Vision Of Escaflowne Fan Fiction ❯ Mark of a Goddess ❯ Deer in the Headlights ( Chapter 2 )

Chapter Two

Deer in the Headlights

 

The maid swung the door open. For a split second Dryden looked exactly like a deer in the headlights of his own SUV. His worst fears had obviously come true as the door opened to show two young women standing in the warm light of the porch. Even at a glance Hitomi could tell that they were very beautiful. One had dark golden hair and the other was the palest of blondes. Their eyes tilted up delightfully in the corners and made their smiles appear even brighter. They were the same height and body type - definitely twins.

 

“Merry Christmas Dryden!” both of them called out together when they saw Dryden standing on the stairs.

 

For a second, Hitomi wasn't sure how Dryden was going to react. His eyes were still wide and the expression on his face was one of pure horror. Then he flipped his face, exactly the way a gambler would flip a coin. He welcomed the two girls into his home so graciously that it would be impossible for them to guess that he was on the verge of making a speedy getaway. “Naria, Eriya - how pleasant to see you. I see Christmas has come early this year. It's only just November.” He went down the stairs and took the girls' coats himself. They fluttered and blushed like they were a pair of white peonies that turned pink when he touched them.

 

Van whispered into Hitomi's ear, “And I used to think Allen was smooth.”

 

“I'm still mad at him,” Hitomi rasped back.

 

Van laughed.

 

“Naria, Eriya, I'd like to introduce you to The Goddess of the Moon and the Ace of Serpents,” Dryden said, inviting the two women further into the hall.

 

“Van and Hitomi Fanel,” Van said, shaking hands with Eriya, the girl with darker hair.

 

But Hitomi gulped and stared. These were the first people Van had actually told that they were married. He had said that he would, but it still seemed strange coming from him. Hitomi blinked and tried to be calm. She shook hands and listened intently to what they had to say.

 

“We're the Deuce of Stones. Isn't that right, Naria?” Eriya said, putting her arm around her sister.

 

Naria nodded. The two girls seemed to have the same attitude.

 

“I'm sorry to hear about your mother,” Dryden said, seeming to want to bring the twins down a bit from their high.

 

Naria laughed. “Oh, it wasn't our mother who died, it was our father.”

 

“Ah,” Dryden said, an unusual look of comprehension dawning his features.

 

“Don't say his name!” Eriya said reproachfully. “If you do, I'll kill you,” she continued, still laughing like it was all part of the fun.

 

Even though this meeting seemed almost like a reunion, there was something about the girls that unsettled Hitomi. They seemed sort of vicious. They didn't seem to care that their own father had died. How cruel!

 

“You see,” Naria continued. “Our mother knew he was ill so she phoned us and told us to hotfoot it down here so that when we received our powers, you would be nearby to train us. Clever of her, wasn't it?”

 

“Very,” Dryden agreed, his eyes looking strangely dark.

 

“Is your head okay?” Hitomi suddenly asked Naria. “You banged it just now on the glass, didn't you?”

 

Naria touched her head lightly; there were a couple of band-aids on her forehead that were artfully covered by her bangs. No one would have noticed if Hitomi hadn't brought it up. “Just a little cut. You are a sweetheart for being concerned though, aren't you?” Then she squeezed Hitomi's hand.

 

Hitomi felt immediately patronised. Sure, they were older than her by nearly ten years, but Hitomi didn't like being looked down on like that. It made her feel rebellious and angry.

 

“And you're the Ace of Serpents?” Naria asked, turning her attention from Hitomi to Van with catlike swiftness. It was like she didn't care at all that Hitomi was standing right there. The woman was like a predator. “You'll have to tell us the story of how you got that symbol over dinner?” her tone was extremely intimate, and the other twin - Eriya - her hand was on Van's shoulder.

 

Hitomi swiftly knocked Eriya's hand away. It was a reaction like looking up when someone shouts for you to duck. Hitomi didn't even think before she acted. “It's unhealthy to hit on contract bound Tarot users,” she said, tripping over her words when she realized she had actually just slapped the other girl. Hitomi knew it was inappropriate, but she wasn't going to be pushed around by these girls who had just traipsed onto the scene. However, even though she felt like she was in the right, she still couldn't help blushing like mad.

 

Van put a hand on Hitomi's back to steady her, but Hitomi didn't have the nerve to look at his face.

