"Are you getting hungry? Maybe we should order a pizza. Would you like to watch a movie while we eat?" Rose asked, pulling her hands away and turning to find her cell phone and the remote to the TV.

I was almost afraid that Rose would be sending me home to eat. The TV was sitting haphazardly on the edge of a bookcase against the wall at one end of the couch. Getting it positioned right on the wall would be tedious and difficult and could take almost an hour, but it seemed as good a reason as any to stick around. "I could probably carry some more of the smaller boxes in," I offered, "Or maybe help you mount the TV on the wall?"

"Easy, Comrade," Rose told me, "You've done enough hard labor for one day. Right now, you deserve to at least have some food and a chance to breathe for a little while. So, let me buy you some pizza and you can hang out here and watch a movie. Unless you have someplace else to be?"

I looked her in her beautiful brown eyes and said, "I'm right where I want to be, right here, right now, with you." Even as I said it, I realized that the words were rife with meaning.

Rose blushed lightly and then looked down and started swiping across her phone screen, saying, "One of the other neighbors recommended the pizza place over on Main Street to me. How hungry are you? I feel like I could eat a horse."

I was honestly hungry enough to eat an entire extra-large pizza by myself, but I wasn't sure I should, especially if Rose was buying. But not like I had the money to buy pizza for everyone myself. "I'm actually pretty hungry, but I don't want to be an inconvenience."

"No problem, Comrade," Rose said, "You strike me as a guy who could eat a lot. How's an extra-large sound? I'll order an extra-large for you, and another extra-large for me. Pepperoni sound good to you?"

"I actually really like anchovies," I told her, "it reminds me of the Mockba pizza we used to eat in Russia when I was a kid."

"I can order that," said Rose, "providing you promise to eat the whole thing. No one else here would ever touch the stuff!"

"Not a problem," I told her with a grin.

"Kick off your shoes. Let me check with Lissa and see how much pizza she'd want or if anyone else is coming over. Then I'll place the order."

--=o0/&\0o=-

After Rose managed to get Lissa's attention, the two girls went into the kitchen to discuss pizza toppings. I waited a few minutes, but then my curiosity got the better of me. I padded over to the kitchen doorway and listened.

"Liss, I know!" Rose hissed, "I can't believe how incredible he is. But I just met the guy today!"

"He offered to help us move, Rose. How bad can he be?" Lissa asked, "And, Rose, you need to get laid. It's been over two years since everything happened with Jesse."

"I don't want him to think I'm easy. That's what got me into the whole Jesse Zeklos mess to begin with!" Jesse Zeklos? She couldn't mean Ivan's cousin, could she? I began to grind my teeth at the thought of sleazy Jesse with his hands on Rose.

"Doesn't being with Dimitri sound so much better than waiting until you're alone and being with Dildo Shaggins again?" It took me a second to realize who - what - she was referring to there. I bit my tongue to keep from laughing at the nickname for Rose's sex toy. And I couldn't believe that Rose was talking to her best friend about - or even thinking about - having sex with me.

This might be the day I'd finally lose my virginity. And I'd never wanted to lose it more than to Rose.

"Fuck, does it sound better! Even if he's bad, it might still be better than being by myself. Look at the man, though: he practically sweats straight-up sex appeal! He couldn't be bad at it." I sighed. Those were big expectations to have to live up to for my first time.

Rose continued. "But I want to be in this for the long haul. I don't want him to think that I'm just another one-and-done kind of girl." Never. If we got started, I don't think I could ever get enough of Rose.

"So tell him you wanna be serious about him! Before anything happens. Or give him the option to be a one-and-done. Tell him you want to fool around and see how far he takes it. If he's only after some and then he gets gone, you'll know. And you still might have an experience a hundred times better than Mr. Shaggins." Hard to say if I could top what she could do to herself, but I could hope. Hopefully a hundred times better than Jesse, too.

"Maybe. Shaggins isn't that bad. Probably a thousand times better than Jesse, though. But, Liss, I really like him. I don't want to fuck this up by putting sex on the table too soon. And I kinda feel like I barely know him. Don't you almost get the feeling he's hiding something?" Hmm, I was going to have to play this one close to the vest. Rose seemed unusually good at reading me.

