99 Christmas

Sherry paced around her house nervously. She was dressed in the black dress Charlotte made for her, did her hair and her makeup but she still felt underprepared for what was to come. Sherry anxiously peeked outside just in time to see a familiar looking car pull up into the driveway.

From within the car, came Dylan. He was dressed in a navy collared shirt matched with black pants. His blonde hair was swept back handsomely, drawing attention to his handsome and beautiful facial features. A slightly bashful smile hung on his face as Dylan turned to look at Sherry. He had sensed her gaze and directed a charming smile over to her. Having been discovered, Sherry hid behind the curtains and tried to calm her breathing.

"Are you ready, Sherry?" Dylan asked. Sherry coughed and left her house, locking the door behind her.

Seeing her all dressed up, bashful and beautiful, Dylan couldn't help but to stare. The two locked eyes, each unwilling to part. And when Dylan laid eyes on Sherry's hair, he raised his hand to feel it.

A grin surfaced on his face. "I liked your long hair but this is beautiful too. You look gorgeous, Sherry." He whispered in Divian.

"U-Un, thank you." Sherry lowered her head so that Dylan wouldn't see the blush on her face, but her ears that were as red as a rose gave her away.

Dylan chuckled and held out his hand like a gentleman. "Shall we go?"

Sherry hesitantly grabbed his hand. The next thing she knew, Dylan bent down to kiss her hand, something he hadn't done in a while due to her protests. Before Sherry could react, Dylan guided her to the car and opened the door for her. Once inside, she found that there was an extra person in the car.

"Janine?" Sherry exclaimed in surprise.

"Yo, you're as red as beetroot, Sherry." Janine teased.

"W-why are you here?"

"The dumbo can't drive."

Dylan scratched his head bashfully. "She wouldn't let me fly on Fir either. Said animals weren't allowed in the restaurant and it was too conspicuous too."

Sherry imagined the two of them sitting on top of Fir to fly to their destination. Their hair and makeup would be messed up, truly a comical scene.

"I'll leave after I drop you guys off, so have a great time. Call me after you're done."

True to her words, Janine left as soon as they arrived at the restaurant. Her car sped off, leaving the lovebirds alone on their date.

Dylan smoothly stuck his arm out again for Sherry to hold onto. She glanced at him, smiling and grabbed his arm. It reminded her of the past, when she made her social debut and was officially granted her position in Frin. At the time, Dylan had escorted her, arms interlocked just like they were now. Back then, her heart beat nervously at the thought of meeting the king, but now, they beat for a different reason.

The handsome man beside her, she loved him. For him to so intimately guide her into the restaurant like a boyfriend made her feel bubbly and warm inside. She was happy, so happy that she could barely suppress that foolish grin that surfaced on her face.

"Do you have a reservation, sir?" The waiter at the counter as the door as they walked through the elevator doors.

"