"Hey, Tri, you comin' tonight?" As they made their way down the corridor from Trinity's apartment, a voice which she recognized as Nigel's asked.
Dmitri turned at the sound of the voice to see a guy who looked to be in his early twenties staring at Trinity with a dazzling smile on his face.
Much to his annoyance Trinity flashed him a full blown grin ,"Do you even have to ask? Course I am!"
The guy laughed and nothing irritated him more than that obnoxious laugh of his, "Gee, my bad."
"So going out on a date?" The brown haired boy asked, gesturing to Dmitri, a teasing glint in his hazel eyes.
"Yes." Trinity squeaked, her cheeks turning a light shade of red.
Clearing her throat, she continued, "Nigel this is Dmitri and Dmitri, this is Nigel, my neighbor."
"Hey man." Nigel greeted, doing that bro hug thing that Trinity never seemed to understand.
"Hey." Dmitri murmured, not liking the boy one bit, even though he hadn't done anything to him.
"Take care of her if you want your jewels intact." Nigel threatened lightly, though Trinity knew he was serious. He was protective of her like that.
"Sure, man." Dimitri laughed despite himself. "You don't have anything to worry about there." He added, looking at Trinity with concern evident in his dark eyes.
Satisfied with his response, Nigel nodded and Trinity couldn't help but notice the knowing glint in her friend's eye. She had known Nigel long enough to know that that look meant that he had seen something which she had somehow failed to notice and she furrowed her eyebrows at him, the question clear in her violet eyes. Nigel just shook his head at her with a wink and staggered off, looking pleased with himself.
Just before he left, he turned and said, "You two make an amazing couple." He hollered, winking as he left.
It was then that Dimitri noticed the slight limp in his step. Trinity turned to look at Dimitri, still confused by Nigel's suspicious behavior only to notice Dimitri staring at Nigel's retreating figure.
"He's got a tin leg. Was in a especially bad car crash three years back and they had to take out his leg. I met him at the hospital a few days after his accident and well, let's just say he's one of the strongest person I've met." Trinity explained with a small but fond smile as she recalled the day they had first met.
She was volunteering at the hospital that day when she had seen him trying to walk on his own when that artificial leg was first put in. He was learning to balance his weight and was about to fall face first onto the floor when she caught him. He had been devastated after his accident, it was written all over his face when he had given her a small thank you and a barely there smile. She had straight away told him that there was no need to thank her and that she was there for him.
That one sentence had meant more to him than anything else especially when he hadn't had a family to begin with and all his so called friends had abandoned him the moment they came to know that he was now crippled for life. In a moment of complete and utter weakness he had broken down right there in the hospital's hallway and while that had been something he had needed to do at that moment, now it had become a distant memory which they would have a good laugh about every once in a while.
"Oh." Was all Dmitri could say, too stunned to say anything else. The way that man carried himself, never in a million years could Dmitri have guessed that one of his legs were missing. He suddenly felt guilty for not liking him when he hadn't done anything remotely bad to him, other than threaten him, for his friend's sake that is.
"We should get going, shouldn't we?" Trinity asked.
"Yes, we should." He replied and they left once she had looped her arm through his proffered one.
As they were walking down the stairs, since the elevator was out of order, they saw an old lady with graying hair and thick rimmed glasses perched upon her nose coming up the stairs with a small bag in her hands.
"Oh, hello, Trinity dear. I was just coming up to see you." The old lady said, smiling kindly up at her and as much as Dmitri wanted to leave the apartment without any further ado, he just couldn't bring himself to be annoyed at the old lady for delaying their departure.
"Going out on a date, are you?" She was quick to ask upon noticing Dmitri standing beside her, making Trinity's cheeks go crimson as she blushed.
"Yes, I am. This is Dimitri and Dmitri, this is Mrs Murphy. She is the owner of the diner I used to work at and she lives two doors down my apartment." She introduced and Dmitri couldn't help but notice the slightly panicked look in her violet eyes.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Mrs Murphy." Dmitri extended his hand, confused at Trinity's strange behavior.
"Likewise, dear." She shook his hand with a small smile.
"What was it that you wanted, Mrs Murphy?" Trinity asked politely, though the tone of her voice told Dmitri that she already knew what the lady was going to say and she wasn't really looking forward to it.
"Its obvious, isn't it? I wanted ask why, exactly, did you quit your job at the diner?" Mrs Murphy asked, her wrinkled forehead creasing some more as she frowned.
Trinity stiffened beside him at her question and Dmitri turned to look at her, the question clear in his eyes as he struggled to understand her weird behavior. She pleaded with her eyes for him to get her out of this situation and though he gave her a confused look, he complied.
"Excuse me Mrs Murphy, but if you don't mind, can we please talk about this some other time? We are getting late for our reservation here." Dmitri said with an apologetic smile.
"Oh, well in that case I wouldn't keep you, go right ahead. But come talk to me once you're back, okay?" Mrs Murphy asked, looked at Trinity with pleading eyes.
