“Theo, you’re home late,” mom said, glancing at me as I walked into the kitchen. “Where were y-”

                “I WASN’T OFF GETTING A SECRET BOYFRIEND. JESUS CHRIST WOMAN, GET OFF MY BACK,”I cried.

                “As long as no one is pregnant and you’re not high or drunk, I really couldn’t care less,” she said with a sigh.

                “Where’s Thalia?” I asked.

                “Dimitri dropped her off about an hour ago,” mom said. “Did you know you have glitter on you?”

                I looked down at my hands and clothes. “I got attacked by a unicorn,” I said defensively.

                “What do they say in Tangled? Mother knows best?” she asked with a smug smirk.

                “Shut up,” I grumbled and stalked out of the room.

                I went up to Thalia’s bedroom and let myself in. She looked over at me from her bed and sat up, Moves Like Jagger playing out of her speakers.

                “I GOT THEM MOOOOOOVES LIKE JAGGER!” I screamed, dancing my way into her room.

                “Dear god,” she said, covering her eyes. “That is not dancing. That is epilepsy at its finest.”

                I dropped down on the edge of her bed and pulled her hands away from her face. I looked into her eyes, and bit my lip.

                What if Thalia hated me? What if she pretended I didn’t exist? What if she was so ashamed of me, that she made me promise to keep it a secret and went to great lengths to make sure no one ever found out?

                “What? You’re looking at me weird,” she said curiously.

                I shook those thoughts out of my head. “Sorry. Your make-up is smudged and it’s bothering me,” I lied.

                She grabbed a tissue and rubbed at her eyes. “Okay, okay. What do you want, Theo?”

                 I flopped down, resting my head in her lap and gazing up at her. “Are you tutoring tomorrow after school?” I asked, more to know if Dimitri was free.

                Thalia shrugged, throwing the tissue out. “I have no idea. I haven’t talked to Dimitri, Kim, or Jordan. Dimitri’s been kind of busy lately, so maybe not,” she said with a shrug.

                She peered down at me. “Do you have glitter on you?” she asked suspiciously.

                “Don’t let your mind wander too much. I was with Alek,” I said in irritation.

                “Theo, if you’re experimenting with Dimitri, you can tell me,” she said, poking my shoulder.

                “I’m not experimenting with Dimitri!” I sat up and jumped off of her bed, glaring at her. My heart was slamming. “He’s a glittery freak!”

                And my secret boyfriend. But shhh, Thalia doesn’t need to know that.

                I left her bedroom, ignoring her as she called my name. I went into the bathroom and showered to get the glitter off of me, trying not to think about tomorrow. How was I supposed to act around Dimitri?

                                                                                                ***

                “Let’s get unprofessional. Don’t you know it’s gonna feel much better with ohh just a little of ahh,” Oliver sang as we sat in study hall.

                “Feeling the tension, feeling the stress, I’ve got a notion I want to confess,” I mumbled, watching as Dimitri came strutting in, late as always.

                Alek, sitting next to Thalia across from me, shot me a pleading look. I gave her a slight nod to let her know I wouldn’t tell anyone about her and Dimitri.

                Dimitri came right over to our table. He was wearing tight yellow jeans, a shirt with pink floral patterns, his purple scarf, and rainbow suspenders.

                “Thalia dear, so sorry. I’ll be unable to tutor today,” he said with a dramatic sigh. “I have some business to attend to after school.”

                “What about tutoring tomorrow?” Thalia asked.

                Dimitri shrugged. “You could tutor tonight. I’m sure Kimberly darling would stay. Although it would dry and boring with my magnificent self, I’m sure. As for tomorrow, we’ll see.” His eyes slid to my face. “Hello little Theodore!”

                “Go away,” I said flatly, deciding to act how I usually did. I didn’t want to raise suspicion.

                Judging by Dimitri’s amused look and his usual smirk, he had been expecting me to keep acting normal. He drummed his fingers against the table.

                “Little Theodore, you’re shirt is inside out,” he said, nodding at it.

                I looked down at my shirt and blushed. “Thalia! Oliver! Why didn’t you guys tell me?” I glared at them.

                “I can’t tell. Your clothes are always solid colors!” Oliver whined, gesturing at my dark gray shirt.

                “Oh, I noticed. I was just seeing how long it took you to notice,” Thalia said, reaching over and flicking the tag of my shirt.

                I pushed her hand away. “Evil,” I grumbled, standing up and leaving the cafeteria to go fix my shirt in the bathroom.

