Dmitry pulled away as I trotted up the sidewalk. His car clock read 9:10 am. The courtyard was practically empty now, as everyone before made their way to class. I thought about skipping this class altogether. By the time I make it to my locker to gather my English book, English class would be over.My next class was chemistry. I weighed the option of skipping that class too. I had too much on my mind to safely mix chemicals today.I should be happy that I had a job. Though happiness isn’t what I felt when he offered the job. I would be practically working to pay off a debt. Not to save money for an apartment. Not to save money to get out of town. I need another job.Lost in my thoughts I was stunned when a pair of hands grabbed me when I entered the hall where my locker was stationed. I was pinned against a corner wall. My head nearly bounced off the wall from the sudden movement. I closed my eyes from the pain and when I opened them, I wasn’t surprised to see Lucas. He was the onl
“Get in.” Dmitry demanded.“What are you doing here?” I asked grasping my chest, still shocked by his cars sudden stop.He put his car in park. “I was trying to catch you when you first got out of school, but I was held up in a meeting. You and I have unfinished business. Now get in.”I knew what he meant but I still found myself asking the question. “Like what?”“Just get in the car.” He said while hitting the button to unlock the door.I hesitated for a second before getting in. “Are you taking me home?” I asked as soon as I was inside the car. ‘Rick will be expecting me to arrive soon.”I tried to hold my fear but for a moment I relived the day I came home later than usual. It wasn’t a pretty conversation between me and my father.“No worries. I will have you home soon enough.”Dmitry continued down the same road I walked every day going home. Soon we found ourselves turning on Lake Road. The same road our lives collided even though our vehicles did not.I kept my eyes on the road
Sensing there was nothing else he needed to show me, I turned on my heels and quickly walked downstairs. I wasn’t sure how serious he was about me familiarizing myself with his house.Now that the tour was over I began noticing the small things. Like how there weren’t many personal photographs in his house. The walls in the foyer and living room were full of overbearing paintings but not one photo. Not even of himself.There was also no television or radio. If he did entertain in this room, it didn’t seem like it would be much fun.When he didn’t come right down, I found myself checking my phone. It was only five. I still had a little time to get home. I knew Rick would be expecting me sometime before five-thirty.Panicking, I stepped out of the living room to find and tell him I was going to walk home if he wasn’t ready. The sound of his footsteps hitting the last step brought me a little relief. I didn’t know what I would find in his room.“There you are. I need to get going so if t
Danica POV I figured if I had to show my face at least three times a week, Monday would be a great start. I could come Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Dmitry let me know if he needed me on the weekend, he would let me know. I didn’t tell Rick about our little arrangement. However he assumed the repair cost was being repaid was being paid for, he kept to himself. I half expected to see Dmitry’s fancy car along the road as I walked home from school. That one day of being chauffeured around had me wanting more. Though thinking about him all day, I wasn’t sure if it was the ride or him that I wanted to see. I made sure to walk really fast to my house. I needed to change from my blue jeans and graphic tee into something I didn’t mind getting dirty. Walking fast cut about twenty minutes from my walk home. Luckily it was a cooler day so sweat wasn’t really a problem. It was the middle of March and most days the high weather was in the mid-sixties. Those were the days I wore shorts and en
Dmitry POV I come home to a loud house. Music is playing from upstairs. Some song I don’t know is playing but I’m not sure the artist. I place my leftovers in the fridge and take in the scene around me. The dishes were put away and the trash was empty. Not sure how she got it to smell lemon fresh in here but she did. I checked my watch before taking it off and placing it on the kitchen breakfast bar. It was almost eight at night. I didn’t expect her to still be here. My phone rang. “This is Dmitry,” I answered before checking the caller id. “Hey, good looking.” A female voice sang through the receiver. I checked the caller ID making sure not to get caught up in any games while I finally make my way upstairs. It was Nancy. A girl I have been dating on and off for the past year. We met while I was on a flight to Canada and she was working first class. I reached the top of the landing just as the song changed and a familiar voice sang out. It sounds like Alicia Keys. I recognize
Danica POVSneaking back into the was easier than I thought. There was a large lattice with overgrown vines beneath my window.I think my grandmother put it there to give me a chance to have an adventure one day. Though that day hadn't come until now.The last time I was weighed in gym class, I weighed one hundred and twenty pounds. I wondered what the weight limit was for a lattice that hadn’t been reinforced in years. It's been here since I was a little girl and my grandmother used to take good care of it.I remember my grandfather checking the veins on it, but I wasn’t sure if he checked anything else.I looked through a few windows looking for signs of Rick. The house was silent and dark.Cautiously I placed my hands on the lattice, pulling at it for a false measure of security. When I thought it was safe, I began to climb until I was at my window. Placing my fingers between the open space I’d left on the way out, I lifted it enough to pull myself in. Grateful the window sat above
