Chapter Twenty-Five:
Let’s Just Keep Pretending That We’re Friends
Dmitri
That same afternoon, Gwen and I collected some art supplies and went outside to start trying to get a little painting done. Ramah had followed us, and fell asleep on our blanket. I was busy gushing over how cute he was as Gwen pursed her lips at the scene, tapping a pencil to her chin. “I think I have my first idea!” She declared.
“Ok; let’s see where it takes us,” I offered before we set out our materials and began painting the sleeping cat. For over an hour we sat in silence, muttering an occasional swear word when we messed up something. It was nice to listen to the breeze and our brushes combing the canvas, and we both welcomed the peaceful silence in relief after the chaotic few months we had been through. “What’s yours look like?” I asked finally, turning to her with a smile.
She showed me a perfect replica of the cat, with the fountain behind him and flowers surrounding the blanket. “How about yours?” She asked as I showed her mine, “Wait, what’s that orange thing?” She giggled out.
“The cat...!” I bawled as my bottom lip pushed out.
“He looks like he got ran over by a car!”
“Sorry I'm not Picasso, Gwenevere!” I cried in shame, making her laugh hysterically.
“You are so cute that its painful,” she teased. I smacked her nose with my paint brush playfully before turning back to the canvas. As we painted I began to hum to myself, lost in thought. “In the meadows there grows a flower, beautiful and strong. Unknown to the eye it has been here for so long. When I came strolling along, I saw the flower was gone. Because all I saw was you…” I sang softly.
Gwen paused, turned, and tapped my shoulder, “What did you just sing?”
“A song my mother used to sing to me; it’s called La Chanson de Prairie, or, The Meadow Song,” I replied casually.
“Can you sing it again?”
I nodded, my eyes steady on my work, “In the meadows there grows a flower, beautiful and strong. Unknown to the eye it has been here for so long. When I came strolling along, I saw the flower was gone. Because all I saw was you…” I sang a bit louder. “You want to know something: that was only the first verse. You’re supposed to sing the first verse to people you love, and you sing the full song to someone you want to spend your life with.” I said, my eyes still focused on the picture. I glanced to my right after a few beats of silence and saw her blushing a deep red.
“Well, it was truly beautiful. I have another question for you. Have you spoken to your brother yet?” She prompted hesitantly.
“No, not yet. I suppose everyone wants to make sure I'm all up there before triggering me,” I said, tapping my forehead.
She burst into giggles, smacking my good arm, “That is so not funny!”
“I rather enjoyed it,” I chuckled, pecking her cheek with a little kiss as I tucked a strand of her dark hair back. “Why do you ask?”
“I know how much you two care about one another; I can’t wait until they let you speak with him…?” She stammered, her eyes glued to the hand I was combing through her hair.
“Neither can I. I miss him so much…”
“He’s exactly like you; I can see where you get it from. Handsome thing as well.”
“Hey, your mine, missy!” I joked jealously. I laughed hysterically as she smacked her head to her knees, hiding her ferocious blush. “Oops, did I embarrass you?”
“Alright, enough!” She laughed and stood up, holding the painting out. “I’m done!”
“So am I; I don’t think I can reverse the murder scene I’ve created.”
“Why don’t you carry in monsieur pussy cat, and I’ll take in the supplies?” I nodded and retrieved the fat blob, who yawned loudly before snuggling into my neck. Gwen collected our supplies and stuffed them into a few bags, then carefully picked up the canvases with a smile. “Can I ask you another question?”
“Of course?” I chirped.
“What are we?” She blurted. The look on my face made her fall quiet, and tuck her hair behind her ear. “I mean, um… forget it…?”
“I thought that was obvious?” I said blankly.
“Obvious…?” She scoffed.
“Damnit, I am a moron, aren’t I? I'm sorry, mon chérie; I didn’t mean to be so rude and inconsiderate…?”
“What are you blabbing about?!” She nervously snapped.
I titled my head at her, then smiled lovingly, “I thought we were dating?” I simply said. She turned so red I thought she would explode, making me giggle and nudge her arm, “You’re silly; I told you a while ago that I loved you, didn’t I? I guess I should be clearer with my words. Then again, as Stefan says, I am the antisocial mute,” I joked as I went to walk inside, but I paused and looked back to her, “Let me know what color dress you’d like to wear to the ball; I have to make sure we match!”
