~Dedicated to all those special moments which you remember for years~
Chapter Twenty
Venice was probably the most gorgeous places I’ve ever been to in all my life. Sure I wasn’t exactly a renowned tourist or a current jetsetter, but there was no doubt that Venice was beautiful. The whole city smelt strongly of seafood and there was always a warm smile on the locals’ face. Another perk to Venice were the amazing waterways which I had to admit, was really cool. Small boats sailed across and of course there were the gondolas which Juliet had informed me weren’t all that in fashion, except with happily in love couples.
Since Mr Berkley had allowed us to attend the Carnival of Venice, he had given us the day off to get whatever we needed to get ready for it. Juliet had literally sparked up as soon as she heard this and decided that she was going to drag me around town on a shopping spree. Of course it would totally weird for best friends to go out by themselves and Juliet had gone and invited Chris to join us who in turn invited Sean and that seemed to cause Jessica to somehow follow us.
So here we were. A group made up of a sexy bad boy, his best friend the gorgeous jock and a feisty redhead and two blonde girls, although I was pretty sure that Jessica was the better at being confident. Juliet had taken position in front of the group as she led us through the busy streets while Chris walked next to her and on the other side, Jessica seemed to be listening as her eyes wandered over the small boutiques and jewellers stores. Biting back a sigh, I was surprised when I felt a warm hand slipping into mine.
“Looks like you could use some cheering up Lanter,” Sean whispered, his fingers squeezing mine.
I felt a warm colour spreading onto my cheeks as I glanced down at our entwined fingers before replying, “Don’t be silly, I’m fine.”
“You’re a bad liar,” Sean answered with a smirk.
I narrowed my eyes in a mock glare, “I am the best liar you know!”
“Is that so?” he asked, leaning closer as his eyes glinted with amusement.
I huffed, “Of course I am.”
“I seriously doubt that,” Sean commented with a small shrug and a grin, “you could hardly lie without blushing all the time.”
I frowned, touching my face with my free hand before I snapped in defence, “I don’t blush!”
He raised a dark eyebrow and I added more quietly, “Well not all the time.”
Sean grinned, pinching my cheek as he replied, “Whatever floats your boat Lanter."
Just as I was about to slap his hand away, we were interrupted by Jessica who grinned at the sight of Sean and my hands together. My cheeks heated and I pulled my hand away when I heard Sean giving a snort of amusement. Standing up straighter in an aid to keep my pride and prove myself right, I ignored Sean and glanced at Jessica who was giving me a suggestive smile before slyly winking. Huffing out, I walked past her and made my way to the boutique Juliet was grinning widely at.
I let my eyes scan the small shop and I couldn’t help the smile that crept onto my lips. The shop was filled with tons of beautiful dresses, each long and decorated with materials reminding me of the fairy tales filled with exotic ball gowns and princesses. My eyes widened in awe and I felt the excitement finally settling into my bones. Juliet turned to me with a wide grin and I took in my best friend’s appearance. She looked happier than ever with her long red hair pulled up into a high ponytail, her body covered in a simple blue sundress and her green eyes sparkling with joy. Not for the first time, I felt lucky to have her as my best friend.
“Like it?” she asked in an excited tone.
I nodded, “I love it!”
“Good,” Jessica cut in, “because ladies we have finally found our shop.”
And just like in those movies about senior year, we walked into the shop and began to browse through the large assortment of dresses. Jessica had all but left us as she marched towards the shorter dresses, leaving Juliet and me to browse the rest of the shop. Juliet hooked her arm through my elbow as she guided me towards the more elegant looking dresses, her eyes widening in admiration as she ran her fingers along a specific pearl dress. Long and cut in a mermaid style, it looked amazing. I turned to my best friend and smiled when I noticed her eyes twinkling slightly.
Leaning in, I whispered, “I bet Chris would love to see you in it.”
Juliet’s cheeks reddened before she grinned at me, “Do you think?”
“I know,” I replied with a smile.
“It’s beautiful isn’t it?” Juliet asked, running her hand against the material again.
I nodded, before adding, “And you’ll just as gorgeous in it.”
“What about you Viv,” Juliet asked, throwing a glance at Sean who was busy laughing at Chris holding a ball gown to his chest.
