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Look at Me [Dimitri x Plutonium]

The water had barely hit her body when Mike barged into the bathroom in a tizzy. Facing away from the door, her head whipped around, her jaw dropping but no sort of sound came out. She had turned her head so quickly that the water dripping from the tips of her hair splattered the shower walls. Dark hazel eyes blinked once, than twice. A blank expression on her face until it mirrored his concern. Her concern however centered around the fact she was naked and soaked (and not in the good way.) Quickly, she hugged herself again in hopes of retaining some decency. Her brain was screaming at her to calm down, questioning her on why was she so on edge about him seeing her naked. Quite honestly he was the only person who had seen her naked. Heck, he was usually the one to make it so. Juliette didn't even wear swim suits in front of other people. The only other person she had shone skin to was Maria. The girl forced herself into the Victoria's Secret dressing room to give her two cents about how the lingerie looked.

The silence weighed down on her along with the harsh pressure of the water stream. After long moments of staring at the water falling down the drain she heard him cough. Swallowing, she moved her gaze back to him slowly as he began to speak. It was his turn to look away. Juliette wouldn't lie, it was a bit of a relief when he turned towards the sink. First no makeup, now it was being self conscious about showering in front of him. Maybe it was because she had never showered in front of him. Being naked and turned on was one thing, but being surprised during her own morning routine was completely another. Even if his attention was away from her she felt wary. Her body had slowly turned back to face the shower-head, but her eyes glanced at him from time to time out of her peripherals. Aware of his presence now, everything was making her jumpy and startled and even more self conscious. This wasn't like the commercials where girls looked perfect as water clung to their bodies and their dripped seductively. He had probably even been in some sort of sexy photo shoot where water was gripping his god-like body. Probably involving other girls! Now she felt even more inclined to hide her body. It wasn't like she was going to ask him to get out of his bathroom. Taking one last glance to make sure he wasn't checking her out, she took a handful of shampoo and began to lather her locks.

Once her fingers began to massage her scalp, she felt some of the nerves slipping away. It didn't hurt that the lavender scent was meant to be tranquil and relaxing. Eyes closed, she let her hands down, letting the water cascade down her and over her ears, drowning out the sound. Just before she had heard him wash his mouth out, so she figured he had left.

Gosh, was she wrong.

Strong arms wrapped around her and she nearly slipped upon the first touch of his soaped-up hands. Her gasp echoed off the walls of the glass as his hands set goosebumps upon her skin. Despite wanting to scold him, she found herself stifling giggles. His hands, now slippery, slid up her body in a way that tickled her just slightly. But the tingling sensations from being ticklish he had left on her body began to grow how as his hands snuck farther and farther down her curves. "T-This isn't helping." She murmured in a breathy tone, not really knowing if it was the steam or his sneaky actions that were making her face feel flushed. She pursed her lips as her eyes slipped closed and she couldn't hold back a shaky sigh as he inched closer and closer into dangerous territory. She did not want to be turned on this early in the morning. Being turned on in the morning was the worst. Especially if she had school. Leaving the house like that usually left her fidgeting in her seat during lectures. Luckily he stopped and the closest he came to continuing was lathering the soap onto her mounds in slow, teasing movements. Her eyes slid open just as he set his head on her shoulder. Just slightly, she turned her head to look at him with partly lidded eyes. The content look on his face made her forget about his sexual teasing and match his sweet look before quirking an eyebrow with a quiet chuckle. "Get used to what, teasing me? Or bathing in your clothes? You really shouldn't do either." Something warm and quick pecked her cheek making her realize that it was his touches an kisses and not the steam making her face red. To her relief, he finally moved out of the shower and she eyed him in amusement as his drenched tee-shirt clung to his body and soaked the floor.

When he finally left the room she realized how much tense she had been. A long, relieved sigh slowly fell from her lips as she ran her hands down her curves slowly. The soap skimmed down her skin and swirled in circles down the drain. While looking down in a trance at the suds, she noticed prickles of hair on her legs. Juliette's stomach sank at the notion that he probably noticed her leg hair. Being half Asian, hair grew back rather quickly. Almost too quickly for her liking. Glancing around the shower for her razor, she realized that the shower was indeed not her own, and that she left it in her makeup bag on the counter across the bathroom. One thing she despised was getting out of the shower and being wet and cold. But staying with her boyfriend met being on beauty guard 24/7. And with pain came beauty. With a huff, she made a quick dash to grab her razor and nearly slipped in the process. This time she retained enough composure not to scream and startle Mike. The shower was warm and welcoming, but she didn't want to say in much longer and waste his hot water. Soaping up her legs she grabbed her razor and began to run the tools down her leg. Usually she did it in a careful fashion, but at the moment she really wanted to hurry and help her boyfriend make breakfast. Or at least help set the table. without realizing how it happened, a sudden burning sensation hit the back of her ankle. The water that ran down from her leg was slight red from a very minor cut. Now realizing what happened she hissed. She would need a band-aid. For the time being she grabbed the soap and washed the cut before working on the other leg in a more careful fashion.

By the time she got out and dressed the smell of Mike preparing breakfast wafted into her nose. No one other than her grandparents had made her breakfast before. It was another first; her first breakfast with her boyfriend. There was something butterfly inducing about small 'firsts' like her first time 'sleeping,' in the literal sense, with him as his girlfriend, or the first time she heard him play piano. It was cheesy to ponder how such things could be so special. But as her first boyfriend, any sort of first was something new to her. Something new to learn about. After putting on a purple blouse with a white scarf (thanks to a rather noticeable mark left by someone) and a pair of black denim jeans she turned toward the mirror and began to put on mascara. To think he expected her to simply go au natural was comical at best. Still, there was a warm feeling in the pit of her stomach as she leaned over the counter, coating her eyelashes in a thinner layer of mascara and fondly thinking of his praise before bed. Her fingers began expertly weaving her hair into a french braid, a black pony-tail band held between pursed lips. After what was done, she glanced around his bathroom to see if there were any band-aid's in plain sight, after all she didn't want to go around seemingly snooping his things. It didn't matter. She had kept him waiting long enough and breakfast would get cold if she didn't hurry. Carefully, she straightened up the bathroom to the best of her ability before walking out into his bedroom and into the hallway.

As she approached the very end of the hall the sound of Alexandra's voice. The eloquent tone of her voice, the very sound, made her stomach churn. It was unconsciously. Most likely remembering what Mike had told her about their beneficial friendship. Her mouth and throat went dry, and she swallowed as if to regain composure. However, her discomfort melted into annoyance at the irritating questioning of a reporter. Is this what Mike had to live with? It hurt to know he was listening to such anxiety inducing questions in the privacy of his own home. It didn't help that he was still recuperating from the accident. Surely he was questioning the future of his career as well. A noise of irritation came after the TV was silenced, being turned off and hopefully staying off. The silence afterward had Juliette contemplating while hidden in the hallway. Being cramped up in his castle-like penthouse wasn't good for the psyche. Not to mention the fact they haven't been on a public date yet. Obviously for good reason-- He couldn't be in public, but she could fix that. With a deep breath, she put on a smile as if nothing happened and walked out from the obstructed view of the hallway. Don't listen to them. Everything will be okay. Just relax. She spied him at the table and walked over to not her seat, but to his.

Hopefully signs a simple touch would convey what she wanted to say. Hopefully it was enough for now.

With a gaze of serene eyes full of affection her hand reached down and grazed his scar with the back of her finger and then let it fall. "Sorry for taking so long. Oh, and sorry for wearing makeup. This is the minimal amount." Slowly, her grasp from him loosened and she turned toward the her seat and sat down. The very sight of food got her suddenly very excited. This was it, her first breakfast with him. Not only did the idea excite her, but the fact he was a rather outstanding cook as well...that didn't hurt. Picking up her fork she dug into the pancakes first. Lightening up his mood was her top priority, other than pancakes, of course. "When I was little--" She began just before taking a bite of the fluffy pancake. "I used a spoon to scoop the syrup and wouldn't eat any of the pancakes." It was embarrassing to talk about, but if he would laugh then maybe she would consider telling stories. "Given the size of my 5 year old body, the sugar rush left me wired. I couldn't even sit while Lola read me my favorite book." Another bite. One of her dinner time rituals was to eat all of one food before moving to the next. In this case pancakes came first, sausage second, and lastly came the eggs. "Now...your turn. Tell me about when you were little." Her eyes sparkled in anticipation, she even leaned over the table a little with the sausage on her fork. After all, she loved a good story.

After a few exchanges of childhood stories their plates were clean. Although she wanted seconds, her stomach had no way of handling that. "I'll take the dishes." She stopped him before he could get up. She stacked their sticky plates and silverware, placing their used napkins on the top before carrying it all to the kitchen. The napkins were thrown out and she proceeded to place the dishes in the dish washer. Once that was done, an idea that made her smirk popped into her head. Juliette strode over to him while he still sat in his seat and sat down on his lap carefully, arms locking around his neck as she stared down at him. "So...since the food was wonderful; May I kiss the chef?" Before he could even give the okay her head dipped down and she planted a kiss against his lips, smiling at the sweet taste of the syrup that lingered. Juliette was tempted to continue what he dared start in the shower, but it was much to early for that. Besides, she had plans for him. Pulling away just barely she pecked his lips one more time and then straightened her body, grinning all the more with an ecstatic glimmer in her hazel hues.

"I'm taking you out."

--

After finding him a good disguise, a.k.a glasses and a hat to cover his easily spotted hair style as well as a band-aid for her ankle, she forced him from his penthouse sanctuary. Instead of using his driver or his car in general, she made him walk. "It's more low-key this way." She assured as her hand slipped into his. This would be another first: hand-holding in public. There was no way they could do something like this on campus. So now was the time to take advantage of it. "I have to stop at my house later to grab some things. And to make sure the neighbors aren't too suspicious. For now, I have somewhere I want us to go. I believe it's walking distance from here." She spoke over the sound of a train passing overhead as her head tilted up toward the tops of buildings. As an avid walker, landmarks were her key to everything. Street names helped too, but she forgot those constantly. It was the one type of information she could never retain. Then again, cities were huge. Especially New York. "So when was the last time you walked around the city like this?" She asked as they shuffled down the sidewalk and across busy streets. While exchanging talk, Juliette was distracted by the simultaneous street navigating. There was a silent prayer within her head that she didn't get them lost. That would be embarrassing.

The more they walked the streets, the more she realized her hand was getting sweaty. Maybe it was the heat that radiated from both of their hands together. Or maybe it was the fact the feeling of his hand squeezing her own gave her butterflies. Either way, she let go of his hand and blushed hard before placing the sweaty hand in her free one. "S-Sorry." She mumbled before stopping in front of a a semi-tall building. "Ah! Here we are." She sighed in relief while scanning the building. It was a shopping mall, the usual one she went to. From her house she usually took the subway, so finding it from Mike's house was a bit confusing. Thank the lord for landmarks and the fact her boyfriend surely didn't walk around the city all that much. "We don't have to buy anything. After all we already exchanged presents, but..." She paused and began leading him inside, "I wanted to get you out of the house. You're going to start work again soon so," Her lips turned up into an inviting smile, "We may as well have some fun." After getting past the revolving door, the two of them joined hands again (she had wiped her sweaty palm on her jeans) and stood off to the side while people bustled about. "I know where every store is. So we can either walk around or go to whatever store you want. Oh!" She looked up and pointed to the third floor. "The bookstore I go to is on that floor...um." Suddenly, she turned a bit sheepish and looked toward the floor. "C-Could we go and browse. Or you could go somewhere and browse whatever you want! I don't want you to have to wait for me." Her words fumbled a bit. "Before that, though. Let's just explore each floor. Oh! And later we can eat mall food. My favorite are pretzels. So, where to?" She asked with inquiring eyes. For some reason, her heart was pounding within her chest. Perhaps she was just excited to finally be out with him. Or maybe it was the hope of seeing him have fun outside of his usual world for once. Whatever the reason, she was ready to get their adventure started.
 