 

Both girls took a long step away from Van at exactly the same time, while Dryden laughed callously in the background. “Hitomi, you rock my world!” he hooted as he brought Eriya under one arm and Naria under the other. “Don't be too overconfident,” he told the twins. “Now apologize.”

 

“I'm sorry,” Eriya said, looking dutifully embarrassed and red around the gills. “I thought you were his kid sister.”

 

Hitomi's bottom lip couldn't have been any fatter if she'd just been hit. She wasn't a little kid and she hated being treated like a child, which was how everyone treated her when they met her these days. She slipped her hand into Van's and tried to look like she was experienced enough to be with a guy like him. His face showed no embarrassment at the situation and he clasped Hitomi's hand tightly, lacing their fingers together, when she touched him.

 

“Hitomi's real last name is Kanzaki. That's what I used to call her, but alas … it seems that Van just announced that she's taking his last name. A real pity! Now I don't know what to call her. Anyway, girls, don't judge Hitomi by her looks,” Dryden was saying in her defence. Hitomi guessed that he had a good idea of how she felt.

 

“Do you have a brother?” Naria asked Van flirtatiously.

 

Van hadn't betrayed any particular emotion during the conversation. He looked like the girls didn't affect him in one way or another. Well, maybe he was a little annoyed. Hitomi guessed that it really wasn't his thing to be treated like a piece of male meat. At least, not by older woman who were only interested in him because of his abilities - that sort of thing would sicken him even if he wasn't married. But at the mention of Folken, his jaw ground together and he gave them the coldest expression known to man … or at least - known to Van. “Watch yourself,” he said, when his ice-cold stare had frozen every good feeling out of the room. “And don't be too overanxious to bind yourself to a Tarot user that you don't pay attention to what sort of person he is. You'll get burned if you live like that.”

 

“Scary,” Eriya said, cuddling closer to Dryden.

 

“Anyway,” Dryden said, pulling Eriya and Naria near and whispering as though he was telling them a great secret. “You two should be excited. You're looking at two extraordinary Tarot users. Try to be polite. You could probably learn a lot from them. Anyway,” Dryden said, letting go of them and heading towards the front door. “What time is it? Four o'clock? What hotel are you girls staying at?”

 

“The …”

 

“Why don't you give up your rooms there and stay with us? I promised I'd help with your training and since the weather is so gross, there's nowhere else in the city to train except in my training gym, and no where else to study but in my libraries. So why don't you give up your rooms and come here?”

 

“Oh Dryden,” Eriya said, clasping her hands together and looking extremely happy.

 

“That's a `yes'?” he asked.

 

“Of course,” Naria exclaimed. “Of course we'd rather stay with you.”

 

“Excellent,” he said, looking like a pleased host. “If you'll run and get your bags we could all have dinner together here, say, at around seven? But, you'll have to get going. That doesn't leave you with a lot of time to get ready. I know how you two like to put on a show.”

 

Neither girl needed any encouragement after that. Both of them were out the door in less than five minutes.

 

As the door closed behind them, Hitomi expected Dryden to go shooting like a rocket ship into the garage to make his escape with Selphie, but instead he was leaning against the heavy wooden door like he was bracing himself.

 

“What are you doing?” Hitomi demanded. “Now's not the time to lose confidence. Get moving. You can probably make it to the airport before they get back.”

 

Dryden sighed and then stood up tall and eyed Hitomi. His brown eyes were laced in determination, like he was about to fight an invisible enemy. “Hitomi, you don't understand me. I can't leave now that I've seen them. I did promise their mother that I would help train them when they got their abilities and I must do it. I wanted to run away and if I hadn't met them, I would have done it. But now … I have to fulfill my promise. It's the price I have to pay for them leaving me alone for all those years. That was the deal. They left me alone until they got their abilities, and I agreed to train them after it happened. It probably won't be as bad as I've imagined since you and Van will be here too. It's not like I'll be alone with them. I was going to train you and Van anyway as soon as Van was healed, and now I can train all four of you together. We'll go through the exercises to discover what elements they have.”

 

“Didn't you say that you wanted to be gone because if you weren't, you'd be tempted by them?” Van asked.

 

“Yeah, I did,” Dryden said. “I wanted to do this the easy way, but now I see that there isn't an easy way. I have to prove that I've changed and that I'm not as easily swayed as I used to be. I have to fight my fate. I became The Lover, but now I have to prove that I can use my talents for the best, and that I can resist the urge to jump down the pants of any girl who's willing. Van, you and Hitomi will help me so that I'm not alone with them after this, won't you?”