Danica POVI felt a lump form in my throat as I picked up my pace hoping the question wasn’t directed toward me. I only made it a few more steps before I heard her call out again.“Is that you Dani?”I swallowed the lump and mustered a smile. I wasn’t sure how far Angel would go in a crowded store. Especially this one. She liked to cause a scene in the locker room, but this was different. This was public and without her friends.I turned to see her standing behind the cashier station with another girl standing a few inches behind her. My smile faded as the girl quickly reminded me of her lackeys back at school and I remembered she only needed an audience of one to put on a show.“It is you, Dani. I didn’t recognize you in those dressy clothes. Where are you off to? Church.” She smiled while holding a grunted laugh. The other girl covered her mouth to hold in her snicker.I looked down at my button down shirt, skin tight skirt, and tried to understand her joke. “No. Umm, I’m here to fi
Dmitry POVMy best friend, Cory, called this morning to say he needed some much needed guy time. He’d been spending too much time with a girl his mother introduced him to a few weeks ago. I told him I couldn’t dedicate anytime to drinking like we normally do, but he could tag along while I run a few errands.I listened while he rambled on about how persistent this new girl was. Though he believed his mother had more to do with the girls determination. She wanted him to marry a “good” girl as she would put it. Someone from a “good” family. But what she really meant was a rich girl from a rich family.“It’s not like she isn’t good looking, because she looks amazing. And she is a fun girl to hang around.” He went on. “But we just don’t connect. It’s like every time we talk, we are on two didn’t trains.”My friend let out a sigh as we pulled into the shopping center. He was beat and I could tell.“Cory, just tell your mother, you want to find your own wife.” I laughed but he didn’t see th
EpilogueOne Year LaterDanica POV“I still cannot believe you’ve been living here in this house. With those two gorgeous men all year long. Every time I come to town, I’m still amazed.” Grace said while lounging on the float next to me.She was home for summer break, and we were enjoying a nice swim while Dmitry and Cory fixed a few poolside snacks.“First of all, I’m not living here with two guys. It’s just me and Dmitry here. Cory’s just visiting. Always visiting.” I laughed. "Just Like you are visiting me now."Grace flew in from Cali a few days ago. She was on summer break from UCLA. I was on summer break too from University of Pennsylvania. I started attending last semester since I didn’t apply on time last year. Now that I had money for college, the dream of getting a degree in English didn’t seem so far away. Thanks to my grandfather’s generous insurance money.I kept my grandfather’s house, though I didn’t live there. Instead, I visited a few times a week to study and write.
Danica POVDmitry and I lay comfortably across the couch with me nestled on top of him. We’d been laying here for nearly an hour without saying a word. Simply enjoying being in each other’s space. The kiss we shared was passionate and enticing, but nothing else was needed tonight.Another half hour passed before something started nagging at me.“What did you mean, you were here when Rick left? How did you know he wasn’t going to be here tonight?”He sighed. “There is something I need to tell you.”Dmitry shifted beneath me until we were both in a sitting position.“When you first came to work for me, I started looking into your family.”“You what?!” I jumped off the couch. “Did you run a background check on me?”He laughed. “No.” He leaned forward. “Well, not really.”I folded my arms across my chest. And sighed waiting for him to explain.“I didn’t have to wonder why you wanted to hurt yourself that day on the bike. I knew when the nurses were working on you that something wasn’t rig
Danica POVI slowly crept my way up the dark stairs, and down the restored hallway to Ricks room. Sweat covered my hands as I thought of all the things that could go wrong if opened this door and he was laying there waiting to meet his intruder.My mind became riddled with memories. I looped the hallway twice, struggling between leaving the house and opening that door. Finally, I came face to face with the bedroom door that used to belong to my grandfather. And now belongs to my father.I twisted the doorknob and pushed the door open at the slowest pace my hand could muster. My eyes squinted at the small rust screech. I peeked through the small open space to see a very vacant, perfectly made bed. My head swiveled around the room as I pushed the door wider.It was empty. The room was neat and clear of sign that someone lived here. I expected to see Ricks clothes thrown across the furniture. And unmade bed with beer cans scattered throughout the sheets. But I found nothing.It is as
