As requested by Fiera Hathaway. This one's for you! Enjoy!

Two movies into the night, Dimitri had no idea what he was watching or what he had watched. He vaguely remembered Zach telling him earlier that evening that they'd be watching a series of horror feature films that, according to him and Celeste, were hilariously and unbelievably asinine.
But Dimitri was in no position to judge whether they'd been telling the truth, and not for lack of trying. Oh, he had been trying to pay attention to the movies for the past 2 hours, but something kept distracting him. Or rather, someone, who was seated just but a metre away from him, and who kept fidgeting and sighing every five minutes. If that wasn't sidetracking enough, she had abandoned watching the 'lame' movies only fifteen minutes into the first, and had spent the rest of the time chewing popcorn, surveying the room and sneaking glances at him.

Rose had been conversing with Eddie, Celeste and Zach for over two hours-animatedly-but both guardians had dozed off just a few minutes back and Eddie had crawled forward to talk to Rhys, so she was left with no other option than to snatch Eddie's popcorn bowl and start eating the food at a breakneck pace, staring into it like her life depended on it, trying to do anything to not acknowledge the sexual tension that had been building between them for the past few hours. It had started the moment she entered the room and made eye-contact with Dimitri, and from then on, it had only increased...exponentially. Unable to acknowledge it, or act on it, Rose had occupied herself by doing everything and anything to distract herself while Dimitri had been sitting in the same pose for hours, stoically staring at the projector screen.

Dimitri had to suppress a smile as he saw Rose enthusiastically occupy herself with Castile's popcorn bowl, looking into it as if it held the answers of the universe. He wasn't naïve, he knew she was avoiding him, but he didn't call her out on it. On normal days, they were hyperaware of each other, knowing with certainty when the other entered a room or even moved. But tonight, trapped between their (sleeping) friends and colleagues (or soon-to-be-colleagues, in Rose's case), sitting just a little distance apart in the dark, the tension between them was stifling, almost tangible.

Dimitri's hands were balled into fists and crossed across his chest, so that he didn't do something stupid like reach out to her, because the urge to pull her closer and run his fingers through her tresses almost clouded his rationality. Almost, but not quite, Dimitri was still in control of his body, just not his racing heart and wishful imagination.

He surveyed the room again, not surprised that almost all the inhabitants were already asleep, because frankly the little he'd gleaned from actually watching the current movie for five minutes had bored him immensely. I mean, why would two people be exchanging romantic platitudes when an army of zombies literally aimed for their necks? Ridiculous!

He thought of other things instead, blocking out the movie and everything else around him. He tried to keep his thoughts light and pleasant, and definitely far-far-away from the temptress beside him, who was looking dejectedly into her now-empty-popcorn-bowl, a frown creasing her forehead. Dimitri wanted to reach out and smooth it away or at least pass over his untouched popcorn bowl, and really no one would think anything wrong of it, but he dared not, because he had to stay in control. Her self-control was legendarily horrible, and if his slipped….

He hoped he could go through this night without doing something indecent, especially in public like this. Though if you wanted to get technical, almost everyone around them was already asleep or close to it, and if someone even did see him and Rose engaging in 'improper behaviour' (the sort Alberta had warned the student body to refrain from participating before the movies started), they'd likely brush it off to hallucination or sleep-deprivation. But those were not risks that Dimitri was willing to chance. Her status would be tarnished beyond repair, and Dimitri couldn't bear to do that to his Roza.

For now he'd have to be content dreaming about possible future nights when he'd watch movies with the princess and Rose, perhaps just with her alone, and then he could dare to be bolder. But not now, not yet. Now, he'd have to go through this night-from-hell without actively pursuing the suggestive scenes that his mind was busy enacting.

Unfortunately for him, all his aspirations for an incidence-free-albeit-tense-night dashed the moment Zach groaned in his slumber a few minutes later and rolled towards Rose.

Rose tensed-startled-dropping her bowl, and scooted away, almost landing in Dimitri's lap. Realizing her position, she tried to shift away, but lost her balance. She'd have toppled to the ground, if Dimitri's hand hadn't reached out and encircled her waist and pulled her flush against him. He held her till she recovered her composure and then started to release her. But as he did, his hand brushed against her, seeming to caress her skin and she couldn't stop the shiver that shook her. His hand stilled, and both of them sat unmoving for a moment, unsure of what to do, till she lifted her dazed eyes to meet his surprised ones.

Dimitri had reacted reflexively when he saw her falling. Like many other times, he'd righted her and held her, torturing himself with her proximity while she recovered. The moment she did-the exact moment he felt her relax-he began to release her-reluctantly-prolonging their contact for as long as he could. But then she stiffened in his arms and a shudder rolled through her body, making his body tense up in reaction. Her eyes lifted up to his and sensibility went right out the window.

His eyes glided down from her eyes to her nose, shifted over her cheekbones and drifted to her lips. Her pink, full lips, slightly open with silent invitation. Her inviting lips beckoned him and he began to bend his head, slanting towards her. Her lips trembled in anticipation and she breathed in sharply. Slowly, teasingly, he moved towards her, prolonging the moment and then…

And then, Celeste's hand hit him across his back.

Uh-oh! What do you think is gonna happen next?

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Thank you for reading!

Cheers!