'Be sure to wear a dress tonight!' She repeated Mirajane's words over and over again in her head. Cana was already on her way to the guild hall. Wearing a wine red colored, tight fitting dress with a slit from the middle of her left thigh, all the way down. Thin spaghetti straps exposing her shoulders. She kept her hair in a simple yet fancy braid which reached down to her waist. The back of this dress was quite revealing, as thin straps kept it together. Sporting black heel's to this outfit, gave her a boost to her ego.
She passed more people who also made their way to the ball. Hearing some whistles as she walked with swaying hips. "Aaahhh I can't wait to taste all those fancy wines, that I saw in the back." She muttered to herself. A grin on her face just thinking about these delicious beverages. Slowly picking up her pace, she passed more couples as she reached the open doors of the guild. Lights, Glitter and flowers everywhere. She even spotted some statues along the hallway. Surely these were Evergreens pride, while the flowers came from Droy. Everyone was dressed up nicely. The girls in dresses and the guys in suits.
Going in she roamed the room quickly with her purple eyes. Seeing Lucy, Levy, Erza and Wendy in one corner. Juvia lurking behind a pillar, swooning over the half-naked Gray who was laughing with Gajeel and Natsu. Even mages from other guilds were here. Sabertooth's twin dragons and the gang. The Ladies from Mermaid Heel. A few from Lamia Scale. And not to forget Quatro Cerberus. During the Grand Magic Games, Cana bonded pretty well with these men. They were all there. Except… Bacchus. Cana stood still to look around. You see, she didn't choose this dress to fancy anyone. She chose it so Bacchus would acknowledge her as a woman and not just as some drinking buddy. Ever since she lost to him in a drinking game, she couldn't take her eyes off of him. First she thought it was because he took her bikini top and left her lying on the floor. But seeing him fight Elfman, made him irresistible to her and she tried to get his attention ever since. She didn't know why but every time she laid her eyes on him, her heart started pounding so hard, she was always afraid her guildmates would hear it. With Mirajane telling her to wear a dress tonight, she assumed that Mira saw through her. Her friend has always had a sixth sense for love. The white haired knew instantly that Natsu and Lucy would become a couple. Same with Levy & Gajeel, Juvia & Gray, even Evergreen and Elfman. Cana has seen Mira help each of those couples silently. A remark here, an advice there, a little push from behind was all that was needed for them to confess to each other.
The thought of getting Mira's help, brought a pink glow to her cheeks. She couldn't be more excited about tonight. Yet she was scared to get rejected by Bacchus. In her mind she tried to imagine the scenes in which he confesses to her, the moment he sees her in this dress. Spacing out on the spot, she didn't notice that Bacchus' fellow guild members surrounded her. "Cana… Cana!" They yelled happily. As they didn't get a reaction from her, they all just hugged her. Causing her to snap out of her daydream. Once she realized that she was embraced by the guys, her face turned a beet red. "O-oi, you guys are squishing me." She said. But they didn't stop and just grinned. Somehow she brought a hand up to her forehead. Dramatically she leaned back as she stuttered "C-ca-can't breathe…" It seemed the guys knew that she faked it. Letting her go, they kept on grinning. Rocker and Jäger, who have been on Cana's and Bacchus' drinking sprees, presented a bottle of the finest wine to her. They knew her so well. As she reached for it, they stopped her. "First let us look at you. We haven't seen you for so long." Warcry said. A slight blush on her cheeks, she punched his arm. Taking Warcry and Rocker into a chokehold, she asked them sweetly. "Now which corner did you reserve for our little drinking games?" - "R-right over there. Next to the bar." Rocker stated. His face turning red as he seemed embarrassed by her embrace. Cana let go of them both and snatched the bottle from them. She took a few good sips from this delicious wine, as they made their way to the Quatro Cerberus table. As she saw the empty chairs, filling with only the ones who greeted her, she couldn't help but frown. Bacchus still was nowhere to be seen. Looking around some more, she downed the rest of the liquid and sat down.
After talking and laughing with the guys for about an hour or two, she found out that Bacchus was still on a job. Of course it was a S-Class Mission. They also told her that they didn't know when he would come back. To not give them the expression that Cana was disappointed and sad, she kept a smile on her face and laughed and drank some more. Ordering bottles and barrels, one after another, some of her friends were already passed out. They've never been able to hold their liquor before. The others, found some girls to dance with. She turned around in her chair, to overlook the dance floor. She saw couples smiling at each other while they danced. A poor young man trying to get away from Erza's murderous dance moves. Chuckling about this poor soul, she turned her back to the dancefloor again and grabbed her empty wine glass. She got up to head over to the bar. The tunes picking up, she swayed her hips to the rhythm, as she heard a very familiar voice. "Ok, nee-chan. Where are ya off to?" Cana felt a chill running up and down her spine, her heart pounding faster and her body heating up. Only one man's voice could let her body react the way it did. Bacchus! With a swift turn on her heels, she gave him a grin. "Who're calling nee-chan, you pervert? I thought you were on a job and couldn't make it today." Cana said. "Well, things turned out to be easier than I thought." Bacchus replied. Instead of his usual clothes, Bacchus wore a purple suit. Cana even noticed that he had left his hair open. Before the silence grew between them, Cana bumped his shoulders with her own. "Let's go grab a drink. Haven't seen you in a while." She said and started to move towards the bar. "You still owe me revenge from last time. You were just lucky that you won." Bacchus said with a grin. "What!? Me and lucky? Have you forgotten who you're dealing with?" Cana shrieked as she sat down. "The other times that I /lost/, I let you win on purpose." - "Hhoo, even when I took your bikini top?" He asked with a raised eyebrow. "That, was just your lucky day. And it'll never happen again." As if the bartender knew when she needed a drink, he brought it over to her, just as she finished speaking. Taking a huge gulp out of that glass, she was hoping it would calm down her heart. Oh he brought her blood to boil and her heart to go crazy. It was no use. She had to tell him soon or otherwise she'll go crazy soon.
