| Chapter Four: Happy New Year |
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| Disclaimer: Still don't own. But I like making them do sweet things in cheesy situations. |
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| Weeks had gone by since the night I first touched V, and after a while, we fell into a routine with each other. He would prepare me a light breakfast before leaving for a couple of hours to further his revolution while I stayed in the Gallery reading or cleaning. I would fix both of us lunch so he could eat when he returned, but I would normally eat before he came back so we could eat separately. V normally spent the afternoon doing paperwork or working out with his knives while I continued whatever I had been doing in the morning. One of us would cook supper, we alternated every night, and would eat dinner together, me wearing a blindfold, and talking about our days. Then we would retire and spend the evening talking or watching a movie, and generally enjoying each others company.
God, I was getting bored. Don’t get me wrong, I loved every minute I was able to spend with V. He was an amazing man, patient, intelligent, with a dry but quick wit. I lived for our evenings together spent bantering happily back and forth or sitting in companionable silence watching one of his many movies. It was the time I spent alone that was starting to make me restless. I could hear the clink of V’s knives as I walked through the Gallery, trying to find something to occupy my mind. I had just finished my 23rd book since I had come to live with V, and I was just about done with reading for a little while. But there was nothing else to clean, nothing else to put away. Over the weeks I had organized and cleaned everything in the gallery, even all of V’s books, which were now in order by author’s name on shelves. V had said he should have hired me years ago as a house cleaner because he could find everything so easily now. I didn’t have the heart to tell him the only reason I did it was because there was nothing better to do. “Veronica?” I peeked my head into the training room. “Yeah, V?” V was carefully putting his knives away on the rack on the wall. It was getting late and it was almost time for dinner. “Veronica, that’s the third time you’ve walked past the door, do you want to tell me what is on your mind?” I slid in carefully and leaned against the wall. “Nothing, really. Just a little restless, I guess.” V turned toward me, his hands coming to rest behind his back. “Do you want to tell me what is really on your mind, my dear?” I sighed a bit and looked down, fiddling with my fingers. “Just trying to find something to do.” I looked up into his smiling face. “I’m bored, V. Only so much a girl can read, you know?” “I thought that was what was bothering you.” V walked up to me and took my hands gently. “And that is why I have a surprise for you.” A small thrill of excitement ran through my spine at his touch. “Oh, really? What kind of surprise?” I could hear the teasing smile in his voice. “Now, if I told you, it would not be a surprise.” He released one of my hands and used the other one to gently lead me out of the training room. He left me in the sitting room, stepping into his private room and soon returning with a rather large white box. He handed it to me and I gave him a large smile. “What’s this?” V shifted his weight a bit nervously. “Open it and find out.” I walked around and sat down on the couch, placing the package in my lap carefully. It was tied with a red bow, and I slid it off easily. I felt V sit down beside me as I lifted off the lid and pulled back the tissue paper. I let out a little gasp of surprise as I gazed at the most beautiful dress I had ever seen. It was dark forest green made out of a thick but soft material, and when I pulled it out I realized it was floor length. It had a high waist with small gathered sleeves but a low neck and back. It was elegant and beautiful in it’s simplicity. I looked over at V, speechless for a moment. “Oh, V. It’s beautiful. Simply beautiful.” He seemed to sit a bit straighter in pride. “I am very pleased you like it. I thought it would match your eyes. Would you like to try it on?” I nearly jumped out of my seat in excitement. “Oh, yes, I’ll be right back!” I ran from the room, the dress hugged tightly to my chest, and I could hear his laughter following me as I shut myself in my room. I quickly pulled off my shirt and pants, and slid the dress over my head. It was absolutely stunning, hugging my curves perfectly, the high waist and low neck flattering my chest wonderfully. The only problem was it was a bit too long for me. I bit my lip, looking around for something to pin up the extra length, when my eyes fell upon a pair of matching green high heeled shoes that had been placed carefully in front of my dresser. I smiled at his thoroughness, but when I walked up to put them on, something else caught my eye. On top of my dresser, beside my brush, was a blue velvet box that hadn’t been there earlier. I picked it up slowly, my heart beginning to pound in my chest. I carefully opened it, and my breath caught in my chest as I gazed upon a beautiful necklace. It was a simple chain of gold with a tear drop diamond hanging from it. I picked it up carefully, turning it over and allowing it to catch the light in it’s brilliance. It was beautiful. I looked up into my reflection, at my messy hair and dust smudged face, and decided that if this was some sort of occasion, I was going to