Our hotel room was nicer than our house. I had never seen a doorbell in a hotel before, but Len and I's room had one. Not only was it nicer, but it was larger, too. We had separate rooms. He had insisted that I take the master suite, with one wall made entirely of glass overlooking the foothills and lake below us. The entire scene was covered in a layer of snow. The trees held flakes within their branches, employees with shovels littered the quickly disappearing sidewalks, and smiling people bundled up in their winter-best were skating across the lake with the elegance of Olympic performers.
"You been here before?" Len appeared in the doorway.
"Never," I responded, watching a group of kids slip, fall, and laugh with each other. "That's the lake, right?"
He came to my side, looking down at the scene with me. "Yup." The lake was huge, separating the West Wing where we were staying from the East Wing, which held all of the restaurants, a huge swimming pool, and, apparently, a bowling alley. A sidewalk wrapped around the entire lake, extending to the bridge that stood over the middle of the oval-shaped ice rink. There were stringed lights entangled in the intricate pattern of the railing leading along the arched bridge. They weren't lit quite yet. The sun had yet to set.
"This is crazy," I told him.
"Wait until you see the ballroom. It's like a castle."
"You dressing all fancy for me?" I teased.
He huffed. "Yeah. Unfortunately."
"Tuxes not your thing?"
"Hell no."
"That's okay." I put a hand against the window, looking straight down. A couple strolled by on the sidewalk, arm in arm. "Dresses aren't my thing, either."
He stared down at the ice skaters.
"What time is does it start?" I asked.
"Not until eight, I think."
I nodded in acknowledgement.
"Why?" His eyes flashed between me and the rink below us. "You wanna go?"
"Hah. I, um, I dunno. I've never done it before."
"No?"
"No. I've roller skated before, but I know it's entirely different."
He shrugged. "Not really."
"What, are you, like, secretly a professional figure skater or something?"
He grinned. "How'd you know?"
I shook my head at his joke.
"We can go if you want."
The skaters continued their graceful dances across the ice. I watched them longingly. "Where do you even get skates?"
He grinned, clearly pleased with my decision. He grabbed my hand. "Come on."
"What? Now?"
"We'll come get ready after. We have time."
My bags sat unpacked on my bed. "The others have my dress."
"Tell them to wait for you." An excited sparkle flashed in his eyes.
"Um, okay."
"Come on."
He pulled me down the stairs. The two of us had just arrived, and were still in our winter clothes, so there was no need to wait to change. As soon as Len assured himself that he had our keycard in his pocket, we were gone.
The air was cold with frost, and I couldn't believe that we had stargazed in the dead of night without freezing to death only minutes before. It bit at my lungs as I breathed in, and formed a cloud in front of me as I breathed out. Len's nose was red after only a minute of walking towards the booth with rental skates. I smiled shyly at him, realizing my nose was probably just as bad.
After renting our skates, we sat on one of the wooden picnic tables nearby. My jacket was doing a good enough job at keeping me warm, but my ears felt like they were going to fall off. I envied Gumi's dorky-looking earmuffs.
"Need help?" Len asked, bouncing on the snow with his skates on. He was easily three-inches taller than usual.
"I, um, I think I've got it-" I pulled my second skate on with a grunt, and began tying it. "How can you just walk in those with no problem?"
"It's easy. Just walk toe-first, instead of heel."
I took a deep breath, wiggling my toes in the white skates. "Okay." I gently pushed myself off of the bench, standing slowly but steadily.
"You got it?" He asked, watching my every movement. He held his arms out, ready to catch me at any second.
"...I think I've got it." I took an experimental step, wavered for half a second, then righted myself back into place. "Just walk slow."
"Alright." He turned with an excited expression covering his face, leading the way to the ice.
