a/n sorry for the wait! this took a while to tie up and finish. i just wanted to get it out there so please forgive me of my lack of editing. (will go back and check it after i sleep) thanks for showing interest for my little fic, please enjoy the final installment!

Part III

The next time they met was at one of the last shoots for Alice, both of the leading roles were feeling very antsy as the date drew closer, after all, there were so many things that could go wrong. It was as if the delicate balance that they had experienced in Paris was only just a dream, yet both of them were unwilling to let go of it. The strawberry blonde woman was feeling her stomach turn over and over as her car arrived at the castle that Alice had managed to reserve for the evening.

It had been over a week since she had last spoken to Sōma, and she wondered how he was doing. Was it only her that had found herself so terribly distracted by just the thought of him? She found herself thinking about him whenever she allowed her mind to wander, the exact shade of his golden eyes and the feeling of his warm palm enveloping hers. Every single time she found herself drifting off because of him, her face would pinken slightly in embarrassment and she cursed him under his breath. Unbeknownst to her, her fingers had begun twisting slightly in her lap at the thought of encountering him once more.

. . .

Sōma was not much better off, whatever experience with women that he had before Erina was basically useless; after all, she was not only the first person that he wanted so badly but also so different from the people that he was usually surrounded by. Ever since that evening in Paris, he couldn't help but wonder if she would revert to her cool and distanced self, making his heart feel heavy in his chest. Perhaps that was why he held back from contacting her because even the slightest possibility of her brushing the entire thing off terrified him.

But he couldn't put it off forever, in fact, there was even a part of him that relished in the challenge ahead and that was the side that he leaned heavily on for support. However, when he realized that he had arrived earlier than the heiress, he fought down a bit of disappointment before being dragged to do makeup and styled by Alice herself. That was when he realized something critical, he was going to be wearing a suit.

Sōma and suits didn't get along, not only was it difficult to express individuality in something that so lacked it, but it always felt like it didn't belong. The rich fabrics that spoke only of the greatest luxuries were something that he had trouble feeling comfortable in. While usually, the clothing that Alice put him in made him feel as if he was wearing his own skin, suits always made it seem as if he was trying to be something that he wasn't. And of course, the root of his problem; he had extreme difficulty giving the aura of 'you are below me' that came to Erina so easily.

He was also handed a domino mask that hid most of his features from the scrutiny of the camera, which eased his discomfort slightly. As soon as he had finished with the styling, Alice pulled him out to begin his individual shots which only barely passed her standards, only okaying a few photos.

"When is Nakiri going to be showing up?" Sōma asked, trying to be nonchalant about the inquiry but failing miserably due to the almost eager way his voice caressed her name.

The white-haired cousin of said person was quick to the uptake and a sly smile emerges on her lips as she appraised the smartly dressed male in front of her, "Why are you so curious? This is the first time you took the initiative to ask about her."

"I-I'm not curious at all," he stammered, startled by the way that Alice seemed to sense the finer wavelengths of his question. "Just, you know, the concern of a casual co-worker, nothing more in that sense."

Alice wondered if the red-head could hear what he was saying right now, she supposed that the saying was more than correct that love made people bumbling idiots. She looked at him pointedly, "You're being so obvious right now, you don't have to hide it. I knew you liked her since ages ago; the determination you had for beating her is a lot different from your ambition of conquering the fashion world."

Sōma's shoulders sagged slightly, "I know, I didn't even think I saw her that way until a couple of days ago. How do you go about wooing a woman who has pretty much anything that she could want?"

"I think you've been doing a fine job," Alice laughs at the familiar dense Sōma resurfacing, "I'm almost completely convinced that you've been putting the moves on her since the beginning of this project."

His expression spoke of absolute scandalization, "I have been nothing but professional ma'am, how could you make such a conjecture? You wound me."

"Look me in the eyes and tell me that again," Alice smirked, vibrant eyes looking unnervingly into his with expectation. "That you saw her as the same as any other female co-worker that you've had."

He remained silent before uttering two words, "You win." He liked Nakiri Erina, he wasn't completely sure when it started, but it had been swimming repressed in the recesses of his heart for a long time. Now that it had the chance to come forth, he doubted it would fade and would more likely grow over time.

. . .

She was only able to steal a glance of what she thought was Sōma's silhouette before being dragged off by her one and only cousin. But from what little she could see, he was wearing a suit that framed his toned figure in a fashion that should have been illegal, but the way he was standing draped casually on a pillar clashed with the mood.