look my best. A quick shower and thirty minutes later, I carefully walked into the sitting room of the Shadow Gallery, trying not to make too much noise in my shoes. The dress was the perfect length now that I was wearing heels, and it swished softly around me. V was standing in front of a painting, and I noted that he had also changed clothes while I was gone. He was still wearing his customary black, but it was a nicer outfit made with silks and complete with a black dinner jacket. I gave a small cough, and he turned around quickly. But when he saw me, he seemed to freeze. I had done up my hair in an elegant French twist, exposing the back of my neck and showing off the low dip in the back of my dress. I had used a bit of the makeup V had brought down to me, accenting my eyes with a hint of green. My skin was clean and pale from the lack of sunlight over the weeks, and it contrasted sharply with the green of my dress. I slowly walked up to him and stopped only when I was about a foot away. I held up the necklace he had left for me. “It’s beautiful, V. Thank you. Would you mind helping me put it on?” He seemed to shake himself out of his shock and took the necklace from my hand carefully. I turned from him and he slowly put the necklace around my neck. I couldn’t repress the small shiver that ran through me as his leather fingers brushed past the exposed skin of my neck. I turned back at him and gently touched the tear drop diamond that had nestled perfectly in the dip of my breasts. “Thank you so much. For all of this.” His mask revealed none of the emotions that must have been going through him, but his voice was unusually soft when he spoke. “Veronica, you look absolutely stunning.” I blushed and looked down. “Thank you, V.” His fingers gently raised my chin and I looked up into his smiling mask. “Are you ready for the next part of your surprise?” I couldn’t help but laugh. “There’s more?” “Of course. Why would I have you dress up so wonderfully if there was not more?” “Oh, I don’t know. Maybe just to see if I clean up nicely.” V’s voice became very soft. “You always look beautiful, Veronica.” I blushed again, smiling softly as he took my hand and led me to a door I had never been through before. I paused when we entered, looking around at all of the beautiful tapestries hanging from the walls and the stacks of books on the ground. I smirked at him. “Oh great, more books to shelve. I should make you pay me a librarian salary.” He chuckled and released my hand, moving away. “Maybe I should, but that is not the surprise.” He walked over to one of the tapestries on the wall, a beautiful piece of work that had a lovely maiden reaching out toward a unicorn, and pulled it aside, revealing the grate of a lift. He pulled open the grate and gave me a small bow. “Shall we?” Curiosity overpowered my shock at seeing the lift and I followed him into it, wondering where in the world it could lead. It was very old fashioned, controlled by a lever. V expertly pulled it and the lift shuddered a second before groaning upwards. “God, V, is this thing safe?” “Of course, I maintain it myself.” “Of course you do,” I mumbled to myself, gripping his arm in fright as the lift gave a particularly loud groan. We rode the lift for a couple of minutes before V moved the lever back into it’s original position. “Are you ready for your surprise?” “As long as it gets me out of this lift.” V laughed and I smiled back at him. “Yes, it will.” He reached over and pulled the door open smoothly. I don’t know what I was expecting, but it wasn’t what I found. I had forgotten it was still winter in the outside, and here we were, stepping out into our own personal winter wonderland. There were trees and plants everywhere, a small path leading through the foliage, lightly blanketed in snow with small lights glittering through the branches. I could tell we were on the roof because I could see the tops of the other buildings surrounding us. But what really caught my eye was a beautifully set table in the middle of our wonderland. It was covered in a white tablecloth, covered silver dishes placed in front of elegant chairs, one of which had a green shawl draped over the back, and a bottle of wine standing between two tall lit candles that cast a warm glow on the table. I could hear music softly playing in the background. “Oh, V…” I couldn’t find the voice to say anything else. “Do you like it?” “Yes. I love it. But when did you do all of this?” V stepped forward and pulled a chair out for me. “I have my ways.” If he wasn’t wearing a mask, I bet he would have winked at me. Automatically, I went to the offered chair and sat down, looking around in awe at all of the plants surrounding us. He gently placed the shawl around my shoulders, and I held it close as he sat down in his chair. “What is all of this?” V carefully uncorked the wine and let it breath. “This is my garden. You should see it in the spring; it is absolutely stunning, filled with blooms. This is how I get my fresh air.” He poured the wine into the crystal glasses that were on the table. “As to the occasion, well, I know it’s hard to keep track of the days in the Gallery, but it is New Year’s Eve. I thought we should celebrate, especially since we missed Christmas.” He handed me my glass, and I fingered the crystal, my mind still trying to get over the shock of the beauty of this rooftop garden. “What would you like to toast to?” I gave myself a mental shake and lifted my glass. “How about to a year filled with happiness and