                I went into the boys’ room and looked around. No one was in here, and this bathroom was usually pretty deserted. Being too lazy to go into a stall, I began to tug my shirt off.

                The bathroom door opened and I hastily fixed my shirt, looking up. I blushed as Dimitri smirked at me, shutting the door and locking it. He leaned against the wall, crossing his arms and nodding at me to continue.

                “What are you doing in here?” I asked, more embarrassed than angry.

                “Well, I certainly wasn’t going to pass up the opportunity to see my boyfriend topless, little Theodore,” he said, chuckling.

                He pushed himself off of the wall and came over to me. He gently brushed his fingers against my cheek.

                “So many people get embarrassed of their bodies. I never understood why. The body is a beautiful thing, whether it’s large, small, scarred, or smooth,” he said, his delicate fingers moving from my cheek down to my stomach, playing with the fabric of my inside-out shirt.

                “Alek told me you’re an artist,” I said, trying to distract him. I rarely took my shirt off around anyone, even my own family. I had a…well, there was a reason I rarely took my shirt off.

                “I have a talent for drawing, yes,” he said, his tone indicating that he was proud, confident, and aware of his talent, not so much obnoxiously cocky about it. “To be honest, I’ve wanted to draw you and Thalia.”

                “That’s kind of creepy,” I pointed out.

                “So is your ability to nearly distract me, little Theodore. Now, fix your shirt,” he said, letting his hand fall back to his side.

                I stepped back into a stall. Dimitri sighed, the amusement in his eyes hidden from sight as I shut the door.

                I tugged my shirt off and fixed it, pulling it on the right way. I left the stall and went over to Dimitri.

                “You’re hiding something little Theodore,” he said.

                “Call you please just call me Theo now that we’re dating?” I asked in annoyance.

                “I’ll allow you to change the subject this time. And no, I can’t do that.” He wrapped his arms around my waist, drawing me close, his lips nearly touching mine. “You’re my little Theodore. Besides, I hate nicknames.” He closed the little space between our lips, kissing me.

                I broke away from his lips. “I hate you,” I reminded him with a pout.

                “We wouldn’t be together if you didn’t,” he said, stepping away from me and smirking. “Anyways, you’re coming over after school. I’m sure Galen will be delighted to see you again.”

                “What about Alek?” I asked in alarm.

                Dimitri waved his hand dismissively. “She has practice and then she’s going to a friend’s house. Aleksandra won’t be home until 7, at the earliest.”

                “What do I tell Thalia?” I asked.

                “That’s your problem. Meet me in the locker room after school, little Theodore.” He kissed me once more before leaving the bathroom.

                I stared after him and shook my head. Despite the strong feelings I had for him, the guy still pissed me off and made me want to strangle him.

                “My sister and best friend are bitches, my secret boyfriend is a pansexual, obnoxious, glittery freak, I kissed said secret boyfriend’s sister, and said boyfriend’s little brother is a terrifying seven year old. Maybe if I bang my head against the wall hard enough, I’ll die,” I said with a sigh, testing the sturdiness of the wall with my hand.

                After contemplating death for a minute, I reluctantly left the bathroom. I went into the cafeteria and sat down in my usual seat.

                “Little Theodore. You’ve returned,” Dimitri said, watching me as I sat down.

                “I’m surprised you didn’t follow him into the bathroom, you freak,” Alek grumbled.

                “Why, I would never. I simply had to go my locker,” he said, holding up a notebook.

                Ah. So that’s what he had told them.

                I glanced down at Dimitri’s hand and saw that his nails were painted a frosty blue, similar to his eyes. Of course, the color sparkled.

                “Do you borrow nail polish from Kim?” I asked, unable to help myself.

                “I buy my own,” he said, observing his nails. “I love this color on me. It matches my eyes. It’s truly fabulous, wouldn’t you agree?”

                “Weirdo,” Oliver said under his breath.

                “Fucking freak,” Alek said, not quite under her breath. And by not quite under her breath, I meant that she took the words and chucked them at his face with so much force that I was surprised they didn’t shatter his skull.

                But Dimitri being typical Dimitri was unfazed by his sister’s coldness and hate. It was weird to watch them interact, now that I knew the truth. I never would have guessed they were siblings.

                The bell rang and we graciously went off to class. The day seemed to crawl by until we were in English with Mrs. Slate.