Her jaw slammed to the floor as I happily waltzed inside, but she slowly collected herself and followed, blinking back adorable tears that raced down her cheeks.
╬
Later that night I settled into being back in my room and eased myself down into bed with a soft sigh. I was, admittedly, a little stiff after running around all day, but it felt nice to be normal once again. I slid my glasses on and procured a book I had been reading before the incident, taking advantage of the silence to escape reality for a little while. Next door in the girl’s room, I could hear what sounded like playful fighting and, oddly, pans clinking together, but I shook it off with a smile. Ramah raced into the bedroom a few moments later, hopping happily onto the bed with his tail flicking. I patted the blanket unconsciously, and he welcomed my invite by curling into my side and laying his chin on my leg. I brushed his fur back slowly as a soft knock followed his entrance. I raised an eyebrow, then bookmarked my page, “Come in?!”
The door creaked open before Riley hesitantly peeked in, smiling ear to ear at the cat and I. “Um, hey? Mind if we talk for a moment?”
“Of course not…!” I sang excitedly.
He shut the door behind him and moved to sit on the bed beside me, his eyes glowing happily as he looked me over, “You look much, much better! Does it feel good to be free?”
“From Slane? Absolutely,” I scoffed with a wink. Ramah smacked my hand with his tail, making the three of us laugh before he shook his head and pretended to go back to sleep. “You look well yourself; even put on some weight?”
“Cerelia is trying to Hansel and Gretel me, I swear,” he joked before he looked down to his hands. Tears bubbled in his eyes before he turned back to me, and wordlessly wound his arms around me. I welcomed his embrace, blinking back my own. He held onto me as tightly as he could for a few moments, then slowly pulled back and wiped his eyes with a shaky hand. “I can’t believe we’re finally together. I waited so long… so long to be able to hug you again, Dmitri. To hear your voice and see your smile… And look at you now. You’ve grown up so much; I didn’t realize just how long it’s been since I’ve seen you.”
“I did grow a little?” I admitted, which made him laugh hysterically.
“A little!? You went from mouse to bean stalk overnight!” He taunted, which made me roll my eyes and playfully shove him. “In all honesty, I barely recognized you the day of the meeting. Had Zachary not told me you were a Cavalry; I would have never guessed it was you.”
“I look just like you, pin head.” I teased.
“Less than you think; even Mom didn’t recognize you…” we both fell quiet for a moment. Riley breathed a low sigh, then glanced to my bedside table, where the locket Morgan had given me was strewn over a textbook. “How, did you get that…?” He whispered in horror.
“She saved me…” I began as he picked the locket up and lovingly brushed his thumb across it, “Mom, somehow, was there when I went to kill Joshua. Matt and Mom… They helped me get the horse, and said they would make sure no one came after me…?”
“Matt?” He choked.
“He was helping Morgan…” I mumbled.
Riley fell quiet, making me frown. “Look at this…” He squeaked as he popped the latch and handed the necklace to me.
The photo inside was from Christmas, nineteen-eighty-five. It was the year before our parents divorced, and the last family picture all five of us had ever taken. Our parents stood before the giant tree in the foyer of The West Castle, with their arms wrapped around one another lovingly. Alexei and Riley were side by side, one fourteen and one nine, with a four-year-old me beaming in between their legs. I had lost my two front teeth, so I had an adorable window in my grin. Even Alexei smiled, had one arm around Riley, and a hand on my shoulder that he squeezed lovingly. I stared at the picture for a few moments before my heart began to throb with sadness. Riley moved to sit closer and pressed his cheek to my shoulder to look over it with me. “Why does it have to be this way, Riley?” I finally whispered, “Why does life have to be so cruel…? Look how happy we all were… Even Alexei was smiling. What about his life could have been so bad that he resorted to what he is today?”
“As much as you want it to be true, you simply cannot save everyone, Dmitri,” he said as I clicked the locket closed and set it back down.
“I suppose so. Well, that’s all in the past now; our childhood is over, and we have a war to win.” I coldly snapped.