“What about me?” I asked, focussing my attention on the dresses.
“Come on Viv,” Juliet retorted, “you two were holding hands and it looked as though you were pretty comfy around our bad boy back on the street.”
I bit my lower lip, letting my eyes fall to the ground as I replied, “Sean’s just helping me with relationship stuff, you know for my boyfriend Dave?”
Snorting, Juliet turned to me and replied in a matter-of-fact tone, “Viv please, you’re my best friend and everything, but seriously, I know you. You can deny it all you want, but you’ve got to admit that there’s more than just a stupid lesson on relationships going on between you two.”
I crossed my arms, “That is not true.”
Juliet raised her eyebrow but a small smile tugged at her lips, “Admit it Viv.”
“No,” I replied.
“Just say it,” she mocked, grinning slightly.
I glanced towards Sean before gulping, “Well…”
“Well?” she encouraged.
“Maybe there is something, but-”
“I knew it!” Juliet interrupted.
“Jules!” I hissed.
Juliet shrugged, throwing her arms around me in a quick hug as she whispered, “Just keep your mind open okay?”
Before I could say anything, Juliet grabbed the pearl dress and made her way towards the wracks near the entrance of the shop. I frowned; feeling slightly annoyed with me for even hinting at the small fact that maybe, just a tiny, minuscule bit; that I could possibly like Sean Gregory. But I mean, seriously. It was me, Vivienne Lanter, the girl who went from a glasses wearing geek to a blonde girl who wore pretty good clothes; so why in God’s name would I like Sean Gregory who didn’t seem that much into me. I mean, he could get any other girl if he wanted, so why would he ever like me?
“So,” Sean interrupted causing me to jump slightly, “found anything yet?”
“Holy fudge!” I gasped, “Do you want me to die of a heart attack?”
“All girls do when they’re around me,” Sean answered easily.
I narrowed my eyes, “Cheesy much?”
He shrugged, “Very,” then he smirked down at me, “but I can tell that it’s working.”
I scoffed, “No way would that ever work.”
Sean leaned closer, causing his warm minty breath to brush across my face and I had to force my eyes to remain open as he whispered, “Is that a challenge I hear Lanter?”
I jutted my chin out, trying to hide the fact that he was having an effect on me. Come on Viv! Get a grip! It’s just Sean, the guy you’ve been tutoring for the past month. It’s not like you have feelings that go past friends with him because that would be totally wrong. You have a boyfriend remember, who’s probably home and waiting for you to return. But look at his eyes, those amazingly brown eyes that you can swim in forever like a warm mug of hot chocolate. And then those lips, those full lips that were meant for more than just talking, take kissing for example-
“You’re already falling for me,” he grinned.
I snapped out my thoughts and replied, “In your dreams,” but my voice didn’t sound all too sure.
Sean’s fingers traced my jawline and I swallowed slightly as he breathed out, “Lanter,” his eyes dropped to my lips before moving back to my eyes, “dreams don’t even explain what you’ve put me through.”
I opened my mouth but closed it. Did he mean that seriously or did he mean it as just another way of flirting? I stood there, staring at him as his face was just a mere hairsbreadth away from mine. My blue eyes fell onto his lips again and I found myself swallowing slightly. Was it normal to still want to kiss him even after he practically just told me that he sort of dreamt of me? Wait, was that even what I was supposed to respond to? God, this was tough.
“I…uh…” I stuttered as I glanced at him, “you…dream…me?”
He smiled slightly then pulled away, the action causing disappointment to flood through my body but why, I had no idea. It was just Sean after all, sexy as hell Sean, but still the same Sean that I tutored and was helping me to get popular. He was just like any other hot player known to man; he’d get the girl and then leave. It was basic knowledge and anyway, I was stressing for nothing.
“Why don’t you just choose a dress Lanter?” Sean asked, glancing around the shop.
I felt my stomach drop, but pushed out the feeling as I followed his gaze towards the almost endless amounts of dresses which lined the boutique. This was the right thing to do, I mean, starting to have any feelings for Sean would be wrong. He was my friend and I couldn’t risk destroying our friendship no matter how much my stomach did backflips whenever he was around. Swallowing a hard lump, I made my way to the back of the store and let my gaze fall absentmindedly across the long ball gowns.
