AN: Apologies for the very long delay between updates. Unfortunately the last couple of weeks have been traumatic for a variety of reasons so writing has not been near the top of my list of priorities.
Things are starting to look up again but I have no idea how to approach this chapter! Bear with me if it's a bit rubbish. There's a pretty high chance that I will come back and re-write it at some point - maybe once the fic is complete. At this point I am concentrating more on the fact that this is a bit of a bland fic so far and it's annoying me somewhat as it's not how I planned it. We shall see how it goes :)
xMxAx
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XI
Winter was approaching. The days were becoming shorter, the nights longer and the weather increasingly cooler. Friday turned out to be a cold, blustery day but the weak sunlight promised that the day would not be entirely dull and dreary.
At opposite ends of the city, both Rin and Sesshoumaru fidgeted nervously as they prepared for the day without realising that they were as nervous as each other.
Having given up on trying to eat her breakfast, Rin stood beside the front door and stared at her reflection in a full length mirror. A quick glance told her that it was nearly time to leave for work, but she found herself hesitating. Today was the day. Today was the day Sesshoumaru claimed that he would propose to her. A wave of panic washed over her as she briefly wondered if he might change his mind and not propose after all. What would she do then?
Squashing the feeling of panic, Rin smoothed her hands down her smart but simply cut dress. The orange dress was not the type of thing she would normally wear to work, but given the occasion, she hoped that her favourite colour might give her a boost of confidence. After inspecting her hair to make sure it was all in place, she slipped her feet into her shoes and left the house before her courage deserted her.
'You look lovely, my dear,' Inutaisho commented quietly as he met her in the reception area of the office building. 'You'll knock his socks off.'
Rin laughed softly, her anxiety about the day disappearing quickly. 'I think that is a bit beyond my capabilities, but I suppose I can try.'
'No doubt he'll be arriving soon, let's get you settled in the office.'
Inutaisho took her arm and led her towards Sesshoumaru's office. He could tell that Rin was nervous, but there was nothing he could do to allay her fears. There was no question in his mind that Sesshoumaru would be proposing to her today and he knew without a shadow of a doubt what her reply would be, but there was nothing he could do to help either of them. They would have to work it out between them.
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The office building looked intimidating as he sat in his car and stared at it. Sesshoumaru sighed and ran a hand through his hair. It was highly unusual for him to be so nervous, but given his plans for the day, he supposed it was entirely natural. Sighing again, he pushed the door open and stepped out. Sitting here worrying wasn't going to help anything.
'Morning, Sesh.'
Sesshoumaru turned as he stepped into the building and found his father waiting beside the reception. The older man was leaning casually against the reception desk and grinning like a Cheshire cat. Pushing himself upright, he wandered over to his son and clapped him on the shoulder.
'She's in the office now.' Inutaisho jerked a thumb in the direction of Sesshoumaru's office and then lowered his voice. 'I don't know how you plan to do this, but just make sure there's good news to share when you come by later. Early finish today, don't forget.'
Nodding, Sesshoumaru left his father in the reception area and headed to his office. Pausing at the door, he took a deep breath and stepped inside. The foyer was empty and Rin was not at her desk. He closed the door and was surprised when Rin peered out of the kitchen area. She smiled cheerfully before disappearing back into the kitchen.
'Good morning, sir. Your coffee will be ready shortly,' she called, her good mood evident by the tone of her voice.
Slightly surprised by how normal the atmosphere seemed to have become, Sesshoumaru allowed himself to relax. She had obviously decided to treat today like a normal day so he should probably do the same. In any case, he had all morning with her. There was no need to spring the question on her the moment he walked through the door.
'Good morning, Rin.'
Moments later, he was seated comfortably behind his desk and Rin was bustling around the office in her usual fashion. There was no awkward tension between them as he had feared and Rin seemed determined to make today as normal as possible.
'You have a meeting in half an hour with a new client,' Rin reminded him, glancing at him quickly before returning her gaze to his schedule. 'Then I believe you are supposed to have a meeting with your brother? There're no details in the diary though.'
Sesshoumaru nodded. 'Yes, Inuyasha and I were going to have a meeting. I think we can cancel it though since we'll be seeing each other this afternoon and the topic we were going to discuss is bound to come up.'
He watched as Rin nodded and scribbled something down on her notepad. The normality of the situation almost made him smile. It seemed somehow unfair that Rin was so calm and collected while he felt more nervous than he could ever remember having felt.
Her orange dress was far brighter than what she normally wore to work, but it looked good to see her in something other than black and white. Sesshoumaru took advantage of her inattention and trailed his gaze over her. The dress clung to her figure in a way that accentuated her slim figure before it flared out into a skirt that stopped just above her knees. It was sleeveless and showed just enough cleavage to tantalise him without being indecent. He shook his head slightly and smiled to himself as he wondered what she would do if he were to run his hands along her curves as he wanted to do. No doubt she would blush furiously.
It was that thought that got him to his feet and carried him across the room before his mind had caught up with him. After locking the office door with a slight click, he smirked when he saw Rin look up in surprise. Her eyebrows rose slightly as she watched him walk back towards her and she bit her lip nervously.
'You look terrified, Rin,' Sesshoumaru commented, amusement evident in his voice as he watched her step back towards his desk.
She shook her head but couldn't meet his gaze. 'I'm not.'
'Really?'
Rin found herself backed up against the edge of Sesshoumaru's desk and the memory of what had happened the last time she was in this position flashed into her mind making her blush. She glanced at Sesshoumaru and found that he had stopped moving and was standing not far from her. There was amusement in his eyes that made her want to smile. It made her want to keep that expression there.