The blades of my skates clinked against the sidewalk as we walked over it. Len effortlessly stepped onto the ice, gliding away. Dammit. I stared cautiously down at the ice, gingerly stepped one foot onto it, and, when I didn't immediately fall, I lowered the other skate next to it. I slid against my own will for a moment, but caught myself just in time. I couldn't move without fear of losing my balance, so I just stood there, trying to get comfortable in the shoes.
"Need help?" While I had been struggling, Len had cleared an entire lap around this half of the lake. I glared at him.
"Why are you so good at this?'
"We used to come here a lot, and there isn't much else to do in the Winter."
With a deep breath, I attempted another step. Instantly thrown off balance, I would have fallen straight on my butt if Len hadn't been there to grip my forearms in support.
I laughed. "Yeah. I need help."
"All you had to do was ask." He looked down at our feet. "Skate out with your right foot at an angle, and then push off of it and do the same with your left foot."
"Okay," I looked down, too. We were still gripping each others arms. I pushed out my right foot, hearing the soft scraping sound of the blade against the ice. As I tried to use it to push my next foot, I slipped once again.
He caught me.
"Dangit," I said, using my strongest curse words. Despite the difficulty of the task, I couldn't think of anywhere else I would rather be. "I almost had it!" I told him with a smile.
"You just need to put your foot out to the side more. If you put it straight out, you'll just kick it behind you when you try to push off of it."
"Okay," I looked back down at my feet, concentrating. I started with my left foot this time. Bringing it out to the side, I tried to push off of it, gliding with my right foot in response.
"There you go!" He laughed.
"Oh, shut up! You're doing exactly what I'm doing, but backwards!" I laughed with him.
"You have to start somewhere."
I slipped again, headbutting Len's chest as I fell. "Ah, shit," I giggled into his jacket. "I had it!"
"Just try again," his voice was patient.
"You know, you can go skate around all you want. You don't have to stay here with me."
"It's okay. I want to."
I concentrated on my feet. "It's probably boring."
"Not really. Seeing you almost eat shit over and over again is pretty funny."
I raised my head to laugh at him, and instead whipped my head around as all of the lights came on at once. The stringed lights on the bridge, the lamp posts along the sidewalk, and other winter decorations all exploding in array of beautiful warm whites. It had finally gotten dark enough for the lights to come on. The only traces of the sun left was a small blue spot behind the mountains, slowly being overcome by the blackness of the night sky.
"Those are pretty," I told him, halting my movements as not to fall. I looked around the scene with wonder.
"They're alright."
"Pssh." I looked back down at my feet, pushing against the ice once more. Past our linked arms, our feet moved in unison. "You can say it, you know. They're awesome."
He shrugged. "I think you've got it."
"What? Skating?"
"Yeah."
"Well, I can't really see where I'm going."
"Then look up from your feet."
"But then I'll lose my balance!" I wailed in response.
"You're never going to know if you don't try." We had almost reached the bridge. Warm light lit up his face as we neared it, his red nose looking even cuter now.
I took a deep breath. "Okay, okay." My eyes fluttered up. I met his gaze, but concentrated on my movements as I pushed a foot out. He caught me once again as I slid a bit, and then I regained myself.
"See?" He said, looking down at me. "It's not that hard."
"Easy for you to say," I muttered, amused. "This is, like, your millionth time here."
"Only my thousandth."
I laughed at his stupid joke, swatting him on the shoulder. Letting go of one of his arms threw me off once again.
"Dammit!" I erupted into laughter. "I can't even hit you without falling."
"Aha," he chuckled with me. "Checkmate."
A whistle sounded from across the lake, and we both snapped our gazes towards it. Gumi and Miku stood at the edge. Miku's hands were on her hips, Gumi's were crossed in front of her chest. Both of them had smug smiles on their faces.
"Shit, we're late," I said, looking towards them. I knew exactly what was running through their minds, and I desperately looked away from Len so he wouldn't see my blush. If he did, I could at least blame it on the cold.
"They can wait."
"It's going to take us forever to get ready," I explained. "We really should go."
