Reading VA: Reading Vampire Academy (A VA fanfic)

Nineteen

DPOV
"I believe it's my turn to read," Jill stated in response to Eddie's question. Rose threw the book to Eddie, who was sitting next to Jill. The guardian graduate caught the book and handed it over to Jill.

Rose snuggled into my side while the middle school graduate, I'd learned that through Roza, started.
"It's hard to say what finally made me do it."

The room was silent. Rose sent Lissa a gentle and warm smile. One the Princess returned. Roza relaxed a little more.

"I stayed in the clinic while Dimitri went to get Alberta. He hadn't hesitated for a second when I told him where she was. I'd said she was in danger, and he'd left immediately." Jill continued.

I'd done my duty. But I had done it without all my head and heart being in it. What hurt Lissa hurt Rose, and I couldn't stand my Roza hurting. If Lissa had been in danger, so was my Rose. I couldn't stand the thought of Rose in danger. Ironic, considering I had trained her to defend others in danger. It had to be that way, no matter how much I wanted to teach her for the sake of defending herself. Even then I'd wished she'd never have to use that knowledge and skill, that I'd always be there to protect her.

"I explained my revelation about the accident and how all of her powers and depression had started after that. I also pointed out how our bond had formed after the accident too, though I didn't fully understand why yet."

The room sat in silence while Jill continued reading. Finishing the fight that had happened. Then the fallout of it being overheard by a sophomore.

"Just like that, whatever social headway I'd made plummeted. She didn't outright condemn me, but her silence spoke legions, and people behaved accordingly."

That had been a time when she'd needed all my support. Both professionally and personally. And she'd hardly gotten any.

Jill kept reading. Through yet another altercation with Mia. Mia and Rose exchanged looks and a shrug. They truly were a weird case, but Mia was now another of Rose's friends and I wanted her to have as many true friends as possible, no matter how much I wanted for her to be mine alone. The group remained silent, but now the air was filled with anticipation and excitement. Jill had just started reading the lead up to the dance. And therefore also the lust charm.

"... Then we ran into Dimitri and Alberta.
"They were on their way somewhere else, talking guardian business."
"Altering my shifts," I whispered suggestively in my fiancé's ear.
"Alberta smiled when she saw us, giving us the kind of indulgent look older people always give to younger people who appear to be having fun and acting silly. Like she thought we were cute. The nerve."
"You were cute. But I had a feeling you wanted to be doing that with the man who's now your fiancé." The older woman grinned. "I was trying to imagine the guy who was standing next to me standing next to you, acting just like that. When I managed it I knew you two were meant to be together. You two are cuter."

"We stumbled to a halt, and Mason put a hand on my arm to steady me." Jill continued when directed.
"... Normally I would have elbowed him for saying something so stupid, but I was staring at Dimitri and incapable of speech. Perhaps more importantly, he was staring at me too.
"I had on the black dress, and it was everything I'd hoped it could be. In fact, it was a wonder Alberta didn't call me on the dress code then and there."
"I could see how you two were reacting to each other. I'd never seen such a look on Dimitri's face and in his eyes. Yours too." She turned to Jill, "continue."
"The fabric clung everywhere, and no Moroi girl's chest could have held this dress up. Victor's rose necklace hung around my neck, and I'd done a hasty blow-dry of my hair, leaving it down the way I knew Dimitri liked it...
"... He just looked at me- and looked and looked. Maybe that said something about my appearance in and of itself. Remembering how Mason sort of held my hand, I pulled away from him. He and Alberta finished up their joking remarks, and we all went our separate ways."

"I saw that pull away, too. I wonder if Mason saw that." Alberta was the first to comment. Abe looked as though he wanted to explode and interrogate me. Thankfully Janine kept him in check.
"He never suspected anything," my fiancé responded, keeping her emotions in check even though I knew she had to still be struggling. A few of the others laughed at how Roza had dressed to impress. Impress me that is.

"Music blasted inside the commons when we arrived, white Christmas lights and-ugh-a disco ball casting the only light in the otherwise darkened room."

Jill quoted Rose's description once said Rose had told her to keep reading. A few snarky comments were made about her remarkable writing ability and the image she'd managed to create. The young girl kept reading. Covering the social hierarchy that occurs at a dance. Then Mason's surprise for Rose regarding Jesse and Ralf. I didn't doubt he'd done it not just to try impressing my woman, but mainly because he wanted protect her seeing as he had loved her.

"Jesse didn't say anything, and Mason repeated the gesture, only harder.
""Tell her."
"Not meeting my eyes, Jesse mumbled, "Rose, we know none of that stuff happened."
"I almost choked on my own laughter. "Do you? I'm really glad to hear that. Because you see, until you said that, I'd been thinking it had happened. Thank God you guys are here to set me straight and tell me what the hell I have or haven't done!"

The room broke out into laughter. Mia and Rose shared a knowing and almost cunning look before breaking out into hysterics again. With a "keep reading, Jill!" from Mia, she returned to the task. Silence fell over the group again. Soon revealing why Rose and Mia had shared the look they had.

"Jesse looked up and exchanged uneasy looks with Ralf.
""Boys," warned Mason, clearly delighted about something, "you're making Hathaway and me very angry. Tell her why you did it."
"Wearing the look of one who realised things couldn't get any worse, Jesse finally met my eyes. "We did it because she slept with us. Both of us."" Jill finished with a, "and that's not an awkward cliffhanger."

Christian couldn't agree more and made a snarky, agreeing comment. I couldn't help but feel as though the next chapter would involve the charm. Dread at my fiancé's parents reaction spread through me. But I no longer regretted taking Rose to bed and almost taking her under that charm. I hadn't regretted it for a long while-since just after Spokane.

Rose pulled me from my thoughts, then pulled me out of the room.
"The next chapter's got the charm in it," my Roza confirmed my suspicions once we'd entered our room, promptly locking the door.
"I guessed," a playful, amused and shameless look was being worn openly on my face.
"You don't care they're finding out? You don't regret that? You don't even feel the tiniest bit guilty?" she was disbelieving and amused. It showed plain as day. I laughed and grinned.
"No. Not at all. Not. At. All. My love. Being with you is right, it's always been right, no matter what laws and society says."

I leant in and kissed the only woman I'd ever love. The only woman I'd ever make love to. We couldn't help it. We didn't want to. And we didn't have a scrap of control left when we started this kind of contact. We made love for the first time as an engaged couple.

With a regretful sigh we disentangled. We didn't want to get dressed and return to the reading room. But we made ourselves. Making sure to take our time, regularly pausing to kiss and almost undoing the work we'd done in returning another clothing item to our body. Succeeding at regressing a number of times... That occurred more often than not.

"I'm reading next," declared my lover once we reentered the room.
"Okay then," sighed an exhausted Jill. Who was sitting closer still to Eddie. Murmurs of agreement went around the group as Rose and I sat on the love-seat. Eddie took the book from the coffee table and tossed it at my fiancé. Naturally, she looked like a goddess as she effortlessly caught the item.