Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Academy.

CHAPTER 1

RPOV

It was my last night in Baia. Tomorrow, around this time, I would be on my way to America. I didn't want to leave. I wanted to stay here, but I had no choice. My mom wanted to move back to America so I couldn't do anything else than go with her.

I was born in America, but at the age of five I moved here. It was a new, fresh start and I loved it here. I loved all the friends I made here and now I had to leave them all behind because my mom had decided she wanted to go back to Montana. I'd refused at first, screaming and throwing things around the house, but my mom never backed down. She was just as stubborn as me. I didn't understand why she couldn't wait another three years until I was eighteen. Then I didn't have to go with her. But three years was too long for her to wait – and yeah, I had to agree it was kind of long. Especially when you had to go somewhere against your will. Of course, she didn't care about what I wanted or what was best for me.

So I had nothing else to do but pack my stuff and say goodbye to my friends. I still had to say goodbye to one person, though, and I dreaded to do it. He was my best friend and I had no idea how I would survive without him. We'd been best friends since I moved here. We'd been inseparable and now I had to leave him behind.

I heard a knock on my window. I quickly shot up from the bed and pulled the curtains away. There he was. My best friend. He was two years older than me and had shoulder length brown hair, pulled back into a ponytail. His deep brown eyes looked at me friendly, like they always did. He smiled and motioned for me to open the window. I opened it and stepped back to let him in. I looked out of the window and saw that he'd put the old wooden ladder against the wall to climb to my window.

"You know how unstable that ladder is. You could've broken your neck," I chastised him as I closed the window.

Dimitri shrugged and gave me another smile. "Anything for you, Roza."

I rolled my eyes at him and sat back down on my bed. He sat down beside me.

"Are you okay?" he asked softly.

I shook my head. "No. I don't want to go, Dimitri. I want to stay here." My eyes were glistening with tears again. The last couple of weeks I'd cried so much. It was unbelievable. I never cried. Until my mom told me we were moving. I gripped Dimitri's shirt. "I don't want to go back to America! I love it here. I want to stay. She can go alone. I'm not going."

"Shh, it's going to be okay," Dimitri said soothingly. He pulled me closer to him and wrapped his arms around me.

"No, it's not going to be okay," I argued, burying my head in his chest.

"You'll be fine," Dimitri whispered as he stroked my hair gently. "You're going to make new friends, go to a new school… You won't even have time to miss this place…or me."

I gave him an incredulous look. "Are you kidding me? I'll never forget this place. I'll never forget you."

He gave me a small, sad smile. "I hope so."

"Once I'm eighteen, I'll come back," I said firmly. "I'm not staying there with my mom!"

Dimitri cupped my cheek. "You say that now, but…"

"No!" I interrupted. "I'll come back. You know I would come back for you." I hugged him again and inhaled the scent of his aftershave. Somehow, it was soothing. We were silent for a few minutes. I listened to the beating of his heart and closed my eyes. After tomorrow I would never get the chance to hold him again – at least for three years. He wouldn't be here anymore to comfort me, to tell me everything was going to be okay. I would be all alone in a city I didn't know, with people I didn't know. I felt like crying just thinking about it, but I didn't want to ruin this moment.

Instead, I pulled back slightly and asked, "Have you thought about my offer?"

Suddenly, he stiffened. "Roza, I don't know if that's a good idea…" he said carefully.

Tears filled my eyes again and this time it was not because I was leaving. I moved away from him. "But it's going to take ages before I'll meet someone there! If ever! Who knows how the guys are there. I want it to be with someone I love. With someone I trust."

His face was filled with doubt…and something else. Lust? Longing? I couldn't put my finger on it. "Roza, are you sure you want this? I don't want to hurt you."

"Yes," I said without hesitation. I'd been thinking about this a lot. I knew it was a lot to ask, but I hoped he would agree. Before I left, I wanted one last perfect moment with him. I was nervous, yeah, but I knew he wouldn't hurt me. I trusted him and I loved him. I wouldn't want my first time with anyone else. I knew how other guys were. They thought I was hot and they would only want me for sex, but Dimitri wasn't like that. He loved me for who I was, not for my good looks. I wanted my first time to be special and not with some guy who'd break my heart after he got what he wanted. "Unless you have a girlfriend I don't know of?"

