Reality Bites - Wattys 2018 Shortlist

Chapter 65 - Well and Truly Ready

By the time it was Friday afternoon I was well and truly ready to get off campus.

After chatting with Mom on Monday night, I'd mentioned on Tuesday to Lissa that I was going to go with just Dimitri and Mom to the farm on Friday night and come back Saturday evening. She'd pursed her lips and gone quiet. When I pushed, she finally snapped that Christian was really sorry about the Tasha thing and that it wasn't his fault. I'd just been opening my mouth to say it had nothing to do with that when she continued that I of all people should appreciate how difficult a 'family visiting' day was for people who had no family to visit them and how a trip off campus would have been a nice distraction.

And then I felt like an asshole. Of course, Sunday would be hard for Christian and Lissa. Tasha would not be coming for a visit given the disaster that had been last weekend – and Lissa had no-one left to visit her. It hadn't even crossed my mind but Lissa was right – it should have. I should have held the chat with Baba and Mom the following weekend because Lissa was right – I did know how upsetting it was when I used to be one of the only kids without anyone visiting. No matter how much I tried to apologize, she was frosty – even going so far as to sit with Christian at a different table at lunch and dinner all week.

Then Stan had insisted the Guardian basketball team train later and later into the night. By Thursday morning, Dimitri was so tired he'd called off training so he could have a sleep-in. I didn't begrudge him a morning off, in fact, it had been lovely to lie in bed and cuddle him, but then he was shitty and fidgety all day because he'd missed our morning run.

Our Moroi Studies teacher had decided we needed to do a take-home practice exam over the weekend. It looked like it would take half a day to complete – which meant there went Saturday morning. And then to top off a magnificently shitty week, Dimitri was having a shower after basketball on Thursday night when his phone received a text. It was past 10 am, so an odd time to get a message. Hoping it wasn't bad news from Baia, I picked up his phone to see Tasha had messaged him 'Sorry for last weekend. You don't know all the information. Please call me – Tasha'. I was sorely tempted to delete the message, but I didn't - so I just pretended I'd not seen it. However when Dimitri didn't mention it that evening or at all the next day, I was stewing on it and was wondering whether maybe he'd called her.

So, all in all, I was pissed off!

Suzanne noticed I was out of sorts in the van. "Are you alright dear? You don't look yourself?"

"Yeah, I'm OK. It's just been a long tiring week."

"That's no good. Would my chocolate self-saucing pudding do anything to cheer you up?" she asked hopefully.

I smiled, turning to see Dimitri smile too. Actually, Suzanne's chocolate pudding would help things!

"You're clear," Pavel said from the front – and then I was in Dimitri's arms, and he played with my hair until we got to the farmhouse.

Dinner was not for a couple of hours, and I think Mom and Baba were getting 'reacquainted' after their week apart. "Come sit on the porch with me Comrade?"

"Of course, milaya," he said, heading via the fridge and getting out a bottle of rosé champagne and a couple of glasses.

"Hmm? Champagne? What's the occasion?" I asked surprised. While Dimitri did drink, it wasn't a regular thing. In fact, I knew he was a little funny about it because of his father.

"I'm just happy to have you to myself for a couple of hours. It's been a busy week, and I've missed you baby."

He popped the cork and poured us each a glass – and then he pulled me to lean back against him as we cuddled on the porch swing. We each took a couple of sips.