He stared at me blankly for a moment. "Okay." He changed course, skating us towards the edge of the lake.
Their eyes followed our every movement.
I skated flawlessly to the edge of the lake, sitting in the snow as soon as we stepped off of it. I was desperate to get their smug gazes off of me.
"In a hurry?" Len asked with a laugh.
"Unfortunately." They were amused by my rush.
"Here." He bent down, helping me untie the laces. My shoes were still at the table.
You're not helping, I thought.
"I'll go turn them in."
"Okay." In my socks, I ran up to the table, grabbing my shoes.
"I'll see you in a bit," he said over his shoulder.
"Y-yeah. In a little." I jogged over to the girls. "Shut up," I said as soon as I was in ears reach of them. They hadn't even said anything yet.
"Having fun?" Miku smirked.
"ShutupShutupShutup-" I passed them, walking for the entrance of the building.
"We could have left you guys alone for a little longer," Gumi teased.
I looked over my shoulder, sending her a dirty look. Behind the two of them, Len was watching us walk inside, my skates still in his hand.
The girls had booked a single hotel room for the four of them. When the three of us walked in, my face was still bright red, and Luka cast us questioning glances.
"Rinny was a little busy-" Gumi began.
"Where's my dress?" I interrupted her, annoyed with her for so many reasons.
"It's hanging from the shower curtain in my room," Miku informed me. "You can get ready in there, if you want."
"Okay."
While the other girls prepared themselves together in the living room, I locked myself in Miku's bathroom with my dress, her makeup bags, and her hair supplies to work with. I put my makeup on first, deciding to go to town since it was an event more formal than anything I had ever been to. I decided to curl my hair for the first time in years, and, before I knew it. I was posing in the mirror, feeling pretty good about myself. My pins kept my bangs out of my eyes, but there was no way I could fit my bow in my hair that looked good. I left it on the pile of the rest of my clothes, deciding to come back for it later. It felt odd going bowless, but I'd survive the night without it. I slipped my phone into my pocket. Yes, pocket. The ruffles of this dress contained a well-hidden pocket easily large enough for everything I needed to carry on me.
I finally left the bathroom, prepared for the night. For once, I was the last one ready.
"-ice skating."
"Awww. How cute."
'Oh, careful! She'll get mad at you if you talk about it!" Gumi laughed at me as I walked in the room. "Damn! I still think the black one was to die for, but you definitely make that one work, too."
I rolled my eyes, choosing to ignore the topic they were talking about. "Thanks," I told her with a smile. I had to get over my annoyance sometime tonight, and it might as well be now. "Hope I wasn't hogging the bathroom too much."
"Nope, you're okay." Miku stood, smoothing out her pink dress below her. "We all ready? The guys are waiting for us. Kaito texted me saying they were there like, twenty minutes ago."
Len was waiting for me. In a tux. I gulped.
"Yup!" Gumi's skirt bounced with her. I had the feeling a short dress wasn't the best choice for her given her unending enthusiasm, but I trusted that she knew what she was doing.
We filed out of the room. I was excited to see this ballroom. They all spoke of it like it were crafted in heaven.
Together, we traveled outside, crossing the bridge. I stared at the ice rink once more. The skaters marvelled at us, while I marvelled at them. I didn't quite envy them, I wanted to go to the ball. But I wished Len and I's skate could have lasted a little longer. Maybe we can go again before we leave.
"This bridge makes me feel like a princess," I told the girls ahead of me. They laughed.
"It is pretty fancy. I love the lights," Meiko beamed. She was the warmest out of all of us, by far. Her long sleeves and pants were enviable in the cold night air. Gumi had it the worst. Bare legs and bare arms. But, as usual, she didn't seemed bothered by it.