That earned me a smile. "No, I don't have a girlfriend. If I had, you would know."

We had no secrets for each other. We told each other everything. He'd even told me about his first time. It had happened last year with Abby, some girl from his history class, and according to Dimitri it hadn't been that great.

I smiled. "Good. Then there's no problem, is there?"

He sighed, giving in. "Fine. I'll do it."

"You sound like you absolutely hate the idea of having sex with me," I said jokingly.

"Shut up before I change my mind," he said grinning. He moved closer to me and put his hands on my hips. His smile faded and he grew serious again. "Are you sure?"

"Yes, comrade," I repeated impatiently. "I'm sure."

I wrapped my arms around his neck, pulling him closer, and our lips met. It didn't feel weird or awkward at all to kiss him. I'd kissed him before. Not because I was in love with him – I mean, I couldn't be, he was my best friend. But before I'd started dating my first boyfriend, I wanted to practice first because I didn't want to screw it up so I'd practiced with Dimitri. He already had experience and he was my best friend so it didn't matter if I screwed it up with him. To my surprise, my first kiss had been really great. But that was probably because it had been with Dimitri. He always made me feel so special. Something in my belly fluttered as I thought back to that day.

Suddenly, I pulled away. "You brought a condom, right?" I asked.

Dimitri rolled his eyes. "Yes, of course. I'm not stupid."

I grinned. "So you already knew you were going to agree with me."

He grinned, too, and pushed me gently down on the bed, hovering over me. "You know I can't say no to you, Roza." He leaned in to kiss me again, but then looked up to the door. "Are you sure your mom is asleep?"

"Don't worry, comrade," I said, pulling him against me. "She won't come in here tonight. Besides, I locked the door so she can't come in. And if by some miracle she wants to see me tonight, you can go and hide in the closet. She won't know you're here."

He smirked. "Oh, thanks that I can go hide in your closet. That won't be uncomfortable at all."

"You're welcome."

Our kissing picked up again and this time we didn't stop to joke around. I started to feel nervous again. This was the first time a guy would see me naked. And it was Dimitri, for God's sake. It made me feel even more nervous, even though I had no reason to. I knew Dimitri wouldn't hurt me. He would be like the gentleman he always was.

Dimitri noticed my sudden nervousness and stopped kissing me. Looking up at me, he said softly, "You don't have to be nervous, Roza. I won't do anything you don't like. And if you want me to stop, that's okay, too. Just tell me."

"No, don't stop," I said quickly.

He smiled and stroked my cheek. "Tell me if you change your mind. It's not too late."

"I won't change my mind."

"Okay."

He pressed his lips against mine again and his tongue traced my bottom lip. I opened my mouth to grant him entrance and his tongue brushed against mine. His hands traveled up and down my sides. A soft moan escaped my lips as his lips moved away from mine to place feather light kisses from my jaw down to my neck. My hands slid over his chest and onto his shoulders.

Slowly, Dimitri undid the buttons of my shirt and his eyes grew darker with lust as he glanced down at my chest.

He kissed me again and murmured against my lips, "You're beautiful."

"What?" That surprised me. Most guys called me hot and sexy, but never beautiful. And I especially hadn't expected to hear it from Dimitri, although it felt nice to hear him say that.

He looked at me again and smiled. I turned bright red under his gaze. "You're beautiful," he repeated. His lips moved to mine again and I forgot the whole world around me as he kissed me passionately. "Promise me something," he said when he pulled away.

"What?" I asked, breathing heavily.

"Never cut your hair." He ran his hand through my long, brown hair. "Promise me you'll never cut it."

I didn't know why my hair meant so much to Dimitri, but I promised him I would never cut it. "I won't."

He smiled and his mouth found mine again. We got lost in each other again as our tongues explored each other's mouth. My hands moved down to the hem of his shirt and I tugged. He took the hint and pulled back to take off his shirt. I'd seen him topless before, but that had been a while ago. During that time he'd certainly gained some muscles. I'd always thought he looked good, but now I had to admit he was actually pretty hot. It was no wonder there were always so many girls ogling him and now I felt like I was one of them. He was a real heartthrob.

"Something wrong, Roza?" Dimitri said teasingly as a few strands of his hair fell in his face.

Quickly, I averted my eyes. When I dared a peek at him again, I tried to be my usual witty self. "Not at all, comrade. Just wondering where all those muscles come from. Have you been working out?"