The moment the soft skin of the back of her hand traced his scar, his eyes felt warm and tears threatened to make itself visible. It was the first time he ever felt threatened by the media because of one simple flaw on his skin. All his life, he had known the life of show business and the life of fame. Though he was tired of it, he didn't know how to function without it. He didn't know how to live a normal life. He almost kept her hand in place for just a little bit more but her touch ended almost as soon as it began. He tried to force a smile as she walked towards her place. Mike didn't speak. He only looked at her as she tried to lighten up the mood with her stories. Given another circumstance, Mike would've loved to hear all of those childhood stories and perhaps he could have been a little more sincere with his reactions but he couldn't erase the thoughts from his mind. What if he could never model again? What would become of him?

Would Juliette still like him? Love him?

Mike shook his head discreetly and focused on Juliette's stories instead. He chuckled softly at the cute confession about how she chugged down maple syrup when she was just five years old. The mental images were both funny and cute. Mike was finally starting to forget what he heard from TV but once she asked about his childhood, his smile faded a bit. He wondered if he could tell a story as fun as that. As far as Mike could remember, none of his childhood memory seemed that fun.

"I had a boring childhood," He began as he lazily took small bites from his food. "I uhh, I never met my grandparents. Well, never again. I met them once, but I was too young to remember so much. All I can recall right now is that..." A sad chuckle escaped from him unconsciously. "They spoiled me on that first and last time. My mother, she did not like that. so, that was it." He shrugged. "I never knew any other forms of childhood, so it's actually nice to hear fun stories from other people. Your grandparents must really love you so much."

After a few more stories (mostly Juliette's, because his own always changed the mood and he didn't want that), they both got up and Juliette offered to take the dishes. He protested a lot, but she was persistent, so he ended up chuckling and rolling his eyes in defeat before she threw herself at him and gave him a sweet kiss. Mike closed his eyes and smiled against her lips. That's when he realized it was indeed true; a kiss from someone you love can absolutely change things. Most of all, her invite to take him out got him excited and scared at the same time. What if they were seen? What if the media captures Juliette, thus getting her in trouble? Mike shook his head. No. He would give this a chance. This was Christmas Day after all, and he couldn't think of another way to spend it than how Juliette wanted to spend it.

"Alright love, but you're not taking me out without me having a shower. I smell like sex, you know?" He teased her with a wink and then he got up to kiss her forehead. "Thank you for taking care of the dishes." He kissed her lips quickly once more before disappearing inside his room to take a shower.

---

As he sat down with only a towel around his waist, he watched as Juliette ran through his things for a perfect disguise. They ended up with a pair of fake glasses and a bonnet which covered his hair entirely. The band-aid looked a little off on his face in his opinion, but other than that, Mike must agree it was pretty okay. Still, his jawline was there and a few other assets so he simply wished no one would recognize him.

Before heading out, Mike asked Juliette to give him another minute. He bolted back inside his room and then he went out with her scarf gift around his neck. It was a perfect way to break his plain v-neck white shirt. The red plaid polo shirt wrapped around his waist also gave him a hipster look (a look which he rarely wore) which added more to the disguise. He took a deep breath, took her hand, and then headed off.

It's been so long.

"The last time I walked around these streets were..." He paused, thinking. "Ah, I think it was when I wasn't known here yet. I was known in Russia, but in here, only a few people knew me. I walked around Central Park a lot and although some would ask for photos, the others didn't pay attention. I was just another person in the crowd." It felt awkward at first and he was always on high guards but eventually, he loosened up and enjoyed the walk instead. Once in a while, Mike would bring out his phone and would take random photos. He took a photo of their clasped hands, he took a photo of a side view of Juliette as she spoke, and then he pulled her closer to that they could take a photo together. At every shot, he took a few seconds to smile at the screen of his phone before tucking it away. He also ended up chuckling when she apologized for her hands. "I've already touched all forms of wetness, so why are you shy about this?" He whispered against her ear before giving her a wink.

Soon, they ended up in the mall. He saw the sparks on her eyes as she looked around. He wanted to capture this moment as well but he wanted to stare at her lovely face, too. "Love," He said, chuckling. He held her shoulders and shook her a bit. "Come on, we have the whole day. We can do everything. I'll accompany you to the bookstore, then we can explore each floor, then we can eat some pretzels, okay?" He kissed her forehead again.

He suddenly felt excited about the whole thing.

As they browsed around the bookstore, Mike scanned some book titles with his eyes. He was just walking alongside Juliette because, well, books weren't exactly his thing but he enjoyed spending the moment with her. He enjoyed seeing her light up every time a good book pops up.

Eventually, as they walked around, they passed by the magazine area where three girls were holding up a copy of Men's Health in which he was the cover with him wearing gym clothes. They were giggling which made him shrug as they continued along. Oh, if only those girls knew. He caught up with Juliette and hooked her fingers with his. "Did you find anything you want?" He asked. "We can get anything you want."

As they continued browsing along the bookstore, Mike suddenly had an idea. "Love?" He said, breaking her reverie from one of the books she was looking at. "I want to buy you a dress. Will you allow me?" Mike chuckled. "It sounds random and silly, I know, but... it had always been a small wish of mine to buy my girlfriend a dress she'd wear in her special events." Mike was a little too complacent about the entire thing so when he turned, he was surprised to see one of the three girls dangerously near them. She was staring at him as if she saw the truth.

And she did.

"Umm, I--" She gulped. "I'm sorry, I-- I just thought you're... you're Mike Romanov because... because you sound like him and--"

Mike smiled his professional smile yet he spoke in his thick Russian accent -- the accent fans had never heard of. "I am sorry, but I am not Mike Romanov. I get that very often, but I am not him." He said. His accent was extra thicker this time yet he sounded as nice as possible.

The girl simply nodded and said sorry before running away with her friends. Once they were out of sight, Mike sighed and turned to Juliette again. "I am so sorry about that," He said. Suddenly his mood was a little down again, realizing that even the simplest joys such as going to malls, he couldn't give Juliette. Once he starts working again considering the best case scenario of him having his job back, nothing would be normal anymore. He wouldn't be able to go out with Juliette like this.

He sighed and kept silent. Mike walked away a bit from Juliette and rested his back on the wall as he tried to clear his mind again. So many things were taking its toll on him on a day that those things shouldn't. His mind was plagued with the thought if he was indeed a good boyfriend to such a sweet girl if he'd eventually take even the smallest joys away.
 
A noticeable wave of relief washed over her body. As his lips pecked her forehead, a slow sigh helped compose the rest of her nerves just before her hand took its place back in his own. They had held hands the entire length of the walk and yet there was still electricity circuiting from the tips of her fingers up to her face. Her cheeks felt as if they were on fire even after standing there for a moment and adapting to the warmth. While they were walking she had been keeping her eyes busy by navigating the streets. Now, she found herself intently staring at their clasped hands. Their hands had contrast to them, his being light and her's a few shades darker. His peachy tone against her own olive skin reminded her of their outward personas. He was like the the sky at dawn: bright and warm. He stood out. She on the other hand was dusk: quiet and shy, and used to staying in the shadows. Their hands also had a size contrast. His weren't rough like she imagined a man's, but still big enough to fit and house her dainty, small hand with a firm grasp. In her dreamy gaze and without realizing, she squeezed his hand as if to pinch herself--making sure there was truly someone else's hand in her own. When her hand began to sweat, she knew that it wasn't some sort of illusion. Although embarrassed yet again, she gave him another quick squeeze just before they truly started their little adventure.

The bookstore was their first stop. Quite honestly Juliette wasn't sure what was making her more excited at that specific moment: being with Mike or going to the bookstore after so long. Maybe it was a combo of both. Obviously she had never gone to the bookstore with anyone, maybe only with her Lola years back. The moment Juliette was old enough to take a train and visit the bookstore by herself was a long awaited day for her Lola. Taking Juliette there meant hours of her sitting in the same spot and pouring all her time into reading picture book after picture book, or chapter books when she advanced in her reading. Juliette would literally have to be dragged out of there nearly every time they visited. It came to the point that her Lola only allowed her the special treat of going and getting books when she got good grades. In retrospect, perhaps that is what drove her to really start excelling in school in the first place. With every A she got two books and with every B she got one. After that sort of reward system first came into swing, her book shelf began to fill up rather quickly. Now she had a book shelf with four different shelves to store books on, and even now that was being filled up at an overwhelming speed.

The minute she stepped even an centimeter into the store, her eyes darted several places in a fraction of a second. Was there anything in particular she was looking for? Her grandparents had given her a gift card for Christmas. It was a pretty standard procedure, actually. They went on vacation, they gave her the gift card to keep herself busy at home. It was the best next thing she had to an actual vacation for years now...which was a bit pathetic when she really thought about it. Maybe it was more pathetic that she was so ecstatic about books, and yet her boyfriend was right...beside her?

Without realizing it, she had made a beeline, rather a mad dash, to the usual section she found her books in-- The young adult section. How could she have been so rude?! All the excitement of spending her entire gift card, plus the fact that being in a bookstore with her boyfriend hasn't quite set in yet-- she must have forgotten to be conscious of him. Her head and eyes desperately darted in different directions before finding him. It didn't take long, because he managed to keep up with her. Juliette was suddenly not too sure what she was more embarrassed/ashamed about: being blinded and leaving him behind for books, or him finding her in the young adult reading section. It may say young adult, but that was just a mature way of writing teen. If she was still in high school, 18 and 20 would be a huge, huge age gap. A college and high school student together was no light subject. Even if she was in college now, the more that she thought about who she was and how she acted, the more she realized she may as well be a high school student. She probably looked like one in his eyes, and even more so at the moment. "I'm so sorry!" She blurted out while taking his hand and squeezing it. "I get a bit...distracted when I come here." Admitting to her flaw quietly, she turned her body in embarrassed demeanor, hoping to hide the flushing of her face. "I-I won't take too long, I promise." With one last squeeze of his hand she let go and began to browse the shelves at lightening speed. Finding a book that look interesting to her only too every five seconds. 'Too long' meant nothing in this bookstore, but since she was conscious of her boyfriend's presence, she wanted to keep his best interest in mind, find a book, and get on with the rest of their day.

Or maybe she should call it a date?

The idea of this day at the mall with him being a date came to her as she scanned the back of a teen fantasy/romance novel. The cover had one of those dramatically photoshopped girls in some sort of expensive with fantastical looking effects and backgrounds to draw eyes. It was a bit cheesy, but ever since her and Mike had become truly official, romance novels have become her repertoire. Her fingers curled around the book in what was either giddiness or nerves. As they walked over to a different section, she noted the three girls reading a magazine. Juliette didn't care what the title was, but her eyes found the familiar face decorating the cover in an instant. The sight of that confident smirk she knew oh so well made her want to chuckle. At the same time, she couldn't help but worry that the sight of his 'model self' may depress him or bring back unwanted feelings like the news had earlier that morning. To her relief, however, he shrugged his shoulders and continued following her through the shelves.

After countless minutes in several sections of the bookstore, she had a notable number of teen fantasy novels stacked in her arms. She had just been finishing up on the last shelf before hearing Mike bring up buying her a dress. The idea made her heart flutter, but she didn't want one, nor needed one. Juliette was more happy about how princely he acted toward her. It was a bit selfish of her to enjoy his showered affections, but she only hoped one day she could return them. Her lips parted to politely decline when instead she felt herself gasp. One of the adolescent girls reading the Men's Health had cautiously approached Mike. Just from the starstruck look in her eyes, Juliette knew they had been found out. Watching the whole exchange undergo, she noticed the look of panic and discomfort painting her boyfriend's face, and in that moment she thought of dropping every single book in her arms on the floor and blocking him.

She needed to protect him.

It was a heart wrenching sensation in the pit of her stomach. Almost like a fire burning, or adrenaline coursing through her veins. It was like an urge or some sort of reflex. Was she looking out for his best interest? If that was the case, it would be more suspicious to butt in and deny the girls claims. That or she would seem like some kind of jealous/clingy girlfriend protecting him from a teenage girl. It didn't matter, though. He didn't need to be reminded of the part of his life he was hoping to avoid for the time being. Taking a step toward them Juliette was fully prepared to do something, anything. But Mike seemed to be ready for the situation, handling it by disguising his voice to sound as truly Russian as possible. Heck, it could have fooled her and she had heard him with his accent. Her heart, which had been pumping so loudly she could hear it loud in her ears, settled just barely as the girl returned to her friends. Gripping the books with white knuckles she approached him without a word. The wait before he responded felt like an eternity before he finally turned to look at her. And when he did, her heart dropped.

