Building the Tension | ✔ | 18+

Chapter 15 - Locked In

WARNING: Another section of dubious consent at the end of this chapter. Most everything after the second break is a little questionable, but certainly everything after the third.

-=o0&0o=-

As I walked into the gym for weapons training that afternoon, Dimitri looked up. He had two chairs set up near the small table with today's weapon of choice - nunchucks - on it and was sitting in one of them.

"Rose," he said, uncharacteristically warm for what I'd come to expect lately, flashing me one of his rare full smiles, "I'm glad to see you. Can we talk about what happened during the attack this afternoon?"

"Sure," I said, not sure what to expect, taking a seat in the other chair.

He took a long moment to talk and I almost thought maybe he had reconsidered talking. "I almost died today," he said finally, "You almost killed me."

"I know," I said, "and I'm so sorry. I feel horrible about it."

"I don't," he said, decisively. I was surprised to hear that. "You helped me realize something. Something important."

Another long pause. "And that would be?"

"A lot of things, actually. For one, you helped me to see what an amazing guardian you are going to be. You may be beautiful, but your skills are deadly and absolute." I felt myself blushing a little at his words. "You are going to be absolutely indomitable. I want to be a part of cultivating that. I want to go back to training you - in all of your training - again."

"That'd be great, Dimitri!" I said, "Have you talked to Yuri about that?"

"Not yet, but I will have to re-adjust the schedule a little to make up for some of the time I had him cover some of your trainings. It might be tomorrow or Friday before I am able to be in all of your trainings. If you're okay with it, I'd like to add some additional training on your days off on Sundays, too. I know it's your birthday this weekend, so I understand if you want to wait until next week for that."

"Actually," I said, "Adrian has been talking about taking me off-campus for my birthday. I haven't been outside the gates for anything, well, good since the trip to Missoula in September."

"I can't fault you for that, Roza," he said, using the Russian version of my name, "Another thing you helped me realize, though, is that I don't want to give up on you, and that life is too short to hold back. I know you don't think I love you anymore, but I'd like to try to prove it to you. And I'm going to fight for you. If you really want to go there with him, I know that I'd never be able to stop you, but, I want you to know that I really don't want you to go with him. I think it's a bad idea. And I want you to know that I'm going to find a way to prove to you that I love you."

My eyebrows shot up as I blurted out, "Does this mean that you'll be going back to being with me? In a physical sort of way? Like I offered?"

"Yes and no," he said, "I'm not opposed to kissing you when we're alone - if  you want me to - but I won't use you or take advantage. As long as your feelings aren't there with mine, I won't do more than kiss you."

I frowned. A sex-only relationship without anything really resembling sex wasn't really what I was thinking of - but maybe I could bring him around to it...

"What else did you realize?" I asked.

"I realized that I'll always be here for you and I'm not going to let anything happen to you. And I realized that there is someone in your life that I have good reason not to trust. I can't tell you more yet and I don't know how, but I'm going to find a way to get that person away from you - for good."