The Gentleman's Affair
Chapter 5: Not in the same Boat
Disclaimer: I don't own.
A/N: er, yeah. I'm aware that the chapter title of the previous chapter is wrong. HAHA. It actually says chapter three instead of chapter four like it should. Well. Can't be helped. So, I was studying quite a lot this as well as last weekend. Hence the late post. I hope the quality isn't bad this chapter. If it is, I apologize to all of you people who are going read this chapter through in advance. ./bow I do hope you enjoy though. (: Read on~!
Lavi fidgeted, turning the keys over and over in his hands. The redhead had no idea whether his nervous motions were out of anxiety or excitement. He had never laid eyes on, let alone driven such an expensive car. The Bentley Mulsanne was a massive work of art. A huge collage of artful curves and smooth gloss paint, it had a lush interior with leather seats the colour of coal and mahogany wood trimming complemented by handles of pure silver. To summarise its appearance, one could say it were fit for a kind to drive and for gods to ride in.
The twenty year-old was no king – far from it. But the moment his gaze had settled on the deep platinum gold finish of the car's main body, he had certainly felt like royalty. Sliding into the driver's seat and taking the huge luxury car for a spin had felt beyond surreal.
The brilliant car wasn't the only thing that delighted him. After ironing out his suit and cleaning up, Lavi had fixed his messy hair to an extent – it looked less like a bird's nest and a little more like human hair. Slipping into the red pinstriped button down shirt, Lavi had felt comfortable chills run down his spine at the feel of the soft fabric. As he shrugged the matching black blazer onto his shoulders, the redhead had felt even more sophisticated. The gold trimming along the pockets of the blazer and the buttons around the cuffs of the blazer glinted in the mid-morning sunlight as he stood just outside the hotel lobby. The suit was probably – no, was most definitely the most expensive thing Lavi had ever worn.
The redhead observed the hum of a taxi engine behind him absent-mindedly, keeping his eye on the hotel lobby, just in case a delegate or guest showed up. One of the other valets or doormen rushed past him to open the cab's door. Giggling and the click of heels followed soon after, and Lavi felt eyes on his back. Turning slightly, he noticed a group of girls smiling at him coyly. One of them – a brunette – even winked.
The twenty year-old turned around quickly, struggling to hide his embarrassment as Allen stifled a chuckle next to him. He felt the warmth rushing up his neck to his face. The girls sauntered past him, arms linked, sly smiles on their lips like a secret he didn't know, and sent him one last appraising glance. The brunette blew him a kiss as she and her group disappeared behind the automatic doors.
Lavi shook his head. Why on earth did girls always stare at him like that? And those looks. What was up with those? It wasn't like he was good looking or anything like that. Lavi examined the shiny tips of his polished shoes. Maybe it was because he was wearing the suit? He fingered the carved gold buttons on his cuffs. But then it always happened, regardless of whether or not he was well dressed. It didn't make sense. The twenty year-old ran a hand through his hair, messing it up again. Maybe his dark red hair looked stupid and fake and convinced people he was some kind of hobo who dyed their hair weird colours. But then, his red hair was his natural hair co-
Lavi's cluttered thought process was interrupted by the ding of the elevator arriving on the ground floor. Startled, Lavi's head snapped up abruptly and he automatically held his paper – displaying Dr Lee and family's name – up amidst the small crowd of valets by the hotel entrance.
He observed the guest. He assumed the guy was a delegate from the clean, pressed suit he had donned and the neat cut of his hair. (Was a guy's hair usually that long?) The man had sharp features and walked briskly with his head up confidently, his mouth set in a thin line. He had classic Asian features - almond eyes, for example - and his pale complexion spoke of Japanese or Chinese heritage.
... Was this Komui Lee? Even if he seemed kind of young, it was possible. Lavi fidgeted slightly, still somewhat vaguely distraught by his encounter with the flirty girls.
The redhead grimaced, cursing mentally as he realised that the delegate was walking in his direction. Plastering a look of nonchalance and curiosity on his face, the redhead braced himself for a snobbish attitude (and prayed that the delegate was not Komui Lee). Lavi noticed Allen stilling beside him. It was probably one of them – the escort on Lavi's other side had already left with his escortee.
