Chapter 21

After taking a nice, hot shower, Namine decided to leave her hair down, knowing the outfit she picked out was backless. She blow dried and styled it, putting just a little hairspray in it and curled it at the ends to give it bounce. She couldn't wipe the smile from her face as she danced to her stereo while getting ready, giggling at nothing in particular. After her hair was finished, Namine walked inside her bedroom and smiled at the outfit she'd chosen. It was a simple lavender colored dress that went to midthigh and was backless with spaghetti straps.

It had a round neckline so she didn't show off any cleavage. Along with the dress were black heels and black rhinestone jewelry. She had normal makeup on, wanting to keep it natural, and was just finishing up when the doorbell rang. She quickly headed out of her bedroom and toward the front door, trying to slide in an earring, and opened it. Her breath caught in her throat at the sight of John.

John stood before her wearing a black suit with gray pinstripes and had a lavender dress shirt underneath his coat. Namine had called him prior to picking out her dress, not wanting them to clash in color. This time, he was holding out a white rose to her and said by way of greeting, "You look beautiful."

"Thanks." She replied sweetly and took the rose, inhaling the scent of it with a smile on her face. "Come on in, I'm almost ready." She informed, closing the door behind him, and walked into the bathroom to slip her other earring in. She then walked into her bedroom to grab her purse and black shawl before walking back out. "Okay, ready to go."

John smiled, taking her arm in his before leading her out to his black Jaguar S-type, the newest off the Ford line. He grinned when he seen her eyes take it in. "Like? I'm a boy who likes toys." He admitted, laughing at himself.

"Big toys I see." She commented swiftly with a smirk, still holding the rose in her hand, and allowed him to guide her over to the car. He opened the door for her, causing her to slide inside, and looked around, not believing how luxurious this car was. Comfortable seats, a powerful stereo system from what she could tell, and the seatbelts didn't go practically across her neck. "This is nice.." She whispered to herself and sniffed the rose again, gazing at it.

Normally, John liked showing off his ride, but actually felt kind of foolish with her in it. He knew she wouldn't be impressed with how fast it could go or how loud the system would be. He flashed her a smile before pulling away from the curb, heading to the restaurant. The stereo was blaring as he turned it down immediately and apologized, "Sorry about that."

"No worries. I can handle loud music. I'm not an old lady." She winked at him with a breathtaking smile, her green eyes sparkling, and stared out the window. It was a nice car, but she wasn't impressed by it, not interested in the materialistic things in life. She closed her eyes, running the rose over her cheek, loving how soft the petals felt against her skin, and sighed in contentment. "Hmm first a red one, then a white one…" She murmured to herself thoughtfully.

John glanced at her before turning his eyes back on the road. "So, what does white stand for?" He asked, remember the first time he had asked her out and showed up with a red rose.

Running her fingertips over it gently, Namine smiled as she looked back at him and replied thoughtfully, "Heavenly or worthy of you. Innocence, humility, secrecy and silence."

Arching an eyebrow, John listened and looked thoughtful himself. "I didn't know that." He finally said, flashing her a smile before pulling in front of the restaurant. He opened the door for her before handing his keys over to the waiting valet, leading her inside.

They were quickly seated in a secluded area once again, sitting in a booth with each other. Namine ordered a strawberry daiquiri, needing something to take the edge off. She still held the rose, twirling it in her fingers, entranced by it. They were her favorite flower after all, but the black and blood red ones were her most. "This is a nice restaurant." She commented gently, never taking her eyes from the rose.

John nodded, smiling at her, and accepted menu from the waiter. "They have anything you want. Well, except for things like pizza and cheeseburgers. It's international food mostly. Order anything you want, Namine." He didn't even look at the menu, just rattled off his favorite dish.

Namine looked over to the menu, the waiter waiting patiently for her, and finally decided on spaghetti. She didn't understand half the things the menu said so that was a safe choice as she handed it back. She watched as the waiter walked away before turning to face John and asked softly with a thoughtful expression on her face, "What's on your mind?"