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Bacchus looking around. Cana thought he might be checking out other girls. This caused a sharp pain inside her heart. Downing what's left of her drink, she thought to herself 'Now or never, Cana.' She turned around to face him. Smirking at him. "Oi , Bacchus. I bet you can't dance." - "Tch… Are you sure you wanna bet, nee-chan? I guess you don't know that I am an absolutely amazing dancer as well." Bacchus retorted back. Giggling inside of her head, she was happy that it all went according to plan. Bacchus took her hand right away and led her to a far corner of the dancefloor. Cana gladly took it. Not letting him see how happy that made her. The musicians played some merry and upbeat music and Cana had a hard time keeping up with him. But after a while of serious dancing, goofing around and laughing, the musicians played a very beautiful and slow song. Seemingly embarrassed, they both stood there. The couples and pairs around them, holding each other tightly. Cana wanted to turn around and leave the spot, cause she though that was too much too soon. But Bacchus grabbed her waist and pulled her close. "You know. You can keep up with all the faster rhythms but how do you hold up with slow paces?" He asked her. His right hand going around her to the narrow of her exposed back. His hand burning into her skin. Cana let her hand slide up his arm onto his shoulder. Gripping it firmly. She was getting nervous as his left hand softly held Cana's other hand. As they danced and twirled in silence for a while, Cana couldn't stand it no more. She looked up to his face. A petit smile on her face. Bacchus looked down at her. Their eyes meeting. A faint blush tinting her cheek. "Bacchus, I…" "Cana…" Both started at the same time. Turning her head to the side in embarrassment, she laid her head on his shoulder. Closing her eyes, she let his perfume cloud her minds. This moment, she wanted to keep in her heart. He leaned his head against hers. She could feel his breath on her shoulder. "Cana… Let's step outside for a minute. I need to tell you something."
'Oh god I hope he didn't notice it and he wants to tell me to stay friends' this thought kept running through her mind over and over as they stepped outside. The cool air giving her goosebumps. Rubbing her arms, she tried to keep her confidence and attitude. "So are you gonna finally admit that I can drink more than you?" Cana jokingly asked. Bacchus started laughing and held his stomach. "As if I ever admit that, nee-chan." He ran his hand through his silky looking hair and Cana wished she would be the one doing that. Her mind started to run wild. Imagining him pinned down underneath her thighs, her hands tangled in his hair, her mouth teasing his skin. She felt her cheeks heat up. Immediately she covered them with her hands as she blinked a few times. Trying to shove the images into a dark corner. "Nee-chan, what I wanted to tell you. I just wanted to tell you that I'll be gone for a long while. There is this job I need to do… So…" - "And why are you telling me this? You never told me before you had to leave." She was a bit confused on why he had to tell her. She knew what it was like as an S-Class mage. Especially a strong mage like himself. She had seen her father Gildarts leave for month. With no one knowing except Makarov where he went. Up until now, Bacchus never really told her anything about his jobs. Was there something wrong with him? Fear was all she felt that moment. The worst thoughts crossing her mind. Bacchus came a step closer. She tried to hide the worry in her eyes, by looking to the side. As he came even closer, she could feel his body heat. Her breathing getting harder. "I told you this, because…" One last step brought him painfully close to her. Hearing her own blood rushing, as his hand cupped her chin, moving it towards him. "B-Because?" Cana whispered as she looked into his eyes. Her body trembled as he brought his face closer. Their lips almost touching. One quick move and Cana could kiss these delicious looking lips. Feeling the heat radiating from them. "Because I have come to think of you as someone special." With that said, he closed the gap between them. Cana's eyes fluttered shut as these soft lips touched hers oh so gently. Her knees going weak, she had to hold on to him. Her hands going behind his neck as his hands wandered over her back to her hips. Standing up on her toes, she partially opened her mouth to invite his tongue. As suddenly, he let go of her. She tried to catch her breath and opened her eyes. Her cheeks a bright red. Bacchus leaned forward again. "I have to go now." He gave her a kiss on her cheek and left towards his guild. Before her mind realized what happened, the first tears streamed down her face. Fingers tracing over her lips, she still couldn't think straight. All she could do was taking off her heels and run back to her room on Fairy Hills. She needed to think about what to do now.
To be continued…