                “Alright, today, you will be answering questions on Hamlet with your partner. We have a test tomorrow, so I hope you’re studying,” Mrs. Slate said, handing out papers. She shot a look at Dimitri.

                “What, Mrs. Slate? You think I’m not studying?” he asked, smirking at her.

                “I don’t think you could pass in your wildest dreams,” she grumbled.

                “A dream itself is but a shadow,” Dimitri quoted, his smirk getting wider. “Hamlet to Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, Act 2 Scene 2.”

                Mrs. Slate grit her teeth and stormed away from him. Dimitri chuckled and eyed the review sheet.

                “So simple,” he said with a sigh, scribbling his name on top of the paper in girlish handwriting.

                “You’re way smarter than you let on, aren’t you?” I asked.

                “They say don’t judge a book by its cover. Especially a book like this,” he said, tapping the cover of Hamlet with one of his long fingers. “Dreadfully frightening cover.”

                I looked at him, covered in his wild colored clothing and his glitter. He was definitely the kind of cover you would instantly judge. But maybe there was a lot more underneath than he ever let on. Intelligence, artistic talent, actual feelings…Who knew what else Dimitri kept hidden under his layers of color and glitter.

                “You’re staring at me, little Theodore,” he said without looking up from his worksheet.

                “You have on rainbow suspenders. It’s hard not to,” I grumbled, turning to my own worksheet.

                Dimitri just smirked again. The two of us worked in silence until the period was over. I went over to Thalia and Oliver and followed the two of them down to study hall.

                “Theo, Theo, Theo,” Oliver said, shaking my shoulder.

                “Oli, Oli, Oli,” I said, turning and shaking his shoulder.

                “Guess what Theo baby?”

                “What Oli baby?”

                “You’re going to do my review sheet for me!”

                I rolled my eyes, thrusting my review sheet into his hands. “Just copy my answers. I’m not your bitch.”

                “That’s not what you said when I broke out the handcuffs last night,” he said with a frown, taking the worksheet from me and scribbling down my answers.

                “Well that’s disturbing,” Thalia said.

                “So is that,” Oliver said, nodding at Dimitri as he and Kim entered the room together.

                “Leave him alone,” Thalia said, whacking Oliver in the arm.

                “Theo, Thalia is hitting me!” Oliver whined, scooting his chair away from Thalia and towards me.

                “Thalia, please don’t hit my secret lover,” I said, slinging an arm around Oliver’s shoulders. “Actually, no. Hit him. Then I can play nurse in bed.”

                “Oh. Someone’s a dirty boy,” Oliver said with scandalous wink.

                “Thalia!” Kim came bounding over, dragging Dimitri with her. “Do you want to tutor today? Dimitri can’t make it, but Jordan and I can.”

                “Sure!” Thalia said with a smile.

                “My dad said he can drop you off when we’re done tutoring,” Kim said.

                “Great,” Thalia said. “I’m up for tutoring.”

                “You two are going to shed tears of sorrow without me,” Dimitri said, wrapping an arm around Kim’s waist. “But do not fret, Kimberly darling. I might be able to tutor tomorrow.”

                Kim pushed his arm off, rolling her eyes. “Yea Dimitri’s. My heart is bleeding as we speak.”

                “As I feared,” he said, looking concerned.

                Kim laughed and playfully hit his shoulder. “I hate you.”

                “Hate generates passionate love,” Dimitri said matter-of-factly, his eyes flicking to me so fast that I was positive Thalia and Oliver had missed it.

                “It also generates annoyance. Now come,” Kim said, tugging him over to their usual seats.

                Oliver turned to me. “Pool after school? HEY! I rhymed! I’m a poet and I didn’t even know it!”

                I face-palmed. “Thank god I’m too busy after school to hang out with you.”

                “Theo!” he cried in horror. “You’re ditching me?!”

                “I’ve got things to do,” I said with a wink.

                “Things or people?” he asked suspiciously.

                I thought for a minute. “Things,” I confirmed. “Right now, it’s things.”

                I pulled out a book and read until the bell rang. I got up and said bye to Thalia and Oliver before cautiously making my way into the locker room.

                “Little Theodore,” Dimitri said, coming over to me.

                “Hey,” I said casually, trying to ignore my rapidly beating heart. “So what are we doing at your house, exactly?”

                Dimitri shrugged. “I was thinking a movie.”

                Remembering what Kim said, I pretended to be thoughtful. “We should watch Tarzan.”