 

Van looked deeply concerned. “If that's what you need.”

 

“I think I'll be okay as long as I'm not alone with them. If I'm alone with them, they could try something on me that might screw me up. But this is really my chance. I'd better not blow it.” Dryden shook his head, and headed up the stairs. “I've got to go talk to Selphie, my housekeeper and the chauffer. I'll have someone call you when it's time for dinner.”

 

At the mention of `dinner', something in Hitomi's head twitched. “Wait, Dryden!” Hitomi called up to him. “What did you mean when you said that Naria and Eriya like to put on a show?”

 

“Oh, just that they'll probably want to dress up for dinner,” Dryden said looking over the banister at Hitomi from the top of the stairs. “It was a convenient way to get them out of here quicker, but they're rich girls and they like to go all out during occasions like this. If you're nervous, you'd better find something to wear too.” With that, Dryden disappeared into the upstairs hallway.

 

Hitomi wrinkled her eyebrows together. “He's not serious? Is he? We've never dressed up for meals before.”

 

Van put a hand on his hip. “Do you have anything to wear?”

 

Hitomi shook her head, “Nuh-ah. I mean, I have clothes but nothing that would be appropriate. I have my wedding dress, but that's really just something for you.”

 

“Is there enough time to go shopping?” he said, looking around for a clock.

 

“I don't think so,” Hitomi said, thinking furiously. “I know! Maybe Selphie has something I can borrow.”

 

“Sure,” Van said, grabbing her and kissing her suddenly.

 

“What was that for?” Hitomi asked when he let her go.

 

“Oh, I just thought about you in your wedding dress and the big black boots you wore under it.”

 

“It won't be like that tonight.”

 

“I know, but … don't let those girls push you around. Okay?”

 

Hitomi nodded. “I love you, Van.”

 

“Better go get ready,” he said, brushing off her shoulders and setting her free.

 

Hitomi left Van and went upstairs to Selphie's room. The door was shut and she could hear Dryden and Selphie talking inside. She thought it better not to interrupt them just now and decided to go have a shower before she talked to Selphie.

 

***

 

When Hitomi got out of the shower, she went back to Selphie's room to see if she could talk to her. Selphie was standing in her walk-in closet, hanging the clothes she'd packed back up. Hitomi invited herself in and started helping her. Even though Hitomi was trying to be subtle, she thought it was totally obvious that she was checking Selphie out. Hitomi decided that she didn't have a figure as good as Selphie's but at least they were similar in height, so Hitomi thought she'd probably be okay if Selphie would lend her a dress.

 

Hitomi tried to talk to her about it. “Would it be okay if I borrowed a dress from you for tonight?”

 

Selphie looked at her like she didn't understand and Hitomi knew she was going about it the wrong way. “A dress?” she started out again, hoping Selphie understood that much English.

 

Selphie shook her head, but linked arms with Hitomi and led her out of the room and down to Dryden's suite where he was talking on the phone. “Mother, they just showed up!” When Selphie and Hitomi came in, he halted his conversation with his mother by saying, “One second, Mom. What is it?” he asked Selphie and Hitomi. Obviously, he was a man who put his woman's needs first.

 

Hitomi explained that she had been asking Selphie if she could borrow a dress from her for dinner.

 

Dryden's smile was definitely amused. “Let the competition begin, eh?” Then he translated it into Italian for Selphie, after which Hitomi and Selphie got along swimmingly.

 

Hitomi didn't know what kind of person Selphie had been back in Italy, but she must have been someone pretty spectacular, because everything in her wardrobe was fantastic. Hitomi was certain they'd blow Naria and Eriya out of the water with whatever they went with.

 

Selphie made Hitomi try on everything to see how it fit and how the colour worked on her. There were so many great pieces. There was one thing, though - Selphie stared at Hitomi's moon tattoo quite hard, like something was coming into focus for her.

 

Finally, Selphie brought a dress from the back. It was a pale cream off-the-shoulder that could be worn with two racer-back straps. Hitomi stared at it. It was like her dream dress. Where could such a thing even be purchased? When she tried it on, she saw that her moon tattoo was mostly covered. If she still had the dragon part of it - the dragon's tail would have been visible.

 

Selphie kissed her on both cheeks, and said something … Hitomi didn't know what, but she got the hint that this was the dress for her. But Selphie didn't let her leave to do her hair until she gave her the shoes to match.