We entered the East Wing. The marble floors were covered by a long, red rug leading to a giant pair of open doors to our left. Inside, I caught a glimpse of the room, and instantly understood what they were talking about. The marble floors continued into the ballroom, reflecting the light of the detailed chandeliers that hung from the ceiling. There were three huge ones, with easily a hundred individual glass crystals in each design, and smaller ones littered over the tables near the walls. Everything about the room shone in bright white except for the golden trimming, and the red tablecloths. The room itself was huge. A stage sat across from the entrance, containing a small orchestra. Beautiful stringed music filled the room. As Vocal tradition, we hadn't arrived until well-into the event.
The girls beelined towards a table in the corner, and I barely got a look at Len before my gaze nervously fell to my feet. I pictured looking down at my skating patterns once again, but was met with only the marble. Even the mere sight of his blonde head was enough to cover my face with a blush. Rin what the fuck. What the fuck.
Dammit Gumi. When all else fails, blame her.
I walked behind the other girls as we walked up.
"Sup, bitches!" Meiko greeted the guys rather formally.
We all filed into seats around the round table. There were eight seats. I wondered if this table was reserved for us, but I was too nervous to ask.
"We need to come here for skiing," Kaito started the conversation, and everyone fell into suit. I kept nervously sneaking glances at Len, who was sitting across the table from me. He was acting completely normal, watching whoever was speaking with interest.
My shoulders relaxed. If he's fine, I should be, too.
And, like a puff smoke, all hesitation vanished, and I sat tall in my seat, engaging in the conversation as it came.
"I don't know why we didn't move down here," Meiko was saying. "I love it here."
"Because I chose where the house was built," Miku retorted. "And you can't beat the mountains."
"Agreed," I added.
"Plus, it's close to the city. We'd be driving hours every day if we lived here."
"But it's so awesome," Kaito agreed with Meiko.
"If you guys like it so much, then move here," Miku teased, taking a sip of her water.
Meiko leaned back in her seat, adjusting her tie. "Nah. I'd rather be with the fam."
"Awww," Luka cooed. "What would we be without the Vocal House Grandma?"
"Oh shut it," Meiko laughed. "You're only a year behind me, sweetheart. If I'm Grandma, you're Mom. "
"I wanna be the cool aunt," Miku chimed in with a laugh.
"I wanna be the uncle that gets drunk at parties," Kaito added.
"You already are," Len punched him in the arm.
"Ouch."
"Rinny's the baby," Gumi cooed, her chin resting in her palms.
"Yeah, yeah," I chuckled. "I get it."
"It's okay. Len's not far ahead of you." Miku crossed her arms. "The only two teenagers left. I'm jealous."
"I can't wait to be older." Len folded his hands behind his head.
"That's what they all say." Meiko took a sip of her drink as everyone laughed.
My heart swelled with pride. There it was. My official acceptance into the family. Even if it was as "The Baby," I was proud to wear the title.
"Are those cymbals?" Miku shifted in her seat to face the orchestra. Sure enough, the percussionist had many different instruments surrounded her, one of which was a pair of cymbals which she lifted off a table and tapped lightly together. "Man," Miku turned back to face us. "They're really getting into it."
"This kind of music is so cool," Gumi bounced in her seat. "Rinny! Come on!"
"What?" Before I could protest, I was yanked out of my seat and rushed to the dancefloor.
It was like I had travelled back in time. Some people work masks, some didn't. The ladies, except for Meiko, of course, were dressed in sparkling, poofy ball gowns adorned with elegantly laced gloves and bodices. The men were dressed in the fanciest, most expensive tuxedos I had ever seen. And then there was Gumi and me, who were arguably the most famous people on the floor, who ended up earning the most attention. She was the only person with a short dress. I was beginning to go back on my doubt from earlier, telling myself that it suited her excited personality better than any long dress would have.
"I'll lead!" Gumi yelled, putting her hand on my waist and gliding me through the dancefloor. I laughed with her, sneaking a glance at our table every time I got the chance.