Shaking his head, John smiled amusedly back at her and answered, "I think that's the first time someone ordered just plain spaghetti." He teased. "I would've recommended something edible, Namine…"

"Hey now! There is nothing wrong with good ol' fashioned spaghetti." She chided playfully with a smirk and once again gazed at the rose. Her thoughts were on him. What he was thinking. What he was feeling inside. More importantly, what he'd said to her the previous day in his office. She was still having a hard time believing he was falling in love with her. Then again, if she didn't believe him, then why was she here? It was simple. She was falling in love with him and had been for the past year.

John reached across the table to take her hand, squeezing it gently in his. "Thank you." He whispered, adding when he seen the confusion in her eyes. "For coming here with me."

"You're welcome, John." She replied softly, placing her hand over his after setting the rose down and brought her free hand up to caress his cheek gently with the back of her hand. "You are different than I thought you'd be." She whispered, mere inches from his lips."

"How am I different from what you thought?" John whispered back, catching her hand in his, and held it against his cheek, his blue eyes searching hers.

"From all the things I said and thought about you. I was wrong. You're a really kind and sweet guy with a heart of gold. Though you just don't like to show it." She smirked back at him knowingly before closing her eyes. His hand was caressing her cheek now and sighed in contentment as she leaned into it. Yes, she was definitely falling for this man and would have a bruise on her ass from it.

John kissed the palm of her hand before lowering it on the table, still holding on. "The heart of gold is due to you, Namine." He whispered, reluctantly pulling away when the servers appeared with their meals.

After having a delicious dinner and making small conversation, Namine and John headed back to her place. She walked inside her condo, the shawl slipping from her body, and walked into the kitchen. "Make yourself comfortable, John." She softly said, kicking off her heels, and walked back out with two glasses of champagne. It wouldn't hurt him as far as driving went as he knew it. "Cheers." She clinked their glasses together before taking a sip of it and set it down on the coffee table. Her hands instantly began rubbing her feet and laughed softly as she arthritically asked, "Remind me why I wear heels again?"

After taking a small swallow of his own champagne and setting the glass down, John pulled her feet into his lap and began to massage them tenderly. "Because you're a woman and make things difficult." He answered teasingly. "You would've looked just as gorgeous in a pair of tennis shoes."

A soft moan escaped her lips as she felt his strong, muscular hands massage her feet, leaning back against the couch, and sighed. Her hair splayed out beneath her, over her shoulders, and winced when he hit a sore spot. "No offense, John, but tennis shoes wouldn't have went with this dress." She retorted with a smirk. "You don't have to rub them if you don't want to." She could very well do it herself, not wanting him to feel uncomfortable.

"Namine, anything would look gorgeous on you. Even a potato sack." John said lightly with a smile, not stopping the rubdown of her feet. "And I don't mind." He added and bent down to kiss the arch of her foot with his soft lips. "You have beautiful feet."

"I didn't know you had a foot fetish. Should I be worried?" She teased with a serene smile on her face and gasped when he hit another sore spot. She quickly told him with her eyes she was fine.

John gentled his touch, smirking at her. "No, I don't have a foot fetish. I just appreciate beautiful things. Like your arch for example." He trailed a finger over her arch, watching her facial expression.

"Uh huh, you have a foot fetish and you know it." She teased even more and laughed at the playful glare he shot back at her. "Don't be gettin' that attitude with me, John." She chided, crossing her arms in front of her chest, and laughed when eh started tickling her feet. "Please, please don't! Stop! Okay, okay I'm sorry!" She cried out, starting to breathe hard since she was extremely ticklish. "Don't' do that!" She smacked him for good measure on his arm.

John ignored him, moving his hands to tickle her ribs, grunting when she smacked him again. "You always so violent woman?" He joked, capturing her wrists in one of his large hands before resuming the tickling.

Her squeals echoed off the walls as she squirmed and twisted her body against him, ending up on his lap as she continued to laugh. "I'm sorry! If you don't stop I'll tell everyone you have a foot fetish at work!" She threatened while laughing harder.