Somehow, he looked so much more tired than before.

He walked away, leaving her feeling nothing but dread. She followed him with her eyes as he found a rather hidden wall and rested himself up against it. And that was when she realized she had no idea what to do. One thing she never learned was how to comfort people. And she was frightened. So scared that he was furious at her for making him join her today and dragging him into public and into a bookstore when he hated books. What scared her the most is that she really had no idea what to do for him. What should she do for him? Was letting him be a good idea? Or should she reassure him like she tried this morning. Every single 'what if' and 'what should I do' sort of thought was running rampant in her head, and honestly she felt panicked. Finally, she set down the pile of books. Later she would feel bad that the staff would have to re-sort them. At the moment there were more important matters at hand. Slowly, she approached him clearly being cautious. And then, she put on a brave face, taking his hand with the warmest of smiles she could manage at the moment.

"I have enough books," She admitted with a shrug, trying to act indifferent and cool as if she didn't have a care in the world about books. It was true that she wanted to buy those books, but she wanted to give Mike a special day more. "--but...I don't have many dresses..." she trailed off hoping he would catch what she was implying. If he really wanted to get her a dress, she wouldn't mind. With that she began to move backwards toward the entrance of the store, pulling him along. "The only conditions are that it can't be too revealing. Although, I'm sure you would like that." She teased, truly hoping she was helping make the air around them more light. "--And that right after we go and get pretzels."

Once they were back toward the center of the mall, the two of them found a directory. "I have never gone dress shopping. I take it you know more about fashion than I do anyway. And if you do buy me a dress it certainly cannot go home with me. Lola will end up finding it." As the two of them made their way up escalators and past stores like 'Bath and Body Works' and 'Forever 21' they also passed tons of teenage girls. Every time they passed a group Juliette couldn't help but become alert if they so much as glanced at him. Maybe she was a good diversion being on his arm like this. No way would people believe the Mike Romanov to have someone plain like her on his arm. Especially when she was only wearing mascara by his request (which she felt very, very self conscious about the more she thought about it.) Next time they went out she was going to wear her usual amount, no if's, and's or but's about it.

When they finally found the store, she took a glance around. Tons of high end dresses lined the walls and clothing racks. Everything about the store, including the staff, screamed high-end or expensive. Suddenly very intimidated, Juliette moved closer to Mike, nearly hiding behind him. "Please don't tell me I have to model for you in front of all these women." She whispered, quite ready to make a run for it. "All of this stuff is far too fancy for me, Mike. I...I could never pull it off." She glanced at herself in a mirror on the wall. All she could see was her 18, fresh out of high school self. These dresses were for elegant, beautiful women-- not klutzy college freshman (a.k.a: her.)
 
He'd never be able to take her out on normal dates. He'd never be able to stroll along parks or malls without having such an encounter as that of minutes ago. So many thoughts related how they would never be a normal couple plagued his mind and it seems like it was evident on his face. Juliette came to his emotions' rescue not too long after, diverting his dreadful realizations to spending more fun activities for the day. After all, such a day may never come again. He loved how she added a tease at the end. "No actually, I don't like it too revealing. Those are for my eyes only, love." He chuckled and then he kissed her cheek. "Come on, let's get those books paid out. I know just the perfect place for your dress."

Mike accompanied his girl to the counter as she paid for her books with the gift card. He was behind her so she wouldn't see or know, but he was looking down at her with a goofy yet sweet smile. The girl at the cashier who looked around a year older than Mike was even smiling at the both of them.

"You're a lucky girl," the girl told Juliette as she winked at her. She packed up Juliette's purchases, handed the stapled paper bag to her. Mike didn't pay much attention to the lady but when they walked past her, she said, "I'm not a fan, but I'm not a hater either. I wish you well, Romanov." Her voice was extremely discreet but Mike heard her words clearly. He didn't respond to her words or regarded her in any sense, but he nodded to her slightly before following Juliette out of the bookstore. He wondered if he'd see news about him being spotted in the mall or if there would be paparazzi soon but he didn't let those thoughts destroy his mood. There was something about the way the lady spoke to him that made him believe she just sincerely wished her well.

With her arm hooked on his, Mike found himself smiling again as they walked along the mall. "Don't worry, we can keep it at home," Mike said. "Maybe we can even buy some things next time, like house clothes and night clothes for the days you can stay over so that you won't have to bring big bags next time." They passed through a couple of shops until Mike led her to the fifth floor where the bigger brands were. He held her hand firmly to reassure her as they entered Murakova, a brand only a few in the US are paying attention to but it was one of the biggest ones in Russia. As soon as they entered the shop, Mike took off his sunglasses and his cap but he kept the scarf on simply becaused he liked it on him. The sunglasses was starting to become a nuisance since the shop was dimly lit.

"Ahhhh Mikey, look how much you've grown!" A middle-aged woman said yet she stood tall (taller than Mike now, with her heels), slim, and proud which made her look young and beautiful. Her face drowned in makeup but it looked nice on her, accenting a lot of her facial features like her jawline and her sharp eyes. She wore a pencil skirt and with her high heels, her legs looked very long. Her gaze was a little intimidating but with the way she talked to Mike, she sounded like her personality is sweet. Her accent is much stronger than Mike's "I've seen your accident in the news! Are you feeling okay now?"

"Yes, Auntie Rina, I'm fine. Oh!" Mike pulled Juliette forward a bit to introduce her to the woman. "Auntie Rina, this is Juliette. She's... someone really special to me." He squeezed her hand. "Juliette, this is Auntie Rina, my mom's cousin. She owns Murakova and a bunch of other woman stuff I no longer kept track of."

Auntie Rina gave a heartfelt yet poised laugh. "Oh, Mikey, darling, you are too kind on the introductions." She then turned to Juliette. "Juliette, dearie," by habit, she looked at her from head to toe intently. "My, my. How I wish I had such a body back at your age." She leaned down to whisper on her ear. "Darling, when I was what, 18? 19? I was a stick. No curves here," she comically touched her breasts, "and here," she smacked the side of her butt.

Mike rolled her eyes. "Auntie Rina, please don't forget that I exist."

Rina scoffed. "Boys."

"Anyway," Mike cleared his throat. "I'd like to buy two dresses for Juliette. I don't know how dresses work so I thought of bringing her to you. She wants something that isn't too revealing. She wants something elegant."

Auntie Rina looked pleasantly surprised. "If I had your body, I would've flaunted a lot of those curves. However, save those for my handsome nephew now, alright?" She gave Juliette a playful wink while Mike wanted nothing more but to dissolve and disappear right then and there. "Anyway, darling, come with me and see what designs of mine are to your liking. I've got lots of the elegant ones so I'm sure you'd be able to pick out one or two." She took Juliette's hand and led her to the back of the store, leaving Mike alone in one of the seats in the shop. With everyone being elite, no one really paid attention to Mike. Perhaps he was someone they knew, but not someone they'd go after, so Mike was able to rest for a while without being figured out.

Meanwhile, in the room at the back of the shop, Auntie Rina led Juliette to a couch and handed her a magazine of her designs. "I wouldn't want to waste your time in picking out the dresses so please do browse my designs. Let me know if there's something you like, yes?" She flashed her a sweet smile but just as the smile appeared on her face, it quickly turned into a sad one. "Mike's been through a lot. Even in Russia, as a kid, he was already working. My younger sister - his mother - she... she wasn't exactly kind to him." She let out a sad chuckle. "But I'm glad he found someone nice and beautiful to make him happy. You go take care of Mikey now, will you, darling Juliette?" Rina smiled to Juliete again before allowing her to browse the designs of the dresses. When she spoke again, her perky attitude was back. "Now, let's go find you a dress! I'm sure Mikey's very excited to see the dresses on you. But if you'll allow me," Rina got up from the couch and rummaged through the hanged dresses inside a huge closet. She took out a lavender one and a black one. The lavender was a modest tube dress which embraced her frame perfectly without exposing much of her breasts. Its length was pretty okay too, since it reached half of her thighs. The black one was quite shorter than the other but it was a long-sleeved one with its sleeves in net form. "I think these would suit your frame well. Why don't you try these two out first?
 
Uncertainty embodied her, causing her to shrink farther and farther behind her boyfriend. The entire store's stock, atmosphere-- not to mention people gave off a high-end, high-class and 'way to high' price tag sort of feeling. There was a vague sense of deja-vu as she simply took in the architecture of the store. Everything was spotless and just plain expensive looking. Even the customers browsing the selections were spotless and expensive looking. The brands that each of the female customers were carrying costed the same as one of the dresses on the mannequins. The brand name was unfamiliar to her, but then again most fashion brands were unfamiliar to her. The only brands she ever paid attention to were makeup brands. Clearly it was Russian given the name and the fact she could hear customers and staff members conversing in an accent the same as Mike's. Juliette had only heard Mike speak Russian a handful of times or in bits and pieces. She found it extremely charming (not to mention a bit dorky) how he sometimes thought out loud in Russian. Perhaps she would surprise him one day by learning to say something cheesy or general phrases in his native tongue.

It didn't take too long for her interlocked arm to coil, bringing her closer to him out of insecurity. Two women whom had just finished at the counter walked past them. Juliette noted the glances they took at her and Mike and could only imagine what judgement they were passing, or maybe they were even checking Mike out. Both options had her unconsciously bringing herself even closer to Mike. Discomfort coated her voice, "Mike, I don't want you to spend money on a dress I won't get to wear all that often..." She trailed off, looking downward at her bag of books shamefully in hopes her excuse would work. She had done her best to keep her voice from giving away how completely out of place she felt. Even if he bought her any one of the lavish dresses in stock, it wouldn't make her like the rest of the women in the store: physically suitable for Mike. Maybe even suited for him in mindset as well. The way these women carried themselves with such sophistication and class was something Juliette couldn't do even if she took lessons. Knowing her she would end up stepping on whichever dress he bought her or even spill something on it. Her dark eyes stared at her warped image reflected on the pristine floor. And she suddenly was all too aware of how awful she felt about herself standing beside him at that moment--

"With just a tad bit of color on the lips and some contact lens so that you won't have to wear your glasses, you're already model material."

Those words from so long ago crashed into her thought stream out of nowhere, repeating in Mike's condescending, Americanized, fake voice. Once more her arm tightened and she remembered the other night what he told her. How he showered her with affection and praised her even without makeup. And she believed him-- she still did, but Juliette was blinded by the glamour all around her. It clouded her mind, making her anxieties completely irrational. It was an incredibly unhealthy way of thinking. To rid herself of the thoughts she physically shook her head before bringing her gaze up from the floor to try and make an attempt at another excuse to leave-

Why was he taking his disguise off?!

"Mike--?! Don't do that!" She slid her arm from its interlocked position to reach up and push the glasses back on when a voice rang through the store. Stunned, all Juliette could watch was the scene unfolding in front of her. Adrenaline pumped through her veins at the possibility of being mobbed by fans, but to her surprise it was only the woman who had called Mike by a nickname she had yet to hear. The exchange between the two of them was a bit hard to understand given how much thicker this woman's accent was. The moment Mike called her 'Auntie' however, her eyes grew far wider than the frightened state they were in before. Now, she was in complete awe. The resemblance was uncanny now that she studied this lady's features. The intense gaze her eyes held matched Mike's to a tee, not to mention the air about her as well. Juliette found herself as starstruck as when she first encountered Mike. The only difference was this woman sounded much more genuine. Without realizing it, she found herself smiling wide even before he presented her for an introduction. With sparkling eyes she stepped forward just slightly, not too sure if her blushing came from Mike's warm introduction of her or the fact this meeting felt as if she were meeting his parents. A good first impression was now her priority.

