I'll Come Back for You

Chapter Nine:

Hello again! So I've been so out of it this week that I completely forgot today was Wednesday (hehe) so I almost didn't post a new chapter. My bad.

Anyway, here is Chapter Nine. Up top you'll find a failed attempt make a romantic proposal from the movie, The Zookeeper.

Hope you enjoy reading this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it!

-VIVKELLER23

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The decision to sign the contract with Ursula (Sydney) was made three days later. She hadn't meant for Dimitri to learn about it, but she knew she couldn't hide it forever. Part of the performances Sydney had in mind involved concerts alongside Dimitri and since he was now her husband... Kaliah (Ariel, for all intent and purposes) was caught in the crossfire.

Dimitri had invited her out to dinner. "Just you, Sunshine," he'd emphasized, when Ronan promptly started listing off names of places they could go.

"But I like food, too," Ronan seemed to whimper.

Dimitri grumbled under his breath, something about ungrateful friends leeching off of him, before he slammed a twenty on the kitchen counter. "Order yourself a pizza."

Ronan's handsome face lit up with his bright smile. "Stuffed crust?"

"Knock yourself out."

"With pineapple?" he asked, testing the limits.

Dimitri shuddered. "I don't care as long as I don't have to see it. Or smell it. Or taste it."

Wiggling his eyebrows, Ronan grabbed the twenty and shoved it into his jeans pocket. "Well, I wasn't going to share it, and I wasn't exactly planning on kissing you, so..."

Kaliah choked on a shocked laugh as Dimitri took her arm to walk her towards the front door.

"Thank God, for small miracles," Dimitri murmured, but his emerald eyes glowed with amusement.

Outside, the wind blew gently through the night. It was just chilly enough to send a shiver down Kaliah's spine as she drew her light gray cardigan closed over her plain white tee. Reignville at night had always been her favorite sight to see. It was as if the town went to sleep as soon as the sun went down, leaving behind a quiet that never failed to amaze her. The sparse light posts lining the road in front of the house was the only light for miles here. The countless trees and rolling hills of grass on either side of the large road had always made her feel like nothing from the outside roaring cities surrounding Reignville could ever penetrate the peace she'd grown up in.

Nothing except Dimitri, at least. And that awful sea witch he'd somehow awakened in Sydney.

Kaliah watched Dimitri hit the button on his key set to unlock his sleek Audi and bit her lip when he held the passenger door open for her. Somehow, he'd never struck her as the type of guy to think about small gestures like that, but he'd always done it. All throughout the two years they'd been inseparable in high school, he'd pulled chairs out for her, held doors open, held her hand and walked on the left side of her to keep her away from the road. Sweet and every inch a gentleman he'd been. He hadn't lost his touch even while being in Hollywood.

"Thank you," Kaliah whispered breathlessly as she slid into the cool leather seat. He was such a complex man to figure out. A man who'd grown up with his uncle because his parents had been overseas as missionaries all his teenage years. A man who'd never failed to attract girls with his piercing green gaze and heart melting voice, yet he knew nothing about writing a love song. He could make her heart skip a beat with a look and send it shattering the next instant with his careless promises.