Chapter Nine.

3^rd POV

It was a constant craving.

Her touch.

Her scent.

Her skin.

He wouldn’t allow himself to touch her, to get close to her.

He’d been the one to say that he wanted them to be real. That he wanted to love her, and her to love him, and that they would live happily ever after in this screwed up, hate-filled world they resided in. 

And he was driving her away.

The soiree had started, and the night was in full swing. He knew that Rinka had been looking for him for the past hour or so, and he, selfishly, did his best to avoid her. He was angry. Not at her, but at himself. Earlier, by the piano, talking with Onew, the laughter…It was nice. And he enjoyed it. And wanted it. And he gave it up.

How would she ever fall in love with him, if he continued this?

How would he ever fall in love with her if he didn’t change his mind-set?

He watched her from the stairway. She looked lovely, dressed in a raven colored dress, beautifully laced in complicated patterns and the skirt billowing out behind her as she walked, confidently, and chatting with patrons when stopped.

He’d never seen this side to her. Quiet, shy, submissive, those entire he had seen. Confident, blatant, radiating power, these were all new.

She fit perfectly into her role in society.

He made his decision.

Straightening his coat, he made his way down the stairs, steel toed shoes tapping dully against the smooth tile.

“May I have this dance?” He asked, a smile resting on his lips as he held his hand out to her. Rinka turned to him. In her eyes, he could see just a hint of hurt, but still, she nodded.

“Yes, I suppose.” Her own voice was bordering cold, but he dismissed it. He took her by the hand and led her to the floor, her long dress sweeping up behind her.

His hand rested high on her waist, her own on his shoulder, their free fingers lacing together. She stood a good five inches away from him.

“Are you enjoying yourself so far?” He asked.

She was silent at first, avoiding his gaze. He asked again and slowly, she looked up.

"It's nice... I was looking for you for hours." Her eyes turned a bit harsh at the sharp words, but Jonghyun held her stare.

"I know, forgive me," Jonghyun pleaded gently. Rinka's expression softened.

"Alright," she said; tone lighter than its previous grit.

The burden of pushing her away lightened, just a bit, enough for the corners of Jonghyun's to lift into a sweet smile. She noticed and blushed, a quiet pink on her near snow-white face.

"You look lovely when you smile...You really should do it more often." It was his turn to blush, though his was far less noticeable.

They went quiet, her eyes staring somewhere past his shoulder, though his own stayed focused on her flushed face. His eyes traced over her soft features, over the bridge of her nose to the slight curvature of her cheek bones. A scar peeked out from under the brush of bangs that hid her forehead, something he’d never been close enough to see. And then her eyes. They were nothing special, but still, the typical green seemed to shine brighter than the average vampire.

“You’re staring at me,” she said softly, with a hint of amusement in her voice.

He snapped from his stupor, chuckling softly. “I’m sorry.”

She shrugged, pulling him a bit closer to lay her head on his shoulder.

It felt nice, he decided.

xXx

A gasp left Rinka’s throat as the laces of the dress she wore were tightened, cutting off most circulation.

“I do like that one, what do you think, Mistress Kim?” She heard her mother ask as she closed her eyes in an attempt to calm herself.

“I like it, but is there a larger size? Can we loosen the laces? The poor girl seems to be suffocating.”

The attendant gasped and hurried to undo the laces, muttering apologies, not to Rinka, but to Miss Kim.

Rinka rolled her eyes, restraining the need to sag as the weight on her bosom was lifted.

The attendant redid the laces on the dress, though considerably less tightly. “How is that?”

She turned in the mirror, placing her hands on her waist. She bit her lip as she looked herself over.

“Does it look alright?” She asked, turning to them. She let her arms fall to her sides.

The skirt of the dress was a sea of ruffles; the top a deep maroon and the bottom blacker than the night sky. Dark ruffles covered her chest, bows where the duo straps connected to the dress itself. It was actually very lovely.

“You look beautiful,” her mother commented. It surprised Rinka a bit. She wasn’t used to her mother giving out right compliments. The smile on the woman’s face insured the genuine emotion of the statement.

“Thank you,” Rinka breathed. Mrs. Kim voiced her agreement.

“The perfect wedding dress. It’s settled.” Finally, Rinka thought with a breath of relief, this ordeal was over.

The attendant helped her unlace and get out of the dress and she slipped into her normal clothes, Mrs. Kim helping her lace the corset while her mother arranged the deal.

“Jonghyun is certainly lucky. You’re a very pretty young woman.”

“Thank you.”

Rinka turned to the older vampire.

“Rinka, how are you handling this?”

She tipped her head to the side. “What do you mean?”

“This marriage. I realize you’re young.”

Rinka bit her lip. Besides Jonghyun, this was the only person who had bothered to ask her feelings on the arranged marriage between her and the older man.

“I…I’m going to do what is necessary to keep the legacy of the Tekarimoto’s alive.”

Mrs. Kim’s ruby red lips curved in a smile. “Quite the young lady, indeed.”

xXx

I remember the day I got my scar.

It was raining, and mother insisted we keep inside, lest we get sick. I had been so upset because it had been sunny for days and just as I’d had the chance to finally go out, the rain had begun to pound down, drenching the ground and turning the dry dirt into a sinking pit of mud.

“Rinka, let’s play a game,” Seth said to me, his face lit up in a mischievous smile.

I looked at my brother with wide, childish eyes. My brother, Seth, my idol and role model.

“What kind of game, Seth?”

“Tag.” And with that he gave me a bop to the head and tore off down the hallway. Our giggles echoed down the hallway as I sprinted after him, my dress balled up in my hands to prevent me from tripping.

The method didn’t really work, though, as I turned the corner after him. I smacked into the corner table, just tall enough for my head to crack into the sharp corner of the dark wood.

Blood dripped down my forehead as I plopped onto my bottom on the floor, a wail leaving my lips.

“Rinka!” Seth cried, leaning down beside me. “Are you okay, Rinka?”

And I remember the hungry look in his eyes as he brushed his fingers against the blood on my face. The fear I’d felt when his normally dark green irises had slowly spun into red.

“…Let’s get you patched up.” My brother, ever in control.

xXx

Rinka traced her finger down the slope of the scar on her forehead, closing her eyes. Memories flooded her, both ones fond and ones bothersome.

“Just a few more months.”

xXx

A/N: It only took me llike...Forever to post this >_>

Sorry ya'll. Hope you enjoyed, though. Here's a link to Rinka's wedding dress: https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/sweeper-production-contestimage/4ff8598613c3861c7100075c-contest.jpg

ALSO!!! NOTICE THE NEW COVER PHOTO :3 It , and I at photoshop,but i like it better than the other lone.