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Although some people might call him cruel for having sent Wade to deliver Ella’s clothing knowing fully well the girl had feelings for him, Dante knew he was anything but that. Okay, yeah: his cousin might die of embarrassment at having Wade see her like that. And sure, Wade would probably say something that might make him look dumb in front of Ella. But how else were the two supposed to get over each other’s nerves if they didn’t face them head-first? His best friend really needed the practice to get over his fear of talking to women, and his darling cousin really needed to get over her shy demeanor around her crush. Hell, who knew if this ended up being beneficial for both of them? If that was the case, he’d gladly accept their thankfulness. If not… Then he’d be around to comfort them.

Lost in these thoughts, Dante was making his way down the halls in the direction to the left wing’s gardens, the prospect of finally having that delicious first cigarette of the day calling out to him like a seductive siren. The young man was turning the corner when a figure crashed hard into him. Stunned, he stopped in the spot, looking down to see who it was. He was very nicely surprised to see it was none other than Aurora Quill, a cute red-headed junior he’d had his eye on in passing for a while now.

“[color=lightsalmon]I’m sorry,[/color]” the young woman finally said after a few seconds of silence.

[color=steelblue]“No, you’re good,”[/color] Dante said smoothly, shooting Aurora his signature seductive smirk, letting the redhead know he was completely unbothered by her accident. He was glad to not have missed the way she was eyeing him before looking away and clearing her throat as if to distract herself from his presence.

“[color=lightsalmon]Good morning, Dante.[/color]”

Instead of simply taking her apology and continue on with business as usual, the young man decided to have a little fun with the famously uptight girl. His beloved nicotine could wait just a little longer. [color=steelblue]“Good morning, Prez. Have a good summer?”[/color] he asked her, leaning against the wall and crossing his arms in front of his chest.

Ah crap, he wanted a conversation with her. The bittersweet mixture of relief and horror clashed with some minor anxiety, although she figured some of it was still from her meeting with Mr. Berkeley. Although she was a bit surprised to find him asking about her summer, she figured it’d be rude not to answer. 

Her expression soured somewhat as she thought of her summer, though she kept her composure. “[color=lightsalmon]It was alright, I guess. We ended up moving into the Avana Isles’ penthouse from the house,[/color]” She admitted with a small shrug. “[color=lightsalmon]I guess an empty apartment is better than an empty house.[/color]”

With the way Aurora’s face soured, Dante worried he’d already started off on the wrong foot to seduction by asking about her summer. But when she revealed the real reason for her expression, he realized that although it was a shitty situation to be in, it left him an open opportunity to start a conversation he would eventually be able to manipulate to his favor. 

[color=steelblue]“Ah, shit. That sucks,”[/color] was the only thing he managed to say. He wasn’t very good in the comforting department unless it was somebody close to him. Thinking fast and keeping his cool, he quickly added with a chuckle at the end, [color=steelblue]“ I know I’d give anything to come home to an empty house every once in a while. Seven people plus the employees living under one roof? [i]Fucking mayhem[/i] sometimes.”[/color]

Mayhem, huh? Their housekeeper usually finished by the time she got home, and anytime her brother was home, he was asleep. Thinking about Dante never having time to himself was actually pretty amusing, and she felt her mouth curve up slightly. “[color=lightsalmon]Mayhem, huh?[/color]” She mused out loud. “[color=lightsalmon]The grass is always greener, but it is what it is. Maybe I’ll get a dog or something to keep me company when I get lonely.[/color]”

Mossos couldn’t help but smirk at Aurora’s last sentence. Every female with previous Dante experience would currently be banging their heads against the wall if they heard all the ammunition the redhead was cluelessly spewing out. Silly girl! Didn’t she knew that all she was doing was presenting herself as prey in a silver platter for the big bad wolf? Clearly not, and the young man wasn’t about to let her know. His innocent intentions to mess around with Aurora for a few minutes had been the gateway to a new game he didn’t even think he wanted to play in the first place. Without planning it, he was being gifted the opportunity of embarking into what could very well be the most outstanding conquest of his senior year… And he’d be an idiot to pass it up.

