I'll Come Back for You

Chapter Eight:

Hello! I am updating early again (yay!) and I am excited that this story is finally going to start taking off (plot wise). As always, thank you for reading, and if you feel so inclined... please comment or hit the "star" button! 

You may start noticing a pattern here; I upload a lot of different music with this story. For this chapter, I've included Mercy Me's Even If.

Enjoy!

--VIVKELLER23

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Kaliah's POV

Life with Dimitri wasn't as uncomfortable as she had expected it to be. Dimitri was respectful, offering light conversation without attempting to pressure her into more. It was strange that he didn't try to pursue the intimate part of their relationship, but she was glad she wouldn't have to fend off his advances. Perhaps he'd wait until he could return to Sydney before he gave into his baser urges.

Or perhaps, Kaliah was just looking for a reason to keep Dimitri at arm's length?

For a man who'd been practically about to marry Sydney, he didn't act like he was dying of affection for her. As far as she knew, Sydney hadn't been allowed into Dimitri's room during Kaliah's "wedding night." A fact that Sydney seemed to feel was entirely Kaliah's fault though Kaliah had rejected Dimitri when he'd tried to enter her room.

Kaliah drew a heavy sigh. Had she really believed she could have Dimitri back into her life so suddenly and not be moved? She wasn't as indifferent as she'd first convinced herself she was. And if she were honest with herself, if with no one else, the thought of Sydney having had a claim on Dimitri over the eight years he'd been away made her shake with jealousy. They looked so good together with similar coloring; yet they were perfectly different. Why wouldn't the public want to see them together?

How would the devoted fans who'd shipped Dimitri and Sydney together react to finding Kaliah was the small town nobody who would keep them apart? At least for the next two years.

Funny how life had a way of twisting everything around so she was the one constantly getting burned. How could it be that she'd had Dimitri in the palm of her hand first, she'd loved him first, but the world would see her as the intruder?

Kaliah shook her head. What did it matter? How many ways did she need it spelled out for her? She had to stop setting herself up for heartbreak. All the people she'd ever cared about had left her at one point or another. How many ways did she need it spelled out for her before she grasped that no matter how hard she loved, no force on earth could make them stay?

But it was so hard to be alone when you'd had a glimpse of what life could be like with love.

The sound of the oven going off snapped her back to the present. She'd managed to salvage some of the tomatoes from the Farmer's Market incident to make her own salsa. Tonight, they'd be having lasagna for dinner. Dimitri had watched her while she worked in the kitchen, making her nervous and clumsy. The satisfaction was clear on his face with his smirking lips. He knew what his presence did to her and still he insisted on torturing her with his unwavering gaze.

Stupid, Popstar. "If you're done staring, you can help set the table," she threw over her shoulder as she felt the familiar sensation of piercing green eyes on the back of her head.

"Yes, Mrs. Hale," he replied, emphasizing her new last name.

Kaliah bit her tongue to keep from snapping. He'd probably enjoy getting her riled up. "Funny," she mumbled instead. She took the oven mit from the granite counter and used it to keep from burning herself as she pulled the finished dish out. "But you should recall that the legal name is Baker- Hale. Not just Hale because we both know there's an expiration date to my being your wife."