“Don’t think like that. You and I are together again, and that’s what matters most to me. It’s far from perfect, but at least we’re both free from Alexei and can live to tell the tale. It shows that our sacrifices yielded heavy rewards.”
“I agree. I didn’t think I would ever see you again, Riley, and I can’t imagine what my life would be like if he had really hung you. I would take the torture a thousand times over if it meant you were safe…?”
“Aww, you little mush!” He cried, squeezing my cheeks to make me laugh.
“What were you doing the entire time I was gone?” I asked between his grip.
He chuckled to himself at that before continuing, “Collecting evidence; it’s all here in the document room. Files containing the names of men in the army, where they get the supplies, logs of all the meetings we had, and much more that I’ve been making copies of for years. I stole them from right under those moron’s nose, and had Dean send them here for me. I told you someone needed to stay and do this.”
“What do you think they’re plotting, now that we escaped?” I whispered.
He sighed before pulling me tightly into his embrace, “Who cares what it is? We’ll face this problem, together. I will never leave you again, nor will I let anything come between us. We will take those monsters down once and for all.” He triumphantly vowed, making me smile and hug him warmly.
“Hey loser, I need your help…!” Gwen threw the door open, holding a huge sauce pot and various ingredients in her arms. She paused when she saw Riley and I, then automatically started making reversal noises and backing out of the room.
“Oh, Gwen, you can come in!” Riley called lightly while Ramah rolled his eyes.
“I don’t want to interrupt!” She whined as she stuck her head back in.
“You’re fine, I promise. I was just heading out anyway; I have a meeting with Andrew.”
“A meeting? About what?” I asked as he stood and stretched his long limbs.
“He’s recruiting me as Zachary’s assistant because of the evidence I was able to provide everyone. I told him he didn’t have to, but he promised that I would be valuable as an asset, and that he wanted to make sure I was safe.”
This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.
“That’s so awesome! It’ll be great to have you around!” Gwen chimed.
“You say that, but you haven’t dealt with my training schedule yet,” Riley teased.
“Are you sure I'm not in the way?” She grumbled with a slight blush.
“No, you’re fine. Because of you all, we’ll have plenty of time to catch up. Have fun you two!” He called, winking as he left.
I smiled as Gwen slammed her pot down, which made Ramah jump and hiss wildly at the sound. “Gwenevere, it is nine o’clock at night!? What the hell could you possibly be cooking!?”
“I can do what I want with my paycheck, thank you, monsieur pussy cat,” She snorted as she distributed her ingredients and plugged in the burner, “and by the way, I'm making sauce.”
“Sauce?” Ramah and I asked simultaneously.
“Cerelia told me she hasn’t had real homemade sauce in years. She’s feeling a bit homesick, so I thought using my Dad’s old recipe would cheer her up!”
“Good luck; she has very particular taste when it comes to her Italian food,” I snorted.
“Hence why I need your help; she’s your aunt, so I assume you’ll know what she likes!”
“I am leaving before this gets ugly; Dmitri, let me know when the tornado has left the room please?” Ramah asked as Gwen stuck her tongue out at him. He flicked his tail up and pranced out the door as I stiffly stood and peeked over her shoulder.
“Alright chef, what’s the plan?” I asked as I rolled my sleeves up.
“I'm going to brown this sausage up quick, then start adding everything in. It’ll need to cook for about eight hours, though, so I might have to crash in here with you?” She said, wiggling her eyebrows slyly at me.
“Let me guess; Mike and Martha are banging in your room?”
“Y-eee-aaa-ppp!” She annoyedly snapped, making me giggle, “But on the plus side, Stefan went to Aveline’s house to help her finish packing, so he won’t torture us all night.”
“Did she finally get the clearance to move to the castle?”
“She sure did! She passed training, and is going to start doing patrols January first!”
“That’s awesome! Stefan’s probably so happy.”
