My name is Ana

14. It must be Romanian

I notice we're leaving town, and I'm getting confused. f**k, we were wrong. He's going to kill me and dump my body.

"I thought you were taking me to your house?"

He shifts. "I live about 30 minutes out of town."

I'm quiet wondering why he just doesn't go to his own local school. He must see the quizzical look on my face.

"I started going to Cold Creek for you." I look up at him now more confused. "Everything will make sense soon." I don't like this. He's been planning on killing me all week. Maybe he will at least screw me on the hood first. I don't want to die a virgin. Please, Lord, give me that.

"My Mom is excited to meet you. I'm warning you in advance. She might be a little...extra."

"What?" I look at him, surprised. "I'm meeting your Mom?" Surely he can't kill me with his Mom home. Then again, he does kiss her with that mouth.

About 25 minutes after we leave the school, we're driving up a winding road that I don't recognize. I'm not even sure what town we're in. We pass a house or 2, but it's nothing but thick forest as we climb higher up the small mountain. We have the windows down, and the car is filled with clean, fresh mountain air. I take a deep breath and smile. It smells wonderful. The forest on the mountain is beautiful. There are patches of different flowers lining the road, adding splashes of color. I try to look for animals but I don't see anything. It's so still and peaceful.

We eventually pull onto a dirt road that anyone would easily miss if they weren't looking for it. Driving through the forest, I feel like we're being watched, but it's not threatening. I don't see anyone and we haven't seen another house for a really long time.

After about a mile, we get up to a gate where a security guard waves and has to let us in. I definitely wasn't expecting that.

Dimitri lives in a bouji gated community hidden in the forest. I had no idea it was even here. "What did your parents do?" I say, taking it all in. "My family is important. Everything will make sense soon." He chuckles.

Driving into the private community, I was expecting a cluster of huge homes owned by snotty rich people who don't want to live amongst us common folk. I'm surprised to find it's like a little village in here. It's adorable. The gated community is filled with houses ranging from cottages to a couple of mansions. Perfectly manicured lawns and bright, beautiful flowers lining the street. We pass a few stores, a pub, and even a school. We pass a small row of townhouses that have beautiful stone stairways. They look like they were just built but have a historic look to them at the same time.

There's people and children walking around. Everyone waves to Dimitri as he drives by. They're all smiling and so friendly. We pull over, and I see an ice cream parlor. Dimitri smiles. "We need a snack. This is the best ice cream you will ever have." I blink. He's taking me for ice cream. Smooth bastard.

"Wait here." He gets out of the car and runs around to my side to open my door. I shake my head, smiling. He's adorable when he's not being a cocky jerk.

People stop on the street, they're watching us. Huge smiles on their faces. A tall, stocky man approaches. He looks to be in his 50s with reddish brown greying hair and kind brown eyes. "Hi, Rusty." Dimitri waves.

"Hey, Dimitri. I see you got the car shipped here safe. She's looking good." He looks at me curiously.

"Yeah. Got her dropped off yesterday."

Ah, I turned around and took a look at the car, wondering if this was the family matter he was attending. I laugh. Rusty looks at me smiling and then back at Dimitri.

"Rusty, this is Ana. My mate." He smiles and pulls my hand up to kiss it. There's that f*****g word mate again. Maybe that's what they call girlfriends in Romania.

Rusty's eyes open hugely as shock overcomes his face. He hugs Dimitri, congratulating him. He steps back and bows to me.

"It's so nice to meet you, Ana."

Why is he bowing? Romanians are weird. "Excuse me. I have to go home and tell Gabby. She'll be so excited." He smiles at us both before turning and crossing the street.

We get our ice cream. Crispy waffle cones filled with homemade ice cream. Dimitri gets chocolate peanut butter swirl & death by chocolate. I choose black raspberry and chocolate cherry on top. The woman at the ice cream parlor was so sweet. Bella and her husband Ted run the parlor. They're a beautiful couple. Both look to be in their 30's. Ted is tall and lanky, covered in tattoos and piecings with a shaved head. If i hadn't met him in his ice cream parlor, i wouldn't believe he scooped ice cream for a living. Bella is also tall with tattoos and piercings, but she has periwinkle dreadlocks tied back behind her head. She makes all of the ice cream herself with love, she tells me. I grow an instant liking to them both. Their warming smiles are contagious.

We sat outside on a bench eating our ice cream, everyone walking by stopping to talk. We talked and laughed, tasting each others ice cream, Dimitri is showing me what he can do with his tongue. I laugh and roll my eyes. Pig. He's right, though. This is the most delicious ice cream I've ever had. I look at the cute little ice cream parlor and smile. "I wouldn't mind if you took me here often, I love it. Thank you."

Dimitri's eyes soften as he smiles. He's still being sweet and adorable. "I'll bring you here whenever you want, Ana."

Everyone here is so friendly. I can tell by the way they're treating Dimitri that his family is not only important but respected in the community as well. Not fake respected, either. Just like with Rusty, he introduces me as his mate. He gets the same reaction out of them all. An elderly lady even had tears in her eyes. Why is it such a big deal? Has Dimitri never had a girlfriend?

We finish our ice cream, and I thank Bella as she hands a little girl ice cream out of the window as we walk back to the car.

"So, do you like it here?" Dimitri asks. It sounds like there's more to that question.

I nod, "Yeah, this village is absolutely adorable, and everyone is so nice."

I realize I dont just like it, I really love this place. "I hope I get to spend more time here." I bravely throw out there being totally transparent.

"I'm glad you like it. It would make things complicated if you didn't." He laughs.

We pull into a circular cobblestone driveway. The house is gorgeous. It's modern but looks like a castle at the same time. Dark grey with black shutters and white trim. Perfectly trimmed hedges and flowers growing everywhere. A black wrought iron fence surrounds the property.

As we're walking up the walkway, Dimetri suddenly stops and stands in front of me. He takes my face in his hands, and without warning, he kisses me. Finally!

I was startled when I first felt his lips touch mine softly. Both to ask if it was ok and saying he was going to do it anyway at the same time.

His lips touched mine several times before he worked my mouth open. His tongue slowly dipped into my mouth, and I almost died right there.

He held my face and took control. Our lips and tongues are entwined together in perfect harmony. I could kiss him forever.

Our first kiss ended too soon. I yurn for more as he pulls away, gently touching his forehead to mine.

"After you go into that house, your life is never going to be the same. You shouldn't be scared. I just don't know how you're going to take it all in. I needed to kiss you before you knew the truth."

He kisses me again. "I love you, Ana. I promise nothing will ever hurt you."

I don't know if I should run or let him f**k me on his car. "It's been 4 days, Dimitri. You can't possibly love me." I reason with him. It comes out of my mouth but doesn't feel true as I'm saying it. The truth is I might love him too. He laughs and takes my hand. "Come on. Everything will make sense soon."