After a few spins, I was beginning to feel dizzy. "Slow down!" I yelled through my laughter. She did. I couldn't imagine how some of these girls felt with their dresses. Mine was half the width of some others, and I felt like I was running into everything. Everywhere I went, my dress followed a second later. It brushed everything and everyone in its path. I thought it might be heavy enough to drink off of a table. Or a chair to the floor. Either way, it danced with me with every move.
"Are you gonna ask Len to dance?" She asked slyly.
And she had to ruin the mood. "Seriously, Gumi," I told her. "Please don't say stuff like that."
We had slowed to a gentle waltz around the room. "Why not?"
"Because it makes it weird." I glanced at our table over her shoulder. "Like, if I think about that kind of stuff, then it makes it really hard to be around Len."
"That's because you like him," she insisted.
"Gumi. Stop."
She frowned at my stern voice. "You have no problem being around him earlier."
The ice rink. "That's because I wasn't thinking about... that stuff."
"I just want you guys to be happy," she sighed.
"We are! We're so happy. Did you not see us earlier?"
Her smile returned. "Yeah."
We swayed past another couple, who shot us an odd look. "You can have your little fantasies or whatever of us getting together, just don't tell me about them, okay?"
Gumi nodded furiously. "Glad we could come to an agreement!" She chirped, her usual vigor returning. "Now come on! The strings are speeding up again!"
Sure enough, the violinists were dancing their bows across the strings, filling the room with their chatter. With a laugh, I fell into step with her once more.
I couldn't decided which I liked better; parties or balls. The party had filled me with that adrenaline, made me high with it. But dancing here made me feel like a queen; a beautiful girl whom embodied elegance and grace. They were both awesome, and complete opposites. Depends on the mood, I guess.
Eventually, we made our way back to the table. Everyone had left except for Len and Meiko.
"Finally," Meiko grinned as we walked up. "You're stealing my date, Rin."
"Whatever, Grandma!" Gumi laughed.
"Come one," Meiko stood. "Let's go say hi to Mayu and them. They're over there." She pointed to some table far off.
Gumi lit up. "She's here?! Come on!"
And they were gone.
"Having fun?" Len asked from his seat.
"Yeah!" I answered, sitting down next to him. "I almost passed out a few times, Gumi was spinning me so fast. But somehow I made it."
He chuckled. "You're getting used to it." His suit was sleek black except for his undershirt and the red bow tie he wore. I chuckled, reaching for it.
"You're crooked," I explained as he cast me a surprised glance. I adjust his bowtie just slightly, and retracted my hands. "There."
"Thanks."
"Yeah."
We fell into a peaceful silence as we watched the room in front of us. More people had arrived, and the room was swarming with now-familiar faces. Though I knew almost no one by name, I had seen most of the young faces before. Everyone in the room was either part of our company, or involved with it in some way. Family members, agents, friends, perhaps. There were a number of faces I didn't recognize, however, many of them older people who I assumed were these "higher-ups" I had heard about. I had no desire to meet them. Official people intimidated me to no end. Except for Erik, of course.
"Where did everyone else go?" I asked Len.
"I dunno. I think Miku and Luka went to go dance, and the guys went off for drinks."
"There's alcohol here?"
"Just fancy stuff. Wine and shit."
I giggled. "I never really figured the guys as wine drinkers."
"They aren't," he responded, amused. "But they'll take what they can get."
"Next thing you know, I'll be dragging them to the gym with me and Luka."
"It'd be good for them."
"Why didn't you go with them?" I asked.
"Hm?"
"The guys. Why didn't you go get drinks with them?"
"I was waiting for you."
He had uttered the sentence so easily, and yet I found myself completely taken off guard. I was too stunned to respond, and tried my best to keep my surprise from entering my expression.
"These things are boring." He leaned back in his chair.
"You think so?" The surprise passed. "I like it."
"I'm more of a rave guy."
"I can tell. You can actually dance at one of those."
"What's that's supposed to mean?" He leaned forward, challenging me.
