“Hello your majesty… what do I own the honour of this late visit?” – I looked around to see her coming out from behind the open closet door.

“Don’t be mean Rose…I came with good news. But if you want I can leave” – she looked the other way and started walking to the door. Dam it she really knew I couldn’t resist to a comment like that.

“Okay okay, you got me…I was just, in a hurry to get home” – I sat down in the couch waiting as she slowly sat down next to me and grinned widely.

“Well that’s exactly why I’m came to talk to you” – she rummaged in her small purse and took out 2 sets of keys – “Here, for you and Dimitri. Don’t trash it in the first week, please”

“Really?” – I smiled as I picked up the keys – “He’s going to be so happy…”

“And you aren’t?” – She said with a humorous and disbelieving tone in her voice.

“Well… Maybe a little” – I stuck out my tongue – “changing rooms every week was getting a little exhausting. Thank you Lissa, truly.” – I hugged her tightly.

“Also…” – she pulled back, amused by my shocked face – “You both have tomorrow’s day off. I mean, so you can move in properly, or else I know that with your organization capacities the apartment will only be occupied by the end of the summer…”

“You are so funny… soo  funny –

“Aren’t I thought?” – she cut me off with a sarcastic smile which showed her sharpen back teeth – “It’s a one bedroom, nice living room with a connect kitchen and one bathroom. It’s not very big but it was the only one available at the moment.”

“It’s perfect. Thank you” – I hugged her again closing my eyes for a second.

The first year was so difficult on both of us. Finally coming out in the open with our relationship, handling the haters who though we were committing some sort of crime, giving explanations to basically everyone and anyone we met. Only to be separated a few months later by Lissa going to Leigh and Dimitri staying with Dimitri at Court. It was hard on us, and although we talked every change we got, it wasn’t the same. Long distance relationships are never easy, and most of them don’t work either. I even think that we would had drifted apart if it wasn’t for the history we both shared, all the experiences and situations that bonded us together in a much more intricate and deep level that most people could even understand.

So yes it would be nice to have a place to call our own, were we could return to after being apart, something to hold on to the essence of each of us when the other was away.

“So….can I go now and tell Dimitri?” – I broke off the hug grinning and blinking my eyelashes at her.

“Ah ah I was waiting for that line a lot earlier to be honest. Of course, go!” – She got up as I did the same – “It’s also a little past my bedtime actually”

“I’ll walk out with you” – I picked up the gym bag again and we walked out together.

After I said goodnight Lissa went into the opposite way accompanied by the two, night sift, guardians, in the direction of the exit leading to the royal housing complex. I, on the other hand, walked to the end of the hall and opened the last door to the left. Dimitri was lying on the bed reading, obviously one of the western books that he never seemed to get tired from. He looked at me and smiled – one of those smiles that made me feel all warm inside – and put down his book.

“Goodnight comrade” – I dropped the bag near the small desk by the door and walked to the bed. I reached over and kissed him feeling his rough hand caressing my cheek “I have something special for you” – I said pulling away with a mischievous smile.

“This should be good…I hope it’s something I haven’t seen before” – Letting out a laugh his hand slid down to meet mine and our fingers entwined – “May I know what it is?” – He put on a very serious face – “or am I going to have to torture you?” – His voice deeply marked by the Russian accent. Gosh he knew I always went crazy for that.

“Truce, truce!” – I rummaged in my pocket and took out the two set of keys and put one in his hand – “Here you go” – he looked attentively at me waiting for the proper explanation –“Our new house”

His reaction was exactly how I had pictured it. His face turned brighter and his smile widened into a genuine look of pure happiness. He got up brusquely.

“Come on I want to go and see it”

I grabbed his hand on mine and pulled him down – obviously I’m not that strong but I guess he saw what I was aiming for and humoured me.

“Slow down comrade… Lissa gave us the day off tomorrow so we can move in, so you’ll see it soon enough” – I saw his body relax, the smile still on his face –“Can we go eat…please… I’m starving” – I begged.

“I though you would be… I bought take out” – he pointed to the desk where laid two bags of the Court’s Mexican restaurant we loved so much.

“You my friend, are perfect” – I kissed him again. His hands went down to my lower back and he let himself fall onto the bed, with me along with him. My hand went and held the back of his neck, caressing it gently with my thumb, while his met my long dark curls which he loved so much. I opened my eyes and separated from him just slightly so I could look him in the eyes but ours mouths would still be just millimetres from each other’s. “I’m hungry first, the make out session will have to be postponed shortly”

He laughed softly and stretched slightly to kiss my forehead.

