Sunrise. As I saw the large orange ball slowly appearing in the horizon I couldn't help to think that I had been jogging for almost three hours. I knew that I made a promise to Alfonso, but now everything was set, I felt restless. Grandfather accepted both requests of moving the birthday party to this Thursday and my leave to the Cavallone estate this Friday, meaning there was only three days left to prepare for the party, today included. It sounded all too convenient that grandfather would let me go so easily considering that I was on house arrest. My guts told me that he knew that I was planning something. After all, he also possessed Vongola's Hyper Intuition.
But that wasn't exactly what made me feel uneasy; it was the fact that I had absolutely no idea why I was summoned, what role I was supposed to play. Last night, no matter how much I thought about it, the only conclusion I could come up with was that something happened to the future me. Something that disabled her from joining the battle. Just thinking about it lit a fire in me and I couldn't sit still anymore. Thus around three in the morning I got out of bed and started to run on the treadmill, without the oxygen mask. I needed to get rid of the uneasiness.
But even running after three hours I still felt restless, if not more than before. During my run I realized that I was practically defenseless against the Dying Will Flames. I remembered the heat of Tsuna's flame, it could scorch my skin if I didn't dodge his punch back then. It also didn't help that I was specialized in close combat, coming in direct contact with the opponent and if the opponent used flames, then I was pretty much screwed. I had to do something about that, I needed to figure out how to protect myself from those burning flames.
I didn't know for how much longer I was running, but someone cut off the power supply to the treadmill, making it slow down and eventually making it stop.
"Hey, why did you do that, Uncle?" I called out.
"You've been running for too long, Princess." Ivan replied as he put a towel on my head. "It's already nine; you have to prepare yourself for your dance instructor and the designers and stylists."
"Dance instructor?" I questioned as I took the towel from my head. "Do I need to dance?"
"Yes, standard ballroom dancing. You know the drill, right?"
"Well, yeah. I practiced that at the academy and you know it's not my forte."
"That's why we hired an instructor for you." The auburn haired man grinned. "And you know him, so don't be too shocked."
"I know him?" I said as I cocked my eyebrow. Thinking back no one in particular popped up that was good in dancing. Neither the people I met in Namimori nor the guards of the SPF could dance and to everyone else I was dead. So unless Ivan hired someone from the academy, no one else would fit the profile.
"Don't tell me you actually…" I started as I stared at him with disbelief. Seeing him with his usual grin on his face I hit my head with my palm. "I can't believe you hired someone from the academy…"
"Impressive, I didn't think you would actually guess it right." He replied. "Do you also know who?"
Recalling my peers I put each face with their specialty and I ended up with three names; Rebecca Sterling, Ethan Steiner, Jennifer Straßhaum. All three of them were part of famous theater groups and their dancing skills were marvelous. But Ivan said him, so there was only one name left. I had mixed feelings about meeting an old friend, but then again, it was Ethan. His reactions became quite light after that robbery event in Paris.
"So, do you know it?" Ivan asked again.
"Ethan Steiner, first son of the president of the theater group Silent Moon." I answered as I motioned to leave the training room.
"I didn't expect less from you." He nodded in contentment as he walked with me. "Though I still have a hard time to believe that you forgot to mention about your engagement to Dino."
It took me a moment to reply, I didn't think Ivan would have known about the contract. "I didn't forget, Uncle. I just didn't tell you." I replied. "Besides, the engagement is the last thing on my mind."
"Hm… I wish I could help you, Princess." He sighed as he held the door open for me. "Unfortunately I don't know anything about Dying Will Flames. I heard the Vongola rings possessed extraordinary power, but I never thought they could ignite the Dying Will within the user."
"Don't break your head over it, that's my job." I laughed. "By the way, I want to practice gun firing."
At least I wanted to defend myself if I wasn't able to get closer. The question was rather whether the bullets could withstand the heat of the flames, probably not, but at least I could buy time to escape or something like that.
"You can't." My uncle said curtly. "Nono wants you to take it easy and ordered us to keep an eye on you. I know why you want to practice, but…"
"Boss's order is the law, right?" I finished the sentence. "He probably prohibited all of you to train me, am I right?"
"Sorry, Princess."
In all honesty I was vexed. I couldn't exactly blame my grandfather for making this decision, but the timing was really bad. If I couldn't practice with middle ranged weapons then I had to think up with something to repel the flames. I didn't forget about the mini energy-bomb, but that wasn't something to practice in an environment like this. When creating it, I couldn't even count the amount of craters and burn marks afterwards.
