It's been a few days since Dimitri and I had coffee together. We haven't really talked since, just exchanged a few words. Since it's Friday today, I only have a few classes. I am very grateful for that.
I walk out of my last class and head towards my dorm.
Emily is watching a movie on her laptop when I walk in.
"Hey, I'm going to a party later. Do you want to come?" She asks me. I've never been to a party and I'm not about to change that now.
"No thanks. I got a lot of catching up to do on my studying," I tell her.
"That's fine, but you gotta help me find an outfit."
"Sure," I tell her and plop down on my bed.
She pulls out a couple of dresses and tries them on. We have to rate them from 1-10 and, to be honest, it's pretty fun. She eventually decides on a silk, purple, spaghetti strap dress. It fits her curves perfectly and she looks amazing. I really envy her sometimes.
"You look fantastic," I tell her, and she smiles.
*****
It has been about 3 hours since Emily left, and it is now 11 PM. I am watching Lucifer on Netflix and silently thanking the existence of Tom Ellis. I'm wearing fluffy pajama pants, an oversized t-shirt, two different socks, and my hair is pulled up into a messy bun. To say the least, I look like shit. I am munching on a bag of chips when my phone bings. It's Emily.
Emily:
Hey, don't wait up for me tonight.
I'm not coming back before tomorrow.
Ruby:
That's fine. Have fun :)
I watch Lucifer until 1 AM. That's when I decide to go to sleep. I've just made myself comfortable when a knocking sounds from the door.
I get up from the bed, thinking it is Emily coming back after all.
I open the door only to come face-to-face with Dimitri. My eyes widen.
"What are you doing here?" I ask him in shock. How the hell am I supposed to react? It's frickin' 1 AM.
"I cannot sleep," he tells me. How can I help him with his sleeping problems?
Seeing the confusion on my face he says, "My roommate has his girlfriend over, so he kicked me out. My friends are out of town. I do not have any place to sleep. And I know your roommate is not here."
"How do you know that? Know what doesn't matter. But why are you here?" I ask him, genuinely confused.
"Can I stay the night?" He sigh. My eyes widen even further.
"You know I would not be asking you if it was not important," he tells me. I know he's right, so I open the door fully, letting him inside.
"Did I wake you up?" He asks me.
"No, I wasn't fully asleep yet."
Dimitri walks towards my bed, taking his shoes and jacket off in the process.
"Woah, Woah, Woah. Where are you going?" I ask him as he sits down on my bed.
"I am going to sleep, obviously."
"Not in my bed," I tell him and walk towards him.
He sighs but gets up anyway. I throw him a blanket and a pillow, as he lay down on the floor.
"Goodnight," I tell him and turn the lights off.
"Night… Nice outfit by the way," he says.
I can feel my face burn, but am grateful that it's dark in here.
*****
I wake up suddenly. My clock on the nightstand reads 3:47 AM. Why did I wake up so suddenly? As if on cue, my head whip to the panting guy on my floor. It looks like he is having a nightmare. I get out of bed and kneel beside him. He's mumbling something under his breath. His whole body is trembling, and I don't know what to do. I take an impulse decision and lightly nudge him.
"Hey… Dimitri, wake up," I whisper gently.
I take his hand in mine and squeeze lightly. He slowly begins to turn. Suddenly, his whole body shoots up. His eyes search the entire room, before landing on me.
"What happened?" He asks me. I've never heard his voice so small, but the Russian accent somehow still manage to shine through strongly.
"I think you were having a nightmare," I tell him lightly. It doesn't go unnoticed that his hand is still clutching mine. It seems as if he notices too because he suddenly shoots up from the floor. His hand is out of mine in a split second, as he heads towards the door.
"Where are you going?" I ask him, my voice still soft.
"Just need to clear my head. Thank you for letting me stay tonight." And with that, he disappears.
I go back to bed, but can't fall asleep until 7 AM in the morning. My mind is consumed with concern for a certain dark-haired boy. I convince myself that he just got spooked, and it doesn't happen on a regular base for him.
My convincing crumble when he shows up to class Monday, looking like he hasn't slept in days. Which, in this case, probably true. I make my way to the seat next to him but get interrupted before I can even reach it.
In front of me stands the creepy guy, who had undressed me with his eyes, according to Dimitri. "Hi beautiful. I was wondering, if you wanted to come, to my place tonight?" He asks me, winking. I'm also pretty sure he's high.
"Uhhh…" I say, trying to come up with a lie on the spot.
"You and I are gonna have fun," he tells me seductively. I definitely know we ain't ever gonna have fun together, him and I.
He takes a step closer to me, as I back away.
"Hi, babe. You ready for our date tonight?" A familiar voice asks me and an arm snakes its way around my waist.
I look up at Dimitri, "Yes."
The creepy guy looks between Dimitri and me, before scurrying away.
"Thank you, Dimitri. You didn't have to do that," I tell him, but I'm truly glad he did.
"Yes, I did have to do that. I am not going to let that creep touch you without your consent," he tells me.
"Well, thank you," I tell him again.
He nods at my response as we sit down together.
Halfway through the lection, I lean in and whisper, "Are you okay?"
He turns his head and looks at me. Like really look at me. His eyes roam over my entire face, and I can feel the heat rising to my cheeks.
I don't wanna ask him again when he doesn't answer my question, so I pat his hand lightly instead. It's a very awkward action, but at least it is something.
As soon as the class is over, Dimitri shoots out of his stool and leave. Did I say something to upset him?
I sigh as I pack up my own things and leave. I don't think I'm ever going to figure that boy out.