"So, Erina," Alice's scarlet gaze was appraising the nervous way that she was sitting stiffly on the chair, steadfastly avoiding making eye contact, "You definitely missed some important details on your little excursion with Sōma."

Against her will, her cheeks flushed and betrayed whatever lie she was going to tell her surprisingly observant cousin, "It was just a kiss on the cheek okay? Is that what he told you? I'll kill him."

"Oh ho~!" Came the surprised sound, she knew that there was more to the story than Erina had told her judging from the way that Sōma had been behaving. However, never would she have guessed that not only did something happen, but Erina had been the one to make the first move. "You were holding out on me, I thought you trusted me more than that."

Alice leaned in closer to her usually so impeccably emotionally sterile cousin and friend with a conspirator's smile, "Sōma didn't breathe a word of this in my direction, but the two of you are not exactly discreet when it comes to this kind of thing. But enough of my gossiping, we still have to get you ready for today's shoot."

Giving the makeup artist some very instructions, Alice decided to tweak the main outfit of the shoot with a specific goal in mind. She had always been a meddler and with such a perfect opportunity in front of her, how could she possibly resist? Sōma and Erina are still skating around each other so cautiously, so why not throw some tension in the mix, it'll certainly make them re-evaluate what they thought of the other. Alice's neatly manicured hands ran down the stunning black gown with a devious grin on her lips as she thought about the pot that she would be stirring.

. . .

When he hears the confident stride that belonged to none other than that of the woman haunting his every thought, he turns only to feel that all of the air had been sucked out of his lungs. The neckline of the black dress was quite modest in truth, there were 'straps' that seemed to be made with nothing more than velvet sown onto some see-through fabric so there was no scandalous plunging neckline. But what for whatever the fabric hid, it contoured and emphasized every inch of her womanly frame; the contours of her slim waist and dangerous curve of her hips were all displayed.

By the time he tore his gaze away from her and met her eyes, she had already drawn surprisingly close. She too was wearing a delicate mask, a flimsy piece of fabric that matched her dress with detailed curling designs framing her bewitching eyes. Unlike the earlier shoots where her makeup had been tastefully simple, this time the makeup was done with the intention of seduction.

Sōma wasn't sure why that was the first thing he thought of, but as he watched her ruby red lips curl into a slight smile, he decided that his earlier conjecture was only too apt. So distracted he was by these thoughts that he had trouble thinking of an appropriate greeting.

Erina paused for a moment, waiting for him to say something but when nothing was forthcoming, she frowned, "Evening Yukihira, I trust that you are ready for today's shoot, even though you're looking a little stiff."

Sōma held in a wry chuckle at the description that seemed almost ironically accurate of his current state of affairs, "Not really used to the pomp and luxury of today, you'll have to forgive me."

At his words, the awkward atmosphere melted slightly, as Erina tossed her long blonde hair over a shoulder, "As I would've expected for someone like you," although the familiar bite of her voice was decidedly missing, "But no matter, I suppose I will have to help you through it."

"And the Ice Princess hath returned," Sōma smiles, golden eyes sparkling with easy humour, "Was wondering when she was going to make an official comeback."

"Oh, you don't know when to shut up, do you?" Erina huffs, unfamiliar to the warm tide of something that accompanied his light teasing, "If you're going to be difficult then forget I offered." She then deliberately turned around and began walking away.

Sweet baby Jesus. Sōma doubted that there was anything that could have prepared him for the sight in front of him now; the dress that he had thought was surprisingly demure in neckline made up for it amply with the fact that it basically had no back. Her ivory-like skin seemed to glow against the darkness of her dress, framed by the same winding patterns of velvet that only made the sight even more mesmerizing. Even though he liked to think of himself as someone who had not only seen many beautiful women, but worked with and been with them, Erina was something else.

As if she could feel his heated look on her, she turns around with an almost playful glint in her eyes that had only one meaning: a challenge. When her gaze meets with Sōma's however, she represses a shiver of anticipation to remain as if unbothered. She was anything but. There was an expression of pure fire on his face, his eyes were sharp and alert, golden irises trained on her every movement with a distinctly dangerous light.

Turning back around, she smiles inwardly and ignores the way that her legs seem to have lost eighty percent of their strength.

. . .

There was a golden circle that rested on her brow, delicate and designed so beautifully that Erina wondered if this was really supposed to be a crown. Her individual shots had quickly been finished, this kind of shoot was her bread and butter; there was no way she could screw it up. However, when Alice leads her to the ballroom where she and Sōma were to some composite pictures, her white-haired cousin had a decidedly smug expression on her face.