                Dimitri let out a noise that I was pretty sure wasn’t healthy to ever make, and clapped his hands enthusiastically. His frosty eyes lit up.

                “I love Tarzan!” he announced, his accent thick and his voice deep, shocking me. Seeing my expression, he cleared his throat. “Well, I do,” he said, the accent fading back to the musical quality of his voice.

                “Uh…did your voice just get deeper?” I asked, confused.

                “Would you like it better if I spoke in an accent almost as thick as my parents’?” he asked, raising a thin eyebrow.

                “No,” I said, remembering their incredibly thick accents.

                “Then you’re just going to have to accept the fact that you won’t hear my voice deep like that very often,” he said, smirking. “It only gets that deep when I forget to speak without an accent.”

                Huh, I had never realized he had to make a conscious effort to speak without the Russian accent. I always just thought he had a very, very light accent.

                There were so many things about Dimitri I didn’t know. Even little things like that. I would have to use today to try to figure out more about him.

                After about ten minutes, we left the locker room and went down to the parking lot. We got in his car together and he took off towards his house, the only noise between us being his music.

                “You have an interesting taste in music. Gym Glass Heroes, Chris Webby, and now Wet Fingers,” I said.

                “Show me how you can be touched, you know I can’t get enough, I can see the sin in your eyes,” he sang cheerfully.

                “Now I’ve got a plan to follow, gotta try to get you somehow,” I mumbled along with a sigh.

                Dimitri grinned, turning the music up a little louder. “Minutes turn to seconds as I find a way to let you know I can’t be satisfied if you’re not mine,” he sang, his fingers brushing against my cheek again.

                He pulled into his driveway, turning the music off as we got out of the car. I was actually pretty sad, considering the fact that Dimitri had a surprisingly great singing voice.

                We went into the house and took our shoes off. I followed Dimitri into the kitchen and watched in surprise as Galen ran out, flinging himself onto Dimitri, knocking Dimitri back into the refrigerator.

                “Galen! What did I tell you about knocking him into the refrigerator?” Mr. Ivanov said angrily, coming over and gently pulling Dimitri away from the refrigerator. “Galen, do you want to hurt Dimmy?”

                “No,” Galen said, looking panicked. “Dimmy are you okay? I’m sorry!”

                “I’m quite alright,” Dimitri assured, ruffling Galen’s hair.  

                “Don’t let him push you into it like that. He’s going to hurt you,” Mr. Ivanov said to Dimitri, looking stern. “If he does it again, yell at him.” But then his eyes slid over to me, and he looked surprised. “Aren’t you Alek’s friend?”

                “Why, father dearest, little Theodore is my boyfriend. Ah, but it’s a secret at the moment, so it’d be much appreciated if you didn’t tell Aleksandra,” Dimitri said with wink.

                Mr. Ivanov eyed me carefully before turning to Dimitri. His eyes lingered on Dimitri’s slightly crooked nose.

                He nodded and placed a hand on Dimitri’s shoulder, squeezing it. “I won’t tell Alek. Just…Leave your bedroom door open,” he said, glancing at Dimitri’s nose again before releasing his shoulder and disappearing into the living room.

                “You’re dating Theo?” Galen asked.

                Dimitri nodded. “Why, yes I am!”

                Galen gripped Dimitri’s hand. “I know I pushed you into the refrigerator again, but I hope that doesn’t make you like him more than me.”

                Dimitri glanced back at me and sighed. “So sorry little Theodore, but I must chose my wonderful little Galen over you.”

                I rolled my eyes. “I’m actually pretty okay with that.”

                Galen released Dimitri’s hand and stepped up to me, trying to make himself look bigger. “If you think you’re going to make Dimitri love you more than he loves me, you’re wrong. As long as you’re dating Dimmy, we’re enemies.” He pointed at my face, narrowing his eyes. “I’m watching you, Theo.”

                With that, he turned and disappeared into the living room after his father.

                “Did your little brother just threaten me?” I asked.

                Dimitri nodded. “Indeed he did. Let’s go watch Tarzan!”

                He grabbed my hand, pulling me through the living room. Mr. Ivanov was sitting on the couch, Galen securely in his lap as they watched some Pokemon movie together. Galen was watching the movie in fascination, but tore his eyes away to glare at me as we passed.

                “Leave your door open Dimitri,” Mr. Ivanov reminded.

                “Honestly father dearest, it’s like you don’t trust us alone together,” Dimitri said, waving his hand dismissively.

