“Do you really think this is going to work?” Oliver asked.

We were sitting in study hall. I kept shooting glances over at Dimitri. He was sitting at his usual table, but his earphones were in and he was absentmindedly doodling on his notebook.

He was wearing white skinny jeans and a black mesh shirt with a yellow jacket zipped up over it. He had a light blue scarf wrapped around his neck. He was still make up and fohawk free.

“It has to work. Otherwise, I’m out of ideas,” I said with a sigh.

“We practiced all last night. You’ll be fine,” Thalia assured, patting me on the back.

“Theo? Come here.”

I looked up at Alek. I gulped and stood up, following her out of the cafeteria and into the deserted hallway.

“I heard my parents talking last night. I don’t think you should try to fix this,” she said flatly.

“Do you not see how upset he is? Alek, he’s your own brother!” I said, getting angry.

“But look at him! He’s dressing almost normal, and he’s acting so much calmer. Why is that such a bad thing?” she asked.

“Because he’s hurt!” I snapped. “And I’m going to do anything I possibly can to cheer him up and get him acting like himself again.”

“If you do that, he’ll go right back to being an overly flamboyant nuisance who uses people for sex. Is that the Dimitri you want back so badly?” She crossed her arms, raising an eyebrow at me.

“The Dimitri I want back is the one I fell in love with,” I hissed. “I made the mistake of being ashamed of him. But unlike you, I’m going to fix it. I’m not ashamed of him anymore. I never should’ve been ashamed of him. He’s a great person. He has his flaws, but who doesn’t? So you keep pretending that he’s not your brother. I’m going to proudly claim him as my boyfriend.”

I spun around and stomped back into the cafeteria, sitting down. I ignored Thalia and Oliver as they asked me what the hell had just happened.

I let my gaze wander back over to Dimitri. He was playing with the edge of his scarf, blankly staring down at his notebook.

Biting my lip, I dropped my gaze down to the table. When the bell rang, we all got up and went off to class.

When English class rolled around, I took my usual seat. I nearly had a heart attack as Dimitri walked in on time and sat next to me. He hadn’t been on time to any of his classes once this year.

Even Mrs. Slate looked like she was going into shock as she stared at Dimitri. He ignored our stares, pulling out his stuff and waiting for class to start.

Mrs. Slate began to write on the board. I shot Dimitri glances out of the corner of my eye, desperately wishing he would just hold my hand under the desk like he usually did.

“Theo, I don’t appreciate being stared at while I’m trying to learn,” he said without looking at me.

“Sorry,” I mumbled, forcing myself to look away from him.

I had to keep reminding myself that I would execute the plan afterschool. We had everything set up with Dimitri’s parents and Kim.

The bell rang and I walked down to study hall with my friends. Kim and Dimitri entered two minutes after the bell rang.

Dimitri was mumbling something to Kim, playing with the edge of his scarf. They sat down and Kim said something to him before getting up and making her way over to where Thalia, Oliver, and I were sitting.

“Okay, this plan of your better work Theo. I can’t take him like this anymore. He’s breaking my heart,” she said, shooting him a nervous look. She was keeping her voice down so that he wouldn’t overhear her.

“It’ll work,” I said, praying I was right. “Do you have everything ready for afterschool?”

“He doesn’t want to tutor today, so he’s going to go straight home. When he gets there, his parents are going to suggest that he hangs out with me to cheer up. His mom’s going to call me, and I’ll come pick him up. Then I’ll tell him we’re hanging out with Thalia. I’ll tell him that you’re at Oliver’s house. Once we get him into your house, the rest is up to you,” she said, reciting the plan with ease.

I nodded in approval. “Perfect.”

“What if we can’t get him into the house?” Thalia asked nervously.

“We’ll be able to. He trusts me. I don’t want to lie to him, but if it will fix his mood, I’ll do it,” Kim said confidently.

“I’ll be down waiting in the basement for you guys. So just get him into the basement, and I’ll handle things from there,” I said.

“I better head back over to him. I’ll text you guys when I pick him up,” she said. She went back over to Dimitri, sitting next to him and talking to him. He nodded his head, looking like he was barely paying attention to whatever Kim was saying to him.

The bell rang a little while later and we all got up. When we got back to my house, Thalia, Oliver, and I went into the basement.

“Are you really positive about this Theo?” Thalia asked.

“Just get him down here, Thalia. I’ll handle everything,” I said, trying not to think too hard on the possibility of this plan failing.

Thalia pulled out her cell phone and sighed. “Kim just picked him up. She’s on her way here. I’ll go get them and bring them down here.” She wrapped her arms around me. “Good luck bro.”

I weakly hugged her back. She released me and disappeared up the stairs to go get Kim and Dimitri.

“Good luck Theo,” Oliver said, slapping me on the back. “You can do it. Just don’t lose your cool. Don’t think on it too hard.”

“Yea,” I said, chewing my lip as I heard them coming towards the basement.

The door creaked open and I tensed as they started down the stairs. Thalia, Kim, and Dimitri appeared around the corner, and Dimitri sighed.