When the ornate doors were opened, she was confronted with a devilishly handsome Sōma who was holding a dark red rose as if he had been waiting for her. Erina's expression betrayed her surprise at the scene but despite knowing that it was staged her cheeks pinkened quite obviously. Alice had conveniently disappeared and positioned herself close to the photographer, and Erina's bewildered face was becoming more and more frustrated from the lack of cues Alice was giving her.

Turning back to Sōma, she reaches a hand out to take the rose, nervousness rising from the unexpected scenario. But instead of giving her the flower, he uses this as an opportunity to pull her into his arms in a dizzyingly fast movement that causes her to lose breath. Before she could yell at him for his inappropriate behaviour, he leans so his lips barely brush the shell of her ear.

His voice was lower than usual with a faint huskiness that sent Erina's stomach into somersaults, "Could I have this dance?"

"Who asks that after they have the person in question in their arms already?" the violet-eyed woman was trying to regain some semblance of calm; her heart was pounding too quickly in her chest as she felt her partner's hand rest in the middle of her back.

"I'll take that as a yes," Sōma chuckled before leading her into a slow waltz, movements purposefully stilted to provide the opportunity for the photographer to take the photos needed. But even then, he was thankful for the slow pace because Erina's skin was so impossibly soft beneath his palm, making his mind wander into places that it shouldn't.

Erina's hand rested delicately on his shoulder while she resisted the urge to give it a slight squeeze to see if his shoulders looked as strong as they looked. Even the thought of being so forward caused her cheeks to warm, never mind the too warm hands that were currently holding her. "You are so pushy."

Sōma's lips quirked up into a sly smile, "Complain all you like, but you like my pushiness."

"You—" The blonde woman wasn't sure what to say in response, her cheeks puffing slightly in frustration and looking too adorable for her own good. "Don't go putting words in my mouth."

"I could put something else, if you so wish," the words slipped out, it didn't really occur to him that he was holding the modern version of a princess in his embrace. And when he realized, he wished he had put his foot in his mouth.

"You seem to like courting death," Erina's jaw was tense with a mixture of both anger and embarrassment as she glared up at him. The bite of her words was softened completely by the raging blush on her cheeks, the colour deeper than he had seen so far.

Sōma chuckled bashfully, trying to turn the direction of the conversation away from his verbal faux pas. "I would rather court you. I'm sorry about that if it made you uncomfortable."

Her violet eyes glimmered in the light, raw with something that she couldn't identify as her heart beat quickly in her chest, "I'm glad you realized how crass that was." Unable to continue what she was going to say in response to the other comment, her gaze lowered and hesitantly leaned her head onto his chest. She was hit with almost immediate regret and fear, wondering if she was being too forward and she would have retracted if it wasn't for the way that Sōma's heart was beating with a furious rhythm. Like hers.

For all the quips and teasing, Erina had never felt as comfortable so close to another person that wasn't part of her immediate family so quickly. There was something about the insufferable redhead that made her feel at ease in his presence, something that drew her to him even more than his undeniably good looks. For the first time in a long time, Erina was truly happy.

Sōma himself couldn't believe what was happening, it seemed just too perfect to be true and even the soft warmth of her cheek couldn't convince him completely that the Nakiri Erina was here. Doing this. Rendering his mind utterly unable to come up with a coherent thought. His arm tightened infinitesimally around her slim waist as he looks down on her ethereally beautiful face. Her eyes were closed, blonde eyelashes resting delicately on her peach-hued cheeks, the delicate slope of her nose as well as her slightly parted lips that looked much too inviting. He sighs a happy sigh before gently placing his cheek on top of her circlet crowned head.

In that moment, the large ballroom glowed with a warmth that had little to do with the lights or sunset, as the two individuals swayed gently together on the gleaming floor.

. . .

The café was unassuming and plain, but that was not true of the pastries as well as drinks that they served. One of his preferred haunts, Sōma took care to conceal some of the obvious traits to his identity with a pair of sunglasses and scarf that he had wrapped haphazardly around his head. Sitting across from him was Megumi, of the first friends he had made when he initially entered the business of commercial modeling. While not popular to the level of Erina or someone like Hayama Akira, one of his rivals, she was none the less greatly successful in her career.