"Yeah, actually. Now that you mention it, it does seem like he's hiding something. Like an absolutely huge dick in his pants! Maybe one that he should be using on you!" One that he would love to use on her. Over and over and over again.

"No, Lissa, seriously! I mean, I feel like you and I have done most of the talking. Like he's just analyzing. Or planning."

"Or afraid he'll say the wrong thing? Rose, maybe he's just nervous because he likes you. Why don't you talk to him and find out what he's feeling? Maybe you just need to open the door to it a little bit for something more to happen?"

"What do I say? Or what do I do?"

"I don't know. It's not like I know a ton about this. Rose, you have to be better at this than I am. I've only been with Aaron Drozdov and Christian."

"You know I've only been with Jesse - and Dildo Shaggins."

"Only one guy? You were never with anyone else? All those years? I could've sworn there was someone else."

"No - none! You know I would've told you."

"So, Jesse was your first? Man, no wonder you're scared of getting back in the saddle! Rose, I don't know what to tell you. Just be up-front with Dimitri. If you can't be honest with him, you don't have any hope of forming a lasting relationship. And if you want him to open up to you, you have to do it, too."

"So, I guess I go out there, then?"

"I guess so."

--=o0/&\0o=-

I quickly moved away from the kitchen door and back to the couch, trying to look like I hadn't been listening.

"Dimitri, It sounds like Liss is gonna go see her boyfriend, so it's just you and me for the pizza. I'm just about set to order it. We've already got our internet and the TV's got Netflix, Hulu, Redbox On Demand, and Amazon Prime all hooked up. Basically, my dad felt guilty for some abandonment issues from my childhood and hooked me up with all of the stuff to make up for it. Do you think you could pick a movie for us to watch while I'm ordering?"

"I can do that. Is there something particular you'd like?"

"Pick a comedy. Maybe something with a love story."

I started scrolling through the movies available. "Sure," I said, with a grin, "You know, if I didn't know better, dinner and a romantic movie alone together almost sounds like a date."

Rose smiled back at me. "If I were to ask, would you say 'yes' to that?"

My dick was getting harder just thinking about it. "I don't know how I could ever say 'no' to an evening alone with a beautiful woman like you on a date."

Rose let out a gasp. Shit - too forward! I needed to reel it back a little, but still let her know I was interested. "But I should warn you, Rose, just because you're buying me an expensive dinner and have me all alone at your house doesn't mean I'm going to put out. I'm a virgin, after all."

Rose laughed. She'd probably think I was kidding about that last part, but we'd cross that bridge when we got there.

"Then it's a date, Comrade. Do you think you could drive me over there when it's time to get the pizza? I had to drive the moving truck, so my car is on the other side of town right now."

"No problem," I said. Oh, it's a big problem. I had my high school track jersey and school textbooks in the back seat of my car - and a dated school parking permit with the year on it hanging from the rearview mirror! How could I drive Rose in my car without her seeing that I'm in high school?

As Rose started dialing the phone number, I asked her, "Do you mind if I go clean out my car while you're ordering the pizza?"

"No problem," she said with another breathtaking grin.

As fast as I could, I ran out to my car, grabbed my school bag, tossed the jersey and parking permit inside, and threw them into my room in Randall's house, then ran back to sit next to Rose on her couch, just as she was finishing up ordering the call.

"Comrade, I forgot to ask you if you wanted breadsticks, so I hope you don't mind if I ordered some. I got the extra-cheesy ones."

Extra-cheesy breadsticks. My favorite. God, this woman was too good for me. It all seemed just so, so fast, but I was already starting to fall for her. I wanted to make beautiful brown-eyed babies with her.

Or at least go through all the motions that would cause babies. Yes, definitely that.

--=o0/&\0o=-

Author's Notes:

What do you think, so far? Who wants to see Christian make an appearance in the next chapter? Do you think he might know Dimitri from somewhere? 

Anyone out there actually tried Russian Mockba pizza? Or even just anchovies? I've honestly always been curious, so it's on my bucket list to try anchovies, but I've never mustered the courage to do it yet. If you've never tried it, I think shrimp on a pizza is AMAZING and I highly recommend giving it a shot.