RavenKnightShipping

Sherry's POV

I laughed again and again, until I couldn't take it anymore. Tears were shining in my eyes, caused by my laughter. Moreover, truth be told, the real reason for this was none other than the number one funny, irritating, annoying guy named Crow Hogan.

If anyone had ever told me that one day I'd enjoy his company so much, I probably would have kicked his smart ass for making fun of me. But I had to admit it now—as unrealistic as it sounded, not only did I like his company, but I found myself wanting even more. Even if my belly was hurting me from my amusement, even if my cheeks were hurting too and I couldn't breathe… how can Crow keep his grin all the time...? I still didn't want him to stop!

I wiped joyful tears from my eyes, only to feel more of them rolling down my cheeks.

"I think you should stop drinking," Crow's voice echoed in my ears and I was in such high mood that I laughed again.

"Why?" I chuckled.

"You have drunk too much already, Sherry," he informed me. Already, I had the answer at the tip of my tongue.

"I didn't," I protested. "I only drank a cup of wine and it's not bad to drink one once in a while," I brought my glass to my lips, but I lost my chance to drink as Crow took it from my hand in record time. "Hey! I didn't finish that."

"And you won't," he declared. I pouted.

"No one tells me what to do," I grimaced. Feeling the alcohol running in my veins, however, I realized he was right: I had to stop drinking.

"You know," Crow smiled. "You really have a bad relationship with liquor if you only drank one and a half glasses of red wine and you're already… high."

"I never drink actually," I confessed. "Only on rare occasions."

And tonight was one of them. I was hurt, confused—I had made wrong decisions, only following my selfish desires and I was ready to cause great harm. Fortunately, all had ended well, but still… I was so sad and ashamed of what I had done.

"That's odd," Crow muttered, dragging me away from my thoughts. "Jack has to drink one and a half bottles to start laughing as you do."

"Oh! So that's why I can't stop laughing?" I asked disappointedly. "I thought it was because of you," I blurted before I could stop myself.

Heat spread all over my face and I rushed to look away. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Crow grinning. A huge, irritating smile appeared on his face and I felt both the desire to hit him and laugh harder.

"You mean it?" he asked and his face light up a bit.

"Well, now that I think about it…" I murmured, trying to cover up my previous words. "I think it's the alcohol…" I ended up failing badly and blushed harder.

"You're a terrible liar, Sherry!" Crow only grinned more.

"What?" I blinked. "What makes you think that I'm lying?" I snapped and shot him a glare. If looks could kill, I could swear he would never grin like that again.

"First, you didn't drink that much," he explained. "And second, your face is bright red, a sign that you feel embarrassed about telling me that you're enjoying my company. Now you're trying to take back what you said."

Damn!

He was right. His words only made me blush more and caused that crazy desire to slap him in his marked face. He chuckled and winked playfully.

"And third," he continued. "I know that you like my jokes. Why do you think I keep saying more and more to you?"

"Why?"

"To make you laugh even more, Sherry," his voice became softer. "You have amazing laughter," he complimented me.

"T-thanks," I muttered uneasily. "But you're the one who makes me laugh like this and…" I bit my lip. "Crow?"

"What?"

"You're right," I finally admitted. "Maybe I drank a little bit more than I thought, but if it wasn't your making me forget the last few days of my life, I would probably be weeping in my personal sorrow, right now," I became more serious. "And I didn't drink enough to lose touch with everything around me. I'm just finding it easier to…" I paused, suddenly unsure of myself. I thought I had said too much.

Damn again!

That was the consequence of drinking one and a half glasses of wine—saying my thoughts without thinking first. Terrible things…

"…Open up," Crow finished the line for me. I smiled sheepishly, nodding my head. "It's OK," he smiled. "Sometimes it's good to open up and don't worry, I won't tell anyone."

"You don't have too," I sighed heavily. "Look where we are—in the main room of the closing ceremony. Many people are here and…well let's just say we are easy to spot, like everybody else." My gaze searched among the crowd to stop on Aki and Yuusei.

"Yeah, you're right," Crow agreed with me, following my gaze. He trailed it to Jack and Carly. "Interesting night, don't you think?"

I nodded. "Absolutely. And full of surprises."

"Sure. Some of them, it was only a matter of time, I guess" he pointed at Aki and Yuusei. "But others…" his voice softened meaningfully and he moved his eyes to Ushio and Mikage on the balcony.

Peering over my shoulder, I saw the cop couple kissing outside. Who saw that coming? I took a deep breath, before nodding my head. For some reason, a wave of sadness hit me at full force. That's it! No more alcohol. It made me to react in a strange way, creating strange feelings too. I grunted to myself upon knowing the truth. It wasn't the alcohol, but me.

"You want to make a bet?" Crow suddenly said.

"What bet?"

"Which pair will kiss next," he explained and I winced confusedly.

"And the prize?" I requested.

"A kiss," he replied slowly. I thought I saw his cheeks gain a light red hue.

"What?" I blinked in utter confusion.

"If I win, you'll kiss me. If you win, I will kiss you,"

I thought I caught a strange hint in his voice, but I wasn't in a position to translate it. So, I stayed silent for awhile.

"Unless you're afraid or something. In that case, you can suggest the prize of the bet," he added, making my temper flare.

"I'm not afraid of anything!" I stated flatly.

"So…" he stared at me tensely. "Deal?"

"Deal! So make your guess," I challenged him.

"Hmmm," he hummed and I noticed a shy smile on his face, as he rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly.

I tapped my foot, waiting. "Well?"

"I vote for…" he came closer, looking deep into my eyes.

"For…?" I gasped and my heart beat faster.

"…us!" he whispered. Then, he leaned forward and caught my lips with his in a light kiss.

My eyes widened in shock. I even forgot to breathe out. He pulled back then, looked at me, and smiled—not a grin or smirk but a pure, sweet smile.

"I think I won the bet," he whispered.

I touched my lips with one hand. "Why did you kiss me?" I asked, still surprised.

"Are you mad at me for kissing you?" he asked sadly.

I shook my head, trying to clear up my thoughts. Not only I wasn't mad…but I thought I liked it. His gentle touch, his smooth lips…I shook my head slowly and Crow cupped my face. He peered into my eyes.

"You want to know why I kissed you?"

I nodded, breathing heavily.

"Because I love you!" he confessed.

My heart bounced in my chest, ready to jump out of my body. All logic had suddenly fled my mind. I didn't know what to think or what to say. I knew only what to do and… Damn! No one knew how much I want to do it. I grabbed him, fiercely I dare say by his outfit, and I crushed my lips hard on his, kissing him intensely and fully.

He froze under my sudden 'attack.' After a moment, he relaxed and kissed me back, smiling against my lips and wrapping his arms around my waist.

Again I was at work and having nothing to do! So I wrote the next chapter, I hope you like it! ^_^

My special thanks to my lovely betas PrincessWindNight and BlackRoseDragonCK!

Please review!