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Aaron’s golden hues flickered between two hands.
The left hand of Van Arkride.
And the right hand of Elaine Auclair.
His eyes narrowed before his gaze drifted to their hand that wore a glove.
Was it truly a stylistic choice? Or was there some kind of hidden meaning behind wearing one glove? Did they think it made them cool or stylish?
All right, maybe it did. Just a little bit.
Though, Aaron’s gut told him that there was more to it than simply adding points to style.
He continued to observe the pair from the couch. Elaine was behind Van on his desk, the two discussing something about a request from the guild. The Prodigy of Langport couldn’t care less about the reason why she came to the office.
But he did care about the way she leaned her face close to the document Van was holding, cheeks nearly brushing against each other.
Yet neither pulled back or looked remotely flushed.
Suspicious.
When Elaine’s gloveless hand brushed against Van’s, their eyes met for a moment before moving on like nothing happened.
That was when Aaron reached his limit.
Aaron cleared his throat, loudly enough to get their attention. Van’s head turned lazily in his direction, his usual neutral expression tinged with mild irritation. Elaine, on the other hand, looked up from the document with an arched brow, a hint of curiosity in her gaze.
“Is there something you need, Aaron?” Van asked, keeping his tone casual, though there was the faintest hint of impatience laced in.
The Crimson Khan leaned forward on the couch, resting his elbows on his knees as he interlaced his fingers, golden eyes glinting with mock seriousness. “Oh, nothing. Just sitting here, minding my own business. Watching the dynamic duo over there act like everything is perfectly normal.”
Elaine tilted her head, confusion written all over her face. “I’m not sure what you’re implying.”
Not sure, huh?
A wide grin stretched across his face as he jabbed a thumb toward their gloved hands.
“Oh, I’m just curious. Is the glove thing just for style? Oh wait, maybe both of you coincidentally lost the other half at the same time when you bought your gloves?”
Van sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose with his gloveless hand. “Aaron...”
“No, no, hear me out!” Aaron leaned back, his grin now in full force. “You both wear one glove, right? And you act all casual when your hands brush like it’s no big deal. Normally, you two would act a bit awkward before moving on! But none of that happened! You can’t fool me. Something’s up.”
“Or maybe we just have a better sense of style than you.” Elaine crossed her arms, staring at him with a deadpan gaze.
“Ouch,” Aaron clutched his chest dramatically, pretending to stagger back. “Cutting deep, Auclair. But you’re not getting out of this that easily. Come on, spill. Is this just your weird way of flirting?”
Van stiffened slightly, but his poker face held firm.
Elaine, however, blinked in surprise, her cheeks gaining the faintest tinge of pink. “Weird way of—? Aaron, we’re not—”
“Don’t even try to deny it,” Aaron interrupted, wagging his finger like a scolding teacher. “You two have been weirdly close recently... like really close. The lingering glances, the way you talk like you’ve got some secret no one else is in on... It’s practically screaming, ‘There’s something going on!’”
Van groaned, leaning back in his chair and crossing his arms. “Aaron, do you ever not stick your nose where it doesn’t belong?”
“Nope,” Aaron shot back shamelessly. “Now, are you gonna explain, or should I just assume you old-timers are dating—”
“Aaron.”
“I mean, you handsome and beautiful people are dating?” Aaron quickly corrected himself upon seeing Elaine’s frigid smile.
Elaine exchanged a glance with Van, and for a moment, there was a silent conversation between them.
Then, with a resigned sigh, Elaine stepped forward, though she avoided the redhead’s gaze.
“You want to know that badly?”
Aaron perked up, his grin widening. “I think my answer should be obvious.”
Groaning, Elaine would then take a deep breath as she took out a glove from her pocket— a glove that looked eerily similar to Van’s.
It was Van’s turn to sigh as he brought out a glove from his own pocket.
It resembled Elaine’s glove.
Aaron’s jaw dropped as his golden eyes flicked between the two gloves in their hands, his expression teetering between disbelief and triumph.
“You’ve got to be kidding me,” The playboy finally said, pointing at the matching gloves. “Are you two seriously carrying each other’s gloves around? What is this? An exchange when you two got back together? And for how long?!”
“Just recently, actually.”
“You mean weeks ago?” Aaron recalled the time when the two were getting a little too chummy with each other. He recalled the times he caught their gloveless hands brushing against each other for a moment. His golden hues widened, the pieces starting to fall into place. “Don’t tell me...”
A smirk graced Van’s features as he interlaced his gloveless fingers with Elaine’s, squeezing her hand before lifting it up to kiss her knuckles.
Aaron’s golden eyes widened, practically bulging out of his skull. He jumped off the couch so quickly it nearly tipped backward.
“No way!” He exclaimed, pointing at them with an accusatory finger. “Are you kidding me? Are you seriously—seriously— doing this right now? In front of me?”
Elaine’s cheeks burned an embarrassed crimson, and she looked like she wanted to crawl under Van’s desk and never come out. She tried to pull her hand back, but Van held firm, his smirk not fading in the slightest.
“What’s the problem, Aaron?” Van asked with maddening calm. “You were so eager to know. I figured I’d save you the trouble of connecting the dots.”
“The problem is that I did connect the dots!” Aaron spluttered, throwing his hands in the air. “I just didn’t think you’d admit it like this— like it’s some dramatic romance play! And the whole knuckle-kissing thing? Seriously? What are you, a noble from Erebonia?”