“So happy that they’re probably not doing much packing right now,” she joked, cranking her cans of sauce open, “Now, sues chef, please dice up some parsley!” I flicked on some music before getting to work on the various vegetables strewn across my desk. She hummed to herself while the sausages sizzled in the big pot, the smell extremely enticing as it flooded through the room. I added in the chopped veggies, then retrieved two cans of water to add to the three cans of crushed tomatoes. She dashed in various spices, gave it a good spin, then stepped back proudly. “Alright, I think we’re in business! Let’s get this cleaned up.”
“You said this is your father’s recipe?” I asked as we washed the dishes in the bathroom.
“He was straight off the boat Italian; immigrated here when he was ten.”
“That explains your dark hair.”
“It’s too dark; I wish it was at least brown,” she whined, pouting at herself in the mirror as she let it out of its clip to hang in her face.
“I think it’s beautiful; it makes your eyes glow in contrast,” I blurted.
She turned fire red, making me hiccup and scrub the cutting board faster. “Zachary wants me to cut it…” she sighed miserably, watching as it hit her elbows, “I don’t know if I have the courage to do it. Then again, if it comes down to my life or my hair, then the hair goes.”
“I wish I could help, but I am utterly useless in the hair department.”
“I know, Baby Chicken,” she joked, giggling as I glared playfully at her. A weird look came over her face before she peeked at me from under her wavy locks, “You still gonna love me if I cut it off?” She asked her trap of a question, that my dumb ass completely fell for.
“Of course I will,” I nonchalantly scoffed as I dried my hands. I paused briefly when realization hit me, “You’re a piece of work,” I snapped as she exploded in laughter.
“You’re so gullible!” She cried as I blushed in embarrassment and waved her off while she looked back into the mirror. A second later, she grabbed a fistful of hair and a pair of scissors, then sawed three fourths of her hair off. I shrieked in horror as the hair fell in a pile to the ground before her. “What did you do!?” I cried.
“Cut…?” She said like a child, turning to show me the uneven chop.
“I can see that, Gwen! You probably shouldn’t have done it on impulse…!?”
“I wanted to see what you thought about it, and you said you didn’t care, so I cut it off,” she said simply, turning back to the mirror, “Though, it’s really uneven now?”
“Want me to try and help fix it?” I nervously stammered.
“Go for it; as long as it isn’t shorter than my shoulders it’s fine.” She went to hop on the counter but paused, then groaned in agony, “Must I be too short for everything…?” She snarled before I took her waist and picked her up swiftly. “Hey, hey, hey! You still have broken ribs!?”
“I hate to break it to you, but I lived, so relax,” I said as I set her down.
“You’re such a dork,” she joked as I tilted her chin up and tried to figure out what to do. She watched me mumble to myself for a minute before sneakily pecking my lips, which made me blink as she giggled like a mouse.
“Can you stop distracting me?” I teased flirtatiously.
“Don’t leave yourself open like that...” She taunted back as I pulled the scissors out and began to shape the carnage she had left me with. She kicked her legs cutely, watching her hair slip down the counter and into a pile on the floor. “How’s it going?”
“Good, I think. I trimmed one of my classmate’s hair a few times, so I think I can do it.”
“I hope it looks ok on me? I’ve never had hair this short.”
“Trust me, it’ll look great… So long as I don’t mess up,” I added.
“Real reassuring, Dmitri,” she spit as I giggled. I finally got her hair to at least decent status, and set the scissors down to turn her to the mirror. She peeked through her lashes nervously, but when she saw the new cut, her eyes widened in awe. “You did so good…?” She whispered, running her fingers through the shoulder length waves.
“I believe I did as well. If only I could tame my own hair, then we’d be getting somewhere.” She hopped down and helped me bag up the remaining locks before asking to use the shower. I went back to the room, where I peeked at the sauce and stirred it to make sure it wasn’t burning. “Is it looking ok?” She asked as she came back, towel drying her hair.
“I think so; I haven’t cooked in a while.”
“If ever,” she snorted.
“How spoiled do you think I am?” I snapped.
“You’re a prince!” She cried, which made us both laugh as she began fidgeting with something under shirt. “God damn this thing… Get one with a front latch, Gwen, they’re so much easier! Yeah, if you’re a B cup, Martha!” She snapped to herself under her breath as she finally got the small clip to fasten. I rolled my eyes and slid into bed, picking up my forgotten book and sliding my glasses back on. She flopped down beside me, peeking over my shoulder to see the title, “The American? Who’s that by?”