                “I don’t trust you alone together. What if he’s like that mean boy Dimmy?” Galen asked, that fear rising in his eyes again.

                Mr. Ivanov wrapped a comforting arm around Galen and kissed his cheek. “Galen, remind me who these Pokemon are,” he said, shooting Dimitri a worried look. “And Dimitri, I mean it. Door open. No arguing.”

                Dimitri let out a dramatic sigh and pulled me upstairs. He led me into his bedroom and shut his bedroom door, completely ignoring his dad.

                “You made that whole Kayden thing sound like it was nothing, but your dad and brother certainly seem to think it was bad,” I said, sitting on his bed.

                “Galen was only five when it happened, so of course he thought it was bad. And my parents tend to be overprotective,” he said dismissively, pulling a copy of Tarzan out from under his bed.

                He put on the movie and laid on his bed, pulling me down with him and keeping his arms around me. It was awkward at first, but as he turned the lights out, I quickly found myself comfortable and warm in his arms.

                I rested my head on his chest and he let his hand creep up into my hair, twirling it lightly around his fingers. We watched the movie, relaxed.

                I glanced over as the door creaked open. Mr. Ivanov looked angry, but his expression lightened as he sighted us just lying together, Dimitri still playing with hair. Dimitri hadn’t bothered looking over when the door opened.

                Mr. Ivanov watched us silently for a moment before disappearing down the hallway, leaving the door open. I returned my attention to the movie.

                I could imagine Dimitri as Tarzan. The strange one, not fitting in with anyone. But unlike Tarzan, Dimitri never seemed to feel alienated or uncomfortable. He never seemed to seek out others like him. He was just himself, and he was happy.

                When the movie ended, Dimitri turned it off and turned the lights back on. He turned and kissed my lips.

                “Such a great movie,” he said happily.

                “Dimitri…do you ever feel like Tarzan? You know, like you don’t fit in?” I asked. “Because…well, you don’t.”

                “Harsh, little Theodore,” he said, chuckling. “But no, I never feel like that. I have my Kimberly darling, and now I have my little Theodore and Thalia. If people don’t like the way I dress or act, that’s their problem, not mine.”

                And I could tell by his tone and the look in his eyes that he truly meant it. He didn’t care what anyone thought, as long as he was happy with himself.

                “God, you are stubborn,” I groaned, shifting so that my head was resting on his shoulder, my hand pressed lightly against his stomach.

                He snaked an arm around my waist, drawing my body closer to his. My shirt pulled up a little, and Dimitri’s cool fingers danced across my exposed skin, causing me to shiver.

                “What happened with Kayden…Dimitri, how many times have you been beaten by someone?” I asked, looking into his eyes.

                But his amused expression didn’t change, not even a little. “You’re in a questioning mood, little Theodore.”

                “And you’re trying to avoid the question.”

                “You were avoiding my questions this morning, if I may remind you. So I’ll answer anything you want, if you take your shirt off,” he said smugly.

                I bit my lip and nodded reluctantly. “Fine. But you’re going to answer anything I ask, and you’re going to answer honestly.”

                “I swear,” he said, sitting up with me.

                I hesitated before pulling my shirt over my head and gripping it tightly. Dimitri raised an eyebrow at me.

                “So, what were you so embarrassed of?” he asked, sounding honestly confused.

                I looked down at my chest. “Are you joking?” I asked.

                “What, the scar?” he asked, seeming to finally understand as he reached out, his fingers gently brushing against the scar on my chest. “Honestly, little Theodore. There’s no reason to be self conscious over that.”

                There was a nasty scar on my chest. It started near my armpit and curved its way across, down between my nipples, and ending mid-rib on the right side of me.

                “Car accident,” I grumbled, pulling my shirt back on.

                “Alright, you had some questions for me?” he asked, lying down with his head in my lap.

                I opened my mouth but jumped in shock as something rubbed against my back. I turned and saw a slim cat, its fur a light shade of orange with white patches decorating it occasionally. He looked at me with its slit pupils, its eyes a menacing grey-green.

                “Hugo,” Dimitri greeted, reaching out and stroking the cat.

                The cat purred and went over to Dimitri, settling itself on Dimitri’s chest and watching me curiously as Dimitri continued to pet it. Dimitri nodded at me to continue.

                “How many people have beaten you?” I repeated.

                “People I’ve had sex with, or people in general?” he asked.

                “Both,” I said.