'Is there something funny?'
'Only you, Rin.'
Pouting, she dropped his schedule on his desk and crossed her arms. 'What's so funny about me?'
'You are shy and timid one moment and feisty the next,' he smirked and reached out to cup her face with one hand. 'I never know what to expect with you.'
'That's a good thing,' she declared, tilting her head slightly to nuzzle his hand. 'It'll keep you on your toes.'
Sesshoumaru smiled then and dropped his hand to her waist, bringing her slightly closer. She smelled of vanilla and the scent teased his senses as she leaned towards him. Cupping her face in both hands, he tilted it upwards to meet his gaze.
'You know what day today is?' he asked, voice husky as he realised that the moment had come.
Rin nodded slightly and smiled. 'It's Friday.'
'You know what I'm going to ask, don't you?'
'Yes, I do.'
Sighing to himself, Sesshoumaru wondered how he had ended up to be the lucky man in this position. When Rin had walked into his office nearly a year ago, he would never have thought he'd find himself in this position. He smiled when he realised that he owed his good luck, once again, to his father.
'Would you hurry up?' Rin murmured, a frown creasing her brow as she stared up at him. 'I'm on tenterhooks here. My heart feels like it's about to stop!'
Sesshoumaru smirked. 'It definitely can't do that.'
'Hurry up then!'
Smirking again at her eagerness, Sesshoumaru took her hands in his and looked at her seriously. 'I'm not good with words, Rin. You know this. I would love to give you the romantic proposal you've probably dreamt of most of your life, but that's not how I am.'
Rin shook her head and smiled. 'I don't need a romantic proposal.'
'We haven't known each other very long, but I would be honoured if you would marry me.'
Silence fell over the room in the wake of his statement. It was done. It was said and there was no way to take it back. All that was left now was for Rin to reply. Fighting down his nervousness, he looked her in the eye and was relieved to see her smile.
'That's romantic enough for me,' Rin murmured with a smile. 'Yes, I will.'
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The rest of the morning dragged by at a ridiculously slow pace. Sesshoumaru had to try very hard to curb his impatience when the client he was meeting with launched into a long story about her children. Honestly, he didn't care about her children. He just wanted her to read through the contract he had placed in front of her, sign it and leave.
They sat in the little meeting area and even the comfort of his surroundings did little to help improve his moon. The woman sat in one of the armchairs opposite and was so engrossed in her tale that she didn't notice Sesshoumaru's irritation.
'It sounds like you have a lovely family,' Rin's quiet voice gently interrupted. 'They sound very supportive of your writing. I expect they will be very excited for you when they hear of the contract you've signed today.'
The woman's story came to an abrupt halt as she gaze her complete attention to Rin. Sesshoumaru sat silently beside Rin on the sofa and watched in amazement as Rin managed to coax the woman into signing the contract while at the same time indulging her desire to chat. It was very clever and it reminded him so much of his father that he nearly smiled. The pair had clearly been spending a great deal of time together.
Rin nudged his side gently to get his attention as she rose to her feet. The other woman was pulling on her jacket and excitedly telling Rin about her plans for the rest of the day. Bidding the woman farewell, Sesshoumaru reached down to pick the contract and headed back to his desk while Rin showed the client out.
'Would you like me to file that?' Rin asked, nodding towards the contract as she walked back into the room. 'She'll need her own file setting up.'
Nodding, Sesshoumaru handed it to her. 'Not today though, Rin. We're leaving.'
'Where are we going?'
'Lunch with the family.'
'Is that why your father asked me to make sure you had no meetings this afternoon?'
'Indeed.' Sesshoumaru looked at her and smiled vaguely. 'We also have news to share, do we not?'
Blushing slightly as she caught his meaning, Rin nodded and smiled. After leaving Sesshoumaru to go and clear her desk for the weekend, she sank down into her chair and sighed. Glancing down at her left hand, she couldn't help but smile as she saw the elegant diamond that sat on her finger. Excitement raced through her.
She had been unsure of how to respond to Sesshoumaru when he had said that he would propose to her, but she remembered that he didn't do things purely because others had requested it. If he wanted to marry her, it would be because that was what he wanted. Once she had come to terms with that, her answer had been as obvious as day.
'Are you ready?' Sesshoumaru asked, pulling on his jacket as he stepped out of his office.
Jumping to her feet, Rin grabbed her bag and jacket. 'Ready.'
Sesshoumaru smiled to himself as he watched her come to stand beside him. She was obviously trying to keep a lid on it, but her excitement was obvious. Glancing at the door to make sure it was closed, he slipped an arm around her waist and pulled her against him. She squeaked in surprise but didn't make any effort to move. Instead, she smiled and tilted her head back slightly to meet his gaze.
The tension between them was palpable but Rin felt nothing but excitement. It was exhilarating being so close to Sesshoumaru and as he lowered his head towards hers, she fleetingly wondered if she would burst with excitement. While he continued to dominate her lips, his hands pulled her even closer and began to explore. Unable to help herself, Rin arched towards him and wrapped her arms around his broad shoulders.
'You could tempt a saint,' Sesshoumaru murmured against her lips, pulling back slightly but keeping his hands firmly on her hips. 'We must leave now or I may have to find excuses why we can't dine with the family.'
Rin giggled and snuggled into his chest. 'Would that be such a bad thing?'
'No, but we need to tell them sooner or later.'
'I suppose you're right.'
'Patience, Rin,' Sesshoumaru murmured into her ear as he gave her a last squeeze before releasing her. 'We have the rest of our lives.'
Unable to help the smile that spread across her face, Rin nodded. 'That's such a nice thought.'
