All I Want For Christmas [Romeo]

[gabriella nicole of england]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, width: 400px; background-color: #343434; padding:20px; border-top: 10px #af9390 solid; border-bottom: 10px #af9390 solid;] please don't break my heart ( WORDS ) 623 ( TAGGED ) ROMEO VALENTINO OF ITALY ( OUTFIT ) GORGEOUS ( STATUS ) COMPLETE There was a definite chill in the air as snow continued to fall outside her window. Gabriella had just finished putting on her makeup and was struggling to put her dress on by herself, since Will had already left for the Winter Ball. She sighed with irritation, frustrated with herself for having told Will that she’d be fine and downstairs in the next ten minutes. ”Good job Gabriella, this is going to take forever now.” It was an exaggeration; it just took a little longer than she’d expected to slide into the silky white garment, do up the delicate zipper at the back and straighten the material to her satisfaction. Gabriella wanted to look especially good tonight, which was unusual behaviour for her. Only a few months ago she would have spent tonight in her room curled up with a good book and a cup of hot chocolate, but now… well, Bri was telling herself that it was because it was her final year at Vineheart and she wanted the experience of going to the Winter Ball, just once. Yup, that was her story and she was sticking to it. Her sudden interest in attending had absolutely nothing to do with the fact that a certain deliciously handsome Italian would be there, no sir. Because nothing was happening between the two of them, no matter how much she wanted it to. Okay, so they’d hung out once or twice and yes, maybe she understood him more than she’d ever understood anyone else in her life, but there was still the teensy matter that they were both engaged –and not to each other. No way was she going to become entangled with someone who was engaged (she’d already seen how well that worked out for other people) but at the same time it was impossible for her to deny the happy, fluttery feelings she had whenever she thought about him. Pulling on her shoes only took a second despite the tiny straps, and then there was a ten second pause to re-apply her lip gloss one final time before tossing it onto the cabinet next to the door, taking absolutely nothing with her. There was no room to stash anything on her person, unlike at Halloween when her phone had strapped to her boot. No, this time she wasn't going to need anything except her ticket, which she handed to the chaperone teacher at the door after descending the stairs. The decorations were really beautiful, with twinkling lights giving the illusion of snow falling. It was really beautiful, and Gabriella was glad she'd arrived an hour after it had begun because it meant she'd missed the line of students eager to start enjoying their night. As it was she waltzed right through the door and hopefully no one was any the wiser about when she'd arrived. Heading to the punch bowl seemed the most prudent thing to do to scope out who was where, so Bri gracefully made her way across the room to it. The hairs on the back of her neck were standing up, alerting her that someone was watching, but she carefully ladled a cupful of the red juice and took a sip before giving in to the urge to look around. Despite not being able to see the person the feeling wasn't going away, and she drank her juice in nervous gulps, anxiously touching her dress to make sure it still looked okay. As her eyes scanned the crowd searching for one particular person and failed to find him her body remained motionless despite the crushing crowds of dancers nearby. FIRST POST, HOPE I'M NOT OVERWHELMING YOU! table by CALIFORNIA DREAMING of CAUTION 2.0

[style=font-size: 10px; font-family: arial narrow; text-transform: uppercase; font-style: italic; letter-spacing: 1px;][/style]

[romeo valentino of italy]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, background-color: dddddd; border: #cccccc solid 8px; width: 520px; padding: 15 5 15 5px;] YOU GOT ME RIGHT WHERE YOU WANT ME Tagged: gabriella nicole of england Outfit:here Status: complete. hope you don't mind him just standing there! i wasn't sure whether we were still going to follow with her dancing with a few others and him getting jealous xD let me know, i'll change it if you want! He couldn't get her out of his head. She was there, always, no matter what he thought about. It didn't seem normal, and yet, he supposed he didn't mind. He didn't mind that wherever he looked, he saw her smile; that in the back of his mind, he could hear her infectious laugh. She was contagious, and he'd been put under her spell. Maybe it was the English women effect, but he could see how Dante had been pulled into Vivien's entrance -- not that Vivien and her sister were the same, but there seemed to be something about the English princesses that drew boys hopelessly in. And he was certainly hooked on Gabriella, that was for certain. It was funny, really, as they had only hung out with each other a few times, had only texted and IMed each other a few times -- but that was all it had taken for him to feel something of her, and there wasn't anything he was more certain of than that. She was interesting, she was charming, she was intelligent, absolutely beautiful, and he just couldn't deny the fire between them. Burning, with underlying passion -- it was there, and he wasn't about to ignore, not anymore. He'd come to terms a month ago with the fact that he had had definite attraction and a definite crush on her, but this was more than that now. He fancied her, and a great deal. Which was why he was quite eager to attend this Winter Gala. Normally, he didn't much care for these types of events. He still went, but only to check out the throngs of princesses parading about looking like beauty queens. But there was only one girl he was looking for this time as he leaned up against the wall of the Ballroom, a glass of punch in hand. Romeo had opted for a classic look this evening: a light beige suit, light blue undershirt, dark brown leather shoes. His hair, instead of in its usually messed up array, was slicked back, highlighting his jaw line and giving way to his piercing blue-green eyes. He had, though, forgotten to completely shave before had left, so there was some definite stubble there; he supposed it just added to the overall casual yet elegant appearance. The Ballroom was filling up, and at this point he was picking out every girl in the crowd, searching for those pretty amber eyes and chestnut locks. His glass was almost gone when he finally spotted her, and honestly he didn't know how anyone could miss her -- she was stunning, practically an angel in a white, flowing dress, looking perfectly made up. Her eyes seemed to roam the room, and with a grin she realized what she was doing -- looking for him, just like he had been looking for her not but a moment ago. She was making her way over to the punch bowl, but Romeo remained where he was. He didn't want to ruin this moment -- he was perfectly content just letting his gaze rest on her, watching her every expression. It always made him curious, wondering how she acted when she was alone, or when she was not around him -- was she different? More outgoing, or more reserved? Romeo felt a bit like a stalker at the current moment, just watching her without moving, a small smile forever on his lips. But he wasn't going to move, not now. She had once said she was invisible, and he had completely disagreed; now, he figured they had switched spots -- he was the one hiding among the crowd, while she seemed to stand out so effortlessly. No, he was fine right here; he'd go talk to her eventually, but now he was far too intrigued to move, and she was far more interesting on her own. created by ADE! Pb-ified by WILL

[/td][/tr][/table][/center]

