I'm crying without tears.
"Acro, why is this so hard?"
My voice is shivering while cutting my hair. I only cut an inch from the tips up to my neck, stylize it by pushing backward, and tie it behind. Some strands in front touch my eyebrows and I have to comb them aside which accidentally results in a style. I rub off the cut strands on my skin before I clothe myself again, excluding the coat.
"Do I look elegant?" I asked while staring at myself in front of the mirror. And I appreciate the perfect match of my white hair and crystalline eyes.
["No."] Acro determined. She's on the vanity while looking at me. I scratch my neck because of the itchy cut strand.
"There's no turning back."
["Unfasten your buttons."]
I look at Acro then I look at my shirt, I touch the first button reluctantly. "What? You want me to—"
["Expose your chest."]
I left my mouth open for a second. I point a finger at her. "You're a lewd bird."
She flaps her wings which signifies impatience. ["I'm your guardian."]
I twist my lips, inhale, then unfasten the first three buttons of my shirt to expose my chest. The necklace is exposed, too. I smile in front of the mirror when the excitement crawls thoroughly my nerves! "I'm off now, Acro!" I left her behind inside the room.
When I arrived at the entrance of the royal ball, I cleared my throat and acted manly no matter how much this gathering excited me. The entrance gate is made of gold, with floral posts on the sides, then candles match the color of the gate. Round tables are arranged on the sides and the middle floor is for dancing and chatting. On the corner is a group of musicians and classic female vocalists performing for the people as background music.
It's crowded. My only solution to find Dandeline is her sweet cake scent. As I march towards that smell, people are looking at me like a magnet to their eyes. And as I usually do, I'll keep my eyes on Dandeline who's currently feasting on wine alone on a table. When she caught my glances with me on the way, she stared as well just like the rest of the people.
"Am I late?"
"This party is overnight anyway," she said like a boss on the streets. "Who did your hair?"
I caress it. "Just me."
And then she laughed at me, I suddenly felt embarrassed! "I thought that long hair is your asset? What's the sudden change of mind?"
"I didn't cut it very short."
"It still looks good on you. The ladies are drooling."
I sat beside her without leaving personal space, then hung my arm around her neck to pull her face closer to my nose. "Maybe they're jealous because it's you whom I cling to."
She drops the glass of wine when her eyes roll. "Please. Don't drag me on a kitty-cat fight of women. If you want to flirt with them then go ahead, now is your chance."
"But I think I'm already doing it."
"With me?" She giggles then pinches my chin. "Where did you get that guts, huh? You're totally a different person!" The wine causes a blush on her cheeks and looks like a carefree teenager. The plates are empty and clean, that's when I glare at her. I snatch the glass away from her and say,
"Are you ashamed to eat alone? Let's eat together."
"Well... I'm not hungry. I'm full from wine," she insists and her cheeks turn rosy than when I found her. And now I think I'm late because she's already tipsy. "How about you? Don't you want to drink with me?"
"That would be double trouble, so no, I'll watch over you once you already lost it."
She laughs at my response loudly, as loud as a screech that nearby people find annoying. I laugh with her. "It's a privilege to hear your different kinds of laughs. It's becoming my kind of music," I complimented. I shouldn't let other men compliment her first.
"What?" She scratches her neck and avoids my glance. And when she laid eyes on the cater, she stood upright and finally decided to get her food. I kinda feel she isn't acting like herself tonight. My only suspect is the effects of wine. And I was surprised by the amount of food she gathered on her plate! She brags that she aspires to become fat and when I questioned her food, she didn't forget to act tough, too. Nothing else came out of my tongue but supportive words. It would be wise to make her keep in mind what I think about her rather than what others think about her.
I only have eyes on her as she eats. It made me smile that she's digging quickly until she chokes. Immediately, I wipe the dirt on her lips with my own towel. "Your food can wait. Take it slowly," I suggested. Still, she digs in like there's no tomorrow until she gives up. She failed to consume everything as I expected. Sometimes, she's acting confident, sometimes, restless. Just like when she dances like crazy towards the dance floor with her bare feet!
I hurried to assist her! The music, without vocals, plays a cheerful melody to convince our energy to have fun along with it. Dandeline is tipsy but the way she dances is sober and genuinely happy. I'm here to support her balance whenever she spins around and sways with me. It's like the sparkling lights of the chandeliers are falling upon us as lovely romantic stars. Even if she might be using me to forget, I'll gladly comply. Because I want her to end the night with a smile. She later starts to dance wildly like a freed teenager from their strict parents!
The music turns romantic already. I lock her around my arms. She leans on me and I support her on her waist. We dance gently and silently. The breath coming from her smells like alcohol. "You're cooperative when it comes to my schemes. Good wolf~" After that, she mimics a roar. I didn't pull my laugh! She has this side, too. It makes me happy to witness it. Whatever she does, she's always beautiful.