Her light-yellow eyes were wide with disbelief as he recounts what had occurred the other day with the infamous Ice Princess. With her lips pursed into a thoughtful frown, the petite blue-haired woman studied the expressions and mannerisms of the male before her before coming to a conclusion. "You're in love with her, aren't you?" Upon seeing the sheer shock at her pronouncement, she back-tracks a little. "Well if you're not in love with her, you're about a half-step short. I've never seen you so…passionate about something like this."

"I know," Sōma's earlier enthusiasm is killed for the most part, feeling a bit tired and confused, "It just seems so crazy, if you told me a month ago that Nakiri and I were heading in the direction of being an item, I would have just left the conversation. But now, I wonder if there's even anything more that I want more."

Megumi's lips were quirked upwards with a hint of pleasure, "Well, when has your life ever gone according to plan? I'm surprised it took you this long to see the chemistry between you and Nakiri-san." At least if they did become a thing, she wouldn't have to deal with the many women who tried to weasel into a date with Sōma through her.

The redhead laughed brazenly as if whatever worries he carried before had been cast away, "You're right, too right. What's even the point of fighting this, I've been chasing her for so long that this won't even be much of a change."

"When am I not right?" The pretty woman grinned; cheeks dusted with a faint blush of happiness. "You'll just have to resign yourself to be the dummy you have always been."

"Yeah, yeah," Sōma shook his head, "But I also wanted some advice, how the heck do I ask her to, you know…" His voice trailed off as an embarrassed tone appeared in his voice.

Megumi chuckled at the mess that her friend was reduced to, "You've been doing fine so far, I'm sure she's smitten already, no matter what she might say. Just tell her how you feel, there's little to go wrong with there."

Sōma takes a long drink of his lemon tea, letting the faint sourness wake him up, "I suppose so, there's really nothing else to do. Thank you, by the way."

"You don't even have to," she replies as she pulls her jacket over her shoulders, "I've got to get going, I've got an interview with Isshiki-senpai in an hour. So gotta prepare for that."

The golden-eyed male stands up as well to send his friend off with a light hug as he watches her disappear into the throngs of people. Taking a seat once more, he allows his muscles to sag into the plush chair finally relaxed and reaching once more for his tea.

Unbeknownst to him, a pair of hurt violet eyes had been watching virtually the entire exchange with steadily growing unfounded anger, wasn't it her that had wanted to tell him to keep a distance for the rest of the project. Erina stared at her pink-haired secretary who was doing her best to conceal the mischievousness swimming in her eyes as she glared at the bane of her existence.

"Erina-sama?" Hisako asked, voice soft as she thinks about how silly her boss was currently being, "Did you still want to talk to Yukihira-san about the situation?"

"Hmph, who wants to talk to him?" Erina wasted not a second more and stormed out of the decently sized café with a severe expression on her face. "Let's go."

. . .

There was no other word for it, Hisako thought to herself as she watched her long-time friend pace around her modestly sized office. Nakiri Erina was sulking. Her 'boss' had never felt so confused and it was written all over her face, which was perhaps one of her greatest weaknesses. The subject of her ire was quite silly, in Hisako's personal opinion but then again Erina had never had the luxury of being a silly teenager that fooled around with boys or even really gossiped about boys in general. It was not strange that she would feel so conflicted, in the end, she would have to realize for herself what she wanted.

The strawberry-blonde princess flops onto the business chair with a loud huff, "Hisako, could you be so kind as to get me a cup of tea? Thank you."

As her secretary leaves the room, she takes a deep breath and begins to sort through her thoughts for the umpteenth time in the last two days, ever since she had seen him at that café. She didn't want him; Yukihira Sōma was nothing more than a pain in her life and had little redeeming qualities. Not only would he distract her from her career, but he was also one of her greatest rivals, perhaps everything that had so far occurred was an elaborate ploy.

There was nothing worthwhile about him, not his infectious happiness, snarky quips, or his stupidly good-looking face. Whatever he had to offer was nothing compared to the hard work she had painstakingly piled on day after day, and this was why they shouldn't be together in the first place. But then why did her chest hurt so much seeing him with someone else?

Erina lay down on her large mahogany desk, head resting softly on her folded arms as she sighed deeply; it was stupid. The entire thing was idiotic, when did this happen, why did it have to happen? This was the one thing that she hated more than anything, feeling so powerless and so weak. Her fists clenched as she revisited their embrace and happy smiles, her heart felt impossibly heavy as she thought about seeing Sōma dance with someone else in his arms. Not after she had felt what it was like in that position.