He just grinned and hovered over me again. I pressed my lips against his and let my hands roam over his bare chest. More clothes came off and it ended all in a pile on the floor.

Dimitri reached around me to unclasp my bra. His eyes widened when he took in the sight before him. I flushed and I suddenly felt like hiding behind my pillow. Dimitri noticed my unease.

"Don't be so insecure. You've got nothing to be ashamed of," he said softly, lifting my chin with his fingers so he could look me in the eyes. "I meant it when I said you're beautiful."

I swallowed heavily and tried to calm down. He leaned down to kiss me again and his hands moved to my waist. My breath caught as I felt his erection press against my thigh. After a while he pulled away again to remove my underwear and his boxers. I tried not to stare when I looked down and saw him. I gulped. Dimitri caught me looking and I blushed.

"We can still stop, Roza," he said. "I don't want to hurt you…"

"No!" I said. "I don't want to stop. I want this."

"Are you sure?" Dimitri asked. "I don't want you to regret it in the morning."

"I won't," I promised. I moved closer to him and kissed him, trying to reassure him and also myself. "I won't regret it."

He nodded and then took the condom. I lay down again and took a deep breath. Oh my God. This is it. I closed my eyes for a moment and when I opened them, Dimitri was on top of me again.

"You can still back out of this," he said.

I shook my head and smiled despite of my nervousness. "No, I want this."

He captured my lips with his again and I wrapped my arms around his neck. He moved his lips down to my collarbone and then slowly made his way back to my lips. Dimitri pressed his body against mine and put his arms on either side of my upper body.

"Are you sure?" he asked once again. "It's not too late to-"

I crushed my lips against his to shut him up. There, that should give him the answer. "I'm a hundred percent sure, Dimitri," I said when I pulled away.

He nodded and kissed my lips tenderly. "I'll be gentle," he whispered. "I promise."

His eyes locked with mine as he slowly eased himself into me. I gasped and dug my fingernails into his back.

"Are you okay?" he asked, looking at me with worry. "Do you want me to stop?"

"No," I quickly said, even though it hurt a little. "I'm fine." I tried to relax. "Keep going."

Gently, he thrusted his hips forward. I concentrated on him and tried to forget the pain. Slowly, it faded as he moved inside of me. I lifted my legs and wrapped them around his waist. Dimitri moaned softly and rested his head in the crook of my neck. I relaxed as we continued to slowly rock against each other.

When we both reached our peak, Dimitri collapsed against me and rested his head on my chest. My body felt sore, but it had been worth it. It had been amazing to be with Dimitri this way.

Dimitri shifted, lifted his weight off of me and pulled away to remove the condom. After throwing it away in the trash, he lay down beside me again and pulled me in his arms.

I looked up at him and smiled. He smiled too and pressed a soft kiss against my lips. I sighed and rested my head on his chest as he stroked my hair.

I looked up at him after a while and murmured, "Thank you, Dimitri."

He leaned down and kissed me gently. He continued to stroke my hair and I rested my head on his chest again and closed my eyes.

"I love you," Dimitri murmured.

I smiled. "I love you, too."

We said that all the time to each other, but we didn't mean anything more with it. It was true. I loved him. He was my best friend. He meant the world to me. I'd do anything for him. But I wasn't in love with him. Or so I'd like to believe.

I told myself every day I just loved him as a friend, but the last couple of weeks I wondered if it was maybe something more. My heart always started beating faster when he was around me and when he smiled at me… oh, that gorgeous smile of his, it made my heart skip a beat. I had absolutely wanted him to be my first and now I knew how it was like to be with him… I didn't want to let go of him anymore. I wanted to feel his lips on mine again and not just tonight. Maybe I was just feeling these things because of what we just did, but something told me it was more than that.

I didn't know how he felt about me. I thought he just saw me as a friend and that's why it surprised me so much when he said the next words.

"I can't pretend anymore," he suddenly said.

I sat up, confused. "What are you talking about?"

"I love you," he said. "Not just as a friend, but – I mean, I'm in love with you."

I stared at him, shocked. "Wh-what?"

He bit his lip. "I…" He sighed and ran his hand through his hair. Standing up, he reached for his clothes. "Forget I said anything," he said while getting dressed. He'd misunderstood my shock. "I – I have to go home. I'll see you in the morning."