"Anyway, get yourself cleaned up and have some breakfast. You'll be busy today." Ivan said before he took the stairs down.
"Where are you going?" I asked as I was about to take the stairs up.
"I still have some work to do." He replied. "And your aunt is organizing the things for your party. K is picking up Steiner and Alfonso is out for business I think."
"That's a tad more than I asked for, but OK." I chuckled. "Be careful, Uncle."
"See you later, Princess."
When Ivan said that I would be busy, he didn't exaggerate. Just after I had my late breakfast the designers came over and I had to measure my measurements, or more, they did it for me. The team consisted of three designers and three stylists and of course they belonged to a world famous brand, not to mention expensive. While the designers were designing several dresses, the stylists tried out several styles on me. Their skills and ideas were amazing, but it was all too much, too heavy, too bright and you name it. Perhaps it was just me, I wasn't used to wear so much make-up after all. As for the hairstyles, thank goodness they used wigs to style each hairstyle for each make-up style. I was proud of my black hair and I absolutely did not want them to dye it. That was the only wish I had and of course they complied with it, because I was their client.
About six hours later I was finally done for the day and I was mentally exhausted. Apparently Alfonso was done with his business because he picked me up from the atelier at the C-wing. Thankfully he didn't ask anything about it and guided me back to my room to rest. I already sensed K and Ethan on the premises, so the possibility that I had my ballroom dancing lessons soon was high. Dino on the other hand was still at the mansion. I asked him to stay the night before because it was already late to drive back to his estate, wherever it may be. No one actually told me where I was exactly in Italy and the GPS on my cell didn't help much either. Every time it gave me a different location, from Milano to Firenze to the middle of nowhere in the Thyrrhenian Sea. It was like the satellite wanted to throw me off.
When I was finally inside my room, the first thing I did was making a cup of caffè mocha. Smelling the chocolate-espresso really did me good and while I was waiting for my cup to fill I checked my mail. Most of it were from the daily newspaper websites from across the world, but one took my attention. It was a mail from ナミ森中学校懲戒委員会, kanji was something I didn't see in my mailbox every day. Taking my now filled cup of coffee I sat down on the couch.
"Na-mi-mori-chuu-gaku…gakkou..." I muttered as I read the kanji. "God, it's the disciplinary committee…"
Taking a sip of my coffee I opened the mail and inside I saw a short message signed by Hibari Kyoya himself and an enclosure. Not even bothering with the kanji I opened the enclosure and I saw it was a list of the students and their grades. Just looking over the list I had an idea why he mailed me. The grades were not something to be proud about and I noticed 沢田 綱吉 on almost every subject list. I couldn't help to chuckle, it was pretty predictable that the name Sawada Tsunayoshi would pop up. Either Tsuna had to try harder or Reborn had to change his teaching methods. Going back to the mail itself I copy-pasted the short kanji filled message in the translator app and read the translated message.
You owe me a fight for your four-week-absence.
Hibari Kyoya
As I felt my brow twitch I closed the app and went back to my mail. Without answering I went to the next one, then I realized what I actually read. According to his message I was on leave for four weeks, meaning that I had to return to Namimori anyway. It was probably Reborn's doing, who else could persuade Hibari just like that. Just when I was about to sigh the call window popped up and my phone started to vibrate.
"What's the emergency, Valentino?" I said after picking up.
"Even if I say it's Dino, you won't listen to me anyway." I heard him sigh, though I could also hear him chuckle a little.
"Eeh…? You're giving up?" I replied in surprise.
"Maybe I should?"
"You party pooper, I like your reactions."
"… You do?"
"I do. So why the call, I mean, you usually text me first, right?"
I couldn't resist to grin at the little pause before he replied. I had always liked his reactions and I wouldn't let the contract get the better of me. A sudden change of attitude would be just awkward.
"Well… yes, I do. But... well…"
"But?" I repeated as I waited patiently for him to continue. Something told me that he had no intention to call me in the first place and now he had trouble to get himself out of it.
"I wanted to know if you wanted to help me with sorting out the paperwork after dinner?" He asked after a pause.
"Sure, but I think I'll have dancing lessons after dinner, though." I replied. "And you actually have your paperwork with you?"
Hearing him sigh in defeat on the other end, the corners of my mouth twitched up. "All right, I lose." He chuckled. "I wanted to see you, but you've been busy all day so I wondered whether you had some free time."
"Geez, is it really hard that hard to be honest?" I laughed. "But I really don't mind helping you out with your paperwork. And how about having dinner together to… know each other?"
"… You mean as in a date?"