[gabriella nicole of england]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, width: 400px; background-color: #343434; padding:20px; border-top: 10px #af9390 solid; border-bottom: 10px #af9390 solid;] please don't break my heart ( WORDS ) 823 ( TAGGED ) ROMEO VALENTINO OF ITALY ( OUTFIT ) GORGEOUS ( STATUS ) COMPLETE Ah, finally! The punch was good, and there were piles of Christmas goodies on trays next to the bowl but Bri was too nervous for food. He was here, he had to be, otherwise whose eyes could she feel on her? Gabriella’s back felt cool and exposed thanks to the way the back of her dress was designed. The white material was silky and soft against her legs, as was the silvery part that wrapped over her shoulder to hold the garment in place. The whole thing had been much lighter than Bri had expected, but thanks to the school’s furnace and the heated bodies filling the room she wasn’t cold. The goosebumps on her skin had more to do with the fact that she’d spotted the person she’d been looking for and caught him watching her. Giving Romeo a quick once over with her eyes, Bri could appreciate the cleanly cut suit he was wearing, and she thought the stubble covering his jaw made him look ruggedly handsome though she wasn’t sure many of the other girls at the school would have agreed with her. The majority seemed to like their men clean shaven with neat hair, and though Gabriella could appreciate that as much as the next girl she found herself almost uncontrollably attracted to Romeo’s roughness. She thought about walking over to him and making conversation, or asking him to dance, but was acutely aware of the curious eyes on her wondering why she was oddly standing by herself. In an effort to fend off the uncomfortable feeling of being watched Bri purposefully walked over to one of her male classmates, whose jaw almost hit the floor upon seeing her. Instantly regretting the plan she’d decided on, Bri charged ahead anyways by making small talk for the all of ten seconds it took the guy to catch on and ask her to dance. Under normal circumstances it would have been enjoyable because she’d always been a fairly graceful dancer, but her partner was so distracted by her appearance they would likely have to send janitors to mop up the trail of drool he left on the dance floor. That wasn’t even taking into account how low his hand was sliding down her bare back as they moved, which led to Gabriella accidentally-on-purposely stepping on his foot and apologizing with an overly sweet smile. Thankfully Victor had apparently noticed her predicament, because at the end of the song her friend came over and requested the next dance -leaving her disgruntled classmate to limp away in embarrassment- effectively rescuing her from an uncomfortable situation. Another dance with him and Gabriella would have probably punched him and called him a pig, embarrassing herself in front of the rest of the school. Victor was a fair dancer, if a little awkward and tense. She thanked him and got a smile out of her friend, but he seemed distracted, and as they parted ways at the end of the dance Bri watched him head over to another girl and smiled. She mentally applauded and wished him good luck and moved on to socialize with her servant Will, whom she’d spotted in the crowd. They’d only been chatting for a minute before Gabriella’s eyes had begun scanning the crowd again until they found him again, meeting his gaze for a nervous second across the room. She firmly reminded herself that nothing could happen between them, despite the happy, heated feelings he gave her. Feelings she didn’t know how to handle. As curious as Gabriella was to know more about the mysterious but sweet bad boy that the Italian prince was, she was morally bound to put a stop to this whole thing before her crush –yes she’d finally admitted she had one for the sweet Italian—got any bigger. How naïvely wrong she’d been over a year ago, to think she loved that stupid boy, whose name she couldn’t even remember now because her head was so full of Romeo there wasn’t room for anyone else. Oddly enough, Bri somehow didn’t mind. Swallowing nervously, she asked Will to dance and hoped he wouldn’t figure out the source of her tension. The two of them knew each other well enough that there would be no hiding that there was something bothering her, but there was a chance he wouldn’t figure out what. Dancing with Will was fun and natural for her because when Bri’s mother had forced her to learn how to waltz, Will had been the one to be her partner. They’d practiced for weeks because she’d had two left feet at the beginning, and had stepped on him goodness only knew how many times, but Will had the patience of a saint and hadn’t given up on her. They’d grown more comfortable with each other as dance partners, and he wasn’t looking to get in her pants, unlike the guy she’d previously danced with. The two of them moved comfortably around the dance floor talking and joking about their various teachers’ dance talent –or lack thereof. For a few minutes Bri was almost able to forget about the pair of eyes focused on her and get lost in the rhythm of moving her body, laughing as Will playfully dipped her backwards. Nope, I had to get her all set up first table by CALIFORNIA DREAMING of CAUTION 2.0

[style=font-size: 10px; font-family: arial narrow; text-transform: uppercase; font-style: italic; letter-spacing: 1px;][/style]

[romeo valentino of italy]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, background-color: dddddd; border: #cccccc solid 8px; width: 520px; padding: 15 5 15 5px;] YOU GOT ME RIGHT WHERE YOU WANT ME Tagged: gabriella nicole of england Outfit:here Status: complete. Their eyes briefly met, and Romeo almost felt shell-shocked; he hadn't expected the eye contact to affect him this much, but it did. He didn't move, and neither did she, so he leaned back further against the wall, the empty glass of punch in his hand. He knew the rest of the students would wonder why a King of Vineheart was currently not dancing with a throng of girls, but then again, Romeo had always been a bit mysterious, despite his vivacious public personality. He could clearly see Ric dancing with Elise, Baste with some random girl, but Fred and Dante were currently nowhere to be found. Fred he wasn't so sure where he was, but he had a sneaking suspicion he knew exactly where and with whom Dante was with. It was funny, really; Dante had not come to the Gala with Bri, and yet Romeo secretly wished he had. He normally went dateless to things like these, but that usually wasn't of much matter, as at nights like these he always had a girl on his arm. Tonight, though, things were different. He let his eyes wander, and yet they kept returning to the girl in white. And, currently, she was dancing with one of the other fifth year princes -- the Norwegian prince, he believed. He didn't know the prince very well, but he did know that the guy's hand was drifting lower and lower down Bri's back, and Romeo shifted uncomfortably, his piercing eyes narrowing. He was jealous, and he knew it; he'd never really felt jealousy before, and he couldn't say he liked it very much. Not to mention that, from what he could see, the prince was staring openly at Bri. She was stunning, no doubt, but that didn't mean you ogled her like that. She deserved to be admired respectfully, not looked at like she was a star attraction, even if she was. Romeo had almost half a mind to go over there but his irritations were put to rest when the English princess accidentally stepped on his foot, and judging by the smile on her face, it was on purpose. At this, Romeo smirked -- that was the Bri he appreciated. But she wasn't done dancing, oh no. She continued on to Viktor, and though Romeo didn't have much a problem with this, he silently wondered whether his Slovakian best friend had a crush on Bri. No, he couldn't...could he? He knew they spent quite a bit of time together on the project, and outside of school. Suddenly irked by this, Romeo scowled, running a hand through his swept back hair. This was annoying; no, this was irritating. He was now convinced she was doing this on purpose -- what other explanation was there? They'd made eye-contact, and then she'd slunk off to dance with other boys. Did Romeo feel threatened? Maybe a little, but perhaps he didn't have the right to be; Bri didn't know how he felt, though he figured she probably suspected. It was nearly obvious at this point, with the constant attention he was giving her, the persistent talks and everything. Thankfully, after one song Viktor headed off to another girl -- the Russian princess, was it? -- and Romeo relaxed a little bit. Not for long, however. Next up, Bri sashayed over to a younger looking boy, and Romeo tried to place the name for him. He knew he knew who this kid was; Bri had mentioned him before. It was her servant, right? Oh, yes, Will. Servants could become attracted to the people they worked for, right? They spent plenty of time around them, after all...Romeo groaned inwardly. How much competition did he have for this English princess? A lot, considering she was the brightest star in the room; she put all of the other girls to shame. Realizing he'd been leaning against the wall for a good ten minutes, Romeo straightened up and sighed. He was done with this. He wasn't going to sit by any longer while she taunted him like this, intentionally or not. In a second's time, Romeo was at the couple's side, stepping in the center of them so that they'd be forced to break apart. He politely tapped Will on the shoulder and gave his best smile. "Mind if I step in?" It wasn't really a question, but considering he just interrupted their dance, he had to be nice. Bri's servant gave him a curious, suspicious look and then nodded, moving off to the side so Romeo could take his place. With an appreciative nod, Romeo moved in, taking Bri's hand in his and snaking his other hand around the very small of her back -- high enough to be respectful, but low enough to be somewhat intimate. He pulled her close, closer than she'd been with the other three, and cast her an accusatory glance. "You're really cruel, you know," Romeo stated, beginning to move them along the dance floor. created by ADE! Pb-ified by WILL

[/td][/tr][/table][/center]

