I Never Told You I Love You - Complete

Chapter 32 - A Look I Recognize

"Inna? Can you stay back for a moment please?" Dimitri asked at the end of Wednesday morning's combat lesson.

Inna turned to give Viktoria an excited smile and Rose an arch look, before turning to look at Dimitri with an admiring expression. "Of course, Guardian Belikov," she simpered.

Viktoria and Rose moved to the very far end of the gym near the doors and out of earshot to wait while Inna walked expectantly to stand in front of Dimitri.

"Do you plan to be a Guardian when you graduate Novice Zakharov?" Dimitri asked pleasantly.

"Yes," Inna responded, unsure of where this conversation was headed.

"Do you think Guardians need to be observant?"

"Yes of course," Inna replied.

"Do you think I'm observant?" Dimitri continued with a little smile. "Do you think I notice things?"

"Yes," Inna replied, looking up at him from under her lashes. "I think you notice a lot more than you let on," she said a little breathlessly.

"You're right Novice Zakharov. I do notice things. And right now I'm noticing how rude you're being to Novice Hathaway. I've seen how you make fun of her in Russian knowing she can't understand what you're saying. I noticed the way you disrespected her the other day when she was sharing her knowledge of aerial maneuvers, and it didn't escape my attention who moved her bag out from the change rooms on Monday when she was showering."

"I don't know what Rose has told you but..."

Dimitri held his hand up to stop her.

"Rose has told me nothing. Like you agreed – I'm observant. Now I don't know what your problem is with Novice Hathaway, but this rudeness will stop, and it will stop now. In three months' time, you'll be responsible for someone's life Novice Zakharov. You need to be focused on your studies and preparing to be the best Guardian you can be. I don't want to have cause to speak to you about this again. You may go."

Inna was blushing red as she walked to where Rose and Viktoria were waiting.

"What did Dimka want?" Viktoria asked curiously, not reading Inna's flustered state.

After Dimitri's furious reaction the other day when she'd mentioned Inna moving her gym bag, Rose had a fair idea what he might have been saying. Still – it didn't pay to let Inna know that.

"Oh you know Guardian Cranky Pants – probably to tell her that her press ups weren't being done right," Rose joked.

"Does he know you call him that? Guardian Cranky Pants?" Viktoria asked distractedly.

"Probably not – and you're not going to tell him!" Rose laughed. "Although it's better than some of the things I called him when he first started training me," she admitted.

"Yeah he just wanted to talk to me about some training stuff," Inna mumbled as they headed off to their next classes.

Turning as they left, Rose made eye contact with her Russian God and pursed her lips blowing him a kiss.

Rose didn't see Inna again until lunchtime. Plonking her bag down in the spot Leo and Anton saved for her between them, Rose looked up to where Inna sat opposite to see a look of such loathing even she was a little taken aback.

"So have you decided?" Leo asked hopefully, looking at Rose with love-struck eyes.

"Hmmm?" Rose replied distractedly. Dimitri was doing his extra shift tonight in order to take her birthday off in a few weeks, so she was a little preoccupied thinking about the chat she knew Abe was going to want to have.