Page 69 of Phantom Flower

I immediately shoved that thought away, refusing to let it settle in my head.

I told Marco not to think about the video and that I did not want to talk about it. Still, I ended up telling him about our texts and a few other small details. He was worried.

“I’m sorry I didn’t text back,” I said. “Things got messy at the party. But I’m handling it.”

Marco bit his lip, still looking unconvinced. “I just… I don’t want you to get hurt. You’ve been through enough with your family and everything. And guys like him…” He spoke quietly. “They don’t play fair. I know you said he’s not all bad, but aren’t you scared?”

I opened my mouth to deny it, but I was not sure.

Was I scared?

Sometimes.

But he made the grief over my dad feel more bearable, and his texts had become something I looked forward to.

It was messed up, and I knew it.

“I’m not scared of him,” I said eventually, though it was not entirely true. “Not in the way you think. He’s… complicated. But he’s not going to hurt me.”

“Just… be careful, okay? If you ever need to get away from him, or if things get too much, you can always come to me. I might not be able to do much, but I’ll listen. And I’ll worry less if you actually answer my texts.”

I reached over and gave his shoulder a gentle squeeze. “I will. I promise. And thank you. For worrying. It means a lot.”

I could still feel Dimitri behind us, close enough to hear if he wanted to, but giving us just enough space for this conversation. When I glanced back, his eyes met mine. There was something satisfied in them, like he knew exactly what we were talking about.

Marco spoke again. “He’s not going to leave you alone, is he?”

I shook my head. “Probably not.”

Marco sighed, his curls bouncing as he shook his head.

We reached the classroom door. I gave Marco one last reassuring look before we stepped inside. Dimitri followed right behind us, taking the seat directly next to mine without asking. His arm draped over the back of my chair.

Marco sat on my other side, still glancing at Dimitri every few seconds with that same worried expression. I could tell he wanted to say more, but he stayed quiet for now.

As the professor started talking, I felt Dimitri’s fingers brush lightly against the back of my neck again. He was trying to remind me of something.

I was his.

The rest of the day began to pass.

Dimitri stayed away whenever Marco was around. It was strange. I did not understand why he cared enough to do that. Marco was shy and small and easily intimidated, and Dimitri could have crushed that fear without even trying.

But he did not.

He gave us space during lunch and between classes, standing far enough back that Marco could breathe, but close enough that I could still feel his eyes on me.

The second Marco left for his own classes, though, Dimitri was right back at my side like he had never left.

***

For two weeks, this became our routine.

Every morning he drove me to school. He sat next to me in every single class, his long legs stretched out, one arm draped over the back of my chair. During lunch he watched me eat, making sure I was actually taking care of myself. And at night…

At night we ate dinner together. He cooked surprisingly good meals. Other times he ordered food and we ate on the couch. Then we slept in the same bed.

Every single night.