[gabriella nicole of england]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, width: 400px; background-color: #343434; padding:20px; border-top: 10px #af9390 solid; border-bottom: 10px #af9390 solid;] please don't break my heart ( WORDS ) 1159 ( TAGGED ) ROMEO VALENTINO OF ITALY ( OUTFIT ) GORGEOUS ( STATUS ) COMPLETE Bri had finished her punch before she finally spotted Romeo, who was apparently watching her. She could practically hear the sizzle of heat pass through the air between them as her dark brown eyes met his grey-blue ones. Even from across the room she had the urge to shiver, because no matter how hard she tried to stay cool around the Italian prince, the task had proven to be impossible. There was just something about him that made Gabriella go hot and cold at the same time, and it scared her. He appeared to have come by himself, which was curious because the Kings were never hard up for dates. Ever. If that was the case, then why had Romeo chosen to show up without one of the resident beauty queens on his arm? For that matter, why had he shown up at all? Many of the male students only went to the Winter Gala because the chances of getting laid were pretty high, and others only showed up because their dates insisted on going. It wasn’t a mandatory event, and even though there were a fair number of people who went dateless, it wasn’t like the heartbreaker King to do so. Catching him looking back at her, she was thrown by how he looked. Having his hair slicked back made him look like a completely different person –almost, since the grin he wore was exactly the same—and Bri found it intriguing. Before she could change her mind and get up the nerve to approach him however, the Norwegian prince asked for a dance, and then she was too busy trying to keep his hand off her butt, his eyes off her chest and pretend he wasn’t eyeing her like she was some sort of delicious treat he wanted. In a flash of brilliance she was able to step on his foot, making sure to put the heel in the meaty part in the middle and smiling in satisfaction. Well, he wouldn’t be doing much dancing for the rest of the night, she thought smugly. Though Gabriella pretended to apologize profusely, inside she was relieved her shot had done the trick, otherwise things would have gone downhill and it wouldn’t have been pretty. While she liked being complimented, being stared at like a freak was another thing altogether, and if he wanted to curry favour with someone he’d picked the wrong twin to court. Vivien was more prone to enjoy attention and flattery in any case; Gabriella was just made uncomfortable by it. Speaking of which, where was Vivien? A quick glance around didn’t reveal her twin, and on a second thought Bri decided she’d probably rather not know. Her eyes did settle on Romeo again for a second, sharing his amused look, though hers had a touch of pride in it. ‘See?’ her sparkling eyes seemed to say, ‘I can take care of myself.’ The reason why it was important for him to know that she could, in fact, take care of herself had flittered away before Bri was able to really focus on it. Her eyes returned to her partner –who was limping away in irritation—abandoning her to Victor, who’d chivalrously offered to dance with her for the next song. He was such a sweet guy; Gabriella really enjoyed his company and was able to relax with the knowledge that he wouldn’t try the same moves as the Norwegian prince. After thoroughly enjoying the song, the dance with her friend had put her in the mood to dance some more, and Will happened to be her next victim. To be honest he hadn’t protested at all, though that might have been because of his sense of duty. In any case Bri was pleased he’d said yes, and gently tugged on his hand until they found an empty spot on the dance floor. He’d just finished dipping her, and Bri’s curls hadn’t even settled back on her shoulders before Romeo was suddenly there, appearing even more handsome close up. Bri’s eyes widened; her main concern had been to make sure that no one realized that there was more going on here besides a friendship. Was there anything more going on than a friendship? After all, Romeo hadn’t exactly been the most subtle of late in his attempts to talk to her, but there had been no absolutely definite signals, and Gabriella wasn’t perfect, so it was totally possible that she might be wrong. So far everything that the two of them had done could have been passed off as them being friends. There hadn’t been any overly flirtatious moves by either of them, but now here he was, asking –but not really asking—her to dance in front of everyone. Victor and the Norwegian prince had both done the same thing though, so it was likely that no one would notice. In any case, it would have been rude –not to mention very unusual—for Bri to have refused a dance, so when Will looked to her for her reaction she nodded and smiled brightly at him. “I’ll be fine, thanks for the dance Will.” Romeo’s words had been short and clipped, and his tone was different than it normally was when he spoke to her. Was he nervous? The way Romeo had come between Gabriella and her servant hadn’t gone unnoticed by the princess, who was slightly irritated by it. The move struck her as being a little territorial, but it could also have been because Will was a servant. Things like that mattered to some of the royals, but she’d never thought Romeo would have been one of them. The first option however, made no sense, because –crush aside—she definitely didn’t belong to him. As Will nodded and then walked away, leaving the two of them alone her stomach was doing somersaults, and her mouth felt dry for some reason. When Romeo’s hand slipped around her back, Bri flinched, jumping a little. Okay, okay, she totally had a thing for him, but at the same time he terrified her. The last boy she’d gotten close to hadn’t been gentle with her feelings, or her body, and Bri wasn’t one to repeat her mistakes. She pulled back –just a little—in an attempt to clear her thoughts, which were gradually becoming fuzzy and unfocused the more they moved. Romeo had severely entered her personal space now and Gabriella’s skin felt suddenly heated as she felt his hand on her bare back. Why did he have to be so bloody close? Her chin raised a notch and she arched her eyebrows at him. “I don’t know what you mean.” The tone of voice she used was more cool than irritated, and her demeanor had gone from relaxed to tense in under a minute. Gabriella was surprised by her own ability to speak, because now that he was holding onto her she was realizing that this was a little more than a crush. She’d already gotten attached to the idea that she liked him; now the question was: how much? table by CALIFORNIA DREAMING of CAUTION 2.0

[style=font-size: 10px; font-family: arial narrow; text-transform: uppercase; font-style: italic; letter-spacing: 1px;][/style]

[romeo valentino of italy]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, background-color: dddddd; border: #cccccc solid 8px; width: 520px; padding: 15 5 15 5px;] YOU GOT ME RIGHT WHERE YOU WANT ME Tagged: gabriella nicole of england Outfit:here Status: complete. He was watching her intently, practically begging her with his eyes not to refuse this dance, but something about her seemed almost irritated that he'd stepped in. That's when Romeo realized he had probably come off a bit more rude than he had intended, a bit more territorial and a lot less suave than he had thought. Had his jealousy really overcome him to where he couldn't have just waited until the song was over for her to be alone? Then again, this was Bri -- she'd had three dance partners so far, and she wasn't anti-social. More princes would come, again and again, to dance with her, and that very thought made Romeo almost want to punch a wall. This was a surprising feeling for him, though, because he didn't recall ever feeling jealous before. Sure, he was jealous of his brother and jealous of other things like that, but over a girl? Never before. But here was, irritated at the very thought of the many boys undressing her with their eyes. What was it about her that made him feel like this? Usually he was so calm and apathetic about everything, and while his face showed the usual confident smile, his eyes told differently -- stormy and deep, unable to block out the strong emotions he was currently feeling. Romeo hadn't really thought about what it might seem like to the rest of the world, him pulling her so very close and looking down at her like that. Did he care? Not too much. But he knew she would; he recalled a few months ago, the way she was worried what the rest of the class would think about their not-so-very subtle flirting in class. There was a certain expression in her face that was very nearly unreadable, but he had not mistaken her lean away from her, and he mentally cursed himself. He was so wrapped up in being as close to her as was publicly acceptable that he hadn't taken into account her right to personal space, so he put a bit more distance between them, though not much. Beneath the fabric of her dress, he could feel the warmth radiating from her skin, and he was very acutely aware of it burning into his hand on her back. He liked the feeling though, the warmth. The last time they had been this close, he'd been nervous, but now all nerves were gone, instead replaced by desire, by determination to let her know just how much she meant to him. He was tired of keeping it inside, though he hadn't been very subtle about it. In fact, he'd been rather persistent, rather open about his growing affections, but she had yet to comment on them. Well, then he'd just have to make the first move, wouldn't he? Her reply was not in a welcoming voice like he had expected, and Romeo narrowed his eyes, swaying them farther to the back of the room, where their conversation had a better chance of not being heard. Besides, he wanted a minute alone with her, but he knew he couldn't just drag her out of the Ballroom without going unnoticed. And he didn't think she'd fare well with that anyways. "I think you do," he insisted, the corners of his lips in a smirk but his gaze rather intense. How could she not see it, not feel it? He knew he couldn't be the only one feeling something between them. He could play off the suave ladies man all day, but he had definitely shown her vulnerable moments that would let anyone know just what he was feeling. "Finding me in the crowd and then deliberately dancing with other boys..." he continued on, continuing the path to the back of the room, where the doors to the hallway were located. "...looking as stunning as you do, might as well give a boy a heart attack," he finished. Well, he'd been as blunt as possible, right? He'd made it rather obvious how jealous he was feeling, but he was more concerned about her reaction. He'd come to learn that Bri was independent, feisty...the last thing she would want is to feel like she was his. Which, she wasn't. And even if she were, he still had no control over her, and he didn't think he could. Romeo mainly just wanted her to realize the extent of his conflictions, to put two and two together from his jealousies. created by ADE! Pb-ified by WILL