In four quick strides the man stood only a yard away from Lavi and Allen. The well-dressed stranger stared at Lavi with a look the redhead couldn't place, his eyes narrowing. He had no idea how, but he felt as though they'd met before. Lavi blinked, blurred images of narrowly dodging some kind of sharp object in a bright garden momentarily clouding his judgement. Perhaps this guy had gone for the same college application exam he had before his grandfather had fallen sick. Lavi swallowed under the intense dark gaze of the delegate. Sooner of later one of them would have to ask the delegate if the paper they were holding displayed their name. Lavi had just opened his mouth to speak when Allen beat him to the punch.
"Excuse me, sir. Are you Mr Kanda?" came the seventeen year-old's voice, firm and confident.
Lavi's mouth clamped shut as the familiar dark eyes darted to Allen's face and then to the paper he held up in his hands. The dark blue eyes narrowed as the delegate scrutinized the teenager carefully, eyeing him up and down. The redhead peeked at Allen from the corner of his eyes. From his peripheral vision, the redhead noted the slight shake of his friend's hands, his knuckles turning white.
Finally the delegate replied with a curt nod. As Allen directed his passenger to another Bentley Mulsanne – this one sporting an onyx-black finish – Lavi breathed a sigh of relief. Allen bowed and opened the door for the 'Mr Kanda'. Lavi watched as Allen stood up from his bow to shut the door behind the delegate once he had gotten in and gave the white-haired boy a thumbs up and a smile.
With a shaky grin, the white haired boy nodded and circled around to the other side of the luxury car to the driver's seat.
Lavi turned once again to face the lobby. Whoever this Kanda person was, and how they might know each other, Lavi didn't really have time to worry about. He pushed the thought to the back of his mind.
Looking at the marble floors of the lobby and the granite tabletops, the expensive-looking lounge chairs and the chandeliers hanging from the ceiling for the millionth time, Lavi sighed. These people were honestly too effing rich. All the things they had in the waiting lounge in the lobby probably amounted to more than twenty years'worth of his current salary. It kind of made him feel sick - and rather godly at the same time – to be the one driving them where they needed to go. Which didn't make any sense. A creak echoed across the lobby, a sound Lavi familiarized with the stairwell door being opened, and drew Lavi's attention away from the expensive sheen of the coffee tables in the waiting lounge. Looking up, the redhead found himself looking at two familiar faces. The Prime Minister and his sister had somehow just emerged from the stairwell. Lavi found himself gazing at the beautiful raven-haired girl. Even though she was in jeans and a t-shirt, carrying a small red backpack, she still looked the same as she had when she and her brother had arrived. The twenty year-old remembered his place and looked away abruptly. What was more important now was who their escort would be. Was it him?
... Were they Dr Lee and family?
The Prime Minister seemed to scan the group of escorts. Lavi felt his stomach knot somehow, hope slipping out of his fingers, as the older man's gaze swept over him and elsewhere. The Prime Minister was the only politician the redhead thought he could stand. The guy wasn't in the least bit snobby. ... And to be honest, Lavi felt a little less... disadvantaged around him than when he was around the other hotel customers. The Prime Minister didn't flaunt his wealth, and he treated the redhead more like a human being than vermin - the way the rest of the hotel's occupants usually did. Lavi lowered his gaze to the floor, his head bowed. It wasn't his place to hope. It was to be expected that the redhead would definitely get a snobbish politician, for all his tolerance, not someone who was kind. And it wasn't as though anyone would feel safe with their sister being escorted by someone his age and income group anyway. Perhaps Dr Lee and family would be escorted by one of the valets chosen who were old enough to have a family themselves. Someone Krory's age. Lavi's gaze traveled to his right. Looking out from the corner of his eye, he wondered who, of the many escorts gathered, the lucky guy was.
He heard someone sigh and looked up to see the ebony-haired girl, whose name he was too afraid to speak, hand her brother a pair of glasses and start off in the general direction of the escorts. As the brother-sister pair drew closer, Lavi's eyes widened. They were heading in his direction.
"Hello, and good morning, Mr Bookman," the Prime Minister called in a sing-song voice. The older man smiled kindly and adjusted his wire-frame glasses on the bridge of his nose. Lavi stood rooted to the spot, his extremities numb. He couldn't believe it. Speechless, he stared wide-eyed at the man standing not three feet away from him. The Prime Minister blinked.