Just as I thought that I wasn’t going to get any dresses for me, my eyes fell onto the blackest dresses I’ve ever seen. The material shimmered in the store’s dim lighting and it flowed out in dark lace from the tight corset. I moved towards the dress almost in a trance and smiled slightly when my fingers ran through the dark material which felt like silk to my fingers. My breath came out as a sigh when I let my fingers trail down the small beadwork against the dark corset and for a moment, I wondered what it would be like if I wore this to the carnival?
“It’d be beautiful on you,” Jessica commented, coming up from behind me.
I glanced at her before smiling, “Yeah, but I couldn’t wear something like this.”
Jessica’s pink lips turned into a frown, “Why not? It’d be beautiful on you and come on; it’s so obvious you’re in love with it.”
“But-”
Jessica cut me off, “No buts,” she took the dress off the hanger, “go try it on.”
I frowned, glancing at her as she shoved the dark dress into my arms along with a few others with a simple, “In case you don’t like the black one.”
Pushing me into one of the changing rooms before she shut the door in my shocked face, leaving me alone with only the extravagant ball gowns for company. I muttered under my breath, giving up and piling the dresses against the small shelf in the room as I began to strip of my denim shorts and white, three-quarter sleeved shirt. Once I was standing in nothing but my underwear, I pulled the first dress I could find which was a pale pink one, which although was stunning, fell a bit too short for my taste. I glanced at my reflection in the full length mirror, doing a small twirl and watching as the pink dress flowed around my waist like a dancer’s dress. A knock on the door caused me to look away from my reflection and I pushed open the door slightly to see a grinning Sean.
I raised an eyebrow at him, “Yes?”
He shrugged, “Chris left to try on some suits and Jules and Jess are too busy,” he mocked their girly tones, “shopping,” he grinned down at me, “so I thought, why not see what you’re doing.”
I couldn’t help the smile that formed against my lips as I pushed the door wider and stepped out. Sean stepped back, his eyes falling onto the short dress before he grinned at me with a cocked eyebrow.
“Isn’t that a little…” he trailed off.
“Too short?” I asked.
“My words exactly,” he answered.
“Jessica thought it’d look great,” I replied before walking back into the changing room.
Shutting the door, I stripped off the dress and pulled on a dark, forest green one that hung loosely around my body. While the colour looked great, it just made me look sick and was that pockets? Since when did dresses have pockets? I frowned; shoving my hands into the pockets then stepped out of the changing room. Sean chuckled slightly as his gaze fell over me and I felt a scowl forming against my lips.
“It’s not that bad,” I defended.
Sean laughed louder, “You look like you’ve raided some granny’s closet!”
I placed my hands on my hips, “I do not!”
Sean stood from the red seat he sat on and walked towards me. Tingles spread through my shoulders when his hands fell onto them, as he guided me towards the mirror in the change room. I shoved my hands into the pockets of the dress and stared at Sean’s amused expression in the mirror as he forced my face to stare at myself. A slight frown took hold of my lips as I realised that I was fooling no one. The dress simply looked like it belonged to some freak who believed in fairies.
“Fine, so maybe I look like a tree hugger,” I replied, swinging my arms slightly in the pockets.
“And,” Sean prompted.
“I may look sort of like a gangster now that I think about it,” I replied, my eyes widening.
Sean’s expression fell as he stared at me with confusion, “Where the hell did you get gangster from?”
I hunched my back and exaggerated a scowl, “Can’t you see it homey? I’m a gangster!”
Grinning, Sean replied, “Why don’t you try rapping then Lanter?”
Scoffing I retorted, “I ain’t rapping home boy.”
“Just for me,” Sean pleaded, widening his eyes to resemble a lost puppy.
I frowned, “Don’t make me use my gun.”
“I thought I was the one with the gun in this relationship,” Sean replied, his tone suggestive.
My cheeks instantly flashed a bright red and I shoved Sean out of the room and shut the door before exclaiming, “Not funny!”
I could picture the smirk against his lips as he replied, “I wasn’t trying to be.”