"It's such a p-pleasure to meet you, um--madam." 'Ma'am' just didn't suit a women with such a strong aura like her's. Juliette's eyes and smile, although a bit bashful, were completely genuine. After hearing Mike tell her so many stories involving how cold his family was to him, this was like a ray of sunshine. Squeezing his hand back she only looked at his Aunt in nothing short of adoration. To know this women was kind to Mike despite the rest of his family brought her relief. However that relief was short-lived; Miss Rina's gaze scoured Juliette's form causing her to step back toward Mike defensively. Once more she was shocked by Miss Rina's praise and the rather...outgoing way of showing it. Juliette watched in comical horror as Miss Rina's hands went for her breasts, squeezing them playfully very briefly before moving to her rear. She gasped and nearly jumped out of her skin at the same time. Red in the face from both the physical and phonetic conveying of praise, she coughed to regain composure which only lasted a moment before being hilariously appalled by this woman's blunt compliments and innuendos about her body. Despite how her mind was reeling from being 'felt up' by his Aunt, she couldn't help but make a silent joke wanting to cop a feel on her body ran in the family. Instead, steam could have been pouring from her ears from how her entire face burned. Gosh, she wished she was better at not giving how she was feeling away so easily. By both their reactions, his Aunt must have known her joking was actually quite on the mark.

Now that Miss Rina was keen on picking Juliette out a dress, refusing was out of the question. It would be terribly rude given this clearly talented, fashionable, not to mention successful and quite honestly a bit scary (she was taller than Mike for heaven's sake.) woman was taking time to assist her. Given the magazine Juliette plopped herself down on the sleek sofa and sitting straight up to the point of being rigid. She felt the extreme need to be as polite and well-mannered as possible. Taking the magazine her slender fingers began to carefully flip through the pages. Immediately she came to understand why Mike's Aunt had such a big name brand. Her designs ranged from simple to complicated, casual to extravagant. There was a design in her catalog for nearly any sort of occasion. Juliette couldn't help wondering if she made wedding gowns, too. If she added wedding gowns to her repertoire she would surely appear on all of those wedding gown TV shows that her grandmother watched. The farther Juliette got through the catalog, the more depressed she began to feel again. The dresses were gorgeous, but they were also adorning women that were most likely photoshopped. Even if photo shopping was the case, it wasn't all that drastic of a change. In reality all of these women had sleek figures and flawless facial features. They were probably already that skinny anyway! But, Juliette couldn't be photoshopped. Even if she dieted for a million years or exercised daily she could never be like the women in Mike's world. And in the back of her mind she knew Mike seemingly cared less-- but she cared.

In the middle of flipping through the magazine, she stopped altogether and closed it without a word. Taking a deep breath, she looked up from the magazine while mustering the best smile she could manage. "Everything is beautiful. I...Well I wouldn't really know where to start." She admitted quite honestly before placing the magazine on the coffee table. Surprisingly, it wasn't only her that seemed sad. Out of nowhere Miss Rina got very solemn. Juliette didn't think she could start feeling any sadder, but Mike had become the topic. It was one thing to hear about the past coming from his own mouth, but even from his Aunt's point of view he had such a rough start. He had been just a child. A child put to work by his own mother, yet he powered through it. Now, he stood at the top. He was the best of the best in such a tough line of work and for what? To be emotionally neglected by his parents? Did his mother know how exhausted he was, or how much anxiety he has had as of lately? Despite how livid Juliette had become from the topic of his mother, she was calmed by Miss Rina's praise. Not so much about her being beautiful, but about the idea of making Mike happy.

Could she, really?

Twice today he had become saddened by something she didn't know how to prevent. Buying him luxuries was out of the question given she was far from wealthy, and he already had everything. She wasn't people smart, only book smart. However, she could read all the 'self health' books in the world and still have no idea how to keep him comforted. All she had to go off of was the strange connection they had made from the beginning, as well as the drive to keep him happy. With an ache in her heart she nodded enthusiastically and swallowed any more negative feelings about the topic. Today, if buying her a dress or two would make him happy then of course she would swallow her low self esteem. With a glance at both dresses she nodded, psyching herself up before taking them into a changing room and quietly stripping. Both dresses hung beside a mirror that opened up to give a 360 view of whomever was looking in it. Quite honestly these mirrors always fascinated her. They reminded her of fun house mirrors. Staring at herself in the mirror she bit her lip, tearing her body apart with her eyes in some desperate attempt to find something she did like about herself:

For starters, she actually really loved her skin tone. The summer, her favorite time of the year, gave her an olive glow that reminded her she had exotic roots. After several more times running her eyes up her body, she settled on her hips. Curves wasn't an issue after all. She just wished she had a little less of a stomach. Or a lot. To others, she simply had a bit of fat (still mostly from curves.) From Juliette's point of view, literally, she believed she could have been the equivalent to a pregnant women. Then again, she was now looking directly downward rather than the mirror. Of course she would look bigger. Poking her stomach with a grimace she sighed. At least she could admit to liking her face as well, but then again that was wearing makeup. Her eyes looked more-so Asian than they did Irish, dark and mysterious. If she looked closely, her lips were almost heart shaped. Both hands came up and pushed her breasts up from underneath her all too plain, neutral colored bra. C-cup wasn't terrible. Not too big, not to small. She rather they not be too big anyway. Maria always complained about her D-cup and how boys never looked her in the eyes. Or how bad her back hurt some days. None of the girls in the acapella group could take her too seriously, though. Juliette turned to the side and spied her behind. Not bad. Just like her breasts not too big, but perky. Surprisingly there were quite a few things she didn't mind all that much about her body. That didn't mean she was satisfied. Her arms were much too meaty in her opinion, and she needed to work on her stomach. Not to mention her thighs jiggled if she poked at them and got twice their size if she sat down. Juliette couldn't help but sigh in mental exhaustion. She would need to work on her self esteem some other time. At least for now she didn't feel all that awful anymore. These dresses wouldn't put on themselves, after all.

After staring at both and weighing the options, she picked the black one first. Slipping into it was easy enough, and through a lot of struggle she actually was able to zip it up too. Taking a breather from nearly over extending her arm to reach the damned thing, she turned toward the mirror. Her reflection took her by surprise for many reasons. The first was because of how much of her legs showed. Showing this much skin in her household would have her shot, but stockings were always an option. Juliette carefully placed her hand on her hip before doing a small turn in front of the mirror, craning her neck to look over her shoulder. Black was known to be a flattering color for anyone. It was proven to make a person look a bit slimmer, as well. Never had she owned anything that clung to her body like this, and she would be lying if she said she didn't like it. The color suited her exotic, olive skin tone. And the fabric clung to her in a way that made her entire body looked sleek. She had to admit the netting was a bit seductive, but the idea of having Mike head over heels for it made her chuckle. All in all, she couldn't help but thing she looked...beautiful. Was that being full of herself, though? Was it okay for her to be content with how such a sexy dress looked against her body. The hand on her hip lowered to the side and she now wondered what her grandparents would think of her if they saw this. They would probably use the same language they use to describe her mother just before she left home. Or, what would happen if she ever stepped into Mike's world with this dress. She had seen articles in tabloids. Shaming random stars about their bodies. Even with how stunning this dress made her body, she wasn't a model. The high that had come from feeling pretty in a dress had disappeared, replaced with anxiety for a different reason from before. She may look beautiful to Mike, and more surprisingly herself for once, but what about everyone else? Turning away from her reflection she moved to reach back for the zipper.

A knock at the door nearly had her jumping out of both her skin and the dress. "Y-Yes?" Listening for Rina's voice she was startled by Mike's coming through the door. Stepping away from the mirror was probably best. Turning toward the door, she moved quickly and opened it just a crack to find him on the other side. "What are you doing back here?!" She yelled/whispered before sighing heavily and pulling him into her dressing room. "What would your Aunt do to you if you were caught?" She scolded before pulling him away from the door. Her heart beat uneasily from the idea that anyone changing may be able to hear them, or worse, his Aunt. The uneasy beat sped up upon the realization he was gazing at the dress. "Oh!" she stepped away from him out of reflex and folded her hands sheepishly in front of her. "D-do you like it?" She asked before twirling for him. "I really love this one. Is everyone in your family successful in the fashion industry?" She admitted with a joke before a silence fell between them and she waited for his reaction.

No longer able to stand the tension of him just looking at her, she turned her back towards him in hopes to conceal how red and flustered she had become. "Could you unzip me, please?" Once he did, she stood there contemplating how uneasy he was making her. He had seen her body so many times on numerous occasions. And now here she stood, not even naked but twice as vulnerable.

"Do you still think...I would look better without my glasses?"

She asked out of nowhere. Without even realizing it, the question had fallen from her lips in a voice that sounded so far away. Mike's fake, condescending voice was echoing through her head again. Teasing her now that she had her guard down. Realizing it too late, she lifted her hand to cover her mouth. "N-never mind, I'm sorry." Gosh, she was an idiot. She hadn't asked to remind him of how he acted before because she knew full well he wasn't proud of it. She hadn't asked to be rude or resentful either. There were just too many questions revolving her self-image to keep buried inside her head where they belong. Lifting her head up, she turned to look over her shoulder. "You should go. I don't want you to get caught. Seeing us like this wouldn't help me make a good first impression on your Aunt, now would it?" Although her voice was now back to normal, it was her downcast eyes and half hearted smile that betrayed her.
 
Mike spent a few minutes browsing through his aunt's male collections. He wasn't a suit-and-tie type of guy exactly but he appreciated the way Murakova did their collection. His Aunt Rina's designs were magnificent, as usual, but Mike also liked the way their workers turned those designs into actual clothes which justified his aunt's talents. Thankfully, no one paid attention to him so much. The staff ignored him because to them, he was just their boss's nephew. That, and the threat Rina gave them about getting too close to Mike and releasing information which need not be released. Eventually, Mike turned his attention to the dresses. Some of them piqued his interest because he imagined them on his girlfriend. The thoughts instantly made him smile. One in particular, was a sky blue dress. It was his favorite color and he was sure the dress would look perfect on her but he had a problem on the design. The neckline was too low! He knew her breasts were very much full so, surely, he thought, those would peak out if she’d wear them and they might peak out too much. Mike can’t have that. He discreetly shook his head to dismiss the thoughts.

He had nearly scanned everything in the shop and still, Juliette was inside the back room. With the curiosity finally killing the cat, Mike headed inside. Aunt Rina was busy fixing some of the stocks so, with a shrug, he was about to head out again when she called her out. “Mikey! Come stay here for a while, Juliette might need help with the zipper of the dress. I just need to meet up a former colleague all of a a sudden. It’ll be quick, I promise!” Aunt Rina finished off with the stocks before turning to walk out of the back room. “Oh, and Mikey, no funny things, yes?” She gave him a playful wink which left Mike awkwardly speechless. He loved how his Aunt Rina was young and hip but sometimes, she was too young and too hip for comfort.

Paying not much attention to what was happening, he entered Juliette’s cubicle just as she was admiring herself in the mirror. She wore a black dress, an elegantly-designed black dress yet it greatly emphasized her features without exposing them at all. The only thing excessively exposed were her legs, but Mike wasn’t complaining. Not at all. In fact, it may seem a little disrespectful, but his gaze intently roamed the flawless skin. For a while, he was in awe. In fact, he even blushed a bit.

“I was going to surprise you,” he began. Just as she was protesting on why on earth he was there. “But damn it, love, I—“ He shook his head, chuckled, and scratched the back of his head. “I have no words. At all.” Hearing about how she worried about his aunt, Mike suddenly had a crazy idea. God damn his sexual desires. Juliette was being the good girl Juliette now and here he was, wanting all of a sudden to just take her in his arms and… the shower. The shower that morning.

Mike desperately tried to clear away those thoughts and focused on the girl in front of him right here, right now.

“Not everyone. Aunt Rina’s very successful in the fashion industry, mother is, well, she’s successful in everything, and well… there’s me, whatever that’s worth.” He chuckled as he slowly unzipped the back of the beautiful dress. “I really hope you like this dress, love, because I love it on you,” He murmured softly on the top of her head. He was about to playfully touch her again like he did in the shower (plus the thought of the entire situation being extremely risky was making him quite aroused) but just as his kisses were about to go lower down her neck, he heard a question and he quickly caught the expression Juliette had on her face.

His own stupid words echoed in his mind. Suddenly, everything came crashing in. He brought – no, forced – her in this world of his and somehow he knew about her insecurities yet he still did this and… and…

Mike wanted to punch himself on the face.

Instead, he kept calm and took a deep breath. He moved a few inches away from Juliette to reach out to her glasses which she set aside perhaps before putting the dress on. He then grabbed her shoulders to turn her to face him instead of her facing the mirror. With the sweetest and most sincere smile he only reserved for her, Mike placed the glasses on its rightful place on her face.

