Hope is a Four Letter Word - Complete

Chapter Five

"Dimitri," Alberta said, gesturing for him to take a seat before walking out from behind her desk to close her office door. "I need to speak with you about Rose."

Dimitri's pulse immediately quickened. Did she know?! But almost as soon as the thought occurred to him he pushed it away. Other than this morning, they'd been careful. She probably just wanted to see whether he'd managed to get through to Rose over the weekend.

"There's no easy way to put this. I know you and Rose are in an inappropriate relationship. I've had concerns for a little while, but someone came to visit me today to confirm it."

Dimitri's heart went from racing to standing still. He could feel his world crumbling in front of him. Not only was he about to lose Rose, but he was also going to lose everything he'd worked so hard to achieve. His good name and reputation, his unblemished record. All gone.

The two sat in silence for a minute.

"It's not what you think it is. We're very much in love," Dimitri whispered, closing his eyes and trying not to cry. "I know we shouldn't be, but we are."

Alberta nodded. It was some small relief that he cared for the girl – that he hadn't used her purely out of desire.

"I take it you weren't outdoor skills training on the weekend?" she asked.

"No," Dimitri said not meeting her eyes. "We kept trying to hold back but we couldn't. We wanted to be together, and I didn't want it to end up happening in the gym supply room because we couldn't control ourselves. I wanted it to be romantic and special. For her to feel cherished and loved."

"And that was the first time?" Alberta asked delicately.

"Yes," he replied, his head hung low. Speaking about it with Alberta made him realize how wrong he had been to delude himself that making love with Rose had in any way been ok. She was his student for hell's sake!

"Was it consensual? She went with you knowing that was what was planned?"

"I'm not a rapist," Dimitri growled. "I've done so much wrong, but not that!" He took a deep breath to calm down. "I would never hurt her, Alberta. I love her, and she loves me. It was a stupid thing to do; the weekend as well as falling in love. We both knew it was wrong, but we did it anyway. But I know the blame is all mine. I'm the adult. No matter how we felt, my job was to make sure nothing happened."

"Yes, it was," Alberta agreed, nonetheless feeling sorry for the tortured young man sitting in front of her. He was twenty-five. He'd be considered young in the human world, and it was hard to blame a young man for falling in love with a beautiful young woman when she so clearly felt the same way about him. That their regard was mutual had been obvious even during their staking practice.

"So what happens now?" Dimitri asked. "If there's anything that can be done to salvage her reputation or protect her, I'll do it. I'll say anything, claim to have done anything if it helps her."

Alberta looked at her table top, understanding his meaning.

"You seek reallocation. As quickly as possible. I can contain the situation from this end, but it has to end, and it has to end now. You can't let anyone know what's occurred. If you keep your silence then there shouldn't be any long-term damage," Alberta counseled. "You should both be able to walk away from this with your reputations and careers intact."

Dimitri nodded, tears spilling down his cheeks. "Thank you, Alberta. For her sake."

"What are you going to tell her?" Alberta asked, her heart saddened to see such a stoic man cry. "Will you tell her you were discovered?"