The Bodyguard

6

I twisted my lips as I looked at myself in the mirror. This was a typical party outfit for me, but I still felt unsure.

I styled my hair in curls and pulled on a pair of high-waisted white-washed shorts. My shirt was once upon a time, a favourite go-to, but I wasn't sure. It was still cute. Red cropped top that had pillowy sleeves that rested off the shoulder, with ties in the front.

"Rose, we should be leaving soon," Dimitri called out, wrapping his knuckles on the door. It wasn't completely closed and when he knocked it opened more.

I looked at him in the mirror and gave him a weak smile.

"I wish I had more of my usual bravado right now," I chuckled.

"Why's that?" he asked, a smile on his face. He lost the duster and was wearing blue jeans and think white button-up t-shirt. It looked casual, but he looked, well, I shouldn't think that he looks the way I thought he did. It wasn't fair to either of us.

I shrugged. "I don't know. Do I look okay?"

I turned to look at him, holding my hands out to the side hesitantly. Dimitri's eyes flicked over me, something flashing over his eyes before his eyes moved back to mine.

"You look beautiful. Perfect," he said with a small smile. I nodded and looked back in the mirror and started the pull my hair up into a clip, but I caught Dimitri's face in the mirror.

"What?" I asked, confused by the perplexed look on his face.

"Leave it down," he said quietly before stepping out of the doorway and heading towards the stairs. I smiled to myself in the mirror and watched my cheeks pink. The simple statement made my heart feel warm and my stomach flip.

I sprayed a bit of my perfume on and some deodorant and deemed myself as ready as I could be. I was starting to feel anxious about how many people were going to be there, but I knew everyone that was going to be there, aside from Andre's friends. But I knew that Andre would bring anyone around that would reflect poorly on him to his parents. That was the only thing that made me feel a little better about the night.

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DPOV

Rose had a smile on her face, but I could tell that she was feeling anxious. Her smile didn't quite reach her eyes and she bit her lip every few moments. I waited a moment and relaxed my stance when Lissa slipped beside Rose, looping her arm around her waist. If it wasn't Lissa hovering around Rose, it was Christian or Adrian.

It was strange knowing that Adrian knew Rose. Adrian was my estranged cousin, mostly because of his father. But I knew that if Adrian took something seriously, he would be like a dog with a bone.

"I'm surprised to see you here!"

I turned and smiled at my old friend.

"Tasha, how are you?" I said, accepting a quick hug from her.

"I'm good. What are you doing here?" she asked, a slight tilt of her head.

"Working. I could ask the same of you?"

"Lissa invited me," Tasha said, "I think it was more because she didn't want her parents to feel surrounded by a bunch of kids."

"I couldn't exactly call them kids," I chuckled and brought my eyes back to Rose, watching her drink from her cup. She seemed to relax the longer she was here.

"So, what are you doing here if you're working?" Tasha asked.

I gestured towards Rose and Lissa. "Rose."