[/td][/tr][/table][/center]

[gabriella nicole of england]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, width: 400px; background-color: #343434; padding:20px; border-top: 10px #af9390 solid; border-bottom: 10px #af9390 solid;] please don't break my heart ( WORDS ) 785 ( TAGGED ) ROMEO VALENTINO OF ITALY ( OUTFIT ) GORGEOUS ( STATUS ) COMPLETE So she'd been lying to herself when she'd decided there hadn't been anything going on between them. There was a feeling in her chest that had absolutely everything to do with the boy in front of her, and now that Gabriella had admitted it to herself there would be no turning back. She'd been thinking a lot about what she and Romeo had talked about when they went riding, and a lot of the things he'd said made sense to her. There was no point in being miserable for the rest of her life; she deserved to be happy, and by golly, she was going to be happy or die trying. He made her happy, with his charisma, thoughtfulness, and the chemistry she could feel in her bones, but it was more than that. It was oh so much more than that. Their bodies moved together in a way that Bri hadn't expected, and she was secretly loving the feel of his shoulder muscles under her hands. Despite the seemingly relaxed smile on her partner's face, she could feel the tension in the hand he currently had placed on her bare back. The roughness of his skin made her want to shiver and press closer, but the guarded look on Romeo's face gave her pause. It was obvious he wasn't happy with her for some reason, though she wasn't sure exactly what she'd done to deserve his anger. Okay, so maybe if their roles had been reversed she would have been jealous of the girl -or girls- he chose to dance with, but technically she'd only asked the last one. His accusation caused minute wrinkles to form between her eyes, and she bit her lip nervously, unsure of where he was going with this. The vulnerable look he'd worn at her birthday party was gone, replaced with a hard, unreadable expression that left Gabriella clueless as to what he was thinking. It didn't stop her irritation with him, though her iciness did thaw a little at his compliment. She said nothing, contemplating for a second before her attitude resurfaced, her voice remaining calm and logical. “I'm allowed to dance with whoever I want you know. I came all by myself, I'm a free agent.” The silent accusation was there; if he'd wanted to dance with her so badly, why hadn't he asked her himself? Probably for the same reasons you didn't ask him, she thought, her mind flipping to images of their fiancée's. Looking up at his face, the realization struck her about how honest and unguarded Romeo had been since she'd met him. It didn't make sense that it should irritate her so much now that he wasn't, but somehow, it did. As aware as she was of every movement of Romeo's body against hers, it wasn't until they'd reached the doorway when Bri realized just how effortlessly he'd been guiding their steps. Where exactly he had been leading them became immediately obvious; he wanted privacy. While it ordinarily wasn't in Gabriella's nature to be meekly shepherded along, as her arms slid reluctantly from around Romeo's neck she decided to go with it -for now, at least. She looked up at him sassily, moving with him towards and through the doors, the music and sounds of conversation fading but not disappearing completely. If there was ever a time to be honest, this was it. Taking a chance that she might be wrong and possibly misreading their whole dynamic, Bri took a fortifying breath of the cool hallway air. “This can’t happen Romeo. We can’t happen.” Even as her mouth mechanically said the words her heart plummeted until it settled somewhere around her ankles. More than anything she wished she didn't have to say the words and warn him away, but she had a fiancée to think about -and so did he. How could liking Romeo feel so right when it was supposed to be so wrong? This wasn't about lust, not at all. Why did he have to look at her like that though, as if he could really see her, as if she was beautiful? The electricity that had flown between them when they danced practically crackled in the air around them, and Bri swallowed reflexively, having caught herself after her gaze settled on Romeo's lips for several seconds too long. Thank goodness the organizers had turned off the hallway lights, lighting the area with twinkling lights that gave the illusion of falling snow. Perhaps the dim light would mask the uncertainty in her expression, because for the moment Gabriella's expressions were completely unguarded and blatantly honest for him to see. table by CALIFORNIA DREAMING of CAUTION 2.0

[style=font-size: 10px; font-family: arial narrow; text-transform: uppercase; font-style: italic; letter-spacing: 1px;][/style]

[romeo valentino of italy]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, background-color: dddddd; border: #cccccc solid 8px; width: 520px; padding: 15 5 15 5px;] YOU GOT ME RIGHT WHERE YOU WANT ME Tagged: gabriella nicole of england Outfit:here Status: complete. The sassy look on her face was enough to make a smile break his lips, though his eyes remained narrowed and darker, the color of deep sea water rather than the usual mix of blue and green. "Okay," he agreed with a nod of his head. "Suppose you weren't?" The question was direct though the answer could be somewhat vague; it was intended to give her a heads up, make her think. If he wasn't obvious before, he was rather obvious now, and as he guided them at a quicker pace, he had made up his mind: he was going to have to be blunt about it. Romeo could only be so subtle, as subtlety was not his forte, but he thought he'd been rather subtle enough, right? Perhaps too subtle, for she had not given him any signs of noticing his changed feelings; or, perhaps she was just resisting them, refusing to think about them? He could see why she might do that, but he wasn't going to let her anymore. He was going to force an answer out of her, one way or another. If his charm couldn't do it, then his nearly uncomfortable honesty would. Still, he supposed he could have asked her to the dance, but that would have seemed a bit too odd, and really he was only thinking about how concerned she had been when they'd skipped class together -- her fear of the public eye. Would she have even accepted his offer as a date? Why didn't he just ask her? Why? It would have made things much clearer, and he wouldn't have had to struggle with his jealous feelings. Finally, they'd made it out into the hallway, and Romeo relished in not only the clean air -- it was terribly stuffy in the Ballroom -- but now, he was alone with Bri. Something he'd wanted all night. There was no denying now the sudden tension between them in this private area, and as she let go of him, Romeo leaned against the wall, his arms lazily crossed. He definitely could have guessed what she said yes, and his immediate reaction was a small, knowing smirk. She didn't mean that. He could see the doubt and disappointment in her eyes; she wanted this just as much as he did. Well, it was about time she stopped listening to her conscience, because there was always going to be something holding her back, and Romeo had never had time for uncertainties. Jump first, think later -- that was the motto. "You're a horrible liar, you know that, right?" He teased, biting his lip to hold back a laugh. She'd probably get defensive at that, but he wouldn't mind; she was impossibly dazzling when she was in a negative mood. He pushed himself off of the wall and took a step towards her, one eyebrow raised. "Give me one good reason why this can't happen, and don't say because we're both engaged," Romeo demanded, an intensity in his eyes. So what if they were engaged? If he knew himself -- and her -- then he knew they wouldn't be engaged for much longer. And judging by Dante's increasingly positive mood changes over the past few days, things were probably looking up in that department. As far as his engagement went, things were still rough, especially considering he and Aubrey's wedding date had been set: May. On her eighteenth birthday. When he'd become King of Belgium. The very thought made him cringe, because now his original plan of Lucan calling off the wedding after becoming King was more complicated -- if he could just get them to move the date back a few months, then things would be far less stressful. For now, though, in five months' time he'd have a ring around his finger. That, or he'd be on a one way ticket to another country where no one could find him. However...if he could show the world that he didn't have feelings for Aubrey, and that she held no feelings for him as well, surely that could help matters? The Italian people loved him; if their prince was unhappy, couldn't they do something about it? His parents would have to listen to the people. And Bri -- he wanted Bri. More than any other girl he'd ever wanted before. He didn't want to hide his feelings anymore, not if they could help him in the long run. created by ADE! Pb-ified by WILL