Stripping off the green dress and trying to rid my face of the heated blush, I finally pulled on the black dress but frowned when I realised that I needed help to tie up the back of the corset. Biting my lower lip, I contemplated calling for Juliet then pushed away the thought. I could ask Sean right? He was just my friend and anyway, this was the whole pretend dating deal we had to help with Dave. So, mustering up all of my courage, I edged open the door and peeped my head out.
“Sean?” I whispered.
Sean raised an eyebrow, before whispering back, “Yes?”
My cheeks felt hot as I stuttered, “Could you…uh…help…dress…tie it…uhm…?”
He stood up and walked towards the door, pushing it open wider as he stepped in and shut the door behind us. Suddenly the changing room felt smaller than before I found it hard to breathe just looking at Sean. And when did the room get so hot? I lowered my gaze as Sean silently pushed my hair away from my back, his fingers brushing against my bare neck, sliding down to the ribbons that were meant to be tied up. Sean’s fingers paused against my skin and I felt my heartbeat quicken. My breathing picked up speed and I let my eyes meet his hazel ones in the mirror.
“You look nervous,” Sean breathed out.
I sucked in a breath, before licking my lips as I replied unconvincingly, “I’m not.”
Sean’s hands moved to my arms, before he trailed them down to my wrists, “Are you sure?”
I swallowed a moan and nodded, not able to trust my voice. Sean leaned closer, his mouth inches from my neck as he breathed out slowly, sending goose pimples to spread across my skin. Slowly, his hands took mine in his and he traced small circles around my palm with his thumb. I bit my lower lip, feeling my body begging more, craving his touch. A shudder ran down my spine and it was as though all coherent thoughts had vanished from my mind. All I could focus on was the slow touch of Sean and his steady breathing against my neck.
Sean’s eyes met mine in the mirror and it was as if I could read every emotion that was playing in them. I felt every fibre of my being dying for his lips, craving for his touch against me. My body was burning; it felt as though there was a fire in the pit of my stomach bursting to get out. My heart was beating erratically and the tingles that were spreading down my skin in goosebumps were now snapping and crackling like electricity. It took every bit of my willpower to not let my legs collapse under me as I stood my back to Sean while his hands played with my fingers.
I swallowed, feeling my mouth dry as I spoke, “You have to tie up the ribbons.”
Sean reverted his gaze to the ribbons that hung loosely around my waist, before he took them in his hands and began pulling them tighter until they were tied up. Meeting my look again, I noticed an unexplainable look in his hazel orbs. I bit my lower lip, turning my attention back to my reflection and had to stop from gasping. The dress hung snugly against my torso, flaring slightly past my knees and ending at my ankles.
I reached up, running a finger along the intricate beadwork against the corset and breathed out. The dress was beautiful, no, it was more than that. It seemed like a dress fit for royalty, something simply out of a book where fairies and knights existed. I smiled at my reflection and caught Sean’s approving glance. My grin widened and I turned to face him with a raised eyebrow, waiting for his comment.
“You look,” he began, glancing down at my dress again before finally saying, “stunning.”
A warm blush rose to my cheeks and I felt a smile tugging at my lips, “Really?”
Sean leaned closer again, his mouth mere inches from my neck as he breathed out, “Of course Lanter.”
I didn’t get to reply because in that instant, Sean’s mouth had pressed itself on my neck. I felt a shudder running down my spine and I all but fought to stop a low moan from leaving my lips. Sean trailed his soft lips against my neck, moving it slowly down my throat as I closed my eyes in pleasure. Arching my neck slightly to allow Sean more access, I could feel every part of my body just screaming for more and for a split second, I allowed myself to lose myself in the blissful moment.
And then as if being thrown over the head with a bucket of ice water, my eyes snapped open. I stared at the reflection of Sean’s mouth moving down my throat then pressing further up until they met my own. My breathing was fierce and ragged and my fingers were itching to run through Sean’s soft hair. I sucked in a slow breath, pulling away slightly so that my mouth was just above Sean’s as I spoke.
“You shouldn’t kiss me,” I whispered.
For a moment, Sean just stood there in that same position before I felt his body stilling and he pulled away. His hands dropped to his sides and he stared at me with an unreadable look. I felt my chest heaving with pain as his eyes flickered down to my lips then back to mine. He gave me a forced smirk before running a hand through his hair so that it fell over his forehead messily and chuckled slightly, but it sounded more strained than joyful.