“Of course Roza”

________________________________________________________________

We broke apart and I got up to get the two bags as Dimitri sat down near a small round table in the far left corner. After we ate – which after the day I’d have seemed like the nicest meal in my life - we spent the rest of the “night” packing most of Dimitri’s clothes, books and other stuff into boxes – which not surprisingly ended up filling four miserable boxes, with two of them being with mostly books. He was definitely the type of person who didn’t really cling to material objects. “We are going to need at least double the boxes to fit all my junk…” I though as we piled them up near the door.

We went to bed around 11 a.m, closing the window so the noise of the birds now fully energised by summer sun, would be a little muffled.

“So tomorrow we’ll just pack your stuff in the morning and then start setting things up in the new place” – Dimitri said while taking out his grey t-shirt and getting beneath the thin sheets.

“Let’s hope we can pack everything in the morning. I have a lot more … stuff than you do.” – I closed the blinds, leaving the room into a comfortable dimness.

“I know, you get very attached to … stuff” – he smiled and held me in his arms as I laid down and put my head on his chest.

“I do not! I just don’t like to throw things out that I might need later.” – I said while yawning – “You for example I know I’ll need later, so I won’t throw you out” - I looked up at him and grinned sleepily.

“Oh really?” – He kissed my forehead and I laid my head on the pillow close to him and closed my eyes, drifting away – “I will try and take that as a compliment”

________________________________________________________________

We woke up at 18:30 pm dying to see the new apartment. But first things first, we had to empty my room. So we had a fast breakfast – which normally would put me in a bad mood, but the excitement over finally having a place together with Dimitri was too big to let anything ruin my day – and headed to my room 6 doors up. “It’s going to be a long morning” I thought while I looked around to the mess that I lived in. I put my hair up in a ponytail so it wouldn’t get in the way.

“May the odd be ever in our favour….oh and Dimitri” – to which he responded with a smile and a head nod to show he was listening – “If I die out here….bury me near the gym” I laughed and started opening up cardboard boxes.

The morning went swiftly and by half past twelve we were both exhausted and hungry. We skipped lunch but everything was packed and ready to go. Dimitri – with his rugged Russian charm I imagine was able to get us one of those carts where the employees put the new resident’s bags when they first move in. That way we were able to fit half the boxes in there and only needed to come back one more time to pick up the rest.

On the way to the residences building C – where there weren’t single bedrooms but apartments were lived the Damphir families and the non-royal Moroi that worked at Court – I couldn’t help but think this would be the first time I really would have a home of some sorts. I barely remembered the time with my mother, I was too young and she was always travelling, our house always felt like a place in between. Where I had been most of my life, at St. Vladimir’s, well the memories were good but not great, nevertheless I don’t think anyone can call home to a school accommodation bedroom, although it was the closest thing until now. Now I would have a place to really feel welcome. A place to come back to almost like a refuge from everything else. And I no one I would rather share it with than Dimitri. We would both be able to build something here. No matter how apart we could be sometimes we would have this together.

I was awakened from my thoughts as we reached the door. Dimitri opened as I pushed the cart into the house and turned on the lights. It was everything I could have hoped for. It wasn’t very big as Lissa had told me earlier, but I don’t know why, it seemed perfect. The living room was an almost square with three big windows on the wall opposite to us. In the far left corner there was an opening on the exposed brick wall that lead to a small kitchen – all furbished - which was divided from the rest of the room by a high counter with some stools. Nearer to us on the same side there was a door that I realised held the bathroom – with a shower and a bathtub, which was great because I often craved for bubbled baths – And on the right side there were two sliding doors with opaque glass that hid a nice bedroom, with what looked a really really comfortable king sized bed.

“This is perfect” – Dimitri said with his mouth slightly opened where I could see the hint of a smile.

“I know right?!” – I let out a squeal of excitement and hurried toward the boxes – “Okay, we have work to do comrade!”

Dimitri started with opening the boxes with books and putting them on shelves – basically because I was afraid he had some kind of organization system – and since I had almost no books of my own I went to the bedroom closet to put away the clothes.

We had two boxes left, mostly filled by junk I had in my room but had no idea where to put them. So I went into the kitchen to get some water and saw a little note on the fridge:

             Welcome home Rose and Dimitri! I hope you like your new place. I left something for    you to celebrate, ENJOY!!!

             P.S: Don’t forget you have neighbours so behave properly you two ;)

             Vassilisa Dragomir

I opened the fridge door to find two bottles of Dom Pérignon and two chilled glasses. I laughed only Lissa to go and buy not one, but two champagne bottles…oh she knew me too well.