“Henry James; he’s one of my favorites.” I explained as I flipped the page.
“Can I look at some of your books? You always have your nose in these, and I’ve been interested to see what you like to read.” I nodded as she flopped over the bed and began sifting through the open suitcase I used to store them in. I smiled lovingly as she popped back up with a copy of Othello and flipped through the pages excitedly. “Look at all these notes! Do you study literature as a pastime or something?”
“I like to make sure my brain still works once in a while.”
“Does it ever?” She joked, flopping back into the pillows to start reading. After a few minutes of silence, she rolled her lips loudly and set the book down on her chest, “You’re really boring tonight,” she said, which made me laugh.
“Sorry, I'm just really tired.” I admitted.
“I know; you had a big day today, and I'm so proud of you for everything. I didn’t think we’d ever see you smile again, let alone be preparing to head back into active duty.”
“You’re not getting rid of me that easily,” I set the book down and laid back so that I was against her side, “I'm taking advantage of you being here; I need a pillow tonight.”
“You’re probably going to hurt yourself laying like that!” She laughed, pulling herself up and opening her arms, “Sit up better, goofball!” I wiggled up so that my cheek was against her shoulder while she wrapped her arms around me with the sweetest little smile. I melted into the warmth of her skin and drowned myself in the sweet coconut lotion she had lathered on. She ran her fingers through my hair soothingly, twirling the ends around her fingers to watch them spring back as she hummed The Meadow Song back to me.
In all honesty, it was the first time I’d ever sang it to a girl, let alone had her sing it back to me. Something about the way she hummed the tune made it resonate through my bones, and I slowly looked up to her with a blank expression. She knew what the look meant, and a moment later, allowed me to tilt her chin down and press our lips together. As soon as we intertwined, time stood still around us. I shifted around stiffly so that I could pull her close to me, which she conformed to automatically. She ran her hands up my arms to my jaw, where she held my face to hers hungrily. Outside in the hall, Michael and Martha were helping Stefan and Aveline bring bins down to Aveline’s new room, and were conversing cheerfully. Gwen and I both knew if we made the slightest sound they would converge on us and ruin the moment, so controlling ourselves became a necessity.
We took a split second to breathe in between kisses, and in that time I moved my lips to her neck and delicately brushed them over her smooth skin. She tilted her head back and combed her fingers through my hair to distract herself from making any suspicious noise. When I moved back up to her jaw I turned to pin her to the bed, and ran my hands up her leg to pull it tightly against my side. She paused for a moment, panting slightly as she pushed against me, “Wait, you’re ribs are still broken; I don’t want you to hurt yourself…” she whispered.
“With all due respect, I could care less right now,” I croaked in a husky voice, “Unless you want to stop…?”
“The only thing that would rip me from this bed is my heart stopping.” She replied seriously before pulling me forward with a seductive smile that I echoed back.
“Hey Gwen, I wanted to let you know I brought back your paint…brushes?” Martha squeaked as she opened the door. Gwen and I didn’t move a muscle, our lips still laced. “OK, I’M LEAVING!” She screamed, darting down the hall right into Aveline’s room.
Gwen breathed a laugh, “We’ll have to do a lot of explaining tomorrow?”
“I'm more worried about Ramah not having somewhere to sleep,” I teased.
“He’ll live…” she taunted sexily, making me smile and bite her lip.
Her eyes were burning with passion so intense that it was palpable, and I succumbed to their will instantaneously. She wrapped her arms around me while I ran my fingers under her tank top, brushing them along the lining of her bra. I hesitated for the slightest moment, then continued up the garment to the latch. “Maybe Martha was right…” I whispered. She giggled softly as I popped the clip, turning so red that my cheeks felt like they were actually on fire. I expected her to make fun of me, but she surprised me by running her hand down my shirt. I caught on with what she was asking, and leaned back to slowly slip it off.