Why did she not want this? Why had she been so sure that she wanted to part of this, or whatever had been between them? The answer seemed to be escaping Erina as her mind brought thousands of images of Sōma with beautiful but nameless and faceless women, all she felt was sadness. And anger. There was a good amount of that too.

Turning so that her cheek rested on her arm, Erina breathed deeply once more to come to a conclusion. A blissful little smile appeared on her face when she realized that as much as he annoyed her, Sōma brought equal amounts of happiness; as much as she couldn't imagine being his 'girlfriend', she hated the thought of someone else taking that place more. Her bright violet eyes gleamed with a resolute light and hardened with determination, well now that she knew what she wanted, she wouldn't be backing down.

. . .

It seemed fitting that this would be the last shoot of this two-month long project, Sōma stretched in the modest vehicle that was taking him to the place that they had their first shoot. His golden eyes were dark with something as they drew closer and closer to the destination, but it was his hands that truly gave away his nervousness and fear. They were white-knuckled as he held tightly to the handlebar of the car as if he were preparing himself for the final stand.

Because truly, that was how Sōma felt. This unlikely project that had brought the two of them together, from rivals to what they were now it has changed so much in his life. However, the thing that riddled him with anxiety was knowing that how they moved forward was dependent on this day. He did not want to go their separate paths, like most projects ended in, he wanted to walk together on a new path.

Exiting the car with deft movements, he plastered a confident grin onto his face. If Erina thought she would be getting away easily, she would be wrong; he had plans to charm her socks off by the end of the day. Except when he saw her dressed up for the shoot, he felt like he had his own knocked off. Perhaps it was because he had only ever seen her in semi-formal or formal clothes but the sight of Erina clad in a pair of jeans hit him like a train. The faded blue material clung greedily to her shapely legs usually looked long, but they seemed endless today. It outlined her figure to perfection and sat quite low on her hips, revealing a surprising amount of midriff that was bared by the off-the-shoulder cropped top.

When Erina herself had seen the outfit that Alice had prepared, she had wanted to skin her ungrateful cousin. She was already doing this entire project for her, but now Alice dared to shove this kind of thing onto her? While Erina had worn a fair share of outrageous or revealing outfits, none was as plain or basic as the one that her cousin insisted on. Although she had to admit that the top was quite the work of art, the entire shirt seemed to be trimmed with a significant amount of delicate lace and framed her collarbones beautifully.

A red flush appeared on her cheeks when she realized that Sōma was staring, quite obviously, at her and she fought the urge to launch the bag she was holding at his face. Erina simply cleared her throat loudly before looking pointedly at him when his eyes met hers. With a light laugh of amusement at his surprisingly bashful expression, she strode over to him with purpose in her steps.

"Never thought you would be caught dead wearing this kind of outfit," Sōma's smile was the same bright one with a touch of recklessness, "How much did Alice have to beg you to put that on?"

The blonde woman flicked her lightly curled hair over her shoulder, "Just because I don't usually wear this sort of thing, doesn't mean I won't look good in it."

"There is no argument over whether or not you look good," Sōma eyed her lazily, feigning confidence he did not feel, "It's just unusual." But as he watched her colour prettily, he regained his confidence from his earlier interactions with her.

Before Erina could get in a word edgewise, Sōma was being dragged away by her cousin who was mumbling something underneath her breath. As he saluted goodbye sarcastically with two fingers, she shook her head slightly in amusement at his unchanging penchant for fun.

The beautiful woman took a deep breath, willing her heart rate to settle so she could face the next few hours. She glanced at the intimidating prop that was peeking out of the corner of the background and realized that she may be into too deep already.

. . .

The set was once again minimalistic, with a brightly coloured red couch in the middle of a sparse 'living room'-like space. There were two small white tables with matching ivory coloured lamps placed on top in the way of home décor, very plain and basic. Erina knew that they would be doing the shoot together, so she strode up to the couch and sat down on an end of the sofa. Crossing her legs and leaning back onto the soft material, she prepared for the shoot that she still knew little about. When she hears the sounds of multiple feet scurrying across the concrete floor, she looks up expecting Sōma in an outfit similar to hers only to see him in a suit. Unlike the last time where it was a full out tuxedo, this was more of a casual look with no blazer or tie. In fact, he looked very relaxed with the clean white shirtsleeves rolled up to reveal strong forearms and collar unbuttoned enough to see a glimpse of his lean figure.