"Well... That's my name you're holding there, Mr Bookman. Shall we get going then?" he asked. Beside him, his sister peered at him curiously. The redhead felt heat creep up his neck for the second time that day.
Lavi scrambled to gather his shattered composure. He shook his head slightly, trying get his befuddled brain to focus, and forced the blush down. He did not need to screw up the moment Lady Luck decided to sympathize with him. This didn't happen everyday, and he couldn't afford to ruin his tiny stroke of luck, even if he already looked like an bumbling idiot to the Prime Minister's sister. ... Wait, who has he to be assuming that such a beautiful girl would even look at him?
A stupid idiot, obviously.
"Uhm. Right. I'm sorry," he managed. "Right this way, sir."
As soon as Lavi was in the car, the smooth, quiet hum of the highly-advanced engine calmed his nerves enough to make him feel sure that he wasn't going to end up driving his important passengers into a wall. The redhead relaxed into the leather seat comfortably and steeled himself with a silent sigh. Curling his fingers gingerly around the expensive leather cut of the steering wheel, he pulled the Bentley Mulsanne out of the hotel pick-up point, easing his foot down on the accelerator appropriately.
"Where to, sir?" he asked politely.
The Prime Minister chuckled at this.
"Well, Lenalee and I don't really frequent this side of the country very often..."
'Evidently,' something hissed in his head. "If people like you exist."
The twenty year-old's fingers tightened around the steering wheel. Lavi bit the bitterness back and forced it harshly down into the coil that was his stomach.
"... so we figured that maybe you would be able to give us some recommendation as to where to go today." This surprised the redhead. The Prime Minister's sister had finished her brother's sentence in his stead. "We didn't have time to really organize a schedule yesterday after we arrived because we had to unpack and tend to some other things I hope you'll forgive me for not mentioning." Her voice was like satin, smooth. Lavi savoured the feel of it as he processed what she had said. He caught himself before the fact that she was speaking to him clouded his judgement. This was no time to act like his head was up in the clouds. He was driving an expensive car with very socially and politically significant passengers. Looking up, he glimpsed her smiling at him in the rear-view mirror.
"So why don't you tell us where we should go?" she finished.
Lavi couldn't resist the urge to smile back somehow. He had no idea what had possessed him to do so, but it was already on his face before he could stop it. A small grin surfaced on his lips.
Realizing what he had done, his mouth immediately reverted back into the set of a thin line. He cleared his throat.
"Well, if I may say, it's Sunday today, so most areas are rather crowded, sir..." the redhead trailed off, the directions to the ideal place for them to visit already materializing in his head. But before he could say more, the Prime Minister interjected.
"It's rather early, though, right? It shouldn't be so crowded right now."
"Well... The tourist attractions here open bright and early, so regardless of the time right now, it will still be crowded no matter where you go, sir."
The Prime Minister nodded in acknowledgement. "I see."
"I do have a place in mind, though, sir," Lavi inputted. "It's a place not many people know, and it isn't on the list of tourist attractions available at the hotel."
The Prime Minister perked up at this. "Oh? And where would this be?"
"You'll see, sir," he replied, a small smile on his face. She would be happy today.
The lake looked like it eventually led to the sea. If you looked across it, you wouldn't be able to see the other side. Normally, one would assume this was because it stretched out to the ocean, and wasn't actually considered a lake, but they would be mistaken. The Mona Lisa Lake was so large that it was almost impossible to see across to the other side. The mist that shrouded the farther end of the lake also made the visibility poor from afar. The only way one could see the rest of the lake was if they looked out across it from a boat at the halfway mark of the lake.
Lavi parked the Bentley by the side of the dirt road, hoping that by another strange stroke of luck he wouldn't be made to clean the car up later. It was probably extremely dusty by now, considering the hour and a half they had been on the road. The redhead shut off the engine and got out of the car to open the door for his passengers. To his astonishment, the Prime Minister's sister had already opened the door and pulled a camera out of her bag. The cool breeze blew her hair across her forehead into a graceful cadence as she leaned forward to snap a picture with her high-resolution camera.
The twenty year-old looked away.
"My brother fell asleep. He should be awake in a few moments," came the beautiful girl's velvet voice.
Lavi nodded stiffly. He was too far beneath her to listen to her voice. He wondered vaguely what his old man was up to, whether Chomesuke was taking care of him...
"Alright, miss," he acknowledged quietly, somewhat lost in thought.