“This wasn’t the girl I was with in the party because she didn’t wear glasses and she wore lots and lots of makeup,” he began as he stared at her normal every day look. “But this is the girl who brings me cupcakes, who tells me about the characters in her books, who makes me smile when she sees that something is bothering me, who is still cutely shy around me sometimes,” he paused to chuckle. “And most of all, this is the girl who put me back in my place. This is the girl who spanked my ego, telling me that she was not some other girl who would gladly be my pawn. This is the girl who saw Mikhael beyond Mike and…” He took a deep breath after speaking so fast. “And this is the girl I can’t stop thinking about.”

After his sweet words, though, a smirk instantly formed on his face. Carefully, Mike held both sides of her glasses and then he set them aside once again. “This girl, though, she’s the one who plays with me in bed,” he whispered softly. “She’s the one who seemed to impossibly exist under the Juliette I initially met. But you know what?” Carefully, Mike guided the dress down from her shoulders to puddle on the floor, leaving her only in her underwear. His smile was back on his face again. “Glasses or no glasses, clothes or no clothes, you are Juliette Torres and, God, I can’t take my eyes off of you, love. You’re just… you’re so…”

He wasn’t able to finish his statement anymore as he instantly pushed her against the mirror to crash his lips on her. He made sure she wouldn’t get hurt though, but he also made sure Juliette could take the hint. Their lips crashed instantly in a fiery kiss which almost made Mike groan out loud but he thankfully had enough self-control to stop himself. He continued lavishing her lips with his own as his hands worked on the hooks of her bra until the piece of clothing hung limp and loose on her torso. It was too annoying for Mike. He pulled himself away from Juliette briefly, took the bra, and unceremoniously threw them along the pile of clothes that is the black dress which laid disregarded on the floor.

He crashed his lips against hers once more but once his senses finally kicked in again, Mike’s eyes opened wide as he pulled himself away quite forcefully from her.

“Love, I—“ He looked very much distressed. “I’m sorry, I… I lost control, I…” He leaned his back on the wall as he tried to normalize his breathing again (plus attempting to desperately to get rid of the burning sensation under his jeans). For a while, he kept his head down even when he spoke again.

“About your question,” He began. He was still looking at the floor and avoiding her eyes, still obviously distressed about his sudden lack of being a gentleman. What if Juliette didn’t like what he did all of a sudden? Worse, what if she becomes scared of it?

Mike bit his lip at the growing fear because of his thoughts.

“I had this photoshoot once,” he began after pausing for a while. “It was for Victoria’s Secret. Umm,” It suddenly occurred to him that they never actually talked about him as a model (which he secretly appreciated so much) so, having to talk about it now, Mike didn’t know how to act around it. “I had two models hugging me from both sides and uhh. Well. They were wearing really thin underwear and they were uhh… topless.” He cleared his throat. “But after the shoot, I just proceeded. I thanked them both for working professionally, and then we had our lunch. That was it.” He shrugged, followed by a soft chuckle. “What I’m trying to say is… I’ve never been so attracted to a person the same way I am to you. Your beauty, your personality, your happiness, and goddamn it your body… I just… ah, I just can’t believe I lost control, you know?” If Mike was a kid, he seemed like a kid who was about to cry after doing a bad thing. He was torn between walking out of the dressing room to give her the privacy she needed or giving her a warm hug to sincerely apologize.

He chose the latter.

Pulling himself away from the wall, Mike slowly walked towards her and embraced her this time. “Please don’t be scared of me, love, it won’t happen again. I swear. I’ll be careful next time. I’ll control next time. I’ll save it for the house, I’ll—“ He kissed her gently this time. The guilt still lingered in him but this time, he managed to look into his eyes to smile at her. “I’ll be just right outside if you need me. The dress looks perfect on you. We’re definitely getting that one.”

Without another word, he turned to walk out of the cubicle while mentally trying his best to get rid of the growing sensation down there.
 
With lips pursed her eyes stared holes into the floor. Why had she gone and asked such a stupid question? She had never been one at hiding things. Heck, she wasn't good at hiding her emotions in general. The fact that she had hid her hot-shot of a model boyfriend for almost half a year was still a surprise to her. Upon hearing her question he slowly pulled his arms from her body, causing her to panic. Was he upset? Did she think she was mad? "Mike--" She began in a worried voice just before being turned around. Mouth still open and ready to speak, she searched his eyes. There were no traces of anger or malice. Instead she was greeted with that heart-swelling smile he saved for her. Pursing her lips, she stood there, not even blinking as he slipped her glasses up onto the bridge of her nose. Before she knew it he was rattling off words at such a speed that she almost couldn't register his words. The more words that came out of his mouth, the more she felt like she might cry. Not out of sadness, but out of happiness. No, not even just happiness...relief. Relief that he didn't dismiss her insecurity by saying something simple like, "Of course not." or denying it (not that he would.) His comforting words and his exclusive smile were enough to put some of her worries to rest. His words wouldn't fix her insecurities altogether, but they were enough to forget her current worries and remind her that he truly did care for her.

As much as she loved hearing him say such sweet things, she wasn't sure how to take it. Heat rose to her cheeks with every phrase he rattled off. It came to the point where all she could do was smile and look glance away every few moments out of shyness. To show he was listening, she reached out, grasping his hand and squeezing whenever she felt her heart speed up. And when he stopped she slowly placed her gaze back toward him...only to see his familiar smile replaced with an oh so familiar smirk. His hand let of hers and reached up for her glasses, pulling them off. Since he was close to her, his image was only partially blurry, but she could still see his facials perfectly. Like always, his smirk signaled he would be saying something mischievous or lewd. Something that would always make her blush or shiver. And without fail, he spoke of her alter ego, the Juliette she had lost control of since meeting him. The Juliette that could crave him in an instant and without a moment's notice--

Without a moment's notice, she was magically out of the pretty black dress and pinned against the mirror.

The first sensation to register was the shock of cold glass against her skin. The second was the rush of heat that had gone from just her cheeks throughout her entire body. The third, of course, was the warmth of his body and lips coming into proximity with her own. Just moments before she had been eagerly awaiting the end of his sentence. Now, she was eagerly trying to keep up with his actions. The sweet, Cloud 9 sort of feelings his words had given her were being slowly replaced by a lusted mindset. Their location and current situation had escaped her clouded mind when he pulled away and hungrily removed her bra from her body (which she, too could barely keep up with.) Out of nowhere and to her disappointment, he pulled back quickly. To her surprise, he seemed sheepish and embarrassed. She had begun to reach out to him when the high from her lust began to fall and she realized she was standing there very much topless herself. Quickly, she hugged herself in hopes of covering up and moved off of the mirror. Her own breathing had begun to slow a bit, but was still shallow from the yearning that began to bloom.

Even with the growing lust she couldn't help but flash him a bemused, affectionate smile at his story. She had never seen him so sheepish and embarrassed. It was cute, despite the fact he was truly offended by his own actions. Wanting to comfort him, she began to reach out to him while at the same time he had begun walking toward her. Meeting halfway, she reciprocated the action by wrapping her arms underneath his own so her hands could squeeze his shoulders. At the same time, she kissed him both willingly while simultaneously hoping to will her desire away. Just as she opened her mouth to reassure him about his own worries, he began to walk away. For a second, she was willing to let him walk out so she could continue changing. She leaned down to pick her bra up with eyes lingering on him when she huffed out in frustration. He was going to have to pay for getting her worked up twice in one day and leaving her hanging. Curling her fingers around her bra, she tossed it aside and reached out for his hand instead. Without a word of warning she placed her back against the mirror again before beginning to pull him in. Just as he had said, the Juliette lacking glasses began to 'play' with him.

"You should be sorry." She began in a voice an octave lower than usual, "But you should also be scared." Once he was close to her again, she reached up, wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling him in for a kiss. Or rather kisses, tens to nearly hundreds of kisses before she was forced to pull back for air-- but just barely. Her lips stayed dangerously close to his, nearly to the point he could feel her breath against his own kiss-swollen lips. "What you should apologize for is leaving me like this-" She had begun to move one of her hands down, grasping his own and guiding it between the hem of her panties and her skin, "-twice today." She cringed as his fingers brushed against her ever-growing wetness. With a hitched breath pulled his scarf away before she nuzzled his neck, breathing in his dizzying cologne before speaking again. "Once in the shower," Her hips moved, grinding against his hand and causing her to moan just before she caught herself. They were in a changing room after all. In public no less. Realizing this fact she almost forced herself to stop but...it only made her more aroused, more excited. "And just now." She breathed out before kissing him before moving her hips again to emphasize her point.

Sex in this changing room was completely out of the question. One, because it was extremely rude, especially in his Aunt's store. And two, because she wouldn't able to be quiet enough to not give them away. Even now, nearly grinding against his hand, she could barely contain herself. The best she could do was kiss him. The only time noises escaped her body was when his digits brushed against her clit or when she needed to take a breath. No longer needing to hold his hand down there she reached up entangle her fingers in his blonde locks. With every kiss she felt his fingers surely getting more and more wet with her nectar. It was both embarrassing and erotic to imagine on top of their current location. Her body had grown hot enough to the point her body heat just barely fogged up the glass.

Every so often when she ground her hips, she could feel his erection growing in his jeans. Honestly, she wanted to tease him painfully as he had to her today. Sucking on his lower lip she pulled back and leaned her forehead against his while slowly opening her eyes. They stared into his, both cloudy and inviting just before she leaned in and moved her kisses toward his ear. "You're going to have to finish what you started. I can't take it anymore, Mikhael." She added his real name to drive him insane. Sultry words spoken, she felt her mind going hazy as she murmured incoherently into his ear, voice full of pleasure as his hand and fingers worked at her. Dirty desires filled her head. Wanting something inside of her, wanting to be dominated in such a place they could get caught. "Haaaah-ah...Please." She whined after moaning lowly into his ear. Giving in, she reached down and began unzipping and unbuttoning his denim and leaving his boxers accessible. Slender fingers brushed over the bulge beneath the fabric. The heat radiating from it already was incredible. He must have been as needy as she was. Glancing down, she watched with bated breath and pulled his member from it's clothed prison. Right away her hand wrapped around him and before she made any sort of moves, she looked back into his eyes. With his gaze set on her, Juliette began to stroke at him slowly, matching the pace in which his fingers brushed against her lower lips.

"Finger me-" She kissed him. "Eat me out-ahhh!" Another kiss. "Talk dirty to me...I don't care." She whimpered in a pleading voice. "Do anything. Just finish what you started this morning."
 
He was still scratching the back of his head while mentally scolding himself to be that douche guy he once was, that guy who didn't think of the welfare of his girl for as long as he could get his sexual drives satisfied, and Juliette was his victim now. He told himself he should get his shit together but just as he was about to turn the curtains, he felt her arms pulling him back in. He almost scolded her for what she did but his scolding was muffled by her own lips crashing on his own. And that's when all control shattered. His eyes held the same burning lust she had in her own as she met her kisses with a passion more fiery than hers. Eventually she started teasing him, telling him how he should be sorry for what he had done twice that day. At the distance in a room on the other side of their walls, he heard a muffled conversation of two women. It was probably coming from the public changing room of the shop just on the next door.

His hand was guided down beneath her underwear and in an instant, she felt her wetness. A silent groan escaped from his lips. "You're torturing me, love," he whispered huskily. Forcing himself away from her, Mike took his scarf and smirked down at his girl. "Do anything, huh?" He said softly. "You better not make any. noise. or else you'd be punished back in my room later, alright?" Mike winked at her seductively. With gentle yet strong arms, he pushed her down on the chair inside the dressing room and used the scarf to tie her arms behind the back rest. He then re-positioned himself in front of her and then he spread her legs apart, leaving him staring in awe at the hole he trained. Juliette was sexually pulsing and wet because of his own doing and her pussy had gotten loose, too, because of his own cock. Mike didn't deny it, but he felt extremely proud of that moment.

Smirking, Mike knelt down and pushed himself closer to her before sticking out his tongue to lick her from the bottom to the top of her parting. The temptation to make dirty slurping sounds was way too hard to resist but the muffled conversation from the distance constantly brings him back to reality. "Not a sound, love," He teased her again as he looked up at her. Knowing that Aunt Rina won't be taking too long, Mike worked on her as quickly as he can. He feasted on her gluttonously while desperately trying his best not to make any slurping sound. For a while he kept his eyes closed to savor each and every drop of her sex juices but after a few minutes of kissing her lips down below, his eyes became half-lidded as he stared lustfully at her.