“I had a feeling this was going to happen,” he said, shaking his head. I almost missed watching the glitter fluttering out of his hair. Instead, his soft, light brown hair just bounced lightly.

I stood up and went over to him. “Dimitri, I want a rematch,” I said, gesturing to the pool table.

He stared at me, looking exasperated. “I hardly think now is the time for that, Theo.”

“Just play him, Dimitri,” Kim encouraged.

Dimitri sighed, running his hand through his hair. “Fine, fine. One game, and then I’m leaving,” he said.

I grabbed a pool stick and offered it to him. He reached for it, but I pulled it out of his grasp, raising an eyebrow at him.

“Let’s make it more interesting,” I said.

“You want to bet,” he said, hooking his thumbs in his pockets. “I should’ve known.”

“If I win, you have to get back together with me,” I said, offering the pool stick to him again.

He took it. “And if I win, you have to move on and be happy with someone else.”

“Deal.” I grabbed my pool stick and gestured at Dimitri to break.

Dimitri moved around the table and aimed carefully. He pulled his arm back and let it rocket forward. I watched as the 7 and 2 rolled into pockets. Dimitri shifted, aiming carefully and knocking the 5 in. He attempted to shoot the 3, but missed.

I went forward, feeling like the weight of the world was on my shoulders. If I screwed this up, I was going to lose Dimitri.

I looked up and met Oliver’s eyes. He smiled reassuringly and nodded at me. I remembered his words and took a deep breath, pretending that I was just playing against him for a couple of bucks.

My lightly trembling hands steadied and I aimed. I calmed myself down as I started to shoot, watching the balls roll into the pockets. I refused to let myself believe that this game determined my relationship.

I had spent yesterday practicing with Oliver and Thalia after telling everyone my plan. As usual, I had beaten them. Dimitri was much more skilled than them, but if I could just keep my cool, I knew I had a chance of beating him.

Kim and Thalia were sitting against the wall, watching us anxiously. Oliver was leaning against the table, his eyes following the balls as they rolled around the table.

Dimitri looked at ease, his long fingers spreading against the table, aiming the pool stick over them and taking carefully calculated shots. He was a slow player, but he was a talented one.

After a couple of tense minutes of playing, we had come down to the same situation as when we had first played each other. A difficult shot on the 8 ball for Dimitri, both of us needing it to win.

He surveyed the table, and I could see him mentally calculating his shot. He lined up the pool stick and positioned himself to aim. I was chewing on my lip so hard that I had broken the skin, and a light line of blood trickled down to my chin. I ignored it, gripping the pool stick tightly.

If he made this shot, it was all over. I was going to lose Dimitri, and I was never going to get him back.

Dimitri pulled his arm back. His hands were as steady as always, and his face was infinitely focused. His arm shot forward.

I watched as the 8 ball rolled towards the top pocket, and my heart stuttered in my chest. My mouth dropped open, and I heard Kim and Thalia let out breaths of relief.

The ball had clipped the corner of the pocket, and rolled away. Dimitri hadn’t made the shot. And now it was wide open for me.

Dimitri’s face had paled, and he was staring at the ball as if unable to believe he had missed the shot. I smirked at him and moved around the table, carefully aiming.

I let my arm shoot forward. I nearly cried with joy as the 8 ball rolled into the pocket. I straightened up and went leaned the pool stick against the table. I turned and made my over to the still-stunned Dimitri.

“I lost,” he said, his voice colored with disbelief. “I never lose.”

“You shot too far to the right,” Kim offered, grinning at her best friend. “And now I believe you owe Theo a relationship.”

“Theo, please. You don’t want this,” he said, trying to calm his voice down. He was still speaking with his thick accent, as if he wasn’t going to bother trying to hide it. “You won’t be happy.”

“I wasn’t happy without you, Dimitri. I’m about five seconds away from screaming in joy,” I said, gripping his shirt and pulling his tall form down so that I was kissing him.

Dimitri gave up his resistance and gripped my hips, drawing my body closer to his. I tangled my hands in his soft hair, our lips working together furiously.

Dimitri pulled away from my lips, his frosty eyes alive with joy. He pressed his forehead against mine and pecked my lips.

“I never thought I’d be so happy to lose,” he said, laughing a little.

“Did you lose on purpose?” I asked suspiciously.

He sighed and shook his head. “No.” He pointed at his eye, which still had the bruise on the corner of it from Alek. “When my sister punched me, she blurred the vision in my eye a little. My mother said it would heal, and it is healing. But it was enough to cause me to miscalculate my shot. Ask Kimberly darling; I never miss shots that easy.”

“You just called me Kimberly darling!” Kim jumped up and pulled Dimitri away from me, hugging him tightly. “Thank god you’re feeling better!”

He chuckled and hugged Kim back, swinging her around playfully. He set her back on her feet and she beamed at him.

He glanced at me and sighed. “I’m sorry, little Theodore. I was wrong to out you to the school.”