[/td][/tr][/table][/center]

[gabriella nicole of england]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, width: 400px; background-color: #343434; padding:20px; border-top: 10px #af9390 solid; border-bottom: 10px #af9390 solid;] please don't break my heart ( WORDS ) 678 ( TAGGED ) ROMEO VALENTINO OF ITALY ( OUTFIT ) GORGEOUS ( STATUS ) COMPLETE Maybe the explanation for the way Gabriella was feeling was that she was having a heart attack. It would certainly explain why her breaths had become shorter than usual, and why she suddenly was feeling a little light-headed. The feelings only faded once Romeo was a few steps away and the cool air had had a chance to reach her overheated face. Her sass didn't appear to have affected him in the slightest; in fact he was wearing an infuriatingly entertained smirk. Under normal circumstances Bri would found Romeo's expression to be extremely attractive, but in her current state of mind it only served to make her more angry. She was convinced that he wasn't taking this seriously, and her stirred up feelings were something was being very serious about. Sure she'd heard him incorrectly, Bri didn't answer until they'd moved through the doors and into the hallway. Then she stepped closer to where Romeo was lounging against the wall, her head cocked slightly to the side. Bri's face was a bit lower than his, despite the fact that he was slouching, but the way she held her body stiffly increased her height by an inch or so. Deciding to give the most stubbornly noncommittal answer possible, she replied, “Well in that case I suppose I wouldn't need more than one dance partner, would I? It doesn't matter though, because I am,” with a shrug. Take that. She got a stubborn sense of satisfaction out of her answer, and she was able to unclench a few of her muscles. They'd been tightened in an effort to prevent the trembling that occurred whenever she tried to lie. The folds of her dress brushed her legs softly as she moved still closer to him, not completely against her will. Contrary to what she'd been hoping, Romeo's smile didn't disappear at all. If anything the sly grin only got bigger, further increasing Gabriella's irritation. When he called her out on her lie she wasn't overly surprised; not only was she a naturally terrible liar, but he was an observant person who seemed to be able to read her better than he should. Swallowing reflexively, she tried not to lose her cool and failed. Miserably. “I-I'm not lying. Are you bloody mad? You're...and-I'm” This wasn't a situation she was prepared to handle in even the most remote sense. Dante's mother had never mentioned how to handle a moment like this! As the boy straightened and took a step towards her, Gabriella took a concurrent, involuntary step backwards. Thank goodness the hem of her dress wasn't any longer or she would have run the risk of tripping over it. There was just something about Romeo that knocked her completely off balance in a way no one else ever had. It was like she was perpetually at a loss as to how to behave around him, and yet for some reason he still kept coming back. She cursed the persistence that was only making this whole ordeal more difficult. Why couldn't he just take no for an answer like the rest of them? Bri was sure she'd been perfectly clear, but if that was true then why the bloody hell wasn't he giving up? "Give me one good reason why this can't happen, and don't say because we're both engaged." The fact that he was now demanding an answer from her was infuriating, but she refused to give up any more ground. “Because I don't share,” she snarled, eyes flashing. Okay, so maybe she'd said the first thing that had popped into her head and it definitely wasn't the proper answer, but there wasn't much she could do about it now but beat a hasty retreat. The situation was still salvageable so long as she left, and that way Romeo could repair his ego without an audience. Her palms had just started sweating as she took another step backwards, keeping her eyes locked on the sea green ones in front of her. Eep, soooooooooooo excited! table by CALIFORNIA DREAMING of CAUTION 2.0

[style=font-size: 10px; font-family: arial narrow; text-transform: uppercase; font-style: italic; letter-spacing: 1px;][/style]

[romeo valentino of italy]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, background-color: dddddd; border: #cccccc solid 8px; width: 520px; padding: 15 5 15 5px;] YOU GOT ME RIGHT WHERE YOU WANT ME Tagged: gabriella nicole of england Outfit:here Status: complete. He wasn't sure whether he was pulling her in or pushing her away, because her negative aura at the moment was definitely outweighing the fact that he was getting under her skin. Was she so afraid that she couldn't even admit, even slightly, that she had feelings for him? And she had to, Romeo was sure of it. She didn't seem like the type to sacrifice her time for something that wasn't important, no matter how much of a social butterfly she was. And he had been ever the persistent boy; she would have brushed off his advances by now, and he would have recognized a rejection. She had not rejected him. In fact, he was almost certain Bri was just as responsible for egging this on as he was. Two had to be in it together, and as much as she seemed to be denying it at this current moment, she was headfirst in this thing. Her vague answers were too careful to not seem suspicious, so Romeo decided it was best to dig deeper into it until she had no other choice than to answer him directly. "Why did you go without a date, then? Were you holding out for someone special?" he asked, the dark mischief in his eyes becoming clearer. He was going to work this like nobody's business to the point where she would be so uncomfortable she'd have to admit it; his blatant disregard for tact definitely had its strong points. And it was working, as she was stumbling fast. Now confident that he would be able to get a clear confession out of her, Romeo took a step closer. They were now so close that if he took another step they would be just barely pressed up against each other, and such close proximity would surely break her, if it had to be a last resort. This was a battle of wits and strength in desire, and Romeo was determined not to lose. He had already tried the honest route, and though he was not done with that path yet, it seemed he was going to have to play dirty. And Romeo was good at playing dirty -- expert, even. But her answer brought him up short, and for a brief second, Romeo broke his steady gaze and glanced to the side, processing what she had said. There were a number of ways to interpret Bri's answer, and Romeo considered all of them. Sharing. What would she have to share? As far as he knew, admitting that she had feelings for him didn't involve sharing anything, unless she meant actually sharing her innermost feelings with him. But that seemed preposterous and far too backwards for a bold girl like Bri. No, it had to be something else entirely. And in that brief moment, realization dawned on his features and his eyes flew back to her, his eyebrows furrowing. "You don't want to share...me?" He asked, more looking for a confirmation than an answer. Of course she had to mean it in that way, because wanting to be with him meant having to work around the fact that he was completely and utterly engaged to someone else. Granted, the engagement was loathed on both ends of the spectrum, but it was still something set in stone and clearly considered by the entire world to be real and true. Bri was stepping away, and Romeo reached out to grab hold of her wrist, firm enough to stop her but gentle enough not to hurt her. "Who would you be sharing me with? Aubrey?" Romeo asked, a certain softness in his features and a vulnerable honesty in his voice. He could clearly see what had her so concerned now, and this very much frustrated him. "You know I want out of that more than anything else." She was scared of the engagements they were both tied in, it seemed, and that was a real fear. But it didn't change his feelings towards her, not in the slightest, and admitting her fear...did it mean she truly had feelings for him back? She wouldn't say that if she didn't feel some kind of tie to him. created by ADE! Pb-ified by WILL

[/td][/tr][/table][/center]

