Jesse lunged for her again but stopped midway, caught from behind.
"You heard what the lady said. Leave her alone," a menacing voice with a thick Russian accent intoned.
Rose nearly cried with relief. There in the shadows behind Jesse stood Dimitri, and he didn't look happy. In fact, he looked like he wanted to rip Jesse's head off.
"Fuck off. This is between Rose and me," Jesse growled.
A look of pain flickered across Dimitri's face, but he didn't let go of Jesse.
"There is nothing between you and me, Jesse. I'm not interested in you! Now leave me alone!" Rose shrieked, trying to cover herself with the remnants of her ripped blouse.
"You want it. I can tell you do. You've wanted it ever since our date."
"The only thing I want is for you to go away. Touch me again I'll call the police," she threatened her voice wavering.
"Fuck you dumb slut," Jesse started. Rose never found out how he was going to finish the sentence because that's as far as he got before Dimitri's fist collided with Jesse's jaw, the latter staggering before stumbling into a hedge.
Jesse righted himself and tried to throw a punch at Dimitri, only for the furious Russian to belt him again.
While it gave Rose a great deal of pleasure to see Dimitri hurt Jesse, things could get out of hand if she didn't stop him. Grabbing his arm, she shouted "Comrade! You have to stop now. Before you really hurt him!"
"He deserves to get hurt!" Dimitri roared, lining up to take another swing at him.
"He does, but you can't afford for the police to be called!" Rose hissed, trying to appeal to his sense of responsibility.
Dimitri pulled up short. Rose was right – no matter how angry he was, he couldn't afford a blemish on his record. Not this close to scholarships being awarded. Instead, he grabbed Jesse by the scruff of his shirt, pushing him angrily back towards the house.
"Get out of here and don't come back or I'll finish you," Dimitri snarled.
Not needing to be told twice, Jesse took off in the direction of the house. Watching him go, Dimitri turned back to Rose, trying not to let his eyes wander to her chest where the lacy black bra she was wearing was clearly visible under the tattered pieces of her blouse.
"I'm sorry your date didn't work out," he said in a wooden voice, turning away. "Maybe next time be more careful who you chose to go out with?"
Rose caught him by the arm.
"It wasn't a date. I didn't even know he was going to be here."
"But you know him?"
"Yes."
"You went out with him?" Dimitri asked, hoping her answer would be no.
"Well yes, but..."
"So this was all some big game to you, was it?! Make me think I had a chance while you're out fooling around with other guys? Do you hate me that much that you'd do that to me?!" Rose could see anguish and disgust in Dimitri's eyes.
"I don't hate you!" she cried, bursting into tears. "I want us to be together again!"
Dimitri looked at her in confusion. She was shivering, and without thinking, he took off his jacket and held it out to her. She turned and let him drape the jacket over her shoulders before turning back to him, putting her arms around his hips and resting her head on his chest, tears starting in earnest. His arms automatically encircled her, giving her his warmth and his comfort.
"Tell me what happened, milaya," he said steadily, refusing to listen to the hope in his heart.
"I was unsure if I could forgive you," Rose explained, calming down herself now Dimitri was more composed. "I wanted to, and then I'd remember what happened. Lissa suggested maybe if I went on a date with another guy it would help me decide."
She could feel Dimitri tense within her arms, so she gripped him more tightly before continuing.
"And she was right. Jesse and I doubled with Lissa and Christian last Friday night. He's a friend of Andre's from College and was staying here last weekend. Anyway, as soon as I got there it felt all wrong. The guy is a wanker, but it wouldn't have mattered who it was. It felt wrong because it wasn't you. That's when I knew I wanted to talk to you about what happened. To give us another chance."
"And do you still want to do that?"
"I do," Rose replied, looking up into his eyes.
"Do you think you could love me again, milaya?"
"Comrade – I never stopped."
And then his lips were on hers. Gentle but full of love, his kisses felt like she'd come home. Arms wrapped around one another, they were pulling each other as close as possible; relishing the feeling as weeks of separation and despair gave way to the joy of being together again.
"I love you, Roza," Dimitri murmured against her lips. "I love you so much. I'm never going to hurt you again," he promised.
Even once they could drag their lips from one another's, they stood together, firmly clasped within each other's embrace. It was like they were afraid to let go. They'd finally taken that final step, and each was frightened to relinquish the other in case this feeling of contentment disappeared.
"Did you want to go in and get cleaned up?" Dimitri finally asked. Rose's makeup was everywhere, her shirt ripped and there was a tear up one side of her skirt.
Rose shivered. "I don't want to go back in there. He's there, and I don't want anyone to see me like this. Can we go somewhere and talk?"
Dimitri understood. After what happened that night with Tasha, this house wasn't his favorite place to be, either.
"Let's get out of here," he agreed.