“You’d usually tease and mock the hell out of me when it came to women,” The Spriggan returned his attention to Elaine’s knuckle, brushing his lips against her skin before glancing at the playboy. “For a playboy, it looks like you can’t handle me doing a little PDA to Elaine.”
Aaron recoiled, clutching his chest like Van’s words had physically struck him. “PDA? PDA?! You call that a little PDA? You’re out here pulling moves straight out of a romantic opera right in front of your part-timer! This is cruel and unusual punishment, Van!”
Elaine finally freed her hand from Van’s grasp, glaring at him with a mixture of embarrassment and irritation.
“Could you not make things worse?”
“He wanted answers, didn’t he? Figured I’d make it crystal clear.”
“Oh, you did.” His lips would stretch into a smug smirk as he walked closer to the door. “I’m sharing this with the gang.”
Flushed in red, Elaine glared at the redhead. “Aaron, I swear, if you don’t stop—”
“And he’s gone,” sighed the Spriggan, leaning against his seat.
Elaine groaned, pressing her palms against her cheeks as if trying to physically suppress the heat rising in them.
She shot Van a half-hearted glare. “I can’t believe you just went along with that so easily.”
“You know Aaron.” Van shrugged, already resigned to his fate. “If we didn’t give him something, he’d make up his own wild theories. At least this way, he knows the truth.”
“That doesn’t make it better!” Elaine snapped, pacing in front of the desk. “Now he’s probably telling everyone. By tomorrow, your part-timers— no, even Zin and the others are going to think we’re starring in some grand romance drama!”
“Let them think what they want,” Van replied smoothly. “We don’t owe anyone an explanation beyond what we’ve already said.”
Elaine stopped pacing and crossed her arms, glaring at him. “Easy for you to say. You’re not the one who’s going to deal with Agnes’s knowing smiles or Fie’s teasing comments.”
“You’re assuming they weren’t already suspicious,” Van smirked, closing his eyes. “Agnes probably figured it out weeks ago. I’ll probably get a few looks from her, too. As for Sylphid, well…” He opened one eye, amusement dancing in his gaze. “You know how she is.”
“Regrettably so.” Elaine groaned again.
Van chuckled softly, reaching out to take her hand again. This time, Elaine didn’t resist, though she did give him a half-hearted glare as he squeezed her fingers.
“Do you not want the others to know we got back together?
“It’s not like that. It’s just... I don’t feel like we need to announce it.”
Van nodded, his thumb brushing lightly over her knuckles. “We don't. It's our business, not theirs. But you know how Aaron can be.”
“I know.” Elaine sighed, her expression softening as she looked at their interlocked hands. “It’s just... us finally figuring things out feels so personal. I don't want it turned into gossip or some grand spectacle.”
Van smiled, a rare, gentle expression that immediately melted her frustration. "It’s not a spectacle to me. It’s... something I didn’t think I’d have again. Something I don’t want to take for granted."
Elaine blinked, startled by his sudden earnestness. He wasn’t usually this open with his feelings, and the sincerity in his eyes caught her off guard.
“I know I’ve been... a difficult person to deal with. And I know I’ve made mistakes— ones I’ll probably spend the rest of my life trying to make up for. But being with you again... it feels like I’ve been given a second chance. And I don’t intend to waste it.”
“You idiot...” Harsh words were drowned in sweet affection, squeezing his hand tighter as her baby blue hues watered. “I made my fair share of mistakes, too. I sometimes feel that I’m still not worthy of being by your side... that my very existence would simply be a reminder of what you went through—”
Her words would be cut off by her own yelp, falling onto the lap of the Spriggan as his stern gaze met hers.
“You’re the idiot...”
A kiss to her knuckle.
“I told you time and time again,” A kiss to the back of her hand. “You shouldn’t feel responsible for what happened. You shouldn’t carry the burden of what your father did.”
“Van...”
“You’ve always been the light, Elaine,” Van confessed softly, his voice barely above a whisper.
Even when I couldn’t see it. Even when I didn’t deserve it. And now... I just want to be someone worthy of standing beside you.”
Her cheeks flushed a deep red, and for a moment, all she could do was stare at him. Then, with a shaky breath, she tightened her grip on his hand.
“You’ve always been worthy, Van. Even if you couldn’t see it yourself.”
“Thanks. For believing in me.” He chuckled, lips curving into a faint smile. “Even when I couldn’t.”
Elaine leaned closer, the warmth in his voice drawing her in like a flame. Slowly, she reached up and placed her other hand on his cheek, “And thank you for loving me back, even when I thought I had already lost.”
“Sorry it took so long...”
Pulling her closer, his lips pressed themselves against her forehead. Elaine closed her eyes, the warmth of the sweet gesture making her heart full. Their foreheads touched, their fingers remained intertwined with one another as they shared a smile. Their lips would start to drift toward each other.
And then the door burst open.
“Okay, so Agnes somehow already knew you two were back together—” Every inch of Aaron’s being froze when he entered the room, eyes falling onto the Spriggan and bracer. “Wow. You two really are the gift that keeps on giving.”
“Aaron!” Elaine sprang off Van like she’d been caught red-handed, her face flaming.
“What?” Aaron smirked, leaning casually against the doorframe. “Don’t mind me. I’m just here to enjoy the free entertainment.”
Van sighed, running a hand down his face. “Aaron, do you ever knock?”
“Not when the drama’s this good,” Aaron shot back, his grin widening.
“Out.”
Aaron raised his hands in mock surrender, pushing off the doorframe and backing out with exaggerated care.
Just before he left, he gave them a knowing smirk over his shoulder.
“You better not eat each other’s faces too much.”
“AARON!”