[gabriella nicole of england]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, width: 400px; background-color: #343434; padding:20px; border-top: 10px #af9390 solid; border-bottom: 10px #af9390 solid;] please don't break my heart ( WORDS ) 1073 ( TAGGED ) ROMEO VALENTINO OF ITALY ( OUTFIT ) GORGEOUS ( STATUS ) COMPLETE The note of playfulness that had crept into Romeo’s voice proved to make Gabriella upset, though to the outward observer her expression didn’t change. How was he not taking this seriously, when her heart was pounding, and her legs felt all weak and her skin felt all tingly like it did? She took a deep, calming breath in through her nose, holding the cool air inside of her for a moment, before slowly releasing it and regrouping her thoughts. “I could ask you the same question.” Her noncommittal answer would probably irritate him just as much as the even sound of her voice, but the way his eyes became swirling pools of stormy seawater were, if anything, made even more attractive by the soft set of his mouth. Please say something, she added silently, possibly begging with her eyes for something –she wasn’t exactly sure what—from him. This cold distance was Bri’s defense mechanism, because it would allow her to cope if Romeo was just playing with her, as the different Kings were known for doing. His ulterior motives for spending time with her were still a mystery, but the look he was giving her was causing Bri’s heart to thud uncomfortably fast in her chest. His sudden change from demanding to vulnerable threw her off balance, but she maintained her steely gaze. If he’d wanted a confrontation, he was going to get a confrontation. “I don’t take other people’s leftovers.” Why was she still standing here discussing this with him? It was past time to leave, and from his expression, the boy clearly wasn’t getting the message. Her lips pressed together nervously as she watched him puzzle out exactly what her words had meant, and her face stayed maddeningly neutral the entire time. This was her chance -probably the only one she’d get- to get back through the doors and to the safety of the crowded ballroom. Her heels clicked twice on the floor as she turned slightly and made to step away. She gasped, her body stilling, eyes locking on where his hand gripped her forearm. Romeo’s fingers closed completely around her delicate arm, strong enough to hurt, but gentle enough that they didn’t. The expression on his face was the most unguarded she’d ever seen it, and Bri’s eyebrows pulled together from the stress of knowing how close she was to giving in to temptation she was. The thought that he might have felt the same way hadn’t crossed her mind. After all, this was the King who was indifferent to pretty much everything; she’d guessed that he’d been interested in a purely friendly way, perhaps playfully toying with her for the sport of watching her squirm. Flinching as he said the name of his fiancée, her eyes darted from his eyes to his mouth and back again before glancing at the exit door. With Romeo’s hold on her she wasn’t going anywhere for the moment, no matter how desperately she wanted to escape the situation; anything to avoid having to face him right now. Toss her into a bottomless lake or make her eat every variety of insect on the face of the planet, she’d rather do either of those -or both- than have to own up to what she’d said. Gabriella’s skin felt like it was on fire, burning where he touched and her ability to speak was left severely compromised. “Bollox.” It was the only word Gabriella managed to choke out as her head tilted towards the floor, utter mortification rushing through her veins with the shame of her confession. How she despised the vulnerable tone in her voice! She couldn’t believe the things her mouth was saying without her permission, even though they were thoughts that had been running through her mind for a couple of weeks now. Romeo was so close her nostrils caught wisps of his spicy cologne again, and she found herself wanting to close the gap between their bodies once and for all. Her mind and body were obviously on completely different wavelengths on deciding what to do with the current situation. The air around her face suddenly felt warmer and any nervous movements her hands had been making completely stopped. Like a deer caught in the headlights of an approaching car, Bri’s feet felt like they’d been cemented to the floor, her arm super glued to the prince’s hand. It was time to get her raging emotions under control, and she met his challenging look with one of her one. “It doesn’t matter Romeo. She’s your fiancée.” Gabriella’s voice was uneven, marred with emotion as she looked up at the handsome boy, wondering if he’d noticed. As he came still closer, Gabriella’s skin felt as though it was radiating heat and the temperature of the surrounding air felt colder than it really was, raising goose bumps on her arms. Surely he felt them? Surely Romeo knew the effect he had on her every time he got within ten feet –no, within sight- of her. ”I’m not. W-we… this can’t happen.” There was so much more to him than she’d originally suspected, and the more she learned about him, the more she wanted to know. It was a scary feeling, and a sad one. She wished that this was all just a silly crush, but a gut feeling said otherwise. The thought paralyzed her, because the last time she’d felt anything even remotely close to what she was feeling right now, it had ended up crushing her heart. Boys weren’t trustworthy, and she needed to regain some sort of distance before this one did the same thing the last one had. It didn’t look like he was going to let her go, so she said the only thing she could think of that might make him release her. Swallowing and tilting her head up to look him in the eye, Bri took her best shot before he knees became so weak they would become useless. “I don’t need you,” were the words that came out of Gabriella’s mouth, but the tiny voice in the back of her mind rebelliously muttered ‘liar’ at her, the traitor. Her eyes were involuntarily drawn to his mouth once more before she abruptly jerked her arm back, hoping to shake his grip on her arm, which would allow her opportunity to race through the doors as fast as her heeled shoes would let her. Hopefully she didn't hurt his feelings TOO much! XP table by CALIFORNIA DREAMING of CAUTION 2.0

[style=font-size: 10px; font-family: arial narrow; text-transform: uppercase; font-style: italic; letter-spacing: 1px;][/style]

[romeo valentino of italy]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, background-color: dddddd; border: #cccccc solid 8px; width: 520px; padding: 15 5 15 5px;] YOU GOT ME RIGHT WHERE YOU WANT ME Tagged: gabriella nicole of england Outfit:here Status: complete. nah, he's just confused xD Romeo paused briefly on what she said, and then laughed softly, more to himself than to her. She'd got him -- fair and square. That answer was as vague as it was going to get, he was quite certain. Well, two could play this game, right? "I had someone in mind, but I wasn't so sure she could handle me as a date," he said with a lopsided grin, his eyes glittering. If she wasn't going to give in under the pressure of his persistent questions, perhaps she would give in when he challenged her pride. And she had a lot of pride, that was one thing he was sure of after getting to know her these past few months. He enjoyed it though -- her independence, her stubborn pride. Sure, she was positively maddening with it all, mostly because she used her stubbornness for all the wrong reasons -- aka doing what her parents said and not listening to any other advice -- but he knew she would break eventually. The electricity between them was far too strong to ignore, and she could play ignorant all night but he'd win her over in the end. And if not...then, he didn't know what his plan would be. Walk away with as much dignity as possible? Honestly, he didn't think he could walk away at this point. She had far too strong of a hold on him, and he had no problem with admitting that. And he had a strong hold on her too -- physically, though. It was clear she wasn't going anywhere until she explained herself, for his grip on his wrist was just firm enough to keep her in place. He kept his face as open as possible, hoping the honesty would bind her to the spot for he knew she didn't exactly like being held back. In fact, he was surprised she didn't jump at him for grabbing hold of her like that, but he supposed she was too shocked to do anything but look indignant. She was crumbling fast though, he could tell by the looks in her eyes -- scared, guilty, irritated, angry, soft, scared again; her emotions were flitting by so fast he could hardly grasp and understand each of them. What was holding her back? Why was there such a firm wall between them, even with him so damn close to her he could nearly see every fleck of brown in her eyes? Romeo thought he almost had her until her eyes hardened and he watched her closely, anticipating what came next: the refusal. The denial. The rejection. And yet, despite the firmness of her eyes, her voice did not match, though he could tell she was doing her best to cover the struggle. This was so damn confusing to him -- why was she pulling away from him? She'd spent the last few months opening herself up to him, letting him get close, and now all of sudden she was putting up a front again? He thought that he, of all people, could crack her, considering he was just as complicating and moody as she. He was such a master of his emotions that sometimes he forgot she was too, and at the current moment, it was not helping him any. But Romeo liked that she was complicated; he liked the challenge she provided. Most of the girls tried to be something different but always ended up being black and white, easy to figure out. Bri, on the other hand, made him work for it, made him really think into what she was saying, even if it wasn't extremely difficult for him to read her emotions. When she said things, she wasn't just saying them -- there was always a reason behind everything Gabriella said, even the little things. And he always found himself having to stare at her to really sort her out; her face displayed one emotion, but her eyes always displayed the exact opposite. It was crazy, but then again, he realized he was the same way, and was probably just as maddening as she was. He processed her pull before he did her words -- his hand let go of her on the spot as he was deciphering what she had said, his eyebrows knitting together. I don't need you. What was that supposed to mean? He said nothing for about thirty seconds, and then locked his gaze on her. His eyes were narrowed in confusion but his lips were curled into a small, knowing smile -- a completely contradictory look that made him seem a little odd. "I know you don't need me," he said slowly, taking a step towards her and gaining back the distance she'd put between them. "I like that you don't need me. If you needed me, I wouldn't fancy you," Romeo admitted. There, it was out there, loud and clear -- he fancied her. Liked her. Wanted to be more than friends with her. She'd been denying his advances and so now he'd had to take the blunt route, as blunt as it got. Romeo moved even closer, and now they were so close that, if he even moved a couple of inches, his lips would touch hers, and he wouldn't mind that one bit. Her breath was warm against his skin, and a serious look overcame his features, his hands reaching out to touch her elbows. "But do you want me?" He asked, the question like a ripple of electricity between them. created by ADE! Pb-ified by WILL