"Mngghh-- cum for me, love," Mike uttered. "Hurry!" He continued slurping every drop her pussy offers his lips until he couldn't take it anymore. His hand took hold of his cock and with swift jerking motions, he stroked himself hard to make himself cum. Both acts didn't take long. She exploded after a few more slurps and licks and he, too, exploded the moment her juices flooded inside his mouth. Mike had to press his lips hard on her pussy to stop himself from groaning so loud.

What took a while is for him to recover from their little escapade but their chill time was quickly interrupted when he heard the bells on the doors of the shop ring. Mike suddenly bolted out of his lustful thoughts and quickly gathered his boxers and pants. It took so many impulses that he ended up using the scarf to wipe their sexual juices on the floor. Shh, he signaled her with a wink. He helped his girl up from the chair and hurriedly helped her with her underwear and her black dress.

Just in perfect timing when the door that led to the dressing rooms opened.

"Come on, love, I'll just push your hair away a bit, alright? It's on the way of the zipper," Mike said a little too loud as he turned her to face the mirror just as Aunt Rina opened the curtains.

"Oh, lovely!" She remarked. "I knew it! I knew the dress would fit you well. Mikey, darling, you will be getting this for her, right? Tell me you'd be getting this for her."

With an innocent smile, Mike looked behind at his aunt. "Yes, of course. I think it suits her well. Now, I'll best be waiting outside to leave you two lovely ladies."

Aunt Rina blinked repetitively at his nephew as she watched him head back out. With his hands inside his pockets, Mike didn't look back at the two ladies. Instead, he just silently made his exit to wait on the couches outside. Shrugging to herself, Aunt Rina turned her attention back to Juliette. She tenderly held the sides of her shoulders and smiled at her through the mirror in front of them. "Your curves are accented by the dress. It makes you look slim on places but bodacious in most places, too. I'll bet that'll be such an eye candy for our little supermodel now, don't you think?" She playfully gave her a wink. Whatever that wink meant, only Aunt Rina knows. "You should wear that during his premieres! Or TV guestings. Ah, I'm sure the petty little scar won't ruin his career. Now that he has a beautiful girl by his side, you two will kill it in the red carpet! I can provide a lot of your dresses and accessories. Oh, Juliette, this is exciting!" She then squeezed her shoulders in assurance. "Anywho, I'll just be right outside if you need help on anything else."

---

At the end of their dress-shopping escapade (in all sense of the term), Mike ended up purchasing both the black and the violet dress despite his girl's protests to only take the black one. He bid his aunt goodbye and then he wore his disguises again before arm in arm walking out of the store with Juliette's purchases (the books and the dresses) on his other free hand.

"Well, this had been an eventful day," Mike remarked. He was about to ask her if they could head home but he remembered that Juliette had to stop by at her house first. The thought made him smile a bit. "The last time I was at your house," he began. " We uhh. We weren't exactly in good terms because... well..." He cleared his throat. "Ah, fuck it. Because I was jealous, okay, so fucking jealous about that Gerard guy." There was a soft chuckle at the end of his sentence. "I'm a little excited to visit again now that you're my girlfriend. Cook me dinner tonight, love?" Smiling at her, Mike bent down slightly to kiss her cheek but the sweet gesture suddenly became... slightly teasing once again. "Maybe this time, while your grandparents are out, you can show me your room? You know, where all the... magic happens." He kissed her cheek again before whispering dangerously close and dangerously sensual against her ear. "Maybe I can turn some of your fantasies to reality tonight, in your own room, love."
 
Giving into both of their desires probably wasn't the best idea given their current location. Plus, he had just tried to restrain himself. It wasn't helping that she was reinforcing a behavior he believed was bad/felt guilty about. Perhaps she was the one that needed to be restrained? Even amidst the lustful clouding of her mind, shame overcame her and she thought to stop. But that thought only lasted but a second and completely disappeared the moment his whispers tickled at her ear. Her hands had begun to reach up in order to pull him in for another kiss when he instead pulled away. The expression that appeared on her face was nothing short of a pout. Juliette never was or would be one to ask for jewelry or expensive clothes. She would never even ask Mike to spoil her with books. In fact, if he were to insist on buying her material items she would protest for sure. The only reason she gave into his request to buy her a dress was because he had asked her with such genuine feelings. And obviously because he wouldn't take no as answer. As cheesy as it sounded, she much rather be spoiled in his affections. Being held close, kisses, holding his hand, even hearing him call the name in which some days she couldn't bring herself to love: all were part of her selfishness. And of course...she wouldn't complain if sex was included in what he spoiled her in. When she was turned on like this, the craving was too much to bear, as much as she hated to admit it. One thing was for sure--

She was being spoiled by him a lot today.

The pout melted into a mix of surprise and embarrassment as he removed his scarf. Flashes of the day on the couch filled her mind and she knew very well where this was going. They were already being extremely kinky with just doing this in public! As he tied the scarf around her wrists, she couldn't help but think how hard it was going to be to look at the scarf she had knitted him without blushing. It would be a lie if she insisted what was occurring didn't excite her, but the faint sounds of conversation were giving her enough anxiety to never, ever want to try something like this again. If they were caught she could only imagine what would happen. Her mind was reeling with the usual 'what if's', like what if the news did a story on them?! The whole world would know if they saw that Mike Romanov was performing sexual acts in a changing room of a Russian dress store. Not only would it be all over the news in America, but Juliette would be known as indecent throughout Russia as well.

"Mike, maybe we shouldn't--- ah!" Just as the good-girl Juliette was beginning to surface in order to stop the other, Mike was beginning his work on her. She had gasped, but caught herself and bit her lip as a noticeable shiver ran up and down her body. The anxiety that painted her face melted into a wanton expression as her previous worries were replaced by desires. Holding her cries back was by far one of the hardest things she had ever done. Even during the nights at home she had to keep herself from being too noisy. The things that Mike did to her only doubled the amount of pleasure. Despite being told not to make a sound she couldn't stop herself from completely mewling quietly between shallow breaths. Quite frankly she didn't mind the idea of being 'punished' later, but she still kept in mind the fact they were in public. As of then it felt like she was being rewarded. As much as she loved the sounds he made during times such as these, she was perfectly, perfectly satisfied with just the visuals and sensations of the situation.

With every move of his tongue she very much thought she would go over the edge. It had been a while since he had orally pleasured her (besides talking dirty, of course.) and she still couldn't believe how skilled he was at it. From behind the chair her fingers curled along with her toes. If she had it her way she would be raking her fingers through his hair to bring him closer. With her legs spread so far apart she couldn't help but feel extremely exposed and vulnerable. The way he eyed her was that of a hungry predator. The way he tasted her only verified the comparison. His breathing was just as heavy and hot as her's was, and she could feel it with every lick between her legs. For the first few minutes she watched the sensual scene from above: The Mike Romanov, eyes closed in concentration as he fondly sampled wetness. If she stared for too long she knew she would climax far too quickly. Her head tilted back lazily as she slowly brushed her lower lip against her teeth. Juliette continued to spread her legs as far apart as they could possibly go, causing tiny whimpers to fall from her mouth, despite her willing to stay quiet. Could he tell she couldn't hold on much longer? Could he hear how much faster and heavier her breathing had gotten? She lifted her head, slowly opening her eyes to try and warn him. With how wonderful his feasting felt, she wasn't sure if she could hold back on making noise.

The sight she was met with had her nearly melting. His smoldering gaze held her own, silently telling her how much he was enjoying this. How delicious she tasted to him. The heat in his eyes had her flushing face grow several shades darker. Juliette, suddenly very embarrassed, wanted to look away. But such a sexy sight was far too lovely to pass up. In a silent response to his words and gaze, she seductively bit her lip with deeply lidded eyes and was unable to resist rolling her hips in a slow circle against his mouth. Finally she allowed herself that sweet release. With a tremble she threw her head back and grit her teeth. Any sort of moaning or groaning had been prevented, but that didn't stop her from whispering his name as she came. Even after she finished, she continued to move her hips against his lips and purr. Now she sat there gasping quietly for air and red in the face as her head lazily rested against the back of the chair. Their relaxed bliss only lasted a few more moments before the sound of a bell woke her from her daze. Her head shot up in a flash and with terror in her eyes, looked to him for guidance. He seemed just as unsure of what to do given the fact he used the scarf she knitted him to clean up after their pleasure session. Mouth agape, she was ready to scold him for using her Christmas present for a such a thing. Now she would have to wash it!

The sound of heels against the floor was growing closer, and in a frenzy to act normal, she stood a bit too quickly from the chair. After the high of her orgasm she couldn't help but feel somewhat light headed. Luckily Mike held her close and just long enough for her to regain her balance. In a matter of seconds the slinky dress was slipped back up her body and once more she was facing the mirror. They were in the exact same position just moments before their antics had begun. As he feigned helping she almost started chuckling, but she was much too anxious about being caught. Miss Rina walked in just seconds later, clearly pleased with her dress adorning Juliette's body. Juliette blushed, feeling flattered, which only reddened her face more so than it already was. She prayed that Miss Rina didn't notice any difference, or the faint flush of Mike's own skin. After a quick exchange between the relatives, Juliette's eyes watched bemused as his reflection disappeared from the mirror and out the door of the changing room.

Miss Rina's excitement didn't quite rub off on Juliette. Premieres? TV talk shows? The Red Carpet? In Juliette's case it was true that 'feathers make the bird,' but that didn't mean she was one to be part of such a glamorous lifestyle. Sure, she could look the part with a dress like Miss Rina's. And sure, the idea of the world knowing Mike Romanov was her boyfriend made her heart flutter, of course. However, the idea of the world looking at her-- no, the idea of that sort of world looking at her. The eyes of millions most likely ready to tear her apart. Juliette had seen plenty of tabloids when browsing books at the bookstore. Headlines about celebrities that gained a few pounds or wore some horrible dress. One flaw or small mistake would be cast out into the world and invite others' ridicule. Mike had more than enough to worry about with the coverage on his 'petty' scar. He didn't need to worry about his reputation plummeting due to her body or her choices. The life of a star seemed exciting, but after seeing how tired Mike was...she didn't know if she could survive it. On the outside, Juliette reacted opposite to her irrational thinking. Her lips curled into a small smile and she simply nodded, not wanting to open her mouth and have her voice fail to convince Miss Rina she was just fine. It was nice to see Mike's Aunt so excited about her simply wearing a dress.

--

After several more minutes in the changing room and getting her wits about her, she slid back into her day clothes. Once they were checked out with both dresses (against Juliette's wishes, of course.) she gave Miss Rina a heartfelt goodbye. "It was such a pleasure meeting you." And although Miss Rina's words about the limelight didn't sit well with her, Mike's Aunt also gave her such kind and flattering words. Honestly, she had been quite scared that his family wouldn't approve or like her. Given what he had told her about his mother and how much she had striven for his own perfection...Juliette could only assume that she wasn't what his mother had in mind for the 'perfect' girlfriend. For now, she was content with knowing that his high-class aunt approved.

There was a great weight lifted from Juliette's shoulders the moment they walked out. The fear of getting caught by his Aunt, as well as the anxiety of being in an expensive dress store-- not to mention the nervousness of being around Mike's family and seeking approval: She was worn out, and that didn't even include physically.

"I'm never doing that again." She sighed when they were far enough away from the store. The statement could have been referencing both the dress shopping or their little endeavor earlier, but with how she was glaring at her boyfriend, she meant the latter. The glare didn't hold too well, however, and she found herself chuckling and tightening her arm around him. After a normal trip to the book store she would usually be antsy to rush home and read her new collection of novels, but now she was antsy for a different reason. Sure, he had been to her house once already, but that didn't go well at all. "Actually, you and my living room wall aren't on good terms given the fact you nearly left a hole in it." The events that transpired that day weren't exactly pleasant memories, but her voice held a teasing tone to make light of it. Noticing him leaning down, she tilted her to the side and received the kiss with a smile. "I'm not sure I can compete with you. So only if you help me." After feeling his kiss on her cheek, she quickly turned her head before he could pull away and pecked his lips just before he began to tease her again. Brown eyes widened, and she wondered if he could feel the considerable amount of heat rising to her cheeks through the second kiss. When he teased her like this it made her regret filling him in on her solo escapades. "O-Only if you're lucky and I tell you." She attempted to tease him back, but the sheepish sound of her voice gave away that he took her completely off guard.