[color=steelblue]“Huh, will you look at that? You need some company, and I need a place to escape to. Sounds like a match made in heaven,”[/color] he said confidently, shooting Aurora a suggestive wink. He knew it was a long shot that she would even give thought to the idea, even though she’d be a fool to turn him down. But if there was something D wasn’t, it was a coward.

Aurora stared at him for a moment, as if thinking of something. Crossing her arms, she tilted her head slightly, her eyes looking around before landing on Dante’s again. God, those eyes did so much more to her than she wanted to admit--and Dante was probably very aware. “[color=lightsalmon]I’m not so sure, I don’t think the complex would allow me to keep a hundred-eighty pound dog with me,[/color]” She admitted, brushing a lock of her hair off her forehead.

Instead of being offended, Dante’s expression went from amusement to erupting in laughter. Well, well, well… Looks like Little Miss President had some wit to her that she wasn’t afraid to show. That made the chase all the more exciting.

But, of course, Mossos was witty himself, and much more experienced in the cat and mouse game than Aurora. [color=steelblue]“That’s too bad, then. I know nobody would protest at my place if I kept such a pretty kitten like you around me,”[/color] he replied smoothly, expertly turning the tables from a slight dismissal to another pick-up attempt. On the inside, D was glowing with pride. God, he was good at this shit.  

She should have known better than to play his game. Dante was basically a grandmaster at a judo studio and she was that one guy that thought he knew karate just from watching a couple of Bruce Lee movies. Still, she wasn’t really the type of person to start something and not finish it, so if she was in this deep, she may as well finish. Except...where exactly would this end? Nowhere. Probably. Maybe. Aurora was a strong, independent girl, she could handle a high school boy.

Aurora nodded, flipping some of her hair off her shoulder. “[color=lightsalmon]I bet, but you’re going to have to do better than that to tame this kitten,[/color]” She replied nonchalantly, though after realizing what she called herself, she had to fight the urge to scream. Why the hell would she call herself a kitten?! What the fuck was wrong with her?! “[color=lightsalmon]I’m pretty sure you’re not even my type,[/color]” She lied, placing her hands on her hips. And even then, she never took her eyes off him.

The same amused expression of earlier remained in the young man’s features as he watched the girl before him attempt to play in the major leagues when she was just starting on T-Ball. Did Aurora seriously think she was fooling anyone with the “hard to get” facade? Because she sure as hell was not fooling Dante. Little Miss Prez would have to try a lot harder and come up with a better lying game if she wanted to convince him for a single second that she wasn’t the least bit interested in him. After all, the eyes were windows to the soul… And the redhead's soul was telling him she was giving consideration to striking a deal with the devil.

[color=steelblue]“For someone that says I’m not her type you sure like to keep those pretty brown eyes on me,”[/color] he drawled, that arrogant smirk still on his lips. [color=steelblue]“But yeah, okay. Not into me? Keep telling yourself that, kitten.”[/color] Wiggling his eyebrows once and shooting her a parting wink, Dante squared his shoulders and sauntered away to finally take that smoke, with a taste of victory on the side. The stage was set now. And before Aurora Quill even noticed, everything would begin.

That went about as well as she expected. What was she thinking? Aurora couldn’t help but kick herself mentally, watching as the King of Egos went into his usual strut. Her heart was beating against her chest, her head feeling lighter than usual. Even though she basically humiliated herself, she couldn’t quite fight the feeling she had in her chest. The way he looked at her was practically burned into her memory.

Argh! No! Out of [i]all[/i] the people, why is it that she basically turned into a blubbering idiot around him?! Sighing in defeat, Aurora’s hand went back to her phone, and she let out an audible groan to see a series of messages from each member of the Council. The previews revealed Yuna and Nathan’s shock at Aurora getting detention, something she had actually completely forgotten about. What a fucking day.