"Well, I can't really call it a date since it's inside my own home, but yes…" I replied as I felt my cheeks getting warm. It was a little embarrassing to ask a guy out, especially if he's a childhood friend. Even though I said that the engagement was the last thing on my mind, I knew that I didn't have all the time. From experience I knew not making a decision was also a decision and I didn't want to regret it.
"F-Formal dress code?" I heard him stammer.
"Okay, I liked the suit you were wearing yesterday." I replied as I recalled the black attire with a wine red dress shirt. "You looked good in it. I think suits really suit you, Valentino."
"…"
Hearing no sound on the other side I wondered whether he was still there, "Valentino? Hello?"
"Y-Yes!" I heard him call out.
"Pfft. Don't be so nervous." I chuckled. "It sounds like this is your first date."
"No, it isn't like that." He responded. "It's just a little unbelievable that you're asking me out."
For some reason the light feeling I had, disappeared with that last sentence. No, it wasn't for some reason. It was because of a bad memory of my previous life. Just hearing that sentence I remembered how I was rejected by this guy I liked. I couldn't remember his face anymore, but the words were harsh and it still lingered in the deepest part of my memory. I wasn't able to let it go, it was like it was haunting me from the depts. It was silly how a stupid sentence could bring me down like that and I even knew Dino didn't mean any harm by it.
"Well, I'm sorry for trying then." I said as light-heartedly as possible. "Shall we just wear casual clothes?"
"Eh? No, I didn't mean it like that. I'm sorry if I offended you, Sharon. Let's wear formal clothes, OK?" Dino chattered in a slight panic.
"All right then." I replied with a small smile, the light and warm feeling returned just like that. "I'll call Al to set everything up then. How about in the garden at five-thirty?"
"OK, see you in an hour and a half."
"See you."
After ending the call I speed dialled #3, "Al? I need your help with something."
[===]
Honestly I didn't even want to see a lip-gloss bottle after this afternoon's event. The feeling and smell of the fruity chemicals still lingered around my nostrils, but I could at least retouching my make-up for my home-date with Dino. Though I wouldn't it call a home-date, because everything would be done by the servants. Cooking together for example was something I would call a home-date, though I couldn't exactly see the Cavallone boss handling a kitchen knife. I would probably fear for his safety, no, I would certainly fear for his safety.
Opening the door of the walk-in dresser I looked for a dress among the too many dresses. I skipped all the dresses with flower prints and the floor-length ones. I also skipped over the mini dresses. After a while I found a crimson knee-length cocktail dress with short sleeves. It had some layers at the bottom and there was some stones imbedded in the middle, making it look like a waist belt. Looking at the time I saw I only had fifteen minutes left, "Damn the large prefilled closets." I muttered as I put on the dress with some matching accessories. After finding a matching pair of short heels and a clutch, I put my phone and room key in the little bag. After closing up my door I headed to the garden, but to my surprise Dino was waiting for me at the staircase. I wasn't able to sense him, something was not right.
"You look nice." He said with a charming smile.
"Thank you." I replied with a smile of my own. "You look marvellous yourself."
The blonde was wearing a black three-piece suit with a crimson tie. My eyes didn't miss the small creases on several unusual places and an unsettling feeling set in. Realizing something, I hoped I was wrong, but my guts told me I wasn't.
"Shall we?" He said as he offered his arm.
"Yes, please." I answered as I put my arm through his, still wary of any upcoming events. And the moment we walked down the stairs it happened, Dino tripped. As I felt my arm being pulled along with his falling body I tried to grab the banisters only to realize that I was short a few centimeters. "Why are these stairs so damn broad!?" I cursed inwardly as I saw the top of the stairs growing smaller and smaller. Then all of the sudden my body was turned around and I was wrapped in some warm fabric, I also felt a hand on the back of my head. After a soft impact I felt the world turning 360 degrees multiple times before lying still.
"Dino!" I called out immediately after. "Are you all right? Are you hurt anywhere?"
Trying to push myself up I felt resistance, it was then that I realized that the fabrics were actually the sleeves of his jacket. Dino was holding me close to his body to protect me from the fall. It was touching, the thought made me feel all funny.
"Are you hurt?" I heard him ask softly, though it sounded a little sad.
"I'm fine, but how about you?" I replied. "You took all the impact."
"I'm used to it by now." He replied as I felt him hugging me. "I'm glad you're not hurt."
"Getting used to it, doesn't mean you don't feel pain." I said as listened to his heartbeat. The pounding sound was much faster than the usual beat. "Please tell me whether you're hurt."
There was a little silence and I felt self-consciousness after realizing in what position I was in. it was a good thing no one was around, because lying on top of the Cavallone boss in the hallway would create some serious gossip.
