonchalantly on his sofa was indeed his ex-fiancée. Tasha.
It was all clicking into place. Rose must have come by - the thought making Dimitri's heart race, what had she wanted? - and she must have been greeted by none other than Tasha.
"Hey babe, how was work?" The woman in question asked, a sickly sweet smile on her face, as though her being there in his apartment was the most natural thing.
Now it was Dimitri who felt rage.
"Get the fuck out, Tasha."
"What?" The dark haired woman questioned, batting her eyelashes sweetly.
Dimitri shook his head, he wasn't going to play her games.
"Was Rose here?" he asked, already knowing the answer.
"She may have stopped by."
"Ah," he affirmed, doing everything he could to reign in his anger and navigate this situation calmly. With a nod, he shook off his duster and hung it delicately on a hook. "Look, I don't know why you're here, or why you even thought I'd be happy to see you in my apartment, but you need to leave now."
Tasha stood from the sofa and walked in his direction, stopping barely a foot in front of him. From here, he could smell her perfume. She was still wearing the same brand she wore years ago, the familiar scent flooding Dimitri's nostrils and swarming him with unwanted memories. He felt sick.
"No."
"No?" he repeated her words, raising an eyebrow.
"No. You and I are destined to be together," she responded, reaching out and resting a hand on his arm. She barely made contact before he shrugged out of her touch.
"You and I are nothing of the sort," he told her.
"Oh come on, Dimka. Stop being so ridiculous. I love you."
Dimitri couldn't help but laugh. It was an echo of Rose's laugh earlier in the studio - empty.
"I know I fucked it up before, but I've changed. I swear, I'm not like that anymore. I love you, and I know you still love me too."
"I love Rose."
The words tumbled from his lips without restraint, before he even had a chance to process them.
He loved her. He loved Rose.
He had spent all this time convincing himself he felt nothing, that there was only lust between them. Even after realising his true feelings, he couldn't bring himself to acknowledge the extent of them.
But he loved her.
He knew that now.
Rose was the first thing he thought of when he woke up, the last thing on his mind before drifting off to sleep at night. Even then she was the sole focus of his dreams, unable to escape the hold she had on him even in his subconscious. Every moment of his day was spent thinking of her. What was she doing? Had she eaten enough that day? Was she happy? Was she exhausted from working a double shift at the diner? Rose. Rose. Rose. She played on repeat in his mind.
Every laugh and every smile that she blessed him with etched themselves permanently into his heart, and he wanted nothing more than to be the reason for those smiles for the rest of his life. He belonged to her, his heart body and soul, just as she belonged to him.
He loved her.
"No you don't," Tasha scowled, drawing Dimitri from his thoughts.
"And who are you to tell me who I do or do not love?"
"I'm your fiancée," she stated with a shrug, as though it was the most obvious, natural thing in the world.
Dimitri laughed again, his anger clear in his tone. The sound only made the smile wipe from Tasha's face, her own anger now etched on her features.
Unfazed, Dimitri straightened, towering down at the woman before he spoke again.
"No Tasha. You were my fiancée. Now you're nothing to me. You need to get it into your head - I. Love. Rose."
Tasha saw nothing but red, her blue eyes darkening to an almost ocean black.
"You're making a mistake, Dimka," she scowled. "You and I will be together, I promise you that. I can make you see that I'm the one for you. Not her."
Without another word, she pushed past him and out of the apartment, slamming the door behind her.