--

Once they made it back to her apartment, she took the books from him and set them on the couch. She would put them in her room before they left just so she wasn't tempted to read them at his house. "You can look around if you want. Just not my grandparents room, of course. And don't go snooping in my room." Although she sounded joking, she had a feeling he would try something like that. There were a bunch of embarrassing items in there: photo albums, books from her middle school days, animated movies for kids, etc. Having him back in her house in general was making her nervous. It wasn't anything special, not lavish and top of the line like his own penthouse. Was he comfortable? Was the house clean enough? Her grandparents only had friends over every so often, but her grandmother kept the place spotless (other than a few clothes on the floor in Juliette's room.) Pushing the thoughts away she concentrated on the matter at hand: dinner. She opened the fridge and sighed. She hadn't bought groceries because she knew she would be at Mike's. There was barely anything to eat, let along snack on. "Think you can handle going to the grocery store with me?"
 
"Grocery shopping sounds fun," Mike responded though his attention was focused on the picture frames all over the house. He was looking at them until his eyes landed on the dent he created on the wall. The small dent reminded him of so many feelings, most of which was wanting Juliette so much but knowing he can't have her the way he has her now. The thought tugged the corner of his lips a bit. "But since you're dragging me all the way to the grocery, I should have permission to see my girlfriend's room." It wasn't a request at all. He was informing her and the next thing that happened was his long legs were already walking swiftly to her room. He passed a couple of doors but when he stopped in front of one, there was a gut feeling that he hit the jackpot. "If this happens to be your room, I get to have sex with you tonight. If this doesn't happen to be your room, you get to have sex with me. Is that a fair deal?" A soft laugh escaped his lips. Without waiting for her response, Mike welcomed himself inside and he knew for a fact that he hit the jackpot indeed. It doesn't look like the room of old people so he assumed it was hers, plus the stack of books completely gave it away. It was a girly room without the obvious hints like excessively floral wallpapers but the mood it held somehow gave it the girly feel. In an ironic sense, it reminded him of his family house back in Russia. He walked lost in thought inside. Every inch of the room spoke about his girlfriend. He picked out a few books absentmindedly and stroked the spines as if he was absorbing the stories through the tip of his fingers. She really did read a lot. Mentally, he noted about putting up a big shelf in his bare study room back at his condo and he'd fill them up with books for her. That would be a lovely surprise, Mike thought.

Eventually, he set the book down and sat down at the very edge of her bed as if respecting the dignity of it. He didn't want to ruin the sheets. Still in silence, he gazed around and thought about Juliette in this room. He thought about her doing her school work, he thought about her having her nose buried between the pages of a book, he thought about her sleeping peacefully like the few sleeping nights they've shared. "Can we save the grocery shopping for some other time?" Mike began as he continued looking around the room. "I wanted, if you don't mind, to just stay here and know more about your life. Can you tell me more? Like, here in this room. What was your childhood like? Can you tell me stories about this house?"

It was a sudden urge, one he did not expect. He was really looking forward to grocery shopping and having her cook for him in her own house while the coast is still clear (it gave him a funny sense of being husband and wife which he thought was kinda cute) but seeing her room made him want to hear more stories.

Mike walked over to her desk and examined the things on it. It was funny, because he walked around her room in a trance. He took everything in because, he figured, this might be his first and last time to see her room since he was sure as hell he'd never be able to enter the house let alone her room once her grandparents are back from their Christmas vacation. On the desk were the usual things like a laptop, a few notebooks, and some post-its. He took one post-it, smiled foolishly at the piece of paper, took a pen from the pen holder and scribbled on it.

I love you, my strict tutor. X, your bratty student.

The note made him laugh to himself again.

"You know, love, I am a bit disappointed and very, very hurt," He told her as he turned around to face her. "I was expecting your room to have posters of me. The fashion ones would do, but I was really going for the Calvin Klein shots up here on your walls." He feigned an inspection of her walls like it was some sort of crime scene and then he shrugged. "Well, maybe you figured we'd be dropping by here so you took them down. Ah, yes, I see. I understand now."

At the end of his little speech of arrogance, Mike ended up laughing as he walked over to her and embraced her around her waist from behind with his chin resting on her shoulders. "I'm just kidding, love. I know you hate me as a model so I wasn't at all expecting any of that." He chuckled again. Then, he took her hand and then led her on the bed as if it was his own. He sat down at the very edge once more and then had her sit on his lap. Mike secured her in place by once more wrapping his arms around her waist and then having his chin back on her shoulder. "Now, tell me about the stories."
 
Still scouring the cabinets to salvage some sort of meal, her head shot up at the sound of him in the hallway. She nearly hit her head on the on the top of the wooden cabinet to get up and watch what he was doing. "Excuse you!" She said in a fluster as she rushed towards the hallway just in time for him to pick the right room. Even if her room wasn't all that embarrassing, it was still her room. No one other than her grandparents and her had set food into the room and she had nearly forgotten it. Having someone so important step into her room for the first time was both exciting and a bit anxiety provoking at the same time. She couldn't remember if she left anything weird out. And by weird she meant her bras and underwear, but she was usually pretty diligent about keeping her room clean. The only things that probably looked messy were the random piles of books that cluttered the room. Some were on her desk, a few were on her bed. Others sat on top of the bookshelf rather than lined up neatly on the book shelf. Even if they were just books, the fact they were the only disorganized part of her room made her embarrassed. By the time she reached the doorway he had already made himself at home and sat on the edge of her bed. There was an overwhelming urge to just stand in the doorway and admire the sight with a warm sensation in her heart, but there was another urge to go around the room in a fluster and clean up. She almost attempted it when his eyes began to scan the room, making her fidget. "Forgive the mess...not a lot of people come in here." With a nervous chuckle she approached the bed and reached down to collect the stack of books next to him. Holding them in her arms she gingerly sat herself down beside him with the books sitting in her lap.

Their legs brushed against each other and it sent an edgy feeling up through her stomach. It perplexed her, how she still got jumpy and bashful around them despite how seemingly outgoing she was on a sexually intimate level. Their most sacred areas of their bodies, skin and even their hearts had touched one another, and yet here she was simply making contact through clothing. Perhaps it was the fact he was in her room. Never in her life would she have imagined having a boyfriend or having someone in her room. Having a combination of that, and given the fact he was, again, the first person to step in her room...it made her uneasy. Not to mention the nagging thoughts that her grandparents could burst through the door at given moment. If that were to happen every newspaper and news station would know her name. Heck, every teenage girl would know her name...which, now that she thought about it, meant she basically had a death wish.

Her finger ran absently up and down the binding of a book on her lap. If she watched him looking around her room it would just make her more anxious, so she sat in silence until he did a 180 on their plans for grocery shopping. Just after his request, she felt the weight on her bed shift and she looked up to find him over at her desk. She quirked an eyebrow as he mischievously scribbled on some sort of paper. "I hope you aren't writing on my homework. The professor does look at that, you know?" There was a tease in her voice, but she was watching him with such warmth that the phrase came out much softer than expected. With the sudden phrase of disappointment, her stomach sank and she cocked her head to the side. Was her room too plain? "What do you mean-" Before she could even finish her question she ended up scoffing. Her hand went up to her mouth to suppress a snicker. "My sincerest apologizes. Posters of you would be a great edition to my walls, but..." her mocking voice trailed off as she stood from the bed to stand beside him. Before she spoke her lips absently turned into a flirty grin, "Calvin Klein posters aren't nearly as appealing as the real thing." The words sunk in a few seconds after they seamlessly flowed from her mouth. Immediately, she felt embarrassed and blushed sheepishly. Clearly, she had flirted without realizing it. Somehow it had become easy to tease him, both conversationally, and of course, sexually.

Beginning to turn back towards her bed, his familiar arms sliding against her sides from behind almost tickled a bit. The quick hint of flirtation began to vanish and morph into affection. "I actually kinda like model Mike a tad more now." Juliette mused in a quiet voice. She thought about it while turning her head slightly to catch his gaze. "Model Mike belongs to everyone. He has to be shared. Since he is loved, no, worshiped by so many people." Moving to the bed, she took her place on his lap. As his arms snaked around her once more, she secured his hands by placing her hands atop of his. Her arms perfectly rested over his own. With his head in the crook of her shoulder, Juliette turned her head, brushing her lips over his cheek before whispering sweetly; "But, Mikael Romanov is...all mine." It was a bit cheesy to admit, but it was true. As an only child, she had never shared anything in her life. As much as it pained her that Mike could not completely be himself and let his walls down around everyone else, she was at the very least content he could let his guard down around her. In fact, she felt overjoyed that he loved her enough to let her in more and more with every moment they spend together.

A harsh pink hue painted her cheek as she looked down. Using her hands to fidget, she spoke in a small voice, "Okay, ignore that, it was extremely cheesy. Ummmm--" Before she could say anymore, she felt her stomach churn. Hunger, and a bit of nerves because she barely ever talked about herself. Maybe a few times in high school with ice-breakers so classmates could get to know each other. Even then, she was a bit quiet so no one ever really heard her. Hungry and anxious to hold off on the story telling, she came up with an idea. "Tell you what," She began by squeezing his hands and removing them as if they were a seat belt. "How about we go grocery shopping first, I'll make us dinner, and then we can do the story-telling. Deal?" Like his 'question' about seeing her room earlier, this also wasn't a question. No was not an accepted answer. Pulling him off the bed, she grabbed for his hand and forced him into the living room and out the door.

--

Shopping with him at the grocery store was quite the adventure. His mannerisms from the moment they got there was nothing short of a child being amazed by all the variety of food. From what she gathered, perhaps it had been years since he had gone shopping at a grocery store. Maybe Alexandra did it for him? Or maybe they had groceries delivered? There were a few points she had to track him down, only to find him in the snack aisles. or the bakery/baking mix section. Realizing she had only ever given him sweets rather than making him some, she bought a brownie mix for the two of them to bake. As soon as they returned to her condo, she had him help her unload the groceries. "If you wanna eat in this home, you have to help cook. It's a rule." While cooking their meal, she stole glances at him as he diced the carrots and other veggies. Juliette couldn't help but wonder if this was what married life was like.

After their meal, the two of them washed the dishes together. They came up with a system: Juliette would wash, while Mike dried. A few times they accidentally elbowed each other's arms, and at one point Juliette 'accidentally' whipped some foam at him before averting her eyes with a coy little grin. "Oops I guess my hand slipped," mid-sentence she put some bubbles on the tip of her fingers and dabbed his nose. After that, a full on war started. It became so intense that the two of them ended up running around both the kitchen and the living room. Juliette was careful not to get too many bubbles on the furniture, but at the same time, giggling and squealing if he was able to catch her.

She hadn't had that much fun in a long time.

--

Finally they ended up in the same spot and position on the bed. Honestly, she was a bit worn out and hoped that he had forgotten her promise about the stories. To her dismay, he didn't. With a big, dramatic sigh she opened her mouth-- but nothing came out. Stories were her thing. Every book that occupied the shelves of her room had been read and finished by her. The problem wasn't knowing stories.

The problem was knowing stories about herself.

Nothing came to mind. After all, there wasn't much to tell. The only time she told stories involving herself were when she told her grandparents what occurred at school. Or when she went over to Mike's penthouse to talk about what he missed at school or how practice or work was. Even then, it wasn't interesting. She went, studied, helped the English professor, worked at the library some days, and then went home. Recently her days had become more interesting due to her secret tutoring job, but that was under wraps and a subject they would NEVER know about. At least not until she graduated college. Maybe not even then. The thought of their wrath scared her to death. Even sitting in her room with Mike was making her feel both uneasy and guilty for going behind their back. But, the security of his arms made her forget about that. "There isn't much to tell." Her shoulders rose and fell in a shrug before she thought harder. "I told you about my mom," for a moment her voice sounded far, far away. If she contemplated the subject too much she would ruin the atmosphere. "This condo is basically all I've ever known, not that I'm trapped here like Rapunzel or anything." Juliette wanted to believe she wasn't trapped, but sometimes she felt she was on a leash. Or in a limited cage. "I've lived here since I was born, and my boring life was lived here. So are you sure you want to hear such boring stories?" There was no doubt in her mind he wouldn't budge on the idea.