I grinned. "Can you dance? Like, ballroom dance?"
"Hell yeah I can dance. I'm probably the best dancer in here."
"Oh," I rolled my eyes. "First you're a renown figure skater, and now you're the best dancer, too?"
"Can you dance?"
"Of course! It's easy! You just sway in a little box pattern."
He waved me off. "That's too easy. You can't tango or anything?" He held a hand up over his head, dancing in his seat.
I laughed at his pathetic attempt. "We're at a ball, Len. Not a quinceanera. There's no tango here."
He dropped his hands to his lap. "And that's why these are boring. The only good part about them is that I can talk to people without having to scream over the music."
A piano had been wheeled onto the stage, and began playing with the orchestra. The music was a bit quieter from the back of the room than it had been when Gumi and I were dancing.
"Yeah. I don't have to go home and take thirty ibuprofen tablets to get rid of my headache," I agreed.
"Psh. You're so small, you'd die after fifteen."
"You underestimate my drug-taking abilities."
"I don't think I do."
"And I am not small!" I lied.
He shot me an unconvinced look, and I crossed my arms.
"Whatever," I muttered.
There was more movement on the stage, and my tantrum was completely forgotten as someone wheeled a harp onto the stage. My arms dropped to my lap before I yanked Len's sleeve, pointing towards the stage. "Look, Len! Look! It's a harp!"
The instrument was massive, easily six feet tall. It had an array of strings, more than I could ever imagine counting let alone keeping-track of, and was engraved with delicate designs along the wood.
"That thing is awesome!"
"It looks pretty cool, yeah."
I shot him a smirk. "You'll never see one of those at a rave."
He chuckled. "Okay, okay. You got me there."
"You two!"
We both turned in the direction of Luka, who was standing next to Miku. I had to smile at their matching dresses, it was adorable.
"What's up?" Len called.
"Get off your butts and come dance with us!" Miku yelled.
"Guess you get to show off your tango skills," I joked. The harp began to ring out through the room, filling me with joy.
"Oh, you just wait."
We both jumped out of our seats, following Miku and Luka to the dancefloor. The girls instantly blended with the crowd, Luka leading, and Len and I followed. We assumed our dancing positions naturally.
"Do you, like, do the dip thing?" I joked, my hand on his shoulder.
"If you want me to. I might drop you."
"Well that's reassuring."
He laughed. The mixture of his voice and the harp's gentle notes was the most amazing combination to ever reach my ears.
"Are we gonna tango, or what?" I continued.
His hand was planted on my waist. "You want me to embarrass you in front of the entire company? Because I will."
My lips pulled into a thin line. "Umm, maybe not."
"That's what I thought."
And then, out of nowhere, an overwhelming feeling of affection overcame me. I buried my head into his chest to hide my face, falling into a trance that I knew he was sharing with me. My heartbeat quickened. My heart itself seemed to pull towards him. All the dancers around us disappeared, and it was just the two of us. Just the two of us, and this harp. Both of my hands now rested on his shoulders, both of his on my hips, and we swayed for what felt like seconds. What is this tension between us? I asked myself, unable to form any coherent thought other than this question. There's no way I'm the only one feeling this. This connection. I wanted to see his face, but couldn't bring myself to look him in the eye. So I kept my forehead touching his bowtie, squeezing my eyes shut. I felt my hands shaking. Whether he felt the same sensation or not, he said nothing.
And then, just as suddenly as it had started, the moment was over.
"Guys!" Kaito appeared in the crowd, by himself.
We tore ourselves apart from each other, turning to him.
He was oblivious to the situation he had just interrupted. "We're grabbing food. Coming?"
"Yeah," Len answered. I couldn't help but notice that he was breathless.
The blue-haired boy led us off the dancefloor. We were silent behind him.
I have written hardcore smut scenes but that last paragraph was the most intimate and exhausting thing I have ever written omg.