Just like how he couldn't take his eyes off of her, she couldn't move her gaze off of him either. The mix of relaxed and professional looked like it was made for him, with his hair being left alone to be the ruffled mess that it was usually was. He was wearing his self-assured smile as he plopped himself on the other end of the couch and waving at her.

Alice stared at the two with a twitching eye, could they be more obtuse? Obviously, there was one couch for a reason, and they've been building the romance for so long now. Why the heck were they sitting as if the other were the plague? However, the photographer was snapping away happily, enjoying the shy romance that was exuding from the scene.

But Alice has had enough of shy romance from the two of them, she didn't dress them up like this for them to be all blushy and cute next to each other. She wanted sparks like the last shoot, even more, if it was possible. So, she looked at the two of them and gestured them to come closer together and grew annoyed when they moved maybe an inch in the other's direction.

"Why are you two acting like you guys never did the shoot last week? Come on, at least be touching. We're supposed to be doing something a bit more lovey-dovey," the white-haired woman impatiently demanded.

Erina glanced at her partner with a bit of trepidation before getting up and making her way to the middle of the sofa as he did the same. They sat down, or rather Erina sat down primly as Sōma flopped down after her, arm reaching around her shoulders and pulling her close. She looked at him in surprise to see a charming twinkle in his eyes that carried a bit of a baiting look.

So this is how he wants to play it, Erina's pink lips twisted up into a familiar smile and took his bait, turning so that she could curl herself up next to her, face resting on his chest. The camera clicked away. To be honest, she didn't particularly mind, her position wasn't exactly wholly foreign, and it was nice even if it made her slightly embarrassed. Her eyes were downcast, so she didn't see the furious gestures that Alice was busy giving to Sōma telling him this was nowhere close to enough.

He was pretty hesitant about breaking whatever delicate peace had occurred, but whatever the director wanted and to be honest, peaceful was never his scene anyway. Erina jolted slightly when she feels him slip a finger beneath her chin and slowly lift her face to his and before she could react, he leaned in so close that she could see his eyelashes. But instead of flushing like he was used to, Erina violet eyes sparkled with amusement as she whispered, "You're not making me blush today."

"Oh?" Sōma's lips slid into a dangerous grin, "Is that so?" He tilted his face so that his nose grazed her cheek.

Erina reached up so that her hand rested on his cheek, warm fingers smoothing over his skin, "That is so, in fact, you're going to be the one flustered today." While she did mean during the shoot, her mind was wandering to the confession that she had been considering for the past two days.

"Hm?" Sōma felt intoxicated by the proximity, there was a faint scent that enveloped him being so close to Erina, something delicately sweet and slightly floral in nature. His eyes flickered to her defiant ones as his lips moved closer to hers. "You wanna bet on it?"

But before he could press a kiss onto the corner of her mouth, Erina does something he never would have expected. Lifting herself off from his chest and swinging a leg over his lap, she sat straddled on his legs as she pushed him back so that he was against the sofa. Her long blonde curls fell over her shoulders as she looked at him haughtily, "I'll take that bet, but if I make you blush, do I get a prize?"

Sōma chokes back a curse as he feels her warm body resting on top of his, and her hands that were resting on his shoulders with a touch of flirtatiousness. Erina's smile was so playful and beautiful that he had to resist the impulse to just kiss her already. Seeing his lack of response to her question, her smile widens as she waits for the flush to just appear already.

Sadly, Sōma was able to regain his wits and chuckles lowly as his hands slip up her thighs appreciatively so that they rest on her narrow waist, skin soft and smooth beneath his palms. "Hm, since you have yet to do so, I'll take that bet. What should the prize be?"

"A request, perhaps?" Erina forcefully steadied her voice at the sensation of his thumbs that rubbed sensuous circles on her abdomen. "Of course, only if the other is willing to fulfill it." She slides her hands from her shoulders and into his dark red hair like she has been thinking of doing for ages now and leans in a little closer.

"That doesn't sound too bad," the redhead considers the proposition while being distracted by the way that her fingers were combing through his locks and sending a faint shiver down his spine. "Just don't regret it."

The shy and nervous Erina from two months ago was nowhere to be seen as she dips a little closer and stares deeply at the golden gaze of the man she was near infatuated by. And to her surprise and happiness, there was a smidgen of self-consciousness that was being drowned out by the heat of something swimming there. "I know I won't."

Sōma smirks boyishly as he considers his next move, and to everyone's surprise, he does not close the distance between their lips but rather rests his forehead against hers in an action that was too innocent for their poses. But even then, both their eyes closed as they rest against each other seemingly oblivious to whatever else was going on.