"Can you go up to the room next to Lissa's and grab my phone and wallet?" she asked, as she did her best to put her clothing to rights and they walked around to the front of the house.
"Stay in the shadows in case he comes back out," Dimitri said cautiously, going back inside and taking the stairs two at a time, quickly locating the items Rose had requested and returning to his girl. Together they walked unseen down the driveway, Dimitri's arm carefully wrapped around Rose's waist as she teetered in her super high heels. The party was in full swing, so they were unlikely to be missed.
"My family are at a Church Saints Day function tonight. They'll be out until around midnight. We can go back to my place to talk and come back here later if you want?" Dimitri suggested.
"Thank you, Comrade," Rose sighed happily, cuddling in his arms as they waited on the roadside for their ride. Minutes later they were in the back of the car, Rose leaning her head on Dimitri's shoulder as they drove back into the city and to the apartment block the Belikovs called home.
"Home sweet home," Dimitri said nervously, as they pulled up in an area of town decidedly less well-heeled than where Rose lived. It wasn't a bad area - more an area that was run down and tired. Where people were poor but honest. "I suggest you take those shoes off because we're on the third floor."
Dimitri helped Rose up the front steps and into the landing before sitting her on a chair in the entryway as she took off her shoes. In his jacket with a ripped skirt, no shoes, and tear-streaked makeup, Rose didn't look her finest; yet Dimitri had never felt more loving towards her. She was beautiful, no matter what she was wearing, and now, again, she was his!
He took her hand, and they climbed the stairs, Dimitri quietly commenting on the house and its occupants as they climbed to the top floor. Fishing his keys from the pocket of the jacket she was wearing, he let himself in; relieved to hear complete silence. Just to be sure he called out in Russian, "Guys? I'm home, and my Roza is with me..." but there was no response.
Rose was looking around in fascination as Dimitri quickly led her through the apartment. She knew the Belikov family history, so she wasn't expecting much, but what blew her away was the warmth of the place. Nothing matched, and yeah the furnishings were old and worn, but the apartment was spotless, and you could tell if there wasn't a lot of money here, they had a wealth of love.
"And this is my room," Dimitri said nervously, leading Rose to where he slept.
Rose looked around entranced. It was a small room. The smallest bedroom in the apartment, Dimitri explained, because the others all shared.
In the corner of the building, it had windows on two sides. Under one was a small timber desk, piled with books, neatly stacked school notes and scholarship applications. To the side of the desk was a wall planner with every possible assignment, basketball game, practice and commitment annotated on it. Beside it was a fully stacked half height bookshelf with a cheap portable radio on top of it. Opposite the desk on the other wall was an old fashioned wooden wardrobe. Between the two was a double bed. A little saggy in the middle, it was covered with numerous handmade quilts. There was only just enough room for everything the room contained.
"Because of the windows, it gets really cold in here," he explained, gesturing to the quilts.
Like the rest of the apartment, everything was old but clean. But what she was most interested in was beside the bed. Pinned up on the wall were seven or eight pictures of her. Individual photos as well as ones of them together.
"I never gave up hope," he whispered, wrapping his arms around her from behind as she looked at the pictures of herself.
She spun in his arms, suddenly feeling so tired.
"Would you like something to eat? Drink?" he asked nervously.
Looking up at him with thankful eyes, she said, "I'd really like to take a shower. Do you think Sonya would mind if I borrowed something to wear? I'd like to get out of these clothes. I feel dirty," she said with a shudder.
"Of course." He led her to the bathroom he shared with Sonya and Viktoria. He got her a fresh towel and pointed out Sonya's bathroom drawer if she needed anything. Then he went to Sonya's room and pulled out some sweatpants and a loose top.
"They're not glamorous," he warned passing them to Rose.
"They look perfect," Rose said, giving Dimitri a warm smile. She closed the bathroom door, for the first time getting a look at herself in the mirror. She looked shocking. A horror story! Ugh! She needed more than a shower! She needed makeup remover, a hairbrush and a hair tie, in that order!
The bathroom was old but clean. Stripping off, Rose noted her blouse was completely ruined. It hadn't been cheap, and she'd only worn it once for about ten minutes! Her skirt had ripped down one seam, and while she could probably have it repaired, she couldn't imagine ever wanting to wear it again.
She turned on the water in the shower, putting her hair into a loose bun before stepping under the spray. Even though the water pressure wasn't great, it still rated as one of the best showers of her life. It felt good to be clean again – no trace of Jesse on her skin. And while it was embarrassing to admit it, it was also kind of hot showering in the same place that Dimitri did!
Scrubbing at her face, Rose took off as much makeup as she could. Stepping out of the stall, she dried herself, quickly donning her panties and bra before putting on Sonya's sweats. They weren't much to look at, but she was grateful to be out of her ripped and torn clothes, and she hoped Sonya wouldn't mind her borrowing them.
