Broken and Alone (A Vampire Academy FanFic)

Chapter Fourteen

"I, um, it's just... a lot to take in," I told him, stuttering and breathless.

"Let's just forget this happened," he told me, shaking his head and removing the box from my hands.

"Adrian, wait," I urged, grabbing his hands in mine. "I... yes." I looked him in the eyes, and knew that he loved me unconditionally. I couldn't say no to this. "Yes, I will marry you," I said clearer and without doubt.

He smiled from ear to ear, putting the ring on my finger. He grabbed my face in his hands, bringing his lips to mine. He pushed me down onto the bed, continuing the kiss. Then we heard little footsteps on the hard wood floor outside my room and broke apart instantly. Brianna had walked in, rubbing her eyes, not noticing what was going on, thank goodness. She climbed up onto the bed and cuddled into my side, and I wrapped my arms around her small body, pressing a kiss to her forehead. I noticed her forehead was a little warm.

"Brianna, how are you feeling?" I asked. She groaned in response. "Honey, look at me," I urged, turning her over. "Oh, Brianna," I cooed, pushing back her hair, "are you sick?"

She shrugged. "My tummy hurts."

I sat up, bringing her into my lap. "I'm going to go get you some medicine. Okay? Go sit with Adrian." I picked her up off my lap and handed her to Adrian. I walked into our bathroom and opened up the medicine cabinet, not finding any medicine. I sighed. "I'm going down to the convenience shop by the cafe," I told Adrian as I went to the closet and changed. "Do you want anything from the cafe? I'm going to get muffins." I was now dressed in skinny jeans, a white long sleeve shirt and burgundy scarf. "And I'll probably drop by Lissa's to tell her about... you know," I hinted not wanting to tell Brianna yet. He smirked and I rolled my eyes while pulling my black ankle boots on.

He looked up from a tired Brianna, smiling. "A coffee would be nice."

"A coffee it is," I assured, planting a kiss on his cheek as well as Brianna's. "I'll be right back. Love you guys!" I called, grabbing my bag on my way out of the house.

"Two chocolate chip muffins and a medium espresso, please," I ordered, handing the cashier a ten dollar bill. How is that two muffins and a coffee cost seven dollars? It's ridiculous. As I was receiving my change, I heard the door open on the other side of the cafe. I had this weird feeling in my stomach, and automatically turned around.

It was Dimitri.

 He offered me a smile, and I returned it, ecstatic at our first sign of friendliness in a while. "Hey," I greeted, trying to keep the friendly atmosphere alive. "What are you doing here?"

"To get food. It is a cafe, Rose," he joked, smiling. My breath caught at the sight of it. I averted my eyes to the ground. "Would you like to sit with me?" he asked, sounding a tad bit nervous.

I looked back up, my smile dropping when I remembered I had to get back to Brianna. "I would love to, but Brianna is sick." I saw his mood change drastically and he started to worry about his daughter. "She's fine, trust me."

We stood there for a few more moments, unsure what to say. I hated this tension between us, especially since Brianna has started to catch on. For him and I to talk like this, like friends, has become a rare ordeal... and it kills me. I had to remind myself right then that I had just agreed to marry Adrian. Was it a sign that I should reconsider? I mean, just talking to Dimitri made my heart skip a beat. And, honestly, I still loved Dimitri. I loved Dimitri so much it was crazy--

"What is that?" he asked, pulling me out of my thoughts. I followed his gaze to my hand, and I immediately went to hide it from his view. "When were you going to tell me?" he whispered, sounding a little hurt.

"Dimitri, it literally just happened. I haven't even told Lissa yet. I rushed out of the house to get Brianna medicine--"

"You don't have to explain yourself to me, Roz-se," he quickly tried to correct himself. But I heard it. Oh, I heard it. "I'm happy for you."

"I- I'm-" I tried to explain myself but couldn't. What could I say after all?

"You should be getting back to Brianna. Give her a hug for me." And with that, he walked out of the cafe.

I stood there, watching him walk out. My heart was in so many places, and it was too confusing to bare. I walked home, slightly pissed off and debating where my emotions and loyalty lies. I mean, even if Dimitri and I could have the chance to get back together, I would still be hurting Adrian. I just said yes to marrying him for crying out loud! I'm engaged and am already thinking about another man. I inwardly groaned as I continued my walk. I would have to figure it out sooner or later, for not only Adrian's and Dimitri's sake, but Brianna's sake as well. My poor daughter is practically being fought over for a primary father role, and I'm stuck choosing between the two.

I needed to talk to Lissa, but had to put Brianna first. So, I went back home, gave Brianna her medicine, waited for her to fall asleep, then told Lissa I was coming over. She said it was fine and welcomed me with open arms. Now I only had to think about which confession was leaving my mouth first.

I trudged through the late, rainy night, tugging my jacket around me tighter. I should have worn a hood. I walked up to royal housing, quickly knocking on Lissa's door, planning to break down in her arms as soon as she opened the door. Only, I was greeted by a shirtless Christian. I pretended to gag before I pushed passed him and entered the living room. Lissa was sitting on the couch with some council papers in front of her, her blonde hair up in a messy bun and in her pjs. I plopped down on the couch beside her, resting my head on her shoulder.

She dragged her eyes away from the papers slowly and looked at my face. She could tell there was something wrong. "What happened, Rose?" I simply held out my left hand, letting Lissa inspect the ring. Her mouth dropped open as soon as she saw it and grabbed my hand frantically. "He proposed?! Oh my god that's amazing!" I gave her a look. "That's not amazing? Why-" she stopped herself short, realization kicking in. I nodded. "Oh, Rose." She pulled me into a hug as I let a single tear fall.

"I'm an awful person," I admitted, starting to sob. I noticed Christian standing in the kitchen behind us, giving me a sympathetic look. "I just agreed to marry him and I'm still thinking about Dimitri. I ran into him at the cafe and I just... Liss, I don't know what to do," I whispered.

"Hey," she said pulling away and holding my shoulders, "if it makes you feel any better, I'm pregnant."

"You're what?!" Christian and I yelled at the same time.

She laughed. "I was going to tell you both at the same time, and I decided now would be the best time." Her goal to distract me was definitely working.

Christian had come into the living room and kneeled down to Lissa's level, grinning from ear to ear. I smiled and congratulated them both. And watching them there as the perfect couple, both of them happy and there for each other, reminded me of how Dimitri wasn't there for me.

And that's exactly what I needed to remember.

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Ah, I'm so sorry about the wait! School is crazy, color guard is crazy, life is crazy. Okay, so here you go. Comment and vote! What direction do you think this is going in? Do you think Rose should be with Dimitri or Adrian? And how about Lissa's pregnancy?! I'm so excited to write about that since this book kind of brushed passed Rose's (but we'll talk about that in future chapters ;)!)