Together Forever

Chapter Nine: An Unexpected Visitor

"Lissa, you look radiant!" Mia squealed as we all sat down on the couch.

Lissa smiled and rubbed her stomach. "Thank you. From both of us."

Mia smiled and looked around. "Christian isn't with you?" She almost sounded shocked.

"No. I'm afraid to fly with him. He might set the plane on fire," I joked.

Dimitri watched from a distance as the three of us joked around and talked. Mia told us about this hot guy that she met during her magic training. At some point in the conversation, she told me about this super cute guy that was perfect for me. From the corner of my eye, I saw Dimitri tense. I don't think this was a conversational topic either of us wanted to go into. I skillfully avoided it by asking her if she had found the perfect guy for her. She shrugged nonchalantly, but a blush erupted on her cheeks. Lissa and I started to press her for details. She covered her face with her hands, whispering a name. I leaned forward, trying to catch what she was saying under her breath.

Mia uncovered her face, placing her hands in her lap. "His name is Evan. Evan Badica."

I didn't recognize the name, but Lissa did. "Evan Badica? Mia! Oh my gosh. He's like forty!"

Mia gave her a sour look. "He's thirty-two," she corrected.

"And an important royal. I hope your ready for that kind of life," Lissa said.

"I never said we were getting married or anything," Mia screeched. "It's more of a... I don't know. It's not a serious relationship. We're just having fun."

"Because that makes everyone so much better," I muttered.

"Okay, let's get off the topic. And, Rose, I know you were just avoiding my question. Who's your new boyfriend?"

I tensed involuntarily. "I don't have one."

"Yeah, okay. And Lissa isn't pregnant," she said, rolling her eyes.

I narrowed my eyes at her. She shrugged, but I knew she wouldn't leave it alone that easily. She took a hair tie off of her wrist and pulled her hair into a ponytail of blond ringlets. She changed the topic to Moroi politics, making me lose interest. I got up from my seat, feeling a slight pain in my abdomen. I walked into the kitchen where Dimitri was leaning against the counter. I offered a small smile as I dug through the healthy food in the fridge. There wasn't much in the way of food. Tatiana had had the fridge stocked with broccoli, lettuce, apples, grapes and lemons. I bet she did this on purpose. I almost laughed at the thought of her planning revenge on me by putting healthy food in the fridge. 

I took out the bag of green grapes, and set them on the counter. I rummaged through the cabinets looking for a bowl, finding one on the top shelf. I muttered a string of obscenities as I realized I couldn't reach them. Dimitri laughed and grabbed the bowl off of the shelf. I turned to look at him, scowling. I could see Mia looking at us with a curious look. Lissa, who I'm guessing saw what happened, covered her mouth to suppress laughter. I glared at her. Damn all these tall people. 

I grabbed the bowl out of Dimitri's hand. "I really do hope that Brianna will be short too," I whispered.

"Brianna?"

"Um, yeah. That's what I'm calling her for now."

Dimitri let out a laugh under his breath. "And what makes you so sure the baby is a girl?" Dimitri's voice was as quiet as mine.

"I just have this feeling." I shrugged. "Sorry to break it to you."

He shook his head. "The father doesn't get a say in this?"