. . .

The next outfit is very obviously risqué, Erina glared at Alice for a solid three minutes as the scarlet-eyed demon tried to convince her that this was even anything close to appropriate. She was now very sure that this entire situation between her and Sōma was a result of Alice's meddling, but this was the last straw. There was a robe-like coverup that was made of a fine material that had delicate wide sleeves that were tightened around the wrist and flowed full length. The thing was held together by a pretty gold belt but the outfit she was supposed to wear underneath was definitely chosen to give the impression that she was naked underneath. There was a deep V-neck shirt and a pair of indecently short shorts.

"No, are you kidding me? I did not agree to do a photoshoot that included lingerie so you can either change it or I'm leaving," Erina seethed, amethyst coloured eyes flashing with ire that threatened to explode in the next few moments.

"My dearest cousin, it's the last shoot of this entire project," Alice softened her voice into one that resembled a child wheedling their parents for a bit more pocket money, "Besides, don't you want to see what I put on Sōma?"

"What does he have to do with this?" But it was too late, Erina's mind had toyed with the possibilities and Alice knew that she had her.

The white-haired woman raised a hand to her chin, "Oh, I don't know. I just think that it would be such a waste if we had to switch you out for another model. It just won't have the same chemistry though."

"Fine! I'll do it alright?" Erina grumbled, cheeks slightly flushed, "But not because of Sōma, it's because I wouldn't want you to find someone else to do this when I'm perfectly capable."

The squeal of excitement from Alice nearly deafened her and Erina said a silent prayer to pass through what was likely one of the most difficult times of her relatively short life. Her hands had unconsciously clenched into fists as she considered the 'contest' that had yet to have its conclusion with Sōma. Suddenly her eyes flashed, while the outfit was horrible in the sense of being so tastelessly revealing, she supposed that this would benefit her in their bet. After all, if she won, she would have the chance to ask him to be something more than 'co-workers'.

. . .

When Erina was done being prepped and walking towards the transformed set, she saw the prop that had made her nervous before at the forefront of it all. The large four-poster bed with diaphanous curtains fastened open to reveal cream coloured sheets and similarly coloured pillows. But it was the person laying casually on said sheets that made Erina feel like someone swung golf club straight to her gut; she could feel her heart rate spike. Sōma was lounging there lazily with a pair of loose wide-legged pants, just the pants. She felt like a total pervert, but she couldn't stop staring at his smooth, lightly tanned skin and the delicious lines and planes that covered his chest.

Likewise, when Erina finally took a deep enough breath to join him on the set, Sōma found himself feeling like a boy fresh out of middle school and staring at all the exposed milky skin on display. He was shocked to be honest, as far as he knew, Erina had never done shoots that were sultry in nature. Sōma, on the other hand, was no stranger to photo shoots like this, but the thought of doing one with the 'goddess' was more than daunting.

As Erina placed herself next to him, the flimsy fabric falling slightly to reveal the slim shape of her legs, she fought the urge to cover herself up. It was so terribly embarrassing; she couldn't even look at Sōma never mind acting for the camera. Her fingers twisted together, and her eyes were shadowed with a tinge of fear that made Sōma's heart clench with worry.

"Hey," Sōma reached over to take her hand and pull her closer, "You okay?"

Erina's wide violet eyes finally turned to look into his, "I'm okay, just a little stressed out. You would think that Alice would have better taste than a shoot like this."

He chuckled at the barb thrown at Alice, even if he knew it was a feeble attempt of hiding her nervousness, "Yeah, this kind of thing isn't your scene, is it?"

She could feel some of the nervousness ebbing away at the light banter and her lips turn up slightly as she nods and looks down slightly. And then, of course, Alice was eagerly egging Sōma on for some…action? Dear Lord, the Nakiris were more than he could handle.

As much as he liked to tease Erina, he really didn't want her to feel so uncomfortable and so he asked, "Yo Alice, is it okay if we undo the curtains?" And without waiting for the voice of approval he quickly does it anyway so that whoever is outside can only really make out shadows.

Erina sits up, robe gaping slightly to show more of her cleavage as she tries to adjust it to her favour, "Thanks." She was staring at the slightly rumpled duvet with a hesitant frown on her lips, "You didn't have to do that."

"You're my partner, 'course I was going to help you out," the redhead looked at her seductively styled hair that was a delicately ruffled as if hands had been running through it. Perhaps in the throes of passion.

