Primal Desires

Chapter 28

Rose's POV

I awoke the next morning in bed feeling very groggy and disoriented – I didn't remember falling asleep, let alone returning to the bedroom. I remembered donuts, cleaning the apartment top to bottom and then... Nathan's thoughtful 'gift'.

The scars left on your skin brand you mine and they only add to your beauty...

I remembered opening the letter and immediately feeling an overwhelming sense of dread and panic.

I'll see you soon...

I remembered crying, struggling to breathe, my body shaking and then... warmth. Surrounding warmth and compassion as someone took me into their arms, providing comfort in amongst my struggle.

Dimitri.

He must have come home to find me literally just freaking out in the middle of our apartment and went straight into comfort mode. He didn't even hesitate to take care of me, even though it could have quite easily made me so much worse; he could see that I needed his help. But I must have been so worked up that I hadn't responded when he hugged me – our first proper physical contact in weeks, and I hadn't even been in a clear state of mind to realise it or remember it completely.

As I lay on my side, facing the wall and trying to piece together the events of last night, the sensation of somebody moving in the bed next to me made me almost jump out of my skin. With slight hesitation I slowly rolled over, finding Dimitri fast asleep on his back, his brows furrowed and breathing deeply. With the realisation that I wasn't alone in the bed, I could feel my heart rate pick up significantly, my anxiety skyrocketing. But deep in the back of my mind, something was telling me that it was okay – it was Dimitri... there was no reason to freak out. I forced myself to relax, taking slow breaths as I lay staring at him.

This was Dimitri.

My Dimitri.

I didn't need to be afraid of him. He cared for me, and I cared for him – these past few days of isolation had done nothing but strain our relationship and, in all honesty, probably made things worse for myself. Why hadn't I realised that I needed him? We'd always been stronger together, but I seemed to have forgotten that. I wished that I could take it all back, and run straight into his arms as soon as I woke up in that hospital bed, but it was too late. I would definitely need to tell him this as soon as I had the chance, tell him that I was sorry – I wanted to make things right again.

As if on cue, he began to stir next to me, and by the look on his face he too was confused as to where he was. His narrowed eyes scanned the room, before the realisation hit him and he looked down at me with a worry in his eyes.

"Sorry – I can go..." He mumbled, attempting to prop himself up and hurry out of the bed, obviously concerned about upsetting me by being so close.

"No – wait," I interjected, reaching out and placing a hand on his arm to stop him. "Stay."

His eyes widened slightly in shock, but I didn't miss the small smile playing at the corner of his mouth. "Really?"

I nodded and squeezed his arm. "Yes."

The smile he was attempting to hide broke out into a grin, clearly pleased by my words. He shuffled back onto the bed and lay down beside me, turning onto his side to face me. We lay staring at each other in silence, neither one of us wanting to break the contentment between us. I hadn't been this close to Dimitri in a long while, and laying here beside him now, I realised how much I missed it. I silently cursed myself at my stupidity – how did I ever think it was better for both of us to be apart?