Little Mafia Boy - Chapter 22: Chapter 22

{Dan}
Dan was sitting around inside of the café waiting patiently for Sera to get there. It had surprised her greatly when Sera suddenly suggested they went out alone. Sera never bothered to call or text her first so she was excited and nervous at the same time. She hoped she hadn't done anything to anger Sera. This was all that she could think of as she was looking down at her coffee and bit down on her lip. Dan was told that the next time they would be seeing each other would be during the New Year's festival with everyone else. So, being able to see Sera sooner made Dan happy.
Speaking of, when mikhail told them that they were all going out with Nico, Max, and Sera he also told them he was dating Nico, she almost didnt believe him. Not that they were a bad match for one another but it just seemed impossible to her that Mikhail actually had shown interest in Nico, because otherwise there was no way he would ever agree to going out. Mikhail was the kind of guy that didn't do anthing half-assed. She would be lying if she said she never expected it. The way Mikhail reacted around Nico was enough evidence she needed to know that they had something going on. Just like she had a hunch Dylan and Max were into eachother. Dan was a little concerned about that relatioship moving forward but as long as Dylan didn't do anthing that would label him as a sex offender, she wouldn't stick her nose into their business.
"Did you wait long?" Dan looked up and saw that Sera took off her scarf and took a seat across from her.
"N-not at all! I just got here a few minutes- seconds ago. Don't worry." Dan stuttered. Although she had actually gotten there a whole forty minutes earlier. Dan fixed her posture and looked at Sera eagerly, much like a dog waiting to be acknowledged by it's owner.
Sera laughed softly and nodded, "There was surprisingly a lot of traffic on the way here. Nico dropped me off on the way home." Dan found herself staring at the perfection that was Sera. Her red hair showed no signs of fading or of the roots growing in. It fell effortlessly on her shoulders and bounced around everytime she moved her head. Sera's eyes that scanned the menu made Dan lose her mind every time they glanced up at her. Sera's lips slightly parted as she focused and silently read the menu to herself. Dan couldn't stop her eyes from looking down towards Sera's collarbones and chest. She gulped down roughly and shook her head and forced herself to look out the window so that she would think of anything perverted.
There weren't many people moving around outside. Christmas was over but most were still on their break from work and school. Only a few office workers and couples were seen moving past the window every once in a while. Even inside the café, only a few table were filled so it was mostly quiet.
She couldn't help but let out a small sigh. Time really was passing her by in the blink of an eye. Soon, she would be graduating alongside Mikhail and Dylan and yet she didn't even know what she was going to do afterward. She didn't have many interests. Sure, she did sports but that was only something she did so that she wouldn't spend all her time alone in her huge house. Her parents worked a lot and she hated being alone. Things were going to change after graduation. It seemed like everyone was finding their own paths while she couldn't even do that.
Mikhail had his mother's shop. Dylan had his photography career he wanted to follow and his grandparents hotel to fall back on. Sure, Dan had successful parents who could give her a job but she knew that she would automatically be hated by the other employees if she used her parents as connections. Somehow, Dan didn't think any of it was fair.
"You okay?" Sera asked.
"Huh?" Dan looked up. A waiter was already walking away so she figured Sera had already ordered. "You spaced out and sighed dramatically." Sera smiled.
Dan shook her head, "No. I mean- Yeah. I'm fine. I was just lost in thought. Sorry! I didn't mean to be rude."
Sera chuckled, "Don't apologize. You didn't do anything wrong" she assured Dan.
Dan looked down at her half empty coffee cup. She felt like an idiot. Sera had gone through all the trouble of inviting Dan out and she was over here ignoring her. Sure, they hung out and spent time together a lot recently but Dan couldn't shake the feeling that Sera was going to call off whatever it was that they had going on.
Dan didn't want that.
Even if they stayed as friends Dan felt like it would be okay. She just want to stay by Sera's side. Deep inside, though, she knew that would never be enough for her. She hadn't realized when it was that she grew so attached to Sera. One day she just realized that she had fallen hopelessly in love with her. Dan had been attracted by the loneliness that appeared in Sera's eyes whenever she thought no one was looking. The way she looked lost as everyone else was laughing around her.
Dan wanted to figure her out but it proved a lot more difficult than she thought. Dan wanted selfishly for Sera to open up to her. She thought that Sera and her were a lot alike. They both felt all alone although they were surrounded by people who cared for them. Dan understood that kind of feeling better than anyone.
"-tired? Did you get enough sleep?" Sera asked which woke Dan from her daydream.
"Sorry! I'm alright." Dan insisted as her cheeks turned red from embarrassment.
"Should we cancel and do this another time?" Sera offered.
"No! Really, I'm okay! Don't go!" Dan said a little too forcefully. Everyone around the small cafe were looking over at them. Dan slid down in the chair and covered her face, "Sorry." She quietly apologized again. Idiot. Idiot. Idiot. She kept telling herself.