"Sure Mrs Murphy." Trinity said with what she thought was a smile but judging from Dmitri's expression she was almost positive that it had come out as more of a grimace.
Bidding goodbye to the old lady, they both hurried down the stairs to Dmitri's car. It was only once Trinity was buckled in did she breathe a sigh of relief.
"So, what exactly was that?" Dmitri asked as he started driving, unable to hide his curiosity any longer.
"Take a left here." She said instead.
Doing as she said, he shot her a look which told her that she wasn't going to get out of this. Sighing, she gave in and said," I used to work at her diner as a waitress but day before yesterday, I quit the job."
"Why?"
"Her grandson, Jimmy, he is the one who usually runs the diner since she's too old to do everything on her own. He, well, he-" She trailed off, squirming uncomfortably.
"He what, milaya?" Dmitri prodded, not liking where this was going.
"He tried to rape me." She finally confessed in not more than a whisper but Dmitri heard it, quite clearly in fact.
"Chto, chert voz'mi? Etot sukin syn!" Trinity watched as Dmitri slammed the brakes and muttered furiously under his breath in a language she didn't understand, his knuckles turning white as he gripped the steering wheel in anger.
"Where is that diner?! I'll fucking kill that bastard!" He seethed through clenched teeth, trying in vain to reign in his temper. The mere thought of anyone so much as laying a finger on Trinity made his blood boil and he could think of a million ways to kill that sneaky son of a bitch who thought that he could try to do that to his Trinity.
Trinity watched as Dmitri ran his hands through his hair a few times, taking deep breaths as he did so.
"I'll fucking kill him!" He repeated angrily. "Tell me where he is!" He demanded, turning to his side to face Trinity.
Scared at the unmasked fury blazing in his dark eyes, Trinity leaned back in her seat as much as she could, memories she'd rather forget came rushing back to her and she couldn't help the low whimper that escaped her throat. The fear was as clear as day in her violet eyes and nothing hurt Dmitri more than the fact that he was the reason she was scared as of now.
Cursing himself internally for losing his calm like that, he closed his eyes and took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. He schooled his features expertly and when he opened his eyes, his face was void of all emotions, giving nothing away.
"Did you inform the police?" His voice was eerily calm as he asked her this which made a shiver run down her spine.
Swallowing hard, she gave a monosyllabic reply,"No."
"Why?" He looked genuinely curious as he asked this but the muscle ticking in his jaw was a clear indication of the storm brewing within. Dmitri knew that Trinity was no fool so it was clear to him that there must have been a reason that she hadn't reported the sleazy bastard to the police. Though that didn't mean that he wasn't angry. He was livid, more so than before now that he knew that the little piece of shit was still roaming about freely.
Mustering up all her courage, she spoke, glad to notice that her voice didn't waver once as she explained, "Mrs Murphy is a kind woman. If Jimmy went to jail, she'd be devastated and I don't want that. Besides, he's the only person she has left and I can't take that away from her."
"So you let him get away with it?" Dmitri exploded, his voice laced with indignation, more shocked than angry this time. The guy tried to rape her and she was letting him go just like that! Was the girl out of her ever loving mind?!
Trinity surprised him by laughing. "Of course not. I gave him a black eye and a few bruised ribs. The guy could barely walk when I was done with him. Besides, he should've known better than to come at me, especially when he was well aware of the fact that I'm a karate expert."
"You don't look like you know karate." He stated looking almost amused now. He couldn't quite wrap his head around the fact that Trinity had actually hurt someone.
"Wanna try me?" Came her prompt reply.
"No." He laughed and just like that all his anger evaporated but that didn't mean he was going to let this Jimmy guy go just like that. Nope, not at all.