"Just being with you takes away all the pain." Dino said after a while.
"Geez… you and your cheesy lines." I chuckled as I tried to roll off of him, but he didn't loosen his grip. "We'll be late for dinner, you know."
"It's only a home-date, you know." He said with a chuckle on his own. "There is no time limit."
"Cooking for ourselves is something what I count as a home-date." I countered. "Though I'm not sure if I can trust you with a kitchen knife."
"You want to cook?"
"I do miss it. I used to cook for Tsuna and the children."
"Hm… My little brother is really lucky to eat your cooking…"
"You're jealous?"
"… Just a little."
"You're awfully honest, aren't you." I laughed as I forcefully pushed myself up, using the floor as leverage. "The chefs may not be too happy about it, but we still can change it to a home cooking date."
Getting off the blonde I saw him lying on the carpet with a thinking expression. Looking around I looked for my fallen clutch and I saw it lying on the middle of the stairs. "Only if you get the OK from the chefs." I heard Dino say. "You don't want them to work for nothing, right?"
"Yeah…" I replied as I looked back. Holding out my hand I started to laugh, "C'mon, you can't lie on the floor forever. You'll ruin your suit."
"Alright, alright, my Lady." He laughed as he grabbed my hand.
"I'll pretend I didn't hear that." I chuckled as I pulled him up. After dusting him off I turned around to get my clutch. Taking out my phone I speed dialled Al once more as I walked down.
"What can I do for you, Miss Sharon?" I heard after he picked pick.
"I know this is on a really short notice, but could you ask the chefs…"
[===]
I looked with fear at the way how the Cavallone boss handled the peeler to peel of the outer skin of a potato, apparently Romario left the mansion to get his boss's paperwork. Dino confessed that he didn't bring any paperwork with him and after he heard that I was willing to help he told his right-hand man to get them. Meaning the blonde would be as clumsy as he could be.
The chefs were surprised at the sudden request to use the kitchen, but gladly gave their permission, but under the condition that we only used a part of the kitchen. I didn't mind, it was their kitchen after all and they still had to do their jobs. And after looking through some recipes I decided to make venison fillet in tomato-wine gravy. I put Dino in charge of peeling the potatoes, but I still felt restless when I handed over the peeler. And thus while I was prepping the meat I couldn't help to glance over to see how it was going.
"How is it going, Valentino?" I decided to ask.
"Sshh. It's more difficult than I thought." He replied. "The potato keeps slipping in my hand."
A smirk crept up after I heard his reply, it sounded awfully cute. He sounded like a little boy helping out in the kitchen for the first time, though it wouldn't surprise me if this was the first time in the kitchen.
"I'll help you out after I'm done with the meat." I said as I took another spoon of salt to sprinkle over the red meat. After tasting the seasoning I deemed it well. Washing my hands I took some leek, onions, celeriac and carrots, I prepared before, and cut them in medium large chunks. After seasoning the vegetables with some olive oil, salt and pepper I put it on an oven plate with the meat on top. Putting the plate in the preheated oven I closed the oven door and turned around to help the blonde man.
"Try to put it on a cutting board." I offered after watching him struggling with the last piece of peel. "If you put it on an angle you'll be able to peel it off easier."
In all honesty I felt like I was back in Paris, when I went 'camping' with my classmates. Giving out instructions like that, it was really nostalgic. Taking out another peeler I started to peel the potatoes.
"You know, Sharon…" I heard Dino say after a while.
"Hm?" I hummed as I peeled another potato.
"You make me feel useless when I compare myself to you…"
Wondering what he meant by that, I looked up. There I saw him looking at my batch of peeled potatoes. Looking at his I couldn't resist to let out a sheepish laugh.
"I… grew up helping out in the kitchen?" I offered as an explanation for the visible difference in potatoes, but all he did was giving me a pouting glare. Biting on my tongue I refrained myself from snorting at the adorable sight, "I'm already proud of you for getting no cuts." I said as I finished the last potato.
Getting up I looked for another pot and brought it back to the batch of peeled potatoes. Cutting the potatoes in medium large pieces I put them in the pot. "Seeing you like this I really have a hard time to believe that you're Vongola's princess." I heard Dino say. "The girls from other high class families are so different from you."
"Pfft. Please don't compare me to them." I laughed. "I don't have anything against those girls, but well…you know… I'll always be a commoner at heart."
"Hm… So what will you do if Nono appoints you as the next successor?" He asked as he handed me a potato.