"I started loving books before I even remember. Lola got me the small ones for infants, the hard, cardboard like ones. Or the soft cloth-like books. Of course, at that age the colors and the textures appealed to me. In fact, I liked to chew on the books I guess. When school started, I was a bit ahead of the game-- in fact, when I was in 2nd grade, they considered moving me ahead to the next grade. My grandparents, however, did not want me in a class with kids older than me. I didn't want that either because back then I was a bit more social and able to make some friends. When forth grade came around I was reading longer, more complex books. Spelling tests were way too easy for me. My teacher wanted me to do the spelling bee, and I ended up even trying," She laughed a bit remembering the next part. "I couldn't even get to the second letter, I had such bad stage fright. Or maybe I felt a bit too pressured. I ended up running off the stage to go cry somewhere." It was becoming easier to narrate her life. In fact, she began to ramble.

"The same year I found out I wasn't all that great at math. So during recess I stayed in class to have the teacher help me. That's when I finally learned what a 'teacher's pet' was, because everybody began calling me that." She withdrew one of her hands from the resting position on top of his own and began to hold up her fingers. "Teacher's pet, four-eyes, book worm," her fingers went up as she counted off the nicknames. "The standard grade school 'insults.' I ignored them, though. After all, being a teacher's pet meant good grades, which meant Lola and Lolo would buy me whatever I wanted. And of course I picked books." With the same hand she used to count, she ushered to her many bookshelves lined with colorful spines of books: tall, short, skinny and wide. It was surprising she had enough space for some of them. One day she would find the will to donate them, or even sell them. "I really should get rid of some of these books." Juliette chuckled and placed her hand back over his, "I can't, though. They got me through so many years of boredom." Not to mention years of loneliness, but that was a fact that needn't be conveyed.

"Then middle school came around. Those were the years that my freedom began to really dwindle. I could never go to sleepovers or birthday parties of my old friends from grade school. After a while they assumed I couldn't go. I felt awful, just because they never asked me to join anything. It made sense, but...I wish they would have asked anyway," Another sigh escaped her body, "Guess I was hoping to be included, despite not being able to go. I'm not sure if that makes sense. Maybe a better way of saying it is that I wanted to be acknowledged. But, I began to become invisible..." Similar to earlier, her voice grew quiet and trailed off. "I stayed quiet because there wasn't much to say to anyone. It wasn't like I could talk about what I was going to wear to school dances, or which boys were cutest. Not that any were in middle school. Their personalities ruined any ounce of attractiveness they had. The same thing happened in high school, with the rare occasion a few boys caught my eye at the library. That's not the point, though. I promise they were not as handsome as you. After all, you are one of the hottest guys in the nation." Her voice was both teasing and assuring. "As I was saying, I got shier and shier. The only time I talked was during tutoring. Tutoring made me happy for a while, in both middle school and high school. It was the only time I was personally was able to make people smile. They were happy when I helped them figure out the answer, but somewhere along the way I got taken advantage of...I don't remember when or why, but a few girls began to ask me to do their homework for them. I didn't have much of a backbone, so it was my fault, but I craved the idea of being wanted. It was so pathetic in retrospect." Juliette took a quick breath. Allowing Mike a break from her constant talking as well as allowing him to process what she had narrated. "After a while, the work load of my own honors and AP courses, plus their homework on top of that began stressing me out. So despite being scared of their reactions, I reported them. I couldn't handle the pressure of getting them the grades they would be satisfied with. They told me repeatedly that I had to make their papers good, but not perfect. I could barely make my own papers perfect. Imagine how harrowing it was to write two or three other papers in different voices and on different subjects. I should have written fiction books with the amount of creativity I put into those essays." Bitterly laughing she thought over everything she just told him. "These aren't the kind of stories I should be telling you. You want happy stories, right?" She asked gently.

"Happy stories...happy stories." It wasn't that she didn't have happy stories, they just weren't all that interesting. "Once, when I was 7, Lolo brought me to an abandoned parking lot to teach me how to ride a bike. I had so much padding on that I could barely move my arms and legs. And yet, I was still scared of falling and getting hurt. I ended up learning, but honestly I like walking a lot better. Riding a bike in the city with all these cars makes me nervous. Plus, where is a seven year old going to ride a bike to? What else...?" Going silent again, she pursed her lips while racking her brain for other stories. "When I was twelve I took a trip to the Philippines. I had never even traveled out of the state before, so it was like an entirely new world. I had only seen black and white pictures from when my grandparents were little. Manila was chaotic and incredibly claustrophobic. Especially for a twelve year old who had never been in too many crowds in the first place. I was so frightened thinking I would get separated from my grandparents that I held their hands nearly the entire trip. Out of every souvenir I could have gotten, I asked them to get me a language learning book. What a surprise, huh?" There was another pause to remember other stories. "I'm sure my trip is nowhere near as interesting as the trips you have taken." The idea of traveling was so exciting. Too bad she was terrified of flying. That was a secret that she wouldn't mention to him. It wasn't like he was going to be taking her on a trip anytime soon.

After a while she ran out of stories. She spoke about her first trip to the bookstore and how it was the equivalent to a normal kid in a candy store. There was a story about when she found a stray cat on the balcony and how she fed it every night until her grandparents brought it to a shelter (despite her begging to keep it, of course.) There were stories about the very rare times she had gotten in trouble. Once she finger painted on the walls, or put way to much bubble bath soap in the water. The entire bathroom was much messier than the trail of bubbles the two of them left in the kitchen just earlier. Another time she had tried to be a big kid and make breakfast for her grandparents, but ended up burning the toast and causing the smoke detector to go off. Thinking about it now, she wasn't that perfect of a kid after all. Especially when the end of middle school came--

"Then," Juliette swallowed recalling his offer from earlier. "I'm sure...you can make an educated guess about what began to occur during my 8th grade year. Particularly what happened at night when my grandparents were asleep...?" Even though his arms were wrapped around her waist, she wondered if he could feel her heart begin to race violently. There were definitely a lot of stories revolving around those activities. Without realizing, recalling those events had begun to make her excited-- no. Aroused. These stories began to happen a lot more frequently after I met you." The innocent, story-telling Juliette had begun to disappear like she always did. Standing up for a quick moment, she slipped her glasses off her face and set them on her desk before walking back to straddle his lap. "So what was that you said earlier about making my fantasies come true?" Her voice came out as a croon while she subtly eyed his lips. "I have a lot of stories regarding fantasies, actually. Would you like to hear those?" she inquired with a bolder voice as the arousal grew exponentially. Taking him in her own room. "The story of how I started out with those...activities? I believe I was watching a movie with--" Juliette took a slow moment to ghost her lips over his own. "--An intense kissing scene." From there, she slid her arms around his neck. "From there, curiosity killed the cat. And you made it so much harder to resist," she hissed before giving in to the burning desire to have him in her own bed. Planting a series of harsh kisses on his lips and jawline, she tightened her grip around his neck and brought him closer.
 
He listened to her in silence, not because he found her stories boring but because he wanted to let the pictures play in his mind. He smiled in some parts of her story especially as he imagined her as a little girl, but on most parts, his heart clenched inside. He realized how much of a jerk he had been on the first time he met his beloved and how he attempted to trick her into doing his homework for him just for a stupid passing grade. Thankfully he stood him up though, for that had spanked him to reality and began to make him see her in a different light.

As the stories progressed from innocence to something more heated, Mike allowed her to seduce him for a while until an idea painted a smirk on his lips. He grabbed her chin gently and planted a gentle kiss on her lips with his own. "Allow me to tell you a story," He began. Being a lot shorter and lighter than he was, Mike found it extremely easy to pick her up with his arms and gently set her down on the bed. He didn't even wait for anything as he immediately guided her top out of her torso to expose her only in her bra.

"A few months ago, I was at this party," He said. "There was this teacher's pet, four-eyes, book worm who had a beautiful voice and she sang confidently in front of everyone." He ran the back of his hand along the side of her face as he spoke. "To most people, she was a teacher's pet, a four-eyes, a book worm, but to me, after that night, she is this beautiful, hot, talented, and extremely sexy girl." His hand traveled all the way down to her breast which he squeezed gently. "At that same night, I saw her in such a skimpy lingerie but she wore it with poise and elegance, despite how shy she was. But you know what that image made me imagine?" Mike pulled down her skirt down to her knees and allowed his hand to travel further down beneath her underwear. "It made me imagine how this would feel like." Gently, he inserted his finger inside her and slowly circled her clit. "It made me imagine how it would feel like to play with this girl on the bed. It made me imagine how her sounds would sound like as I do this" He inserted another finger inside her and inched both fingers carefully deeper. "And then, this girl and I, we had sex that night. Do you remember that, love? That night we first had sex?" He inched his fingers further inside. "My cock loved your virgin pussy, as it went in and out like this." Gently, he fingered her faster and faster. "You bled and you screamed, but it was the loveliest thing ever to know that I am your first." Mike pulled his fingers out of her before completely taking her underwear off, setting it aside on the floor along with her skirt and her top. His breathing hitched as he looked at her and though he wanted to fuck her right then and there, Mike couldn't help but pause for a moment to look at Juliette; Juliette, lying on the bed with only her bra on; Juliette, aroused as she looked at him with eyes pleading to stop his teasing; Juliette, who--

--he knew he didn't deserve.

The thought made his heart clench inside.

sighing deeply, Mike pulled the blanket from underneath her and covered her with it. He then sat beside her, elbows resting on his thighs as he buried his face on the palm of his hands. If there was one thing he never told Juliette, it was about his anxiety. His anxiety of not being good enough, his anxiety which he deeply buried with arrogance; with the pretense that he was over and above everyone else. Mike was, at least, but Mikhael? Mikhael who was never good enough for his parents? Mikhael who can't even pass literature on his own? Mikhael was a mess of self-doubt and insult.

"Damn it," He whispered softly. Hot tears were threatening to fall down from the corner of his eyes. Juliette's stories made him realize how good of a girl she was, how protected and loved by her grandparents, that it dawned on him that pushing through with this relationship would ask too much of her. After this Christmas break, once her grandparents are back and he would be back to modeling and away every now and then, how can he be able to be the man for her?

He remained silent for a while and then he took a deep breath while trying to bury the anxiety inside him. He looked at her and tried to smile, tried to resume the heated moment before his thoughts ruined it, but the moment he attempted to go back to that, his anxiety started kicking in again.

"Why me, love?" He said, unable to mask the pain from his voice. "I'm so sorry for ruining this moment, it's just..." He sighed and looked away. "The man you should be sleeping with, the man you should be fucking with, he should... he should be able to be there for you always. He should... be the kind of man your grandparents will be proud of and will happily let their precious granddaughter be with." He stayed silent for a while until everything came spilling like an overflowing river that no one can contain. His thoughts, his anxious torturous thoughts, all came spilling from his mind to his words. "I want to be that man, but how can I? I will be away often, I will be with people often, even other women for some shoots and commercials. How can I be the one for you? How can I love you the way a normal guy would? What if you're having problems and I can't rush here to your house to give you a hug and kiss, telling you things will be okay? How can your grandparents trust me, if they see that I have to be friendly to co-stars and possible showbiz love interests? You know how showbiz can get, and it kills me, goddamn it, it kills me that you can't be that girl I walk in every red carpet event with because I don't want to destroy your life and your privacy. This fame, love, this kills, and I don't want you to experience that."

He looked at her and said, "Maybe I should quit this, don't you think?" But then he looked away again. "But if I do, what will I be? I've only known this kind of purpose all my life and without it, how can I support you and make your dreams come true?"

Sighing deeply once more, Mike ran his hand through his hair and wiped his eyes as if that would erase the pain embedded in them. He still wasn't looking at her when he said, "I'm a mess, Juliette. And so is my life. Are you sure it's me you want to be with, love?" He sighed. "I just want what's best for you and with how I am and how my life is, I--" Mike cleared his throat to stop the emotions threatening to break any further. "--I'm not the one."
 
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