Danica POV I pulled off onto a dirt road behind my fathers’ property. I would cut across it every other day to go to Dmitry’s house when I was trying to hide the fact that I’d been working off my debt. I didn’t want my father to know I was sneaking in and out the house late at night. Even if I was working, he would find some perverted way to punish me for it. I parked the car and closed my eyes. I needed strength for what I was about to do. It was late and I had nowhere to go. There were a few hundred dollars in my account from being paid. Enough to get a hotel room at the cheapest motel in town. But I didn’t have a bank card yet. Dmitry took me to set up a bank account after I got my second check. I’d never forget the look on his face when he realized didn’t have one. I was eighteen with little knowledge of the world around me. It was almost ridiculous how much I had to learn to catchup with everything my classmates parents taught them outside of our normal school work. I cut t
Dmitry POVI disliked this night with a small portion of hate. Every year, we have to throw a big party, just to get our counterparts to give to charity.Small dinner plates. Entertaining music. Boring Speeches.I had half a mind to just write a check for the full amount myself. But my mother is always reminding me. This is how we make friends. This is how we leave our mark in life.Every year I plaster on my fakest smile. But this year was different. Its the first year my smile was real.I was happy though I couldn’t completely show it.From the moment I saw her in that dress, I couldn’t stop smiling on the inside. From head toe, hands down she was the prettiest girl tonight.Between her smooth copper tone, the rose gold shimmering of the dress, the dramatic gold makeup, and her hazel , Danica was perfect.There were so many times tonight I wanted to go to her. Sit with her. Chat with her. I wanted to know if she was enjoying herself. And every time I glanced at our table, I found m
Danica POV Dmitry reached for my arm once more, but I wiggled out of his grasp and burst through the door. I didn’t stop there. I kept going, making my way through the same crowd that gawked at my outburst. My feet didn’t stop there. I kept moving. A few seconds after pushing through groups of people, I heard Dmitry shouting my name and a few onlookers pronouncing their shock at his outburst. Still I didn’t turn back to look at him. I knew if I did, he would only end up embarrassed and I would end up hurt. Or should I say, more hurt. I kept going until I reached the front of the ballroom, just before the green artsy hallway. Standing near ballroom entrance was Lacy and her sister. I caught the tail end of her sentence. She noticed me just as the words came flying out of her mouth. “….nothing more than a common girl. No way is he interested in her.” My cheeks flushed as I brushed past them. This felt like school all over again. Mrs. Hardin gave Lacy the ammunition she needed to ke
Danica POV I headed for the garden inspired hallway we walked through earlier just before entering the ballroom. I was certain everyone would be here in the ballroom. They’d had their fill of artwork and beautiful greenery. I could be alone and still in attendance. I’d take some time to view the pretty paintings in the small walking spaces we passed. With my head aimed straight, I walked passed the patrons. I caught a glimpse of Dmitry, who looked bored. Caught between is father and another older gentleman. His mother was nowhere to be found. This would be the first time tonight she wasn’t hanging on her husband’s arm. Cory was nowhere to be found either. Just as well. He was good company, but I just needed a breather. Especially after being the center of attention for a dance that I don’t think ill ever forget. The hallway was nearly empty, I could hear a few female voices from one of the indented corners. No doubt they were marveling over the number of brush strokes in the paint
Danica POV The violinist began playing Turning Page by Sleep at Last. This was way too much of a romantic song to dance with Cory. He gave me an apologetic look, then leaned in to ask me, “Will you be able to find you way back to the table?” I nodded my head. Then he walked away to meet his mother and another young woman. I was just about to take my first step towards the table when I felt a hand lock onto mine. Instantly, I was pulled into Dmitry’s hold. My senses were invaded by his cologne. I didn’t realize until I exhaled, but I just spent the last few seconds inhaling all that I could. He smelled amazing. “What are you doing?” I asked as he placed his other hand in the small of my back. He smiled, “Dancing. What does it look like?” I quickly glanced around, confirming the feeling I got the moment he grabbed me. Eyes from more than half the room were on us. Just beyond the edge of the dance floor was Cory. He lifted his champagne flute with a subtle head nod. Though we didn’
Danica POV I suppose the night went on as a normal party of this stature would. We were served a three-course dinner accompanied by champagne in fancy flutes. I've always heard these kind of events leave the stomach wanting more and yet I was completely fulfilled. Not just with the food but also the entertainment. In the center of a dimmed stage sat not four, or six band members, but one lone violinist covering all the latest songs. I couldn't make out her face as she sat on a darkened stage wearing all black, but I imagined she was just as beautiful as her music. Enclosed in her own small garden surrounded by plants and vines. It was absolutely stunning. I kept my eye on her the majority of the night. I knew everyone at the table and still I had nothing to say to anyone except Cory and Dmitry. The entire table occupants consisted of me, my two guys, Lacy and Dmitry’s parents. So when each of them were away, I kept my eyes trained to the stage. Which was nearly the entire time I sa