"Tri, you came!" Cindy exclaimed as she watched Trinity place a basket at the center of the coffee table. Running towards her at breakneck speed, she wrapped her tiny arms around Trinity's legs.Laughing, Trinity picked up the little girl who looked adorable dressed in a light pink frock. "Of course I came." She replied and Dmitri watched in a trance like state as more children came rushing into the living room, all eager to get a hug from her.He couldn't help but grin as he watched Trinity twirl a girl around, making her giggle. There were almost more than half a dozen of them. Nine, he counted.Not long after, a slightly plump looking woman entered the room, her eyes lighting up as she saw Trinity."Trinity darling! It's so good to see you." She exclaimed, moving in for a hug."Hey, how's it going?" She grinned down at the old woman."All's well. Just that the donations haven't been much th
Once they were out of the house, leaving a blushing Patricia behind- for Dmitri simply couldn't leave without complimenting her- Trinity asked Dmitri if he had made reservations somewhere. Dmitri told her that he hadn't and was just about to say something else when Trinity pulled him in the direction of a nearby Mexican restaurant. She claimed that it served the best tacos in the world which he simply had to taste, leaving his car in the orphanage's driveway since it was just a few blocks down.The restaurant was a quaint little place which gave off a friendly vibe. The bell jingled overhead when Trinity opened the door, pulling a rather amused looking Dmitri behind her. She was the first girl ever who had actually denied going to a fancy restaurant with him, instead choosing to go to a restaurant so small that one could have easily missed it if it wasn't for the shiny board overheard full of twinkling lights.A toasty warmth enveloped D
So, where's he taking you today?" Casey asked, her eyes catching Trinity's in the mirror who was busy munching on a bag of chips while Casey put on her usual winged eyeliner with painfully careful precision.Trinity took her time chewing as she watched Casey put the eyeliner back in its place. It was only once she'd turned around to look at Trinity did she speak up. "He said that he was going to take me shopping for a few gowns."Casey raised a brow at her friend. "And you agreed without putting up a fight?" She asked, narrowing her eyes skeptically. If there was anything she knew about her friend, it was that Trinity would much rather dig herself a hole and spend the rest of her life in it before she let anyone spend money on her."Well, not really." She muttered, frowning slightly as she recalled the argument they'd had over Dmitri buying her clothes, expensive designer clothes at that."You'll h
The ride to the boutique was spent in a comfortable silence, the only noise being the soft music coming from the car's stereo system.Dmitri told her to wait in the car with a grin. He quickly got out and jogged over to the passenger's side door before opening it and holding his hand out for Trinity to take.She smiled at the gesture, her heart melting a little as he put his hand on the small of her back once he'd shut the door behind her, locking his car. "Chivalry isn't dead, I see." She commented, making him chuckle.The doorman held open the door of the boutique for them to enter, giving a small bow as he did so."Welcome, Mr Kaverin!" A leggy blonde wearing a bright red dress greeted them with a too wide smile, her eyes fixated on Dmitri.Dmitri nodded at her politely. "Hello, Candice.""What can I do for you this evening?" She asked, batting her eyelashes at him.
"Wh-what?" Trinity stuttered out, too shocked to do anything else."You're moving in with-" Dmitri started again."I heard that." She quickly cut him off. "I mean- what I mean to say- I can't just-" Not being able to form a coherent reply, she squeezed her eyes shut, groaning as she did so.Shaking her head to herself to ward off the shock, she finally settled with, "Don't you think we're going a bit too fast?""Nah, I think its fine. Besides, the sooner we're done with this, the better." He explained."Oh. Alright then." Trinity nodded in agreement, trying to wrap her head around the fact that she was going to be living with him from now on."I don't have much with me other than my clothes, books and a few other things." She told him after a while. "So it's not gonna take much time for me to pack everything up." She added.Dmitri hummed his agreement. "
Trinity waited patiently as they rode the elevator together to the thirty second floor of the building where Dmitri's penthouse apartment apparently was. The soft music was the only thing keeping them company as they stood next to each other."Jack will bring your stuff up in a bit and I'll help you put it into your room. I'd ask him to put it away but we can't exactly have him knowing that we're staying in different rooms." Dmitri's explanation broke the comfortable silence that had surrounded them like a warm blanket.Trinity nodded at him. "That's understandable." Before she could say more, the elevator doors dinged open and Dmitri walked ahead of her and into his apartment.Trinity walked behind him, taking in the open space with eager eyes. They had walked from a large foyer into a larger living space with nearly twenty feet large floor to ceiling windows which overlooked the city's skyline where the opposite wall should
Approximately forty five minutes later, Trinity was done save for the box of books which she hadn't found a suitable enough place to keep yet. She walked out of the room and towards where she hoped the kitchen was, intent on asking Dmitri where to keep her books.Ultimately, she had no trouble finding where the kitchen was in his massive apartment for the smell of something spicy and delicious cooking lead her right to it.As she stepped into the kitchen, she'd be lying if she said that the sight of her soon to be fake husband with an apron tied around his waist as he quietly hummed to whatever song was playing softly somewhere in the speakers around there, plating something, didn't make her stomach flip in the best way possible.Trinity took a moment to appreciate the way his shirt fit perfectly over his broad shoulders, his muscles flexing as he moved with ease in his large kitchen. The place was every chef
Tina and Joy followed behind her and it was only once she'd opened the door to her own bedroom and walked in that she realised that they probably didn't know about their contract if Tina's earlier statement was anything to go by. The fact that she was staying in a different bedroom would be a dead giveaway that something was amiss.Quickly, she came up with a plausible excuse on the spot, hoping that they wouldn't see past the bullshit she was about to spew, "Dmitri's closet's already full of all his clothes and I didn't exactly want him to rearrange everything for me so I just figured I'd use the closet in the other room. Besides, a girl's gotta have her own space too, right?" She added a wink at the end to make the explanation look more casual than it was.Much to her relief, Tina practically clapped her hands in excitement, "A woman after my own heart!"The trio spent the next hour and a half putting away all the casu