[/td][/tr][/table][/center]

[gabriella nicole of england]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, width: 400px; background-color: #343434; padding:20px; border-top: 10px #af9390 solid; border-bottom: 10px #af9390 solid;] please don't break my heart ( WORDS ) 888 ( TAGGED ) ROMEO VALENTINO OF ITALY ( OUTFIT ) GORGEOUS ( STATUS ) COMPLETE The fact that Romeo was laughing at her when she was being completely serious had completely thrown Gabriella off her game. She wasn’t used to being laughed at, nor did she like the feeling. Completely aggravated, at the moment there was nothing she wanted more than to escape and dive into the nearest black hole, head first. Thankfully her utter mortification passed after a second, sped along by his expression. Her eyes narrowed at his challenge, Romeo’s grin baiting her just as much as his words. “She’d have to be pretty special to put up with you for a whole night,” she agreed. Alright, so maybe that hadn’t been her wittiest shot ever. Romeo was still looking at her like he was a starving man and she was a steak dinner. His eyes ardently pinned her in place, so even after he released her arm Bri felt like her feet had been cemented to the floor. It was time to bring out the big guns, since it didn’t look like she’d done a very good job scaring him off up to this point. There was only one thought that occurred to her that she thought might be able to do the trick. “I had a pregnancy scare, ” she blurted. ”The s-summer after third year.” The swirling emotions that had been moving across her face stilled, leaving the most guarded expression she could manage under the circumstances. “I slept with him, then he told me it was for a bet...and then m-my parents found out. ” Shame was the only thing that coloured her tone as her eyes dropped to the floor, too embarrassed to look at Romeo –her now closest friend’s- reaction. Outside of her family she'd told no one besides Dante -who was practically family anyway- and her body was trembling just a little with the stress of worrying over Romeo's reaction. He needed to get the message; she was bad news when it came to things like this, and he could do so much better. Aubrey had dating him for goodness sake, and Gabriella knew the blonde girl was far more beautiful than herself. Not that she thought he was overly shallow, but the boy definitely deserved -and probably wanted- someone less...damaged than she. In a way it was a bit of a relief to finally tell someone and be honest about the whole thing. The admission had apparently completely unhinged her mouth from her brain and it was all Bri could do to shut her mouth and keep it shut while he thought over what she’d said. There was a brief pause, and Bri had just started thinking that Romeo had seen reason and was going to back down when… "But do you want me?" That was it; in a matter of seconds Gabriella Nicole Elizabeth of London, England –one of the most cynical and unromantic people in the world- was going to be a melted puddle of emotions on the hallway floor. Had that really just happened? Romeo, gorgeous, sweet, kind Romeo had just said he fancied her? “You fancy…me?” Bri knew full well how irritating it was to receive a question as the answer to another question, but the words slipped out before she could stop them. A large portion of her brain was convinced that this wasn’t really happening; she was clearly daydreaming. “Are you sure?” Her face wrinkled slightly in a wince. Okay, it was a stupid question and she knew it, but despite the energy between them it just didn’t seem possible, given their circumstances. Oh god, this was it. This was that defining moment, the one she’d read about in books and seen in hundreds of movies. The choice she made right now would forever define her as either the dutiful daughter she could be, or confirm her as the rebellious one her parents were convinced she was. Gabriella’s mind flew through a thousand possible endings to this scenario, each fading away until she was left with just one. There were no other options; to do anything other than what she was about to was unthinkable. Even if she and Romeo didn’t end up lasting in the long run, she had to do what felt right in her heart –currently the place where he had lodged himself inside her—and it was now that Gabriella made up her mind once and for all to be her own person, consequences be damned. It wasn’t her first time breaking the rules, nor did she fancy a different boy every other week. And fancy him she did, realizing how stupid it would be not to seize the moment while she could. So seize it she did… sort of. Feeling hot and cold at the same time, Bri found herself subtly wiping her sweaty palms on the front of her dress and thinking she might faint at Romeo’s close proximity. Oh god, oh god, oh god. It was impossible to keep her eyes from trailing over his unruly hair, strong cheekbones and blue eyes, which made her feel like they were staring into her very soul. “Y-yes,” Gabriella stumbled over the word, speaking more truthfully than she had ever before in her life. Her hands reached across the few inches separating them to gently rest on Romeo’s waist, maintaining their electric eye contact all the while. “I do. Yes,” she said it more confidently this time, breathing the words out with relief. Her face finally relaxed into a smile, because no matter how this turned out she would still feel this cathartic sort of release, brought on simply by being completely honest with herself. It was as if everything up to this point had been a lie and Romeo was a blinding spot of honesty in the middle of it. Holding stock still and waiting for some sort of reaction from him, Bri did her best to remember how to breathe, managing with extreme difficulty, given how little space there was between their bodies. I was so conflicted on how she should react to that...hopefully it makes sense! table by CALIFORNIA DREAMING of CAUTION 2.0

[style=font-size: 10px; font-family: arial narrow; text-transform: uppercase; font-style: italic; letter-spacing: 1px;][/style]