She smiles, finally relaxing completely knowing she was mostly out of view of the cameras and of her nosy cousin. "Even though I was managing it before you took it upon yourself to help." But her words were just a flimsy deflection of the warm sensation in her chest knowing that Sōma had gone out of his way to help her.

"I'm still going to get you to blush," Sōma smirks, a devilish light in his eyes as he considers what he wants to request when he won, "Our little game isn't over."

To his relief, a trace of her usual fighting spirit reappears as she slides closer so that she too is lounging next to him on the bed. She reaches over so that her hand ghosts over his cheek and into his hair, "Well then, I should get to winning then." Just as she was about to pull a similar trick to earlier, Sōma moves quicker and pins her down with his own body.

"You were saying?" His voice was breathier than he intended because holy hell, the feeling of her skin on his felt like pure fire was coursing through his veins. Her expression betrayed her surprise and there, the pink had appeared on her cheeks. But before he could call her out on it, he felt her legs wrap around his waist and bringing him even closer.

Perhaps if it was only that, Sōma may have remained mostly unaffected, but she had also thrown her arms around his neck and was able to make him lower his face until their noses were a fraction away from touching. But the thing that pushed him over the edge was the faintly misty expression in Erina's eyes that sealed the deal, even at her most unguarded he could tell that there was one final wall that she held fast to. It was nowhere to be seen now and she looked so heartbreakingly beautiful and he held her in his arms, and he felt it.

"You're blushing," her voice was also softer than she intended, she never felt so out of control and chaotic before, "Do I win?"

"Nu-uh," Sōma chuckles lightly, "Your cheeks are a fine shade a red as well. So, we both win."

A frown creases her delicate brows as she stares at him in confusion, "Then what? We can't both win, that's ridiculous."

"Hm, that's fair. Well since I made you blush first," he pauses slightly, watching her puzzled expression fade slightly, "I get my request first."

Erina's violet eyes darted to his face in confusion, but that is wiped away when he gently traces a finger on her cheek, "Then say what your request is." Her breath felt like it was being stolen away, this couldn't be for the camera, right?

"I want," his breath ghosted over her lips, "you."

And with those words, covered her lips with his and kissing her the way that he had wanted to and thought about for much too long and it was even better than he could have dreamed. Unlike his expectation of either her slapping him or laying there like a log, her lips were soft and pliant against his own, moving hesitantly as he forced himself to slow down.

Erina's heart was about to beat right out of her chest, she couldn't really fathom what was happening at all but the sensation of his lips lightly sucking and nibbling on hers caused her body to feel as if it was floating. Her attempts at returning the 'gesture' were clumsy at best, but it wasn't as if he minded before he brought it to a close.

Sōma rested his forehead on hers, "I'm sorry about that, I really shouldn't have done that, but I just want you to know that you: Nakiri Erina, has just about stolen my heart. Even with your holier-than-thou attitude and icy demeanor, you couldn't hide what a big softie you are on the inside." He is too scared to look into her piercing violet eyes as he continues, "You also happen to be the most beautiful woman on the planet."

"Don't you want to hear what my request is?" Her tone is deceptively emotionless as she waits for him to look at her. As he doesn't seem to be doing so, Erina gently raised his chin so that they were once again looking into each other's eyes. "It's quite similar to yours, actually."

Before Sōma could get in a word edgewise, Erina showed him exactly what her request was by sealing his lips with hers.

. . .

"Ice Princess, you're might want to see this," Sōma tapped the bare shoulder of the woman who was nestled into his embrace while he scrolled through his tablet. "I think we've been outed."

"What?" Unlike usually when it would take a fair amount of coaxing to convince her to awaken, Erina shoots up and looks at Sōma with wide and fearful eyes. "How did they find out?"

"Alice," But before he could explain, Erina was already on her cellphone ready to order an attack of rotten leaves into her cousin's apartment building. "But she didn't tell people."

Even though his girlfriend could be so many things, a princess or a seductress, she was still the most beautiful when she was flustered and adorable. Nonetheless, Erina deserved to know why exactly they have been found out when they have been keeping it down low for the last few months.

Then she sees it, the digital version of the photoshoot that told a simple yet effective love story that had a happy ending. And looking to the male to her side that she had once considered and still, for the most part, considers, rude, loud, and annoyingly stubborn, she likes him. A lot. Even if the photoshoot project had brought her the most stress, she would be hard-pressed to pick any other shoot that she enjoyed more. However, the greatest prize that she received was a place to call home, in this case, it is Sōma.