The girl lowered her camera away from her face and turned to address him. Lavi did not make eye-contact.
"You're sure this place isn't on the tourist hotspot lists?"
The ebony haired girl ran a hand through her ebony tresses. The redhead nodded curtly and kept his gaze focused on a small rock by the toe of his shoe. "I mean," she said, looking out at the reflection of the blue sky on the lake surface. "I don't doubt that it wasn't on the list at the hotel. But this place is huge and absolutely gorgeous, not to mention. How could anyone miss it?" she asked, turning back to face him.
The redhead shrugged. He himself had no idea why people neglected such beauty nor why no-one knew about the old lady's village's gondola-like-boat services. What better way to see the whole lake than by boat?
"Well, they don't actually miss the Mona Lisa Lake, miss. You're right about how large it is. People simply drive past it, perhaps take a few photos. But they don't stop here to take a boat ride, miss," he responded.
Amethyst eyes brightened at this. The twenty year-old watched the enthusiasm spread across the planes of her face.
"We're taking a boat ride?"
Lavi offered her a half-smile. Her radiance had spread some of her excitement to him.
"Yes," he acknowledged, kicking slightly at the rock by his foot. "But it isn't exactly a boat ride. It's more like a gondola ride you'd get in Venice."
The ebony haired girl paused and blinked.
"Aha!" she yelled abruptly, pointing at him with her left index finger.
The redhead stepped back in surprise his one green eye wide. He had no idea why she was pointing him. He had just been standing there. He couldn't have possibly done anything to antagonize her just by standing. Maybe he was standing on some kind of creature and she was going to reprimand him about it? Or maybe she wanted to scold him for nudging the rock at the toe of his shoe.
"W-What?" he stammered, still slightly taken aback.
The Prime Minister's sister simply grinned at him. "You didn't address me as 'miss' there!" She lowered her arm.
Lavi could only blink and stare.
"...Huh?" he said. What he really meant was What the hell?
The ebony haired girl let her camera hang loosely on its strap from her neck and stood with her arms akimbo, her hands on her hips.
"You've been addressing me as 'miss' at the end of almost all your sentences for a while." The girl rubbed the back of her neck. "And to be honest, it's quite annoying. I mean, you don't have to be formal 'cause-" The girl paused and seemed to consider what she was going to say. "How old are you anyway? You don't look too much older than me. You aren't, are you?"
The redhead shook his head. "No, I'm not, m-" He cut himself short and the ebony haired girl standing across from him smiled. He scratched the back of his neck in an attempt to hide his embarrassment.
"Well then, good. So you see? You don't need to be so formal!" she huffed, folding her arms. "Just because I'm the Prime Minister's sister doesn't mean I need to be respected without respecting you back. You are older than me. I'm supposed to respect you. So, come on. Since the age gap between us isn't that big, why don't you drop the miss?" She smiled brightly.
Lavi didn't know whether to agree or insist on propriety. She looked like she would genuinely appreciate it if he didn't address her with a 'miss' affixed to the back of every sentence.
"Uhm," he stuttered hesitantly, "sure."
The smile on the girl's pretty rose pink lips turned into a grin.
"Great! Now, I don't want to address you as Mr Bookman either. It makes you sound old."
She stepped closer to him.
"My name is Lenalee Lee. It's a pleasure to meet you," she said sincerely with a small bow that was customary in their country. "What's your name?"
Lavi fought the urge to move away from her - that would just come off as plain rude. It had been forever since anyone - male or female - had asked him what his name was. The last time he remembered was when he'd met Allen, about three to four months ago when the white-haired boy had first applied for the valet job as a part-timer towards the end of his school year.
"Uh..." The redhead attempted to stall for time. He was already getting used to the sound of her voice. "...Bookman?"
The Prime Minister's daughter deadpanned. "Whatever you're getting at, I'm on to you. Tell me your first name. Now."
Lavi looked away from her sharp gaze and ran a hand through his hair. He sighed. Who knew girls could be so persistent?
"... Lavi."
The girl raised an eyebrow.
"You are being honest, right?"
Lavi sighed again, more audibly this time.
"Yes. What reason would I have for lying to you?" he retorted.
The ebony haired girl huffed and threw her hands up in the air.
"Oh, I don't know-"
At that moment, the Prime Minister himself awoke from his slumber with a mighty yawn.