"I don't think it will be fair for Tsuna and his Guardians." I replied as I accepted the yellow starch-filled vegetable. "I mean, they literally put their lives for those rings. I can't just take them away, you know. Besides, Tsuna won't be able to return to his daily life anyway. News travels awfully fast."
"Are you talking about the news in the underworld or upperworld?"
"Both. It's been only a few days but there are already rumours about Novolag's next CEO being a young female. The tabloids are full of it."
"Romario told me about that… But don't worry about that."
"Even if I worry about it, I can't do much about it. Well then, time to cook these potatoes."
After rinsing the potatoes I put the pot, filled with some water, on the stove. The smell of the meat dish was already coming out the oven and it smelled delicious. After checking the meat I started on the gravy.
"Bellissimo!" One of the chefs suddenly called as he walked by to get some ingredients. "It smells wonderful, signora Sharon, signore Dino!"
"Grazie, signore." I thanked the elderly chef with a smile. "Please do a tasting when it's done, I wish to hear the opinion of a professional."
"I won't go easy if it's about food, young lady." The chef laughed as he picked up a sack of potatoes. "I'll look forward to it."
"Grazie mille, signore!"
As the elderly man walked back with his potatoes I couldn't help to smile broadly. Just hearing that it smells great from a professional cook boasted my confidence, but I knew very well that the taste was important too.
"Are you cooking for us or for him?" I heard Dino sulk.
"Of course we're cooking for us." I said as I turned around. "But just hearing a professional praising our work, it just makes me very happy."
"Technically you're the one cooking. I only peeled a part of the potatoes." The blonde laughed. "But when you say it like that, it makes me happy too."
Cutting some shallots for the gravy we talked some more about random subjects, the initial idea of having a formal date turned into a casual gathering of two people. Soon the potatoes were cooked and after checking the meat once more I baked the cooked potatoes in a frying pan. Dino helped me out with the basil. It was really awkward to actually know a person named Basil, but Ocimum basilicum was just a bit too long to say… and about fifteen minutes, dinner was served.
"We did it!" I cheered as I hold out my hand for a high five, I never cooked deer before so I wasn't sure how it would turn out. I did hold myself to the recipe, but I did change the seasoning a little to make it more personal. I did a small tasting myself and I found it delicious. It was really noticeable how fresh ingredients could make such a difference.
When I didn't get any reaction from my friend I turned my head only to see him staring at the food in amazement. "You're still there?" I asked as I tapped his shoulder, holding back my laugher. Seeing him in such a daze reminded me from the time when he saw my training menu for the first time, minus the horror look.
"This looks truly amazing." He said. "And it smells great."
"Meraviglioso!" The same chef called out when he peeked around the corner. "The display is very appealing."
"Signore, please have a tasting." I said as I presented a smaller dish with a slightly different display. "Marinated venison fillet layered in a sauce of tomato and red wine with baked potato and grilled vegetables."
"Grazie, signora Sharon." The chef said with a smile. "Now please have your dinner before it gets cold. I will tell you my opinion when you are done."
After he took the dish with him I faced my date, "I recommend a full-bodied red Merlot with this." I said as I picked up the two hot dishes wearing mittens.
"You truly sounds like a waitress." Dino laughed. "Do you have experience in this line of work?"
"I worked part-time in a restaurant when I was a college student." I replied as we walked into a small dining room next door. Our dining location had been changed too, but we still had a great view to the garden. "The boss really liked to drill the menus into our heads and as a waitress I had to remember all the dishes including which drink to recommend. As for the cooking I learnt to cook more difficult dishes at aunt Olivia's. Before I could only cook real simple dishes."
After placing each plate on each side of the table I removed the mittens. Seeing a cart filled with different kind of bottles I let out a small sigh, "This cart is out of place." I chuckled.
"Don't be like that, Sharon." Dino chuckled along as he picked a bottle of Redigaffi. "Let's enjoy ourselves, shall we?"
[===]
Dinner was very cozy and Dino loved the dish very much. Seeing him enjoying it wholeheartedly made me extremely happy. According to the law I wasn't allowed to drink alcohol yet, but it couldn't hurt to drink a half glass of red wine. I was absolutely struck by the flavour of the wine, never I had tasted anything like it and when Dino told me that one bottle was 200 to 250 euros I almost spat out the drink.
Of course there were some clumsy things Dino did during dinner, but nothing too serious. The most clumsy thing was knocking over the pitcher filled with mineral water. Afterwards we chatted some more and we let the chefs bring in some dessert. It was also then when we heard the chef's opinion of the dish. According to him everything was very nicely baked and seasoned, except for the gravy. In his opinion it would taste fuller if I used the oil from the meat. Also a tad more salt wouldn't hurt, but overall he was quite impressed and I thanked him wholeheartedly for his honest opinion.