success.” V tilted his glass and it clinked happily against mine. I took a small sip and sighed happily at the rich flavor of the wine. “This is exquisite wine, V.” He placed his own glass down and tilted his head, obviously pleased. “I’m glad you enjoy it. Now, you better start eating before it cools.” V lifted the silver dish cover that had been over my plate and I gasped in pleasure at the fantastic dinner in front of me. Roasted chicken covered in a delicate sauce with fresh vegetables. I gave V a large smile. “You spoil me.” He tilted his head in such a way that I knew he was pleased. While I ate, V and I talked about some of the books I had read recently and had an interesting discussion about Descartes’ philosophy. After I was finished, he handed me my dinner scarf from his coat pocket, and while he ate I told him stories about different New Years parties from my childhood. I told about how my mom gave me my first sip of Champagne the holiday before she died and how she had laughed when I spat it out immediately, exclaiming it was the vilest thing I had ever had. I told him about parties I had to sneak out of the house to attend, away from the watchful eye of my grandmother, where I had danced and drank until the wee hours of the morning, sneaking back into bed when the sun started to rise. I even told him about some of the tamer parties I attended in recent years where I mingled and socialized with professors and people I worked with at the University. I could tell V always liked listening to my stories, and I loved telling them. I loved making him laugh when I told him something stupid I had done as a child. And he always asked for more, wanting me to tell him more stories, or pressing me to continue if I paused for too long while taking a sip of wine. I think he sort of lived through my memories, since I now knew he really didn’t have any of his own. That thought always filled me with such sadness, and a strange determination to give him new memories that he could enjoy telling about in stories. Two glasses of wine later, I heard him stand up and the music that had been soft background noise through the whole dinner grew louder. I felt his hands gently lift the scarf off of my eyes and I had to blink for a second to bring him into focus. He was standing before me, his hand reaching out. “May I have this dance?” I took his hand smiling, “Of course. It would be a pleasure.” He pulled me to a small opening in the trees and took me carefully into his arms, one hand on my waist while the other held my hand, keeping me a respectable distance away. A beautiful violin melody drifted to us on the wind, and we began to dance slowly. He was very talented and led me expertly, but I wasn’t surprised. Any man who can fight with such elegance can surely dance. “I hope you enjoyed dinner.” His voice cut through my musings and I gave him a shy smile. “It was absolutely lovely, V, thank you so much.” He nodded and continued, “I know you have been bored lately, and probably in desperate need of fresh air, so you can come out here whenever you want. I just ask you try to stay away from the edge of the roof.” “Thank you. Honestly, it’s wonderful up here.” We danced for a while in comfortable silence. A cold gust of wind blew by and I shivered against it. V stopped silently, took off his jacket and draped it over my shoulders. I smiled up at him in thanks and closed the distance between us, laying my head against his shoulder. His arms wrapped around me after a second and we swayed together to the music. It was wonderful. I don’t know how long we danced together but after a while, I took one of his hands away from my waist and began to play with the soft leather of his gloves. The wine was going to my head a bit and making me brave. I kept my head against his shoulder as I lifted his fingers to my lips, kissing the leather softly. I didn’t notice we had stopped dancing. I began to tug at his glove, pulling it off slowly, finger by finger. V became very still underneath my cheek, but I kept tugging until his hand was free. I think the wine was making him brave, too. I tucked the glove into the pocket of the jacket V had given me, and turned my attention to his bare hand. When my fingers touched his, his body gave a small jump of surprise. It wasn’t that bad. I mean, yeah, there were red scars from the burns, but there were also smooth spots of healed flesh. I ran my fingers softly over his skin, marveling at how it went from rough to smooth, from red to white. V didn’t move, I don’t even think he was breathing, waiting tensely for my reaction to seeing his skin for the first time. I lifted his fingers to my lips and kissed the tips of each of them softly. I heard him gasp with each small kiss I gave his fingers, and I couldn’t help but smile. Big Ben began to ring out, and I counted out the hour to be midnight. I clasped V’s bare hand between the two of mine and sighed against his chest. “Happy New Year, V.” He hesitantly pulled his hand out of my grasp and touched my cheek gently. I pressed into his touch, loving the feel of his flesh against mine, and he lifted my chin so I was looking up into his masked eyes. His fingers traced my face tenderly, touching my hair softly, and came to rest at my neck, cupping it with his thumb tracing my jaw line. When he spoke, it sent a thrill through my body. His voice was rough with emotions I wouldn’t dare think about. “Happy New Year, my dear. Happy New Year.” |
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