[romeo valentino of italy]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, background-color: dddddd; border: #cccccc solid 8px; width: 520px; padding: 15 5 15 5px;] YOU GOT ME RIGHT WHERE YOU WANT ME Tagged: gabriella nicole of england Outfit:here Status: complete. made perfect sense! She was fighting like hell, and Romeo really had no idea why. What was she trying to prove by rejecting his advances? What was between them was obvious, more obvious than anything in the world, and yet she could not seem to accept it. Was it because she wasn't sure what she wanted...or did she just not want him? There could be all the chemistry in the world between them, but it didn't mean she had feelings for him, or wanted to anyways. Romeo didn't really want to think about that, because it honestly deflated any ego he had left, and then some; it wasn't that he'd never been rejection -- though that was rare -- but that he hadn't ever been rejected by someone like her. Bri was far more compelling to him than anyone he'd ever met, and she had him always wanting to crave more. He was almost certain that she was the closest girl to him, probably even a best friend -- just a best friend that he most certainly had deep feelings for. The Kings would always be his closest buddies, but Bri understood him more than anyone else, and it was nice, knowing that he could always turn to her to help him out. Why had it taken him so long to find her, really? Who knew that, all along, the person who got him the most was his best friend's fiancé. But getting rejected by her would very nearly kill him internally. Sure, he could pick himself up again and move on -- maybe even try harder -- but he knew that any pain she would cause would stick with him forever. Maybe trying harder was a silly, risky idea; who would put themselves through that? But Romeo just didn't want to stop -- he just couldn't accept that fact that she didn't feel the same way about him that he did about her. It was preposterous, absolutely ridiculous. He'd observed the way she acted with everyone else, including boys; she always seemed to smile more around him, always gave him that coy look. He never missed the little intakes of breath whenever he accidentally touched her, and he clearly remembered the way she wrapped herself around him in that hug at her birthday party. He was no fool, and the human body language was one of his specialties; she had to have feelings for him, or she was just a great actress. Somehow, he didn't think of her as the girl that would waste her time stringing someone along. This was building up, immensely, and he was just about to defend his own against the rejection, but something else happened. She caught him off guard with one sentence, one phrase, and stopped him right in his tracks. His eyebrows furrowed immediately, a confused look passing through his eyes for about ten seconds. Then came realization and understanding, all in about thirty seconds' time. So that's why she kept pulling away? It wasn't that she didn't have feelings for him -- it was that she was afraid to have feelings for him. She was afraid he would hurt her like that douche did, whoever he was. For a moment, his grip on her wrist tightened, and then, realizing her was probably making her uncomfortable, Romeo took a deep breath and relaxed slowly. He didn't release her wrist, though; instead, he rubbed his thumb comfortingly against her skin. Romeo also thought that, maybe, Gabriella was trying to make him see that she wasn't any good. What was that going to accomplish? She needed to have more confidence herself, and see what he saw; he didn't care about her past mistakes. "I cheated on Aubrey," he countered matter-of-factly, though his eyes were warm. He was trying to tell her that they all made mistakes, and their mistakes didn't define them; it was how they moved on from it that showed their character. "Never a failure, always a lesson," Romeo said, repeating what she'd told him the first time they'd spent time around each other. But then Bri yanked her arm away from him and his hand dropped to his side, and then he was grinning and determined to not let her get away, because needing him was the last thing he ever wanted. It was nice to be needed, sure, but he liked independence. Romeo couldn't lose now, not when they were so close to reaching the point he'd been searching for this entire time. So he told her exactly what he was thinking, and Bri looked more confused than ever. Dammit, he thought quickly. Maybe she didn't feel anything for him? But then a strange look overcame her, and he realized it was her lack of self-esteem kicking in. She seemed almost shocked that he could actually have feelings for her, and Romeo had to fight back the irritation that was seeping through him. Okay, yes he'd been rather obvious about it, but Bri had always been in denial. It wasn't her fault, at least not completely. She'd been kicked and pushed around by so many people that it wasn't entirely surprising that she couldn't possibly believe that someone wanted her, someone fancied her -- and for all the right reasons. So Romeo stepped forward and asked her the only thing he knew would get her flustered, get her to answer him, one way or another. He could see the nerves jumbling inside of her, but he kept his poker face and ignored the urge to grin. Once again, she took him by surprise when she finally spilled the truth. She wanted him too. She wanted him too. That was, in so many words, admitting the fact that she fancied him back. Gabriella was finally being brave and accepting this fire between them, and Romeo's eyes seemed to burn even brighter, like blue fire in the dimly lit hallway. The smile she gave him as she moved closer to him fueled the burning desire inside of him, and he grinned, but not his signature playful smile or anything like that -- this smile was genuine, perfectly portraying the happy feelings that were running through them. The air between them was thick and crackling, and Romeo moved his hand up to rest on her jaw, the movement forcing her to move even closer to him. "Good," he said, and then he bent over to press his lips to hers. This was it. This was what he'd wanted to do for weeks now but hadn't been so certain about. The burning that ran through him was hot and ran right down to his toes, and Romeo moved his free arm to wrap around her waist and bring her the rest of the small distance between them. How would she respond, though? Would she push him away? He certainly didn't want to pull away, that was for sure. He wanted this more than anything. created by ADE! Pb-ified by WILL

[/td][/tr][/table][/center]

[gabriella nicole of england]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, width: 400px; background-color: #343434; padding:20px; border-top: 10px #af9390 solid; border-bottom: 10px #af9390 solid;] please don't break my heart ( WORDS ) 832 ( TAGGED ) ROMEO VALENTINO OF ITALY ( OUTFIT ) GORGEOUS ( STATUS ) COMPLETE The noises from the dance had faded the instant the door to the ballroom had swung shut behind them, but up until now it had still felt like their friends were only steps away. Everything had faded away as Romeo stepped into her personal space and now it was as if they were the only two people on the planet. Gabriella's slightly-too-warm body shivered at his touch on her arms as she struggled to regain her currently derailed train of thought. Why couldn't they both just make things easy and walk away? So far they hadn't crossed the line; that invisible one that divided friends from not-friends. Up to this point they could have defended their actions as being limited to friends only gestures, even the hand holding. But this... this was dangerous, and the consequences of the path they were travelling down were too big to tell from where they now stood. It had seemed impossible at first, that the boy Vineheart knew for cheating on his then-girlfriend, now-fiancée would be the one person Bri felt like she could tell anything to. All of her secrets, all of her fears, all of her dreams, the lot of it were things she didn't mind sharing with this one person. Her parents would have killed her if they knew she'd been crushing hardcore on the rebellious bad boy. She knew it was just the façade he used to keep nosey people at a distance; her aloofness helped her accomplish the same thing. He'd shown her more than the mask though, and Bri liked to think that she knew him well enough by this point to know the real Romeo. She certainly hadn't missed how vulnerable his expression was, despite the can't-touch-me grin he was wearing. The prince was more sensitive than most people gave him credit for, even if he rarely showed it. The thought that had gone into her birthday present had been sweet, and she realized now just why he'd been so worried that she wouldn't like it. Had he really been crushing on her, even then? The thought shouldn't have shocked her, since denial was one of her favourite tactics. She supposed that despite the magnetic attraction she'd accepted between them, he'd always been engaged and she hadn't imagined him capable of seeing past both that and the fact that she was engaged too. The denial was over though, and Gabriella admitted to herself that she wanted him... badly. Thankfully her brain engaged long enough for her to say so. And then the smell of him was all around her as Romeo closed the distance between them, tugging her closer. The thought of pulling away, of the possible consequences if anyone saw them, crossed her mind, but he didn't give her a chance to do anything but inhale sharply. This is happening, oh god, this is really happening. Gabriella barely had a change to think the thought before the space between them disappeared. She’d known it would be good. He was an infamous womanizer, so he’d probably kissed more than his fair share of girls. Still, if all of that practice had been distilled simply for this moment with her, Gabriella wasn’t going to complain. His lips were as soft as hers, and he didn’t push, seemingly content to simply press his lips ever so gently against hers. An electric wave of heat crackled through Bri’s body, from the roots of her hair all the way past her fluttering stomach until it reached the soles of her feet. For a second –and just one—she didn’t move, couldn’t breathe. After her mind caught up with her body though it felt like things began happening quickly, although in reality she moved cautiously, just in case he decided to pull back. Her hands slid up the prince’s admittedly well-muscled stomach and chest, with one settling on his shoulder while the other speared itself through the hair at the back of his neck. She shivered from the contact, pressing closer to Romeo and began returning the kiss with a heat to easily outmatch his currently gentle touch. After an eternity passed –or what felt like one anyway- the two of them pulled apart. Gabriella’s gaze darted between the warm blue-grey of Romeo’s, checking for signs that he regretted what had just happened. She felt dizzy and a little weak kneed, like she’d just gotten off of a to-die-for roller coaster and hadn’t quite caught her breath yet. Only inches separated their faces, and Bri licked her lips nervously. “Wow,” was all she was able say, managing to choke out an anxious laugh while still somehow looking flustered. The universe was definitely not in the same state as it had been thirty seconds ago, that was for certain. D’awwwwwwww! table by CALIFORNIA DREAMING of CAUTION 2.0

[style=font-size: 10px; font-family: arial narrow; text-transform: uppercase; font-style: italic; letter-spacing: 1px;][/style]