From between her fingers, she saw sera wearing a light smile on her lips. "Honestly. You sound like a broken tape recorder. Quit saying sorry."
"So- okay." She said quickly as she almost apologized.
The waiter came back and placed Sera's drink on the table. It looked like she ordered a strawberry smoothie instead of coffee. Sera thanked the waiter and took a sip of her drink. "Mm, have you tried this yet? It's really good."
Dan sat back up, her cheeks still red and shook her head, thankful that the conversation was moving along. "I haven't. Not from here anyway. Aren't they all the same everywhere else?" She asked
"No way!" Sera looked mildly offended. "This place has The Best smoothies around."
"Ahh. Maybe I'll order one later." Dan said. She smiled as she looked at Sera who had gotten offended over a drink. It was like seeing a new side of Sera that Dan hadn't seen before.
"Why go through the trouble? You might not even like it. Just try mine. That way you won't waste your money on the off chance that you dislike it." Sera said sliding over the smoothie to Dan. "They mix it with kiwi and strawberry and banana and even a tad bit  of chocolate. Seriously, once you've had this you won't want to order anything else." She said confidently.
Dan looked at the cup and put her hand over her mouth in embarrassment, "You want me to drink from your straw?" She asked
"Yeah? Is that a problem?" Sera asked curiously, "I can get another straw if you'd like?" She said being considerate.
It wasn't like Dan was a germaphobe or anything. She also wasn't scared of getting some kind of virus from Sera. Honestly speaking, she wouldn't mind if she did. As creepy and gross as that possibly sounded. It was just the thought of them sharing an indirect kiss that got her a bit shaken up and embarrassed. She probably shouldn't have since Sera most likely only saw this as something most friends did. Sera didn't mean anything by it. Dan knew this but there was still a part of her that wanted to believe something else.
Dan shook her head softly since she didn't trust herself not to say something completely stupid again. Dan gently placed her hand over Sera's on the side of the cup and swore that she felt sparks as soon as they touched. She tried ignoring it as she leaned down to take a small sip. It really was just as good as Sera had explained but she couldn't really focus on the flavor much. She felt herself get hot as she pulled away from the drink.
"Amazingly fantastic, right?" Sera asked.
Dan looked up at sera and saw that she had her elbow on the table and was leaning her head on her free hand. Almost as if observing her carefully. Her head slightly tilted to the side. "It- it was better than I expected." Dan admitted.
Sera looked pleased with herself and brought her drink back towards herself. "Told you." She said teasingly.
"Yeah yeah." Dan said with a small laugh. "No need to boast about it."
Sera laughed as well and asked, "Is that what I was doing? I just got really glad that you liked the same thing as I did. Nico isn't much of a sweets guy and Max tries to act tough in front of Nico. They would never come here with me and try this."
Dan smiled seeing how relaxed and open Sera was talking to her. "Really? They're like brothers, huh?"
Dan could have sworn that she saw a glimpse of pain flash through Sera's eyes before she was all smiles again, "Tell me about it. It's always two against one, can you imagine?"
Dan chose to ignore it and nodded, "oh yeah. Mikhail and Dylan are the exact same. I somehow always end up the bad guy."
"Right?!" sera asked with a shake of her head. Dan could literally feel her heart thumbing fast against her chest as Sera looked genuinely happy to just sit around and chat with her.
God. Dan hated how fast she fell in love with people. It always proved to be a bad thing in the past. She had followed some guy on the back of his motorcycle only to find out he had been cheating on her. When she came back she told her friends that it was getting dangerous so she came home. She didn't want to worry them. That was her flaw, though. She was always the one left heartbroken after a relationship and was too considerate to involve the people around her. She didn't want to appear weak. Especially in front of mikhail and Dylan who always did their best in everything. She didn't want to be left behind.
"Do you have a fever? You got quiet." She asked and before Dan could answer, Sera reached over the table and placed her forehead against Dan's, "You're a little warm. Are you feeling sick?"
Dans eyes widened at having sera so close to her. She felt Sera's breath on her face. Dan had forgotten how to breath for a couple seconds. She snapped out of it and said, "No." In a quick breath.
"Good. I was worried." Sera pulled back and sat regularly in her seat. "Have you been getting enough sleep?"
"Yeah." A small white lie. Sleeping alone was difficult for Dan so she usually stayed up until her parents arrived home late. Other times, she would go over and spend the night at Mikhail's. Though, she would t do that often. Mikhail had enough to deal with so she didn't want to impose too often. "I was just a bit busy last night."
Dan selfishly wanted Sera to kiss her. Dan wished that she had the courage to move closer when she had the chance.
Why would anyone be interested in someone like you? Have you seen yourself?
If she kissed you, it would be out of pity.
Give up. She's way out of your league.
Why would she be interested in a kid with no future plans or goals.
Hopeless.
Worthless.