Two and a halve hours later we were done and when we walked back upstairs, we met K and Ethan along the way. The moment Ethan saw me, his eyes grew wide, extremely wide.
"Good evening, K, Ethan." I greeted them as I bit on the insides of my cheek. Seeing Ethan's shocking face really cracked me up, but laughing would be plain rude. The guy had turned blonde and was almost as tall as Dino and despite his change of hair colour I could still easily recognize him. Twinkling grey-bluish eye, a small mole under his right eye and a slender body build. He wasn't extremely handsome, but he had charisma which was quite appealing with the ladies, at least that was what I remember of him.
"Good evening, Milady, Cavallone Decimo." K greeted us politely. "We were about to get you for you dancing lessons, Milady."
"I see. My apologies for taking so long." I said, facing the now blonde young man I held out my hand, "I hope you rested well from your flight. You've changed a little, but it's good to see you again, Ethan. I'll look forward to the lessons."
"S-S-S…" Ethan stuttered, still full with shock.
I felt the corners of my mouth twitching up and I felt Dino's stare on me. I told him during dinner that my dancing instructor would be an old classmate of mine and there was a high possibility that the guy would be in shock.
"S-S-S…" He stammered again.
"S?" I questioned innocently, retracting my hand. Judging from his expression he didn't even see my outstretched hand. I knew it was wrong, but it was extremely funny. Blame the teaser sadist inside of me.
"Sha… ron?" He finally got out.
"Sharon's my name, indeed. Once your class representative in the eighth grade, Sharon Lin." I curtseyed.
"My goodness, it is YOU!" He cried out.
With that I couldn't contain my laughter anymore and started to crack up, "Finally, a reaction!" I laughed. "You really took your time, you know?"
"Well, yeah. I mean, I seriously thought I saw a ghost or something!?"
"C'mon, give me a hug like old times. If I'm a ghost I will go right through you."
"Don't joke like that, I, no, everyone thought you died." Ethan sighed as he gave me a friendly hug. "What's going on, Sharon? Are you Sharon Moteo? Granddaughter of our sponsor and the head of that infrastructure company?"
"I don't know anything about the name, but the last part is correct." I laughed as I released the hug. "Plus you are currently my ballroom dancing instructor. And I want you to meet someone."
Smiling at Dino I urged him to come closer, "Ethan, this is Dino Cavallone. Current president of the Cavallone Financial Group. Dino, this is Ethan Steiner. He is the first son of the president that runs the travel group Silent Moon. Their theatre plays are very well-known though France and Canada."
"It's a pleasure to meet one of Sharon's friends." Dino said with a radiant business smile. "Please call me Dino, Ethan. I saw one of Silent Moon's performance when I was in Toulouse. It was magnificent."
Also during dinner we discussed how I would introduce him and apparently the Cavallone had a large influence on the financial structure in Europe. I asked him why I never heard of their influence before and he confessed that it only started after he heard of my death. Though I was sure I kept tabs on the world news, I never read anything about it before. Unless it was one of those articles I skipped because the headline was too bold. I was pretty sure it was the latter.
Even though we discussed this before, it took me everything not to flinch at the sudden smile. Truth to be told, I was scared of that smile. If I ever had a meeting with him to discuss plans, I would probably accept every condition he would propose. Ethan on the other hand looked less intimidated, "It is an honour to meet the head of the Cavallone Financial Group." Ethan said enthusiastically as he shook Dino's hand. I didn't even noticed the outstretched hand because of the smile. "I have heard of your outstanding accomplishments in the past two years. It's incredible."
As I listened to their conversation of praising each other I felt another laugh coming up. It was ridiculous how much bragging they did, but a first impression was important in the world of business. I decided to cut in before I would lost my control of my repressed laughter.
"Gentlemen, please may I?" I said with a smile. "I'm sure the two of you have a lot to talk about, but we are on a schedule, aren't we?"
"Eh? What's up with the sudden business vibe?" Ethan asked in surprise. "Though I still want to know what happened to you."
"Pfft. Like the two of you weren't just in business mode." I chuckled. "Anyway, Dino, Romario is coming this way so I think he's coming to pick you up. I'll help you out as soon I'm done with the session. Ethan, I'll explain everything when we're in the dance room. To my knowledge the ballroom is being prepared for the party."
"Quick to order, like always." Ethan sighed. "I feel like you never left."
"I'll take that as a compliment." I laughed.