 

If Hitomi didn't put up a good fight in this dress, then it simply couldn't be done.

 

***

 

“Dryden! Do you have any idea what elemental powers we have?” Naria asked, wearing a floor length white dress. Hitomi couldn't tell if the girl was trying to look like a bride. As it was, her eyes shone so intensely blue that Hitomi was always conscious of where she was looking. The opal Hitomi had seen in her vision was draped around Naria's neck like a medallion.

 

Eriya sat across from Hitomi, dressed completely in black, her blonde hair brushing her shoulders. She was also wearing her stone, amber, as a necklace. She was the most colourful thing Hitomi had ever seen. So lovely … both of them were so lovely.

 

Selphie was there, too, looking like the very blossom of womanhood. Selphie was built like … the female version of Allen. Even though Hitomi was jealous of Eriya and Naria for being so beautiful, to be jealous of Selphie seemed ridiculous. She seemed to represent a kind of beauty that wasn't even realistic. No wonder Dryden preferred her to other women.

 

Then there was her, Hitomi. She felt like she might as well not have done anything to make herself look special for all the good it did her. She was nothing compared to the other girls. A goddess? Yeah right. She wanted to run from the room in tears. She felt like a stupid kid. She was only eighteen and seeing these women sporting their charms was almost too much for her.

 

Van was looking at Dryden and paying attention to the conversation. They were talking about Tarot abilities, after all, so he would be interested. He wasn't neglecting her, though. He had complimented her extensively on her appearance before they left their bedroom. He had even pinned her against the bedroom wall and asked her to forget dinner entirely. He said he didn't need to eat. Her zipper was half way undone before she managed to get away from him. Pouting wasn't Van's style, but he looked perfectly unsatisfied as he pulled a black sweater over his head. The colour of it made his hair look like an even richer black, Hitomi thought as they sat at the dinner table.

 

If she'd realized how foolish she was going to feel picking at the escargot that was served, she would have let him call to say they wouldn't be coming. But even so, there was something in her that didn't want him to touch her. He was better looking for a guy than she was for a girl - especially when she was compared to these women.

 

It was bad manners, but Dryden had one of his books with him at the table. “Elemental abilities have an emotion and a physical action attached to each one of them. The physical act is the thing that the user does to activate the element. The emotion, or personal characteristic, is an attribute that the user naturally gets without any particular effort.”

 

“Is it okay to explain in front of her?” Eriya asked, looking squarely at Selphie. The two girls had clued in that she was with Dryden and both of them looked hostile.

 

“It's okay,” Dryden reassured her. “She doesn't speak English. Now, I'll go over all the elements and their corresponding attributes and physical actions. It'll just be a review to get you all thinking before our training starts.”

 

Hitomi approved of Dryden's way of making it look like Van and Hitomi were as informed as Naria and Eriya, but she was still uncomfortable. She wanted to leave, but she sat still and forced herself to listen to Dryden's narrative.

 

“Feel free to ask me questions if something comes to mind,” Dryden said over his glasses. “We'll start with air - the most common of all elements. To use air a person must relax their muscles and force themselves to become light. This can be challenging if a person is exercising or exerting their muscles and the easiest way to use it is to stand perfectly still. I'm sure you two are aware of the uses of air,” he said, looking at Naria and Eriya.

 

Here, Hitomi almost forgot to feel sorry for herself. He was referring to the way Balgus had thrown their mother out on by her ear. She almost giggled.

 

Neither of the twins batted an eyelash, though. They both acted like they were just listening to a teacher lecture. Was it because they weren't ashamed that their mother had been so pushy, or did they not understand the reference? Hitomi wasn't sure.

 

“The ability attached to it is flexibility,” Dryden continued. “Next, we'll do earth. The physical act is smell and the attribute or in this case, vice, is obsession. People with earth as an element tend to be obsessive.”

 

“That's true,” Van said, looking uninterestedly at the floor.

 

“Are you saying you get obsessed with things?” Dryden asked, looking amused.

 

“You know I do, so just get on with your explanation,” Van said impatiently.

 

“Ah, but it's more interesting to hear you talk about it, especially if you were to talk about your own experiences. What's an example of something you've gone a little obsessive over?”

 

“You're this close,” Van warned, holding his thumb and forefinger about an inch apart.

 

Dryden didn't let Van finish the threat that was obviously coming. “So, with that introduction, we'll talk about fire. Van's trigger-happy you see,” he said to Naria and Eriya. “But he's also the perfect person to explain everything there is to know about elemental abilities.”

