Off guard

thursday ; 19:35pm

The night fell faster upon the greenhouse than the rest of the house. It was a safe place. Peaceful plants. The entrapping walls of the manor made the greenhouse a haven. The roses were dying. The manor was dying. Those paintings and walls suck the life out of anything living in the house.

I had made my way to the greenhouse. The moonlight shone through the glass exterior, creating glittery patterns on the plants.

"Jo."

Dmitri was walking up to me from behind. I turned around suddenly.

"What do you want?"

A certain rose caught my eye. On his left stood a tall plant pot, with a blossoming rose. It was beautiful. Mother loved roses.

He seemed stressed. He seemed upset.

"Look. Jo I don't even know how to phrase this."
He's in love with me.
"I think you know perfectly well how to phrase this."

I walked towards him, his eyes widened to my confidence. "All this mystery surrounding you, don't you get bored Dmitri? Don't you want someone to figure you out?"

He chuckled. "And you think you can figure me out?"

I smiled back. "All complicated and delicate little Dmitri. You don't seem too fond of this place. Where else have you been?"

"Everywhere, mountains, towns, woods, deserts... anywhere you can imagine..."

"Why did you come back?"

"Because I had figured something out. Something that has been bothering me for months and your appearance here-"

I laughed. "Distracted you?"

"Well you can say that, but it had a greater purpose."

"What purpose?"

"I have to tell you something."

By now I was mentally preparing what I would say if he told me he had loved me. I would never say it back, but I'd toy with him. Mother toyed with Father. Maybe that's why he killed her.

Our faces were becoming closer. We were closer. Physically and mentally. I wanted us to be closer.

"How do you do it Jo?"

"Do what?"

"Look so beautiful in the moonlight."

"I am better in the nighttime."

"Why's that?"

"Because the moon shines brighter in the dark."

I had kissed him. I couldn't understand how he was so gentle and so soft. Luca was the opposite. He was harsh. Dmitri was a flower, soft to the touch, he was vulnerable, you could see it in his ocean eyes.