“Yeah,” he replied, “you’re right Lanter.”
I licked my lower lip, “It’s not that-”
“No,” he cut me off with a grin, “it’s not right to play with your feelings especially when you’re with Davey boy.”
I opened my mouth to respond but then closed it. Sean wasn’t playing with my feelings, I mean; I didn’t have feelings for him…right?
“This is the most wonderful thing since non-smudge lipstick,” Juliet breathed out.
My eyes widened at the sight of Venice at night. The place was lit up, decorated with bright, colourful fairy lights around shops and hanging across the waterways. I couldn’t help but feel as though I had stepped into another world filled with magic and wonder. People walked around the streets in large costumes, while others kept it simple but one thing was common with everyone. They wore masks. Masks of all different colours, some transparent and others covered whole faces. Everything was simply breathtakingly beautiful.
“I couldn’t have said it better,” I replied.
Juliet turned to me with a large grin. Her face was covered in a white mask which hid her right side of her face. It was decorated in deep gold engravings with a large feather, braided with shiny gold beads that hung over Juliet’s curled hair. I smiled at my best friend, taking in the long mermaid, pearl dress that fit snugly around her body and made her look like a princess. Turning my gaze back to the carnival, I couldn’t help but feel that maybe, we were all princesses tonight.
“And,” Juliet leaned closer, lowering her voice to a whisper, “take a look at who’s checking you out.”
I followed Juliet’s suggestive glance towards Sean who looked like a Greek God as always. He wore a dark suit and a white, dress shirt underneath. The black coat which covered his upper body fit him perfectly, showing off the fact that he had hard muscles under that shirt. I found my throat closing up as I stared at him from behind my black mask which hid everything from my nose up.
“He’s not checking me out Jules,” I hissed.
Juliet threw me a ‘who are you fooling’ look before retorting, “Viv, he’s clearly head over heels in love with you, why can’t you see it?”
“Because,” I replied stubbornly, “we’re just friends.”
Juliet rolled her eyes at me, before she began to walk away towards Chris who was chatting to some jocks and threw over her shoulder, “Give it try! You’ll never know what could happen.”
I sighed as I watched Juliet easily slide next to Chris who smiled down at her. Why couldn’t my life be that easy? Suddenly, feeling as though I was being watched, I turned around and spotted Sean staring at me. Glad that I the mask I wore, covered my blush, I stared openly at Sean who had a slight smirk to his lips. It took me a moment to realise that I was walking towards him before coming to a stop as I bit my lower lip, glancing up at him with a small smile.
“Lanter,” Sean greeted his smirk widening.
I licked my lower lip, “Venice huh?”
Sean cast a glance around the town and grinned back down at me, “Looks just as great as you do.”
I found my smile widening as I answered, “Well you’re not too bad yourself.”
Sean chuckled, “Lanter, girls are just lining up to be with me.”
“Name one,” I retorted with a grin.
“Well there’s you,” he trailed off suggestively.
Scoffing, I slapped his arm and rolled my eyes, “Yeah right.”
He grinned, before hooking his arm through mine as though we were best of friends and began guiding me down the street. We passed a band playing on the sidewalk, with a few exotically dressed women who danced around the old man, collecting a few, loose change from the audience. My eyes were wide as I took in the costumes of certain people who were dressed from head to toe in shear white fabric and a mask that hid their faces completely.
“Everything’s so…” I breathed out, “amazing.”
Sean grinned down at me from behind his dark mask and asked, “Want to see something even better?”
I frowned, my eyebrows knotting together, “Like what?”
“It’s a surprise,” he replied, pulling me away from the main attractions of the carnival.
“Are you trying to get us killed?” I hissed up at Sean.
He rolled his eyes but a smirk took hold of his lips as he sat on a concrete fence, waiting for me to join him. I crossed my arms, rubbing them from the chilly air around us and glared up at Sean who had a look of mischief in his expression. I threw another look around the building we stood outside of. Loud music was blasting from it and I had to muster up every ounce of courage I had to not run away screaming like a little girl.
“Come on Lanter,” Sean urged, “it’s just a silly band playing.”