And before I could stop him or say anything, he opened the window and disappeared into the darkness. I wanted to call him back, but my mom was asleep and I didn't want to wake her up. I bit my lip and tried to fight my tears.

Sighing, I closed the window again and lay down in bed. I stared at the ceiling, thinking. Oh my God. He said he loved me. He said he loved me.

I wish he wouldn't have left so fast. If he'd stayed longer, I could've told him I felt the same way. But what point was there to tell him, really? I had to leave tomorrow. I wouldn't see him anymore for at least three years. He would forget about me and move on. This would not end well, no matter if I told him how I felt. As I realized this, the tears spilled from my eyes.

I didn't sleep that night. When I stood up in the morning, my eyes were puffy and red rimmed. I hoped my mom wouldn't notice and if she did, I could still tell her I'd been crying because we were leaving. It wasn't even a lie. But most of all, I'd been crying because I would lose Dimitri.

After everything was loaded into the car, I stayed outside the house, waiting for Dimitri to show up. My mom waited in the car for me and I could see she was impatient. I started to think Dimitri wasn't going to come anymore and, sighing, I made my way to the car.

"Roza."

My heart skipped a beat when I heard his voice. I came to a standstill and slowly, turned around. Dimitri stood a few feet away from me, his hands stuffed in his pockets.

"I didn't think you would show up," I said softly.

"Of course I would've come to say goodbye," he answered, his voice just as soft.

Hesitantly, he took a step closer to me. I walked toward him and stopped right in front of him.

"Dimitri, about last night, I-"

"No, forget it," he interrupted.

"No! I need to tell you something before I leave," I said. "It's important that you know."

"Okay…" he said hesitantly.

I took a deep breath. "I feel the same way."

I'd thought about it a lot last night. Actually, it was the only thing I'd thought about last night. And I really did love him. Not just as a good friend. No, he meant so much more to me. What we did last night proved it. I wouldn't have asked him to do that if I hadn't had feelings for him. I just didn't want to believe it until now.

Dimitri looked uncertain and I smiled. "I'm in love with you, Dimitri."

He frowned slightly. "What? But I thought…last night…when I-"

"I wanted to tell you," I interrupted his rambling, "but you were gone before I could."

"I'm sorry about that," Dimitri said. "I shouldn't have run out on you like that."

"It's okay," I answered. "I understand." I sighed and hugged him. "I'm going to miss you so much."

His arms wrapped around me as he held me tight. "I don't want you to go," he whispered. "I don't want to lose you."

"You won't lose me," I promised him. "I'll be back before you know it."

"You promise?" he asked softly.

I nodded. "Yes. I'll call you every day. And I'll write you. Until I'm back."

"When you're back…" He swallowed heavily and tried again. "When you're back, can we be together then? Do you want to give us a chance?"

"Yes. There's nothing I want more than that."

He smiled. "I love you so much."

"I love you too."

A tear escaped the corner of my eye and he gently wiped it away. My mom decided this was the right moment to honk. Her look told me she wanted to leave. Now.

"I have to go," I said, my voice breaking. I didn't want to cry in front of him. I wanted to be strong so I forced the tears back. "My mom is waiting for me."

Dimitri kissed my forehead. "Call me when you get there, okay?"

I nodded and wanted to turn away, but Dimitri grabbed my wrist. His other hand snaked behind my neck and he drew me closer as his lips pressed against mine. I wrapped my arms around his neck and let myself forget about the rest of the world for a moment. Dimitri moved his hand to my waist as our lips continued to move in sync. We were interrupted by another honk from my mom. Dimitri let me go and as he looked at me, I could see tears in his eyes.

"I'll wait for you," he promised. His lips brushed against mine again and then he let go of me completely.

Slowly, I walked to the car, my eyes still on Dimitri as I got in. Looking out of the window, I gave him a weak smile and waved at him as my mom started the car. She drove away and I turned in my seat. My eyes were focused on Dimitri, who stood now on the street and waved at me. I could see that he was no longer holding back his tears. When I couldn't see him anymore, I turned around and looked out of the window again so my mom wouldn't see me cry.

This is my first fanfic. If there are some mistakes, I'm sorry. English is not my first language. I hope you like it. Please review and tell me what you think. Thanks!