 

“Why's that?” Naria asked.

 

“Because, it's believed that he has all of them,” Dryden said, looking wicked.

 

“Really?” the twins exclaimed, both seeming incredibly impressed.

 

Dryden laughed. “Didn't you two listen to anything your mother taught you? I'm shocked!”

 

“We were waiting for you to teach us,” Eriya said quietly. Then she glanced at Selphie before encouraging Dryden to go on.

 

He didn't hesitate and barrelled into his description, “Fire is charged by a person's breath and lungs. The attribute is temper, which explains Van's urge to get his gun off. So don't piss him off, girls. Now lightning. Lightning is sparked by the nervous system and is associated with the attributes of bravery and speed. Of course, all these abilities can be used in a variety of ways. You'll learn to use them to your advantage as you go on. Now we'll talk about ice. Ice is controlled by a person's heartbeat, and the ability is self-control. There aren't very many Tarot users who have ice as an element. We're a pretty unruly bunch. Then there's water.”

 

“That's yours, isn't it?” Naria injected.

 

“Yes. That's mine. Water is associated with tranquility, and the ability is wisdom. But, I want to make it very clear that clarity of thought is not necessarily a good thing. There's no virtue in this kind of tranquility. It's merely a state a mind. Evil people and good people can both have it. Like I said, wisdom is the attribute. Now we'll talk about light and darkness.”

 

“I always wanted to meet someone who had darkness. I thought they'd make a good lover,” Naria said. Hitomi wasn't sure if she said so to try to tease Dryden.

 

“They probably would,” Dryden said, sounding like a professor at a university instead of like an interested party. He was trying hard not to be pulled in by the girls. “Better ask Van and Hitomi here if that's any fun. Both of them have darkness as one of their elements.”

 

“Please don't bring that to anyone's attention again!” Van said, sharply intervening. “The last thing we want is people wondering what we're … like. It's no one's business!”

 

“Of course, of course,” Dryden said moving on with the scientific explanation. “The physical action that goes with darkness is thirst and the vice is desire. That might sound similar to obsession, but it's not the same at all. A person can be obsessed with anything, but this is more like love. Remember The Whore? Yeah, it's like that.”

 

“I don't remember that story,” Eriya said. “Please retell it.”

 

When Dryden was finished, he went on with the narrative about elemental abilities. “Lastly, we have light. The physical action is not actually physical, but spiritual. It's serenity of conscience. If you live at peace with yourself and everyone around you without causing wrong, then you might be able to pull off this element, but it takes a lot of introspection to be able to pull it off. It's considered to be the most difficult element to summon, which is why The Sun God is so amazing. And the ability that comes with it, that doesn't require any work to receive, is charisma. Hope you all found that very edifying,” Dryden said, shutting the book and taking off his glasses.

 

A little after this, Hitomi got up and excused herself. It seemed that the dessert and coffee were the only parts of the meal left. Hitomi didn't drink coffee and she had no appetite for dessert. She was still feeling bad and she wanted to be alone. Van asked her if she wanted him to come with her, but she shook her head saying that she didn't need him. It was still early.

 

When she got back to her room she took the pins out of her hair and tied her curled hair into a ponytail. The pins had been hurting her. Then she left the bedroom and headed for the conservatory. She didn't have to go near the dining room to get to it, so that was where she was heading. She was frustrated and she needed to move her body so that she would be reminded of the usefulness of it, no matter what it looked like. She could pace there.

 

Van's voice stopped her before she made it to the end of the hall. “Stop right there,” he said, following her.

 

“What do you want?” Hitomi asked, still sort of irritated with him, even though it wasn't his fault.

 

“Are you mad at me? You've been acting funny all night,” he asked seriously.

 

“Yeah, I'm mad at you,” Hitomi admitted and turned her back on him.

 

“Why? Did I do something wrong?”

 

“No, it's not your problem. I shouldn't even be mad at you. I'm being unreasonable and I don't care. Sitting at dinner with those women just reminded me of everything I'm not, and apparently everything I'm never going to be. I'm never going to grow up. Not really. Before, when I was thinking about having to stay a fifteen-year-old forever, I thought I could deal with it. I thought I looked old enough to pass for an adult. After spending these last two hours with those women, I'm totally convinced that I'll never pass for a person older than a high school student, ever! And to top everything off, I'm not even cute for a freaking teenager,” Hitomi snapped. Then she managed to take a breath and say, “I shouldn't be lashing out at you. It's not your fault.”