"Oh really?" John arched a knowing eyebrow at her though he did stop the tickling for a moment. "And just what are you going to tell them when they ask how you know?"

Smirking slyly back at him, Namine's green eyes gleamed wickedly as she crossed her arms in front of her chest. "Come on, Johnny get with it already. If your great-grandmother reincarnated found out about us without us even telling her, its just a matter of time before everyone else does." She pointed out matter-of-factly.

He shook his head, releasing her, but didn't remove her from his lap. "Don't call me Johnny." He stated, shaking a finger at her. "I HATE that name. As for Mrs. McBee…" He raked a hand through his hair and sighed. "I think that woman knows what color my boxers are. I swear, she's the most nosiest and observant person I've ever met."

Giggling back at him, Namine hopped off his lap, her dress having shown him just a peek of what she had underneath, but it was only for a second. She bounced over to her stereo system and finally settled on a CD before starting a fire in her electric fireplace. "Sorry, I like to relax when I'm at home." She walked back over and smiled softly before sitting down next to him. "I had a really nice time tonight, John." She softly admitted, running her thumb over the rim of her champagne glass that she'd picked up.

John smiled, listening to the song that played before leaning back against the couch, draping his arm along the edge of it. "I did too." He said softly, reaching for his own glass, and drained it in two swallows, his mouth suddenly dry. "I'm glad you went with me, I wasn't sure if you would."

"I told you I'd give you a chance, John." She reminded him softly, still not looking up at him, and downed the rest of her champagne as well before setting it aside. She leaned back against the couch and sighed contentedly. "Can I ask you something?"

He eyed her curiously before nodding, clearing his throat, and replied, "Of course you can, Namine."

"Umm…" Her shy side was started to surface again as she took a deep breath, trying to slow her racing heart, and swallowed nervously. Why was this so hard to ask him especially when HE said it instead of her? "Did umm…Uhh…" She sighed heavily and finally stood up to stare out the window, deciding to forget it for now.

John got up and followed her, placing his hands gently on her shoulders, resting his face so they were cheek to cheek, staring outside as well. "What is it, Namine?" He asked softly, his tone low and caring.

"The caring note of his voice caused her heart to swell as she smiled, rubbing her cheek against his before turning around to meet his eyes. "Did you mean what you said yesterday?" Namine asked finally, the question having been burning in her mind, and couldn't help it. She needed to know the answer.

"About falling in love with you?" John whispered, resting his hands on her waist, and stared down into her green eyes. "Yes I did, I think I'm falling in love with you, Namine. Every second I spend with you just convinces me more. Does that bother you?" He asked softly, not wanting her to be bothered by it.

"No, it doesn't bother me, John." She quietly whispered, her eyes never leaving his as she felt his strong hands on her waist. It was causing her heart to quicken as her hands rested against his chest. "I can't explain what I feel for you, but I know its strong. I hope that's enough for now." Her voice was still low and quiet, yet had an innocence to it.

John nodded, his eyes shining as he stared down at her. "That's fine, Namine. I want to take this slow, I want to prove to you I'm a changed man." He whispered, meaning every word that came out of his mouth, and hoped she believed and trusted in him to do it.

Smiling softly against him, Namine wrapped her arms around his waist and just held him. She closed her eyes and enjoyed the moment, getting lost in it. "You've already proven that to me." She murmured softly just as a beautiful song came on that was on her mix CD. She had a five hundred disc stereo system that held that many CDs. She kissed his chest softly and stared up into his eyes, getting lost in those two ocean blue pools.

He stared down at her, slowly beginning to guide her into a slow dance. Their bodies were barely touching. His hands were still on her waist, playing the gentleman, having meant what he said. He wanted to take things slow with her. He did not want to ruin this. Namine said something to him that made perfect sense. That put everything into perspective for him. It was in the cafeteria when she said he needed to find that one person who completed him everyway. When he did find her, do everything and anything to make her his. That's exactly what Namine was to John. She was everything to him and more and was willing to change for her. Was willing to throw away his playboy life and womanizing ways. He was willing to do all of that just to have her as his own and to hold onto her heart forever.