She marveled over my body like I was a priceless statue, her eyes bright with lust. It wasn’t the dumb kind that girls like Juliet wore when flirting with me, just for a chance to bang the hot guy, it was truly genuine. She absolutely wanted me to continue taking my clothes off, but I wasn’t going to be the only one shirtless. I carefully began pulling her tank top up, making sure at all times that I was allowed to do so before I worked it over her shoulders. In the movement, her unclasped bra came off with it, and my fantasy had become a reality. “If you laugh, so help me God…” she snarled in shame.
“Laugh at what?” I whispered, mesmerized.
When she realized I wasn’t kidding, she cleared her throat in embarrassment and brushed her hair behind her ear. I smirked and laid back over her, tilting her chin towards me to continue where we left off. After things had heated back up, I moved my lips down her neck to her collarbone, and pressed my fingertips to her skin just above the lining of her shorts. Her breaths quickened in excitement as I planted a kiss right between her breasts, then moved my hand into her underwear. I thought I was going to actually implode, and by the look on Gwen’s face, she was right there with me. She had to bite down on her hand to keep quiet, and squeezed her eyes shut while clutching my arm. I worked with blind intuition and touched her in ways I thought she would like, which luckily were working.
When I brought my lips back to kiss her again, she moved her legs up so that I could keep caressing her but started to untie the knot in my sweatpants. It was getting difficult for her to concentrate to my delight, but she managed to work them down enough to take her turn exploring my body. I was quite ashamed of how turned on I was but realized that was kind of a necessity with what we were aiming to do. She blushed wildly as she began touching me; I chuckled softly in her ear at that. I groaned a little too loud at one point, enough where Stefan remembered that I was in our room and asked if he should check on me, thinking I had made the noise from pain. Gwen smacked a hand over my mouth, which made me snort a chuckle as Michael, thankfully, said not to worry and get back to work. She gave me the evil eye for the outburst, and we giggled before bringing our lips together again.
Martha must have finally found the boys, because a moment later I heard them both scream from down the hall, but Gwen and I just laughed and ignored it. At this point, the procrastination was almost becoming unbearable for both of us. I worked her underwear and shorts down and off, and then my own, before fingering in my drawer for a condom. “You just have those on standby?” She taunted as I seductively opened the package with my teeth.
“I was hoping we’d have a sleepover sometime soon,” I confidently said with a wink.
“Where was this sexy devil hiding?” She giggled as we moved closer to one another than we had been the entire night, “Because I am very interested in getting to know him better…” She whispered against my lips as I pressed myself into her. We both shuddered in undeniable pleasure, and a moment later, lost complete control of ourselves. I kept asking if I was hurting her, but by the third time I realized that she was completely fine. My ribs, admittedly, ached in defiance of our movements, but there was no way in hell I was going to surrender.
I caressed and bit her chest seductively while she pulled me as close to her as she could and gripped the back of my neck to hold me against her skin. Whenever she had the chance, she pressed her lips to my jaw and bit me softly, but just enough to make my breath catch to her delight. I held her leg against my waist and breathed sweet nothings in her ear, telling her over and over how beautiful she was. Every time I did she hugged me tighter, and her little moans became just a tiny bit louder. We were both drenched in sweat, and admitted we should have opened the window first, but weren’t planning on moving anytime soon.
“I love you, Dmitri…” she abruptly breathed in my ear.
I picked my head up in awe as she sniffled with shimmering eyes. She looked so incredibly gorgeous lying against the pillows like this that I felt my heart squeeze. “I love you too…” I breathlessly whispered, “and I don’t just mean love... I am hopelessly, entirely obsessed with you….” I could have rambled on forever.
She touched her fingertips to my lips, her expression shifting from pleasure to seriousness, “From this moment on, I am yours, and you are mine. I don’t care what happens; it is you and I against the world. I am never going to let you go…”
I smiled, pressing my forehead to hers and running my hand through her hair. “You don’t have to; you don’t ever have to... I refuse to let anything separate us. I absolutely will not go another minute without you by my side…”
“Prove it…” she prompted hoarsely, to which I complied. Everything she did drove me insane; the way she breathed, the way she shuddered, the way she gripped me tighter with each movement. The way she whispered my name and gasped when I did something she liked. I had felt no greater pleasure in my entire life until this moment, and as we clutched one another, I whispered that I was hers, and she mine for however long time would go on.