Dan tried to block out the negative voices but they seemed to be getting louder. Sera was a good person. She only saw Dan as a friend, so why did Dan have to mess things up. "I'm sorry." She said, this time she began to tear up. How embarrassing. She thought as she let herself overthink everything as per usual. She was usually stronger than to cry in public but somehow she had lost control of her emotions.
"Hey." Sera said softening her tone, "What's wrong, Dandelion?" She asked calling her sweetly. "Did I say something wrong to offend you?" She asked.
"N-no! That's not-" she hiccuped as she only kept crying, "-it!" She said covering her eyes with both hands as she had her head down. Her tears streaming down now and she knew exactly why.
"Hey now. Don't cry. What can I do to make you smile again?" She asked genuinely trying to get Dan to stop crying.
"Kiss me." Dan said sounding completely desperate without thinking as she looked up at Sera. She knew she shouldn't have said that. She was only going to make their relationship crumble. They had something nice going between them. So, why was Dan trying to ruin it?
Sera was staring at Dan's face as if trying to figure out if that's really what she wanted. She was staring for a long time without saying anything at all and that made Dan grow embarrassed from her own sudden demand, "Never mind!" She said, she changed her mind and grabbed money from her pocket. She slammed it down on the table to pay for her drink and ran out of the shop.
She rushed out through the door and ran down the sidewalk. Her tears blurring her vision. She just had to get all emotional and make Sera uncomfortable, didn't she? Now, Sera was probably going to think she was some kind of nut job seeking attention from whoever she could lay her hands on. In some ways, that was true. Although her dad tried to give her attention, it came off as brushing her away. Instead of actually spending time with her, her dad would buy her gifts, give her money, and send her off to expensive trips. Alone.
Dan turned the corner into an alleyway and put her back against the wall. She let herself slide down and hid her face in her knees as she hugged them close. She continued to blame herself for being so weak as she heard footsteps and someone breathing roughly beside her. Next thing she knew, someone was kneeling in front of her and hugging her tightly, "Next time, I think you should wait to hear me out before running out in tears. You made me look really bad in front of the whole café. They all thought we were going out and I had broken up with you. The waiter even gave me a nasty look."
Dan couldn't help but laugh mentally at the imagery Sera had placed in her head. Dan loosened her grip on her own knees and held onto Sera's shirt on her back. She hugged back tightly, never wanting to let go. She sniffed a couple times as she tried to control her sobs. Being so close to Sera, it felt like a dream.
Sera pulled back only slightly and wiped away her tears that were still rolling down Dan's cheek. "Feeling better?" Dan only shrugged softly. Truth be told, she did feel better only because Sera had chased after her. "Want to explain why you ran out then?"
"I like you." Dan admitted in a whisper."
"Hm?" Sera asked.
"I like you, okay!" She shouted. "I don't want to be alone anymore! I don't want you to leave me! That's what you were going to tell me today, wasn't it?! You were going no to break off our friendship because I'm annoying. I'm not pretty like the other girls. I'm not worth the time! You were going to tell me that you never wanted to see me again!" Dan let herself ramble on in her own delusions, "Maybe that you were going somewhere far away and I couldn't follow! I don't want that!" She cried out, sounding like a child. "It's just scary. I've had enough of people walking out on me because I was never enough for them. It's like, I've been through this so many times so I should be used to it. I should let you walk away and I should move on with my life but it's different with you. I may be acting selfish but I don't want you to leave me." Dan said and by the end of it was breathing heavily.
Sera had a shocked expression as she was looking down at Dan. Although she looked shocked, her eyes were very gentle. Without giving Dan much time to think, Sera grabbed her sweater roughly with both hands and put their lips together. At first it was a small kiss that left Dan shocked and with her eyes wide open. Sera pulled back and they stared at each other silently for a second and went back for a much deeper kiss. Dan was grateful that they were sitting on the floor because she knew that if they were standing, her legs would have given away.
The kiss sent electricity through her entire body. She could tell Sera was experienced since she guided Dan through the kiss assertively. Dan barely had time to breath as they kissed like their life's depended on it. Sera pulled away too quickly and asked, "Are your parents home?" Dan shook her head and sera nodded, "Let's go back to your house. I want to see your room."
"Huh? You've already seen it." Dan said cluelessly for a second. The after effects of the kiss. It took her a moment to realize what Sera meant. "Oh... Ohh!" Dan said with wide eyes, "Are- are you sure?"
Sera smirked and leaned down to nibble on Dan's earlobe. Dan found herself strangle thankful that she didn't have ear piercings. "Yeah." Sera whispered in her ear. "I'm sure."
And so they did.
They went back to Dan's home completely restless as they took a taxi. Their fingers interlaced. Dan tried to keep a calmed expression but it proved difficult. Once they were inside her house with the door shut and locked they left a trail of clothes leading up to her room. They had trashed the living room in the process, but who cared? They were both living in the moment.
Nothing could have separated them at that moment as they became one because the world outside Dan's room didn't exist. There was no time to think or to regret. Only to feel and fall in love over and over again.