Lavi felt himself start at the sound. He stilled, and his muscles tensed again. He resumed standing with his hands clasped behind his back. He hadn't even noticed they'd relaxed as he was speaking to the Prime Minister's sister. He needed to remember his place. He watched as the older man emerged from the passenger cabin of the luxury car and stretched.
"Sorry for the wait, everyone," he yawned, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.
"Brother," the ebony-haired girl scolded in a reprimanding tone. "Please close your mouth when you yawn. It's so uncouth. You're thirty-one, not five."
The redhead decided to make his escape from their previous conversation.
"Sir, would you like me to make arrangements with the vendors?" he added quickly.
The Prime Minister completely missed his sister's incredulous look as she mouthed You sly fox! to the twenty year-old across from him quietly.
"Ah, yes please." He turned to Lenalee. "Could I have a bottle of water please, dear Lenalee?"
Lavi turned to leave, a small smile on his lips. He had won their small argument for now.
Cloud Nyne, in all her beautiful blonde glory as always, had not seemed particularly enthusiastic upon seeing him. There was no visible indication of her joy at seeing him other than the small twinkle in her eye. Lau Shimin had simply chattered at him from her shoulder. After unceremoniously asking him what he wanted, coming here in a fancy suit, in a monotone, he'd jerked his thumb in the direction of his two passengers standing around near the dirt road.
"Customers," she whispered. Giving him a pat on the head and a compliment ("Good boy."), she moved past him to the wood-plank dock joined to the river bank. Taking that as an indication to fetch the brother-sister pair over, Lavi backtracked to the dirt road and brought the two to the dock.
The tall blonde woman had just finished preparing her best gondola when they reached the first wooden plank on the dock.
"Good morning, ma'am," Mr Lee said. Cloud Nyne inclined her head politely in acknowledgement. The Prime Minister smiled.
"How much would the boat ride be?" he inquired.
Lavi watched the exchange wordlessly. He didn't really know either. Every time he'd visited the older woman, he had taken the gondola-like-boat out on his own for free. Cloud Nyne answered the older man in a polite tone. "It's six hundred centimes per person, sir."
"So I'll pay you eighteen hundred centimes, yes?" the Prime Minister asked, fishing his wallet out of his back pocket.
The blonde beauty tilted her head to the side questioningly. "You are paying for a third person?"
"Ah, yes." Lavi was surprised to find the Prime Minister smiling at him.
The Prime Minister's sister decided to add her own input as her brother paid the blonde woman the eighteen hundred centimes for the fare.
"You're coming with us, Lavi."
Said redhead blinked slowly, not quite sure he had heard right. Wasn't he of lower - much lower - class than them? Why on earth were they inviting him to join them? Noticing the ebony-haired girl's stern look which clearly indicated that there was no room for argument, he gulped and decided to agree for the sake of his safety.
"Oh," he said hesitantly.
From the corner of his eye, he caught Cloud Nyne roll her eyes. She had always done that, and he had no idea why.
"Alright then," she drawled. "All aboard."
Lavi gestured to the boat politely.
"After you."
The Prime Minister stepped gingerly onto the boat.
"Watch your step," Cloud Nyne warned.
Once Mr Lee was safely seated on the opposite side of the boat, Lavi stepped aside to let Lenalee step onto the boat. The girl stepped delicately into the wooden vessel.
Unfortunately, she stepped on some of the algae growing on the deck as well.
With a gasp, the girl lost her balance, nearly toppling over into the water. Lavi's eyes widened. Without a second thought the redhead made a swift grab for the girl's arm and pulled her close to him, securing her in place and allowing her to regain her balance. Lenalee looked up at him, about twenty centimeters shorter than himself, and their eyes locked.
The twenty year-old felt his breath catch in his throat. Abruptly, he let go of her arm and backed away.
"I-I'll pay you back," he breathed. Lenalee looked puzzled, her eyes round with confusion. He turned to face away from the group of people and stood still on the dock, trying to calm down. He could no longer hear the voices behind him, enveloped in inner turmoil.
He had caught a whiff of the distance between their worlds. Hope had never done anything for him, and Lavi knew he shouldn't have let her slip in past his defenses earlier, talking to him like a friend, not just a lowly chauffeur. He had never belonged with these kinds of people and he never would.
He was just lowly, uneducated vermin with no past, no present and no future.