"liquidazione… richiesta… richiesta… richiesta… pagamento…" I muttered as I put each document on their respective pile. "I don't mind helping you sorting out your paperwork, but I'm afraid staring at my face won't get them signed."
After Romario picked up his boss; Ethan, K and I went to the practice dance room. I explained globally what happened after I was assaulted, making sure that I left out the parts about the mafia and the other supernatural stuff. Ethan just nodded with a serious expression without asking too many questions. For students like him it was only natural to understand that large companies had enemies, but he found an assassination attempt quite extreme. After that we practiced dancing and to be honest he was quite a strict coach. After a good hour and a half we were done for the day and I refreshed myself in my room before going to my next appointment. And now I was sitting on the couch with a load of documents on the coffee table in Dino's room.
"I… wasn't looking." I heard him say. "… Okay, maybe I was."
"Well, that's quick to admit." I chuckled as I skimmed another document. After putting it on the request pile I looked at the man behind his desk. Also he had changed into his casual clothes, only his face had once again a shade of red.
"Sorry, I shouldn't have said that." I said as I smiled at his embarrassment. The businessman I saw before was nowhere to be seen. "Are you OK?"
"Yeah, I'm fine." He replied with a small smile of his own. He didn't make any eye contact.
"You know I'll always lend you an ear." I said as I resumed sorting out the documents.
Something was wrong. The atmosphere was different, it was a bit heavy. Did something happened when I had my dance lesson? Skimming another document I put it on postponement. Once more I felt his gaze on me. I kept quiet this time and let him be. Forcing him to say things would probably make things even more awkward.
"Liquidazione." I read again after a handful of documents. It was already the thirteenth company that was brought to an end. So far only small or new-build companies had a notice of liquidation. It occurred to me that most of them were incorporated, but didn't get a certificate to trade. So either there was some extra shady small businesses going on or my Italian wasn't as good as I thought it was.
"Say Sharon?" I heard as I read another document about a loan request.
"Hm?" I hummed as I kept skimming the contents.
"Do you… like Steiner?"
My eyes stopped mid-sentence and slowly I turned my head to look at the blonde Italian, "Excuse me?" I questioned, stunned at the sudden question. I wasn't sure whether I heard it right, but I was definitely stupefied.
"N-No… Never mind." He said as he averted his eyes.
The word jealousy went through my mind when I saw his reaction. Seeing him like that made me feel warm and even fuzzy. I also caught myself smiling at the sight. Standing up I walked over to him. Going behind his desk I slowly turned his office chair to make him face me. "Why would you think that?" I asked him gently as I lowered myself to look him in the eyes. His long eyelashes fluttered a little before he looked at me.
"You looked happy when you saw him." He said softly.
"I'm always happy when I see my friends, especially after such a long time." I replied in the same manner. "Isn't it the same for you?"
"But the hug…"
"Hugging my way to show that I care for them. It's probably a girl thing, I'm sure you guys have your own way to do things."
Raising my hand I gently touched his blonde locks, making the red hue even brighter. "It's really nostalgic seeing you like this." I laughed softly. "You were all shy like this when we first got to know each other."
"I've changed a lot since then." The Italian defended himself as he pulled a face.
"I know, you've became a splendid boss and I'm proud of you." I smiled. "You fulfilled that promise we made ages ago, though you still can improve in some aspects."
And finally he started to smile again, though it was a small shy smile. Retracting my hand I stood up straight again. Glancing at the desk I couldn't help to sigh, it looked like a warzone. Signed and unsigned documents lay criss-cross on the desk surface.
"Beg me pardon, Valentino." I said as I pushed away his office chair. I needed some space to order the mess."
"A-Agh! It's fine, Sharon! You don't have to do that!" I heard him protest when I picked up two documents.
"You won't be able in work such a mess." I replied as I took some more signed documents.
"Don't." He suddenly whispered in my ear making me freeze up. "Or do you want me to tame you?"
From behind me I saw a hand going for the documents in my hand and at the same time I felt his other arm around my stomach, pulling me closer to him.
"W-W-What the–" I thought in a panic. All of the sudden all danger alarms in my whole body went off and I was frozen in place. The low voice he used was something I never imagined to hear from him. The moment my back touched his chest, every danger signal subsided. He was gently embracing me from behind, a warm and comforting feeling filled my whole body.
"Sorry for scaring you." I heard him whisper again. "T-There is something I don't want you to see…"
I shook my head, "I'm sorry for touching your desk without permission."