Checking herself in the mirror, she looked a lot better. Investigating the contents of Sonya's bathroom drawer, she found some makeup remover, which she put to good use, before borrowing her hairbrush and a hair tie. Finally squirting some toothpaste onto her finger she quickly scrubbed at her teeth, trying to make herself as clean as possible.
Emerging from the bathroom, Rose found Dimitri sitting on a sofa patiently. He had a plate of cookies as well as two cups of hot chocolate.
"I thought you might be hungry or thirsty?"
She nodded. "Can we cuddle and talk?" she asked shyly, smiling when he nodded. "Bring the cookies!"
She walked back to his room, taking her ripped clothing with her. She honestly wanted to burn it, but for now, she dumped it on Dimitri's desk. There was nowhere else to sit, so she took a sip of her hot chocolate, put her mug on his desk, and then climbed onto his bed. Dimitri went to pull out his desk chair but stopped when she shook her head, patting the bed next to her.
"Hold me," she implored. Right now, she wanted to know they were good. She needed to be in his arms.
Dimitri put his cup and plate of cookies beside hers, climbing on the bed next to her.
"Switch the lights off," she mumbled.
Dimitri reached a long arm up to the light switch beside the door before rolling back to face his woman. It was dark in his room, but he could see well enough to pull her to him. Wrapping her in his arms, he started kissing her. Really kissing her!
They kissed until she knew they had to stop. It wasn't that she wanted to – but they needed to talk. Cuddling against her man's chest, she waited for them both to calm down.
"What happened that night?"
Dimitri didn't need it spelled out. He knew what she was talking about.
"I missed you so much. That's the only reason I went," he explained. "It was going to be just Lissa, Christian, Mia, Eddie, Mason and I but at the last minute, Tasha came too. I had a bit to drink. I'd planned to go home, so I wasn't having much, but I ended up having more than I'd planned. Tasha kept refilling my glass, but I'm not blaming her – it was my poor decision to drink more than I should."
He pulled Rose to him, his large hand softly rubbing her back in a way he knew she found soothing.
"You were due back in another four or five days, and I can remember talking about that. About how much I missed you. Tasha kept trying to climb onto my lap, but it was gross, and I kept pushing her off. Finally, I'd had so much to drink I needed to sleep it off. Lissa and Christian had already gone to bed, but I can remember Eddie helping me up the stairs and down the hall. He helped Tasha take my shoes off as I lay on the bed. I was feeling sick, so Eddie got me the trashcan and put it beside the bed. That's the last thing I can remember."
"So what made you think you slept with Tasha?" It was the sixty-four thousand dollar question, and Rose wasn't certain she wanted to know the answer.
"When I woke up she was naked in the bed next to me. She filled in the blanks in my memory from the night before, telling me how good it had been for her. She kept touching me – trying to get me to do it with her again..."
"Were you naked?"
"No! I was still dressed, and I was lying on top of the quilt... I felt so gross, Roza. She was trying to touch me. Kiss me. She was walking around naked in front of me, and I didn't want to see it..."
"So are you sure it happened?"
"I don't know," he moaned. "Sometimes I don't think so. I mean, I was still clothed, and there was no sign I'd been... you know... excited. I'm a lot bigger than she is – I can't see how she could have dressed me again afterward. I know I was drunk, but I can't imagine wanting to do that with her, no matter how much I'd had to drink!"
Dimitri was embarrassed to be talking about this, so Rose rubbed calming circles on his arm as they spoke – letting him know it was ok and she wasn't angry.
"I feel so stupid, Roza. Like I put myself in a bad position and got taken advantage of. I couldn't even talk to the guys about it because they all assume that if a guy is with a girl, it has to be consensual. I was so drunk I was in no state to consent to anything. Hell! I can't even remember if anything happened."
Rose thought about it. "If you were a girl and a guy took advantage of you being that drunk to have sex with you, it would be called rape," she muttered angrily.
"I know," Dimitri said wearily. "But it's different when it's a guy."
"I don't think it is. If it happened then what she did was wrong. Although Christian is pretty sure it didn't happen, you know. He believes she made the whole thing up because you kept saying no to her."
"It's a possibility. I mean – somehow I think I'd remember if I'd done... that."
Rose rubbed her face against his chest.
"I'm sure you would remember," she reassured him. "I think she made it up. It wouldn't be the first time she's lied about stuff. But I'm sorry I didn't give you the chance to tell me all this earlier. You must have felt so alone and upset?"
He nodded. "So where does that leave us?" he asked.
"It leaves us here. Together," Rose replied, cuddling in closer to Dimitri and purring in satisfaction as he brought his lips back to hers, pushing his leg in between hers and rolling her onto her back.