We continued to dance slowly until our hearts' pounds sounded louder. Our eyes communicate with each other. And then I lean my forehead on hers, reviewing the details of her lips, but she suddenly bumps her face into my chest due to the symptoms of vomiting! Later on, she walks away from the dance floor and I follow her.
"Dan! The bathroom is this way—" I tried to insist on her but she prefers to go outside, to the balcony where we were earlier. I should lift her in my arms. But I also panicked when she missed a step on the stairs! I caught only her dress but it ripped and exposed her thighs, my hand released her automatically, and I regret it automatically! "I-I'm sorry!" She tumbles to the floor. "Dan! I'm sorry! I was startled—! I didn't mean—"
"Uuugh!! You ruined my dress!" she shouts like a sulking girl. She stands upright and wobbles right away to the baluster. There she pukes. I lean my hands on the baluster from behind her, surrounding my arms around her, to cover her privacy. I can't help but let out a smile at how clumsy she could be sometimes.
On the other hand, I'm mesmerized by the hugeness of the moon. The way I appreciate the moon now is different from the way I see it when I was little. The view, the closeness, seems like I can reach the moon with my cuddling arms. The stars are additional feasts for the eyes, the thin clouds of the night are refracting the light, and beneath is countless light coming from the vast city. What a wonderful world to be in.
She lifts my lip with her two fingers to expose my fangs, then they crawl to my eyes to widen them, "Your eyes are sparkling," she said after a long and awkward silence. "I like watching it whenever you're staring at the moon from now on." Now she's acting like a child, squeezing my cheeks and flapping my ears. I catch her hands and kiss them like a gentleman.
"You're dazzling with the light of the moon, too," I confessed. I wasn't expecting her reaction; she pushes me away, sulks at the baluster, and messes her hair. Others are watching her. I started to wonder what was going on in her mind. She must be embarrassed once she recalls this night. "Dan, I just hope you see yourself the way I see you. You're not a dumped woman. You're... beautiful."
"..." She stares at my lips. "Do you like me?"
"..." I couldn't find the guts to answer now! Do I like her!?
Her clingy hands snake around my nape, smirking and biting her lips. "Shall we go back to our room~?" And she winks. I look at the moon and sigh. I'm amazed at the swift swing of her mood! "Would you like to have a steamy night with me~? But you can't with your trauma!" She pouts.
"... If it's you then maybe... we can make it work."
"What?"
"What?"
She slowly looks away, then forces a laugh. "Aha... Aha-ha! You're funny~"
"Dan, please don't expect me to accompany you whenever you get drunk again. I won't tolerate that."
She made a light laugh. "I said I'm not drunk." Then she bends on the baluster to puke. I cage her with my arms while holding onto the baluster to cover her. The vomit falls in the sky and it's a pity to anyone down there who'll be sprinkled like a vomit rain. I laugh at her in-denial situation, then push her forehead backward.
"Look at you. Reverse the effect now," I demanded.
I searched for a handkerchief in my pocket supposed to wipe her lips but she lost it. I bite the handkerchief and manage to catch her with my arms when she faints, and I lift her. I'm shaking her but she's still dozing, my shoulders collapse from disappointment. I can't let go of her, so I pull her through her waist and nape closer to wipe her lips and jaw with the handkerchief clamped into my teeth. Eventually, I spew the handkerchief in the air then I lift Dandeline with my arms.
I walked through the corners of the hall to stay out of attraction albeit some people caught a glance at us. I head straight to our room and the staff opens the door for us, I thanked them for the assistance. Acro is waiting on the bed when I lay Dandeline there. I watch her sleeping face which is slightly facing sideward. My arms are propped on the bed with her in between. Her scent is extra mesmerizing tonight and the excitement I'm feeling is different from being just jolly.
I couldn't stop gulping.
I want her.
To satisfy my desire, I lean on top of her, smelling her hair down to her neck as my lips rub her skin along up to her collarbone. I bite the lace of her dress to drag it down and lick her mounds as well. I slide a finger to her thigh upward and lift the slip of the dress, exposing the skin of her thighs and abdomen. Then I just found myself caressing her thigh and kissing her belly button when Acro hoots loudly while flapping her wings. It made Dandeline flinch! In an instant, I rolled over and sat on the floor beside the bed, taming my vigorous heartbeat!
I snatch the coat to wear it then the burning desire I have subsided. What was I doing? I thought that Dandeline is awake but it was just a recoil. And now that I'm looking at her, I don't feel anything that urges me to ruin her womanhood. The coat helps... and it has to do something about my wolf. Acro flies towards me, then scratches my head with her claws!
["Pervert! Pervert!"] she said repetitively. But I'm not that kind of guy! I just lost myself for a moment! The atmosphere became hotter.
I whisper, "Okay! Stop! Stop! Don't be such a parrot!"