I felt my heart pounding harder when he wrapped his other arm around my arms, hugging me a little tighter. Feeling his breath on my hair I closed my eyes, enjoying his company. A warm loving feeling like this was something I haven't felt for years and I started to think that a life with Dino wouldn't be so bad. But there were still many things I didn't know of him. It was already very clear that he adores me and that he wants to protect me, he even shows some rivalry when I'm with another male individual. He also cares a lot for other people, taking Tsuna's side during the Conflict is an example. I had been thinking about it why he would do that, considering that the brunette had only little chance to win against the assassination squad. If Varia had won, Cavallone's position would worsen by a lot and could even led to total assassination because of treason. He probably knew that, but he still helped Tsuna.
"What are you thinking, Sharon?" I heard the Italian Don whisper.
The whisper sent shivers of pleasure down my spine. My instinct told me to go for it, but my reason withheld me. What was more important, instinct or reason? I wasn't able to choose. I felt some shifting and soon I felt his head on my shoulder. I could feel his evenly breathing in my neck and the feeling made me more feverish, but at the same time the after effect of having too little sleep set in. The latter was more dominant and only a moment later my consciousness faded away.
The warmth of her body, the smell of her hair, everything was perfect. Dino never felt so at ease and yet so nervous at the same time as he held his childhood friend in his arms. No, she was more than just a childhood friend to him. She was his very first friend outside his Famiglia , his role model, his savior and the girl he cherished. He couldn't even remember when his feelings changed for her, considering that he didn't speak to her through phone calls or even video calls. Their only contact was their daily mail exchange for almost eight years.
Truthfully he didn't planned for this, but his body just reacted when he saw her sorting out the papers on the desk. The issue wasn't the official documents, but the scribbling he wrote on several blank sheets of paper. The scribbling of her name with some little hearts, multiple times. The thought that she would find it was mortifying. Writing something childish like that, what would she think of him? He was an adult after all. And so was she, or at least her mind was. But even knowing that didn't change the fact that she was still the Sharon he knew.
But when she suddenly froze up, there was a pang in his heart. He felt guilty for using a mafia seducing technique and tried to make it up by gently embracing her. Just like her, a way to show her that he cared about her and that she shouldn't be scared of him. When she relaxed, he never felt so relieved. No words were needed anymore, but he apologized anyway. In turn she apologized too and a comfortable silence set in.
The Italian Don was on cloud nine, he was truly glad he called her this afternoon. When she offered to have a dinner date together, he was stumped. He never imagined that she would ask him out, though it was a little embarrassing being asked out by a girl. But nonetheless he was delighted. Smiling at the memory he smelled her hair. She smelled fruity, maybe pomegranate?
"What are you thinking, Sharon?" He asked after a while. He was curious was she was thinking, but he didn't receive an answer. He shifted his position and rested his head on her shoulder, at the same time he watched her reactions. Doing something she didn't want was the last thing he wished for. He didn't want to lose her. Not after today's development. Peeking along her jawline he saw she didn't oppose to the movement, in fact it looked like she approved. And when he saw her flushed face he had an enormous urge to lock lips with her.
"No, no, no!" He shouted to himself when he was retaining his desires. He was very well aware that the girl in his arms didn't see him the same way as he saw her, and a little mistake like that could ruin everything. He didn't want to lose the smile he saw this evening, her smile when she was doing something she liked. The smile he always wanted to see in real life instead of in pictures she used to send via mail.
When Sharon suddenly leaned even closer to him, he hugged her even more in return. He had his set of girlfriends in the past but it never lasted long and neither he felt anything this strong for a girl, probably because he knew they were after his status and money.
"Why are you so adorable?" He whispered quietly. He felt feverish when he said the words. He was sure Sharon heard it because of the quietness in the room, but when he received no reaction he looked at her once more. Seeing her breathing evenly with her eyes closed he started to chuckle.
"She fell asleep." He smiled softly.
Making sure he didn't wake her up, he released her from the embrace and carried her like a true princess. When he was about to walk to the door he realized something drastic. "Today was filled with accidents and if something happened…" He thought as he looked at the sleeping girl in his arms.
Shaking his head he turned around and went to his bedroom. "Sleeping on the couch wouldn't be too bad, right?" He thought to himself with a smile.
A/N: A writer's block... I never had to press backspace/delete so many times and the amounts of unfinished drafts... Gah! I can't believe it took me two weeks to write this out and I'm still not satisfied D; But ohwell, a little fanservice for you readers who are shipping DinoxSharon ;D
I thank you all for the reviews and Allykrau, KiraLoveless, clean your perverted minds lmao! I honestly spat out my tea when I read your reviews. But maybe Ivan's indeed insulting our little D on purpose lol.
Thank you for reading!