                “That I’ve had sex with…three. Kayden was the only one who did any real damage though. In general, I’m not entirely sure.” He sniffed sadly. “I always thought I was a likeable person, but I suppose not.”

                “Sometimes your lack of seriousness makes me want to smack you,” I said with a sigh.

                “I’m sensing hate. Let me fix it,” he said, pulling me down so that he could kiss me again.

                He released me and I straightened up. “Okay, okay. Back to my questioning. Is there any chance that Kayden could come back and give you problems? And have any of your, uh, partners hurt you since him?”

                “Not a chance. Kayden moved to Canada about three months after my little mishap with him. And yes, a boy I had sex with gave me a black eye and a split lip last year,” he said with an unconcerned shrug.

                “Do you think I’ll kick your ass?”

                “Darling, I don’t think you could if you tried,” he said, smirking at me and reaching for my hand. He rubbed his thumb against the back of my hand, our fingers locked together. “You’re not quite physically built, little Theodore.”

                “I hate you,” I reminded him.

                “I know.” He pulled me back down for another kiss. “Now are we done with the questioning?”

                “I guess,” I said, jerking my hand away from Dimitri’s when Hugo started licking it with his sandpaper-like tongue.

                “Be nice to my cat,” Dimitri said sternly.

                “It’s hard enough being nice to you,” I said, rolling my eyes.

                “A job you fail at miserably,” he said, sitting up and setting Hugo down next to him. Hugo howled out his protests before hopping off of the bed and prancing out of the room.

                Hugo yowled and darted back into the room, diving under the bed. Dimitri sighed and leaned against me calmly.

                “Galen, stop pulling on my precious Hugo’s tail!” he called.

                “Sorry Dimmy,” Galen said, wandering into the room. He spotted the cat peeking out from under the bed and padded over, dragging the poor creature out and holding it loosely. I didn’t even know it was possible for a cat to look so miserable.

                “When is Theo leaving?” Galen asked, swinging Hugo as if he was a toy.

                “Right now,” Dimitri said after checking the time. “Aleksandra will be home soon. As much as I would love to rub my boyfriend in her face, I’m sure little Theodore wouldn’t appreciate it. You won’t tell Aleksandra, will you Galen?”

                Galen held up his pinky, Hugo dangling dangerously from his arm. “I pinky swear I won’t tell her, Dimmy.”

                “Also pinky swear you won’t kill my cat while I’m gone,” Dimitri said with a sigh, standing up and pulling me with him.

                “I pinky swear! I’m just going to play with Hugo, Dimmy,” Galen said, looking young and innocent as he gazed up at his big brother. Hugo, on the other hand, just looked downright suicidal and like he wished that all young children would drop dead.

                “Good,” Dimitri said, ruffling Galen’s hair and pulling me out of his bedroom.

                We made our way downstairs. Mr. Ivanov looked up at us as we passed through the kitchen, his gaze lingering on me.

                “I’m taking little Theodore home,” Dimitri announced.

                “Be careful driving,” Mr. Ivanov said. “Goodbye, Theo.”

                “Bye Mr. Ivanov,” I said, letting Dimitri lead me out of the room and out to the car.

                He drove to my house, pulling into the driveway. He placed his hand on the back of my neck, drawing me close and kissing me.

                “Goodbye little Theodore,” he said, breaking away from my lips.

                “Bye Dimitri,” I said, getting out of the car and heading inside.

                I went up to my bedroom, collapsing on my bed, my lips tingling like they always did after I kissed Dimitri. A smile curved its way onto my face.

                He was crazy, flamboyant, and infuriating. But being with him today, just cuddling and watching a movie, had made me happier than I had been in forever.

                I wasn’t even slowly stepping into my feelings for Dimitri Ivanov. I was plunging into them, falling for him harder and harder ever day, and it was kind of scaring me.

                I rolled over on my side, trying to calm myself down. Was Dimitri falling for me as hard and fast as I was falling for him?

                Besides, was it really such a bad thing if I was falling for Dimitri like this? It was making me happy, even if I did want to strangle the guy half the time. He made me happy, and I was just going to enjoy my relationship with him.

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A.N.- I'M SORRY THIS CHAPTER IS SO OBNOXIOUSLY LONG T.T But, I was going "AWWW" when I wrote the Galen scenes in this chapter XD Can I adopt my own character? Okay, I'm adoting him. He's mine! >:( Haha, so do you guys think Dimitri is falling for Theo as hard as Theo is falling for Dimitri? :3