Namine snaked her arms up around his neck, rubbing the back of it gently as a soft smile played on her lips. She couldn't remember being this happy in her life and didn't regret taking this chance with John. Steve's schedule was too hectic, along with this job, and John was right here. Besides, Namine had a crush on John from the moment she walked into the doors of 'Thuganomics Recording Studios 101', but she refused to give him what he wanted. He'd changed considerably, drastically, ever since that day in her office that he'd blown up all of her pictures from online. It'd hurt her badly, but when he called and begged her to come back, Namine knew there was something there. Maybe it was a small twinge of hope in her heart, but it was strong enough to go back and give him another chance. Just like now, she felt that same twinge of hope and was willing to give him a chance to show her that he was a changed man.

As they danced, John rested his head against hers, inhaling her sweet, intoxicating scent that flowed from her hair. He loved how she always smelled. It was enough to make his knees weak. His knees weak, John had to grin at himself. He'd never thought a woman would actually make him feel that way. That was until Namine walked into his recording studio and completely turned his world upside down. He didn't regret a second of it happening either.

She smiled as he twirled her around gently and brought her back to lightly rest against him as they continued to dance, her head resting on his chest. Her previous relationship was three years long and Namine regretted ever meeting the creep. His name was Terry and he was also a womanizer. She'd given him a chance though and regretted it when she walked in on him fucking his secretary in his office at his job. For some reason, that didn't haunt Namine when it came to John. At least not anymore. There was something there. Something she'd never felt with Terry and couldn't' wait to find out. She knew she was in love with John, but she had to make sure before revealing it to him. She wanted to take this slow like him and hearing those words made her heart soar to the heavens.

John chuckled when the song changed to something a little faster and continued moving in time with her. Not getting too aggressive or demanding with his movements, just enjoying being with her. He wasn't even thinking about sleeping with her. Something that honestly shocked him to no end. He was just loving being with and around her. She made him feel like a different person whenever she was around. John knew Namine was changing him into the man he wanted to be. He was slowly leaving behind the man he used to be moving on to something better. Something more worthy of her.

Namine slowly pulled away from him and took his hand in hers silently, guiding him back to the couch, and smiled when he sat down. It was like he read her mind as she snuggled into his lap, curling up as her arms wrapped around his neck, and buried her face in the crook of it. She loved how strong and powerful he was, yet so caring and gentle at the same time. It was amazing how much he'd changed and knew it was because of her. She'd finally started to make him realize what mistakes he'd made from what he was doing to himself. Nothing was worth going through that pain and loneliness constantly the way she knew John had. Sure, he'd gotten sex, but what was sex without emotion? Without no feeling? It was a bottomless pit and that's what John's heart used to be. Though, as she stared into his eyes, she knew it was slowly filling with life and love again.

John reached out to gently caress her face, his eyes shining with true contentment. Something he hadn't felt since…well…he couldn't even remember the last time he felt like this. He'd felt content when he'd squashed his rivalry companies, but that was always tinged with something else. Like a raw animal sense of victory. This was something gentle and sweet and he never wanted it to end. He lowered his head and brushed his lips softly against hers before pulling back. "A white rose…" He murmured, smiling slightly as he thought about what she said earlier on that night. "It was perfect for you. You're heavenly."

Regretfully, Namine hadn't heard what he said because she'd ended up falling asleep in his arms, completely relaxed and not tensed in the least. She smiled a little in her sleep when she felt his lips on hers, knowing it was him, and snuggled further against his body. John lifted her up and carried her into her bedroom, gently laying her down on the bed, and tucked her in. He murmured her being a white rose before kissing her lips feather softly and walked out, leaving the rose on the night stand for her for when she woke up that following morning. Gazing at her for a few moments longer, John smiled as he finally headed out and back to his home, knowing he'd sleep peaceful tonight.