I held the two of them in one hand and the two glasses one the other, making sure not to break them – which demanded all of my skill – and headed to the living room to find Dimitri seated on the floor with a box in between his legs and his arms inside it – probably searching or something worth keeping, since the box had my name on it.

“Why in name of the lord do you have empty package of Pringles filled with tiny little paper stars?” – he said taking the item in question from the box and holding it to the level of his eyes so he could analyse it properly.

“That was when Lissa taught me how to do origami stars and I wanted to save them but I only had a package of Pringles, so I ate it and put the stars inside” – I said with the most natural tone ever, like it was the most normal thing to do, but repeating it to myself made me consider how weird it was.

“Of course you did… how did you get Pringles in St. Vladimirs’?

“We were in Portland at the time…..oh memories”

“The fantastic time where Responsible Rose had the amazing idea of kidnapping her Princess Friend” – he got up and emptied the colourful paper starts into a glass blow that was on top of the coffee table.

“Yey! That would give a great Super Mario game story”

“I’ll pretend I know what that is” – he turned around to face me – “Did you rob a liquor store while I was cleaning up? – He pointed to the two bottles in my hand with a intrigued look on his face. From his expression and from his experience with me, he knew that it wasn’t impossible for that scenario to happen.

“No, who do you take me for?!” – I gave him an ironic smile, but decided not to tell him how I got the bottles, mystery was always nice – “We have to celebrate! To christen our new home!”

I handed him one of the bottles and opened mine right away.

“To us!” – I clinked his bottle with mine and took it to my mouth, totally forgetting about the glasses in my other hand. He drank a sip as well – “To our new looove shack” – emphasizing the word, Dimitri smiled by my reference to the 80’s music.

I can say that the remaining box as soon forgotten and so were the two glasses that stood near the front door. The scenario of the living room was quite changed as well, there was two western books opened on top of the couch, the window was now fully opened, the CD player was now halfway through what I thought was a Rolling Stones’ song and there, in the middle of the room I stood, on top of the coffee table, with a hairbrush on my hand, doing a weird pose while trying not to fall down.

“I can’t get no SATIZFACTIOOON!” – I sang loudly to the end of the hairbrush and then pointing it to Dimitri who was spangled on the couch with his arm on the air pumping it to the beat of the music. So much for the neighbourly consideration. Lucky for them while I was changing my pose I stepped on a set of keys that were on the table and tumbled down, in a very non-gracious way, holding my foot.

“Ouch, it hurts! It hurts!” I fell on the floor massaging my foot as Dimitri took another gulp from his ending bottle and kneeled next to me. It’s safe to say that my bottle was already empty and nowhere to be found.

“There there, poor Rosie” – he held my foot and started to tickle it. I tried to escape but I must say I wasn’t in my best moments so Dimitri’s arms rapidly wrapped around me entangling me. “You can’t go, you’re mine now” – He responded to my cries for him to let me go – “You know I love you right? You are so crazy and annoying and strange and beautiful and smart and….and your hair is so pretty and you are so pretty and so amazing” – he said while holding close, and then he let go very quickly – “Will you please take me out to eat Pringles one day….please”

“I’ll totally take you out to eat Pringles one day…” – I hit his arm with my fist a little less softly than I intended to – “But you definitely have to make me a playlist with this song cause I absolutely love it….ssshhh …. You can’t tell anyone though”

“Хорошо (okay), but you have to promise you won’t tell anyone that you can kick my ass in a fight….I have a reputation” – he put his hand on his chest and put on a very serious look.

“I do not!” – I pushed him again, this time with both hands. I have control issues okay, especially when I’m drunk – “You totally let me win sometimes!”

“I do not!” – He showed a very shocked expression – “Tomorrow we’ll fight and you’ll win you’ll see!”

“No fair, you cheater… You are much taller, and faster, and stronger, and you know how I move and you think faster as well and” – he silenced me by putting his lips on mine – “See!! Cheat” – I said after breaking off the kiss a few seconds after. He yawned widely.

“Roza, really, I really want to marry you. Do you want to marry me?… Please, pretty please, pretty pretty please…” – he put his two hands cupping my face.

“I’m too sleepy now comrade. Maybe later ‘kay?” – I yawned as well, the sun was beginning to fully light the inside of the living room and the exhaustion of the moving…well and the drinking, began to take hold of my body. I forced Dimitri to lay down on his side and I snuggled next to him, using his head as a shield from the sun light.

“You promise? Roza?” – He closed his eyes as well while I felt his body relax completely as he covered me with his arm.