 

Van looked … unprotected. “Come into the bedroom. Let's not talk out here.”

 

Hitomi went with him, but as she stepped through the door she felt trapped and hot, even though her dress was so open. He closed the door and sat her down on the bed.

 

“I've been waiting for this conversation. At first, when you found out that you weren't going to age and you weren't going to die, you almost seemed proud of it. I know Dryden thinks you're practically cursed. I didn't believe you at first, but … yeah, now that I think about it more objectively, I'm sure that it's the truth, too. I haven't aged properly either. I still can't grow a full beard and it's in my genes to be able to do it. You should have seen my father, but I'm still as smooth as a teenager. So, I age slower and in three hundred years, when I've finally turned into an old man, I'll have you on my arm and I'll look like a perverted step-dad. That's definitely something to look forward to.”

 

Hitomi laughed, but she didn't feel like it was funny. “That's really comforting.”

 

“It's not exactly meant to be comforting, but what I mean is that I'm here and I've got similar problems. We're in this together.”

 

“I know,” Hitomi said. She felt like he was stating the obvious and it wasn't consoling her.

 

“Do you feel better?”

 

“No,” she admitted, letting herself fall backwards onto the bedspread.

 

Van got down on one knee and took one of her feet in his hands. The shoes Selphie had lent her were wedge heels with ribbons that raced up to her knee. The dress had a short skirt to make the most of eye-catching shoes. His hands were warm as he rubbed her ankle. Hitomi couldn't figure out what he was doing for a second, and then she realized he was undoing the bow with his teeth.

 

She couldn't help but giggle.

 

He pulled off shoe number one and threw it to the other side of the room so it hit the wall with a thud. Then he took her foot in his hands and started rubbing the arch with his thumb. “Was it because of their curves?” he asked suddenly. “Is that why you're feeling insecure?”

 

Hitomi remembered the way Eriya filled out her dress. “Maybe that had something to do with it.”

 

His voice was as smooth as silk and as deep as black velvet. “Do you think that's all a man looks for when he's choosing a woman?”

 

“No, but …”

 

“But what? I'm sorry, but that's not all there is to it. The most beautiful woman in the world isn't going to be beautiful to everyone. Like Naria and Eriya - you think they're beautiful. I think they stick their noses up too high. They weren't attractive to me at all. And Selphie - that is one extremely confused, extremely lost woman. Her brain is a maze of inner torment and self-doubt. I wonder what she's doing here with Dryden. He says that she hasn't agreed to marry him yet, but I don't think he's asked her. You may not have noticed it, but tonight, she was more messed up than you. At least you know how the conversation was going. She couldn't understand it and just stared at her plate.”

 

“I didn't notice,” Hitomi confessed.

 

His teeth were at her the ribbons on the other leg. He tossed that shoe to meet its mate and began rubbing her heel. His hands were warm and he was touching her nerves just right to help her relax.

 

It was a moment before either of them said anything, but finally Van said, “I was attracted to you - a girl who wasn't afraid to dance hard if she felt like it, but who didn't go over the top. You didn't do unnecessarily wild things. You weren't afraid to cut your hair short and show off what a lovely throat you have. You said Dilandau went for your neck when you danced with him at the club - I'm disgusted that he did it, but that's why. You weren't afraid to out-perform a guy if you could, and you weren't afraid to get involved with me when I was obviously bad news. But, I'm getting ahead of myself. Back at the club, when I was only watching you, you just seemed like the kind of girl who laughed in all the right places, who sang the loudest during the good parts of the song, who drank the right drinks, and knew how to pick the best out of everything. But the way I'm interested in you isn't for your body or your looks. I would be disappointed in you if you were satisfied with me for liking you for something so trivial. Although, I have to admit that I love your body, your looks, your style, your mind and … you,” he paused. “Turn on your stomach and I'll give you a backrub.”

 

She turned over and he unzipped her dress. “You were just looking for an excuse,” she said, breathing deeply and letting herself be taken care of by him.

 

“Sorry if it's exciting for me to touch you. Be a good girl and let me help you,” he said. Then he suddenly lay next to her on the bed and brought his face close to hers. “I'm sorry if I didn't do a good job showing how much I care for you at dinner. I get so focussed on one thing sometimes that I forget that you need me too. Oh, and in case I forgot to tell you - you looked ravishing tonight.”