“Then why are there guards here?” I replied, feeling nervous.
Sean ignored me, before leaning over and wrapping his arms around my waist and hoisting me up onto the fence next to him. I screamed slightly before my hands clutched at Sean’s shirt. I glanced down at the ground, wondering why in the heck’s name I had let myself be influenced by Sean that sneaking into a gig by some local band would be fun.
“Seriously,” I whispered, “what if the guards find out or something?”
Sean jumped down, pulling me with him and I had to stifle another scream as we landed. I smoothed down my dark dress and frowned at my untidy appearance. My hair was sticking up in odd ends and my dress was beginning to crease around the edges. I let my blue eyes scan Sean, taking in his messy hair and unbuttoned shirt which revealed his hard muscles under. Despite his messy appearance though, he still look gorgeous as hell and for a moment I felt colourless next to him.
“Live a little Lanter,” Sean replied easily, before guiding me towards a back door.
He opened it slowly, before tugging me into the building which was stuffy and filled with crowded dancing bodies. The music was blaring from every corner and I could see that everyone was still dressed in their costumes or masks. Sean glanced down at me and grinned widely before asking, “So, still think it’s a bad idea?”
I scoffed, “Maybe.”
Sean pinched my cheek before grinning as he spoke, “You’re such a bad liar.”
I was about to reply, but got stopped when Sean pulled me into the centre of the dance floor filled with lots of grinding bodies. I couldn’t help but laugh when I noticed him trying to do the robot before jumping in the centre with him, joining in with the crazy moves. Laughing slightly, Sean took hold of my hand and twirled me around causing a bubble of laughter to escape my lips.
My hair flew around my face and my mask glittered in the dim strobe lights that were dancing across the different faces. My fingers tightened around Sean’s hand as he tugged me back to his chest and smiled down at me with an amused look in his eyes. I licked my lips and found my body moving at its own accord, closer to Sean’s. His hands slowly moved to my waist, his gaze dropping to my lips as his face neared mine before he suddenly stopped and pulled away.
“No kissing,” he breathed out with a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes.
I bit my lower lip and nodded, but couldn’t help but feel a tinge of disappointment. You told him not to kiss you Viv so why do you feel so disappointed? It’s just Sean your friend and nothing more than that; isn’t that what you wanted…? I swallowed a lump and glanced towards the front of the room where a band was playing. Turning my attention back to Sean, I felt confident, the new and improved Vivienne who was going to finally stop being that naïve girl who let everyone else get what they wanted and start getting what I wanted.
“Come on,” I spoke, grinning slightly as I tugged at Sean’s arm to the front of the room, “let’s get a closer look.”
Sean raised an eyebrow, but smiled down at me as he followed my lead to the small stage where a girl was singing with three guys playing instruments. As we made our way through the crowd, nearing the stage, I could feel the confidence in me grow. Why should I doubt myself? I was becoming popular, I was becoming the new girl, the girl I’ve always wanted to be.
Sean turned to me, his eyes locking with mine as he spoke, “I thought you were afraid of the guards?”
“Forget the guards,” I replied, grinning up at him, “It’s time to finally live.”
Sean smirked at me, before he took my hand in his again as we twirled around in a circle around the stage. I laughed as our movement moved with the rhythm of the song, getting faster at the chorus before slowing down until the music finally stopped and we did too. Sean spun me back into his chest before he titled me backwards so that I shrieked slightly. When I looked up, my eyes connected with Sean’s hazel ones and instantly I forgot everything.
I raised a finger, trailing it along his lower lip before I mustered up all of my courage and leaned forward, my lips connecting with his. For a moment, Sean hesitated before he pressed a light kiss to my lips and then pulled away, his mouth against mine as he spoke.
“I thought we couldn’t kiss,” he murmured.
I pressed my mouth against his again before I answered, “I said you weren’t supposed to kiss me, not the other way around.”
A/N Hi geeklings! How are you all wonderful readers? So I know, a really long chapter (for most of it which I felt needs improvement) but hey, tell me what you think of it! Remember, there's just one more chapter of Venice, so don't stress about not getting enough of Sean ;) Remember to vote, comment and spread the word!
Have a super Saturday!
xoxo
Mona-Mae