“Don’t worry about that,” I said, trying not to squeal at the fact that he had called me little Theodore. “I’m just mad that you actually thought I would be happier without you.”

“I’m also sorry my brother kicked you. Though, I would be lying if I said that it didn’t make me laugh on the inside.” He smirked.

I couldn’t stand it anymore. I pulled him into my arms and started kissing him again. God, he was finally feeling better, and I couldn’t be any happier about it.

“Oh they built the ship Tholiver to sail the ocean blue and they thought they had a ship that Dimitri couldn’t break through. It was on its maiden trip when Dimitri hit the ship, it was sad when Tholiver went down,” Oliver sang, clapping his hands for a beat.

I pulled away from Dimitri and flipped Oliver off, grinning. “Piss off, Oliver. I’m sailing a new ship now. But our bromance will last forever, so calm yourself.”

“Ah, the background character,” Dimitri said, wrapping his arm around my waist. “I see he came in handy.”

“I don’t like you,” Oliver grumbled. “My name is Oliver, not background character!”

“The only name I care about is Thalia’s, because it is quite a lovely name,” Dimitri said, winking at her.

I whacked his arm. “Vertically challenged boyfriend down here!”

“Yes, yes little Theodore. My vertically challenged boyfriend with an uninteresting name,” he said with a dramatic sigh.

“I’m really glad you’re happy again,” Kim said, kissing Dimitri’s cheek. “I missed my sparkly, fabulous best friend.”

Dimitri gripped my hand. “We’ll be right back. I must talk to my little Theodore.”

He pulled me out of the basement and up to my bedroom. He shut the door and locked it before turning to me.

“I’m sorry,” he said, looking serious. It looked so out of place on his usually smug and carefree face. “I was wrong to try to push you away. I honestly thought I was doing what was best for you. I was terribly wrong, little Theodore. Nothing makes me happier than being with you.” He pulled me into his arms. “I know I said I don’t take anything seriously, but I lied. I take us seriously. I just want you to be happy.”

“I’m happy with you,” I said, pushing away from him. “Now stop being so serious. It’s freaking me out. Serious Dimitri is even more infuriating than carefree Dimitri.”

“I need just one more serious moment, please.” He smiled and pulled me close again. “Thank you for not giving up. I would’ve regretted it forever if I had lost you.”

“Now is your serious moment over?”

He nodded. “Yes, I believe I’m done and back to my normal self.”

“You are anything but normal. But that’s why I love you so much.” I pulled him down and began kissing him again, thrilled that he was back and dating me again.

We fell back against my bed and I pulled Dimitri’s shirt off, throwing it on the floor and running my hands over his hard, flat stomach. I slid up to his smooth chest and finally gripped his shoulder, holding him against me as he parted my lips and let his tongue explore my mouth.

He pulled my shirt off, and I let him. I blushed a little as his eyes swept over the scar on my chest. His cool finger gently traced it down to my ribs.

“You’re truly beautiful, little Theodore,” he whispered, kissing me. “But I believe shirts off is as far as we’ll be getting for today. We left Kimberly darling and Thalia downstairs.”

“And that other kid. Whatever his name is,” I said, mesmerized by his frosty eyes. They were bright with amusement and love.

Dimitri chuckled and rolled off of me, handing me my shirt. We pulled our shirts back on and stood up, holding hands as we left my bedroom.

“Um…can you please tell your dad that we’re back together? He scares me,” I said.

“Ah, my father dearest would never harm you. Actually, that’s a complete lie. He would probably rip you apart with his hands and light each disassembled piece of you on fire,” he said.

“That’s comforting,” I grumbled.

“But he knows what you mean to me. So yes, he’s going to keep being an obnoxiously overprotective parent. But he won’t touch you,” he promised, kissing me.

We made our way back downstairs to Thalia, Kim, and Oliver. They all smiled at us as we sat on the pool table together.

“And we’ll be having a rematch as soon as the vision in my eye clears up all the way. I suppose you can thank my lovely sister for our continued relationship,” he said, gently touching the corner of his eyes and wincing.

“Your sister did that to you?” Thalia asked in shock.

“Sadly, my sister and I do not share the same close relationship as you and little Theodore,” he said with a sigh.

“You don’t even share a relationship. She’s just a bitch who takes up space in your house,” Kim grumbled.

“Kimberly darling, such vulgarities you are applying to my family,” Dimitri said, smirking.

“Your sister must have one hell of a fist,” Oliver said, eyeing the bruises on Dimitri’s face.

“And his brother has one hell of a foot,” I said, pouting and rubbing my shin.

“My wonderful Galen,” Dimitri said fondly. “Always protecting his big brother.”

I leaned against Dimitri and he wrapped his arms around me, kissing my cheek. Thalia winked at me as she watched us.

“I love you Dimitri. I’m sorry,” I said.

“Don’t apologize, little Theodore. Everything is fine now,” he said, smiling happily.

I looked around, my eyes jumping from Thalia, to Kim, to Oliver, and finally to Dimitri. I smiled widely, happier than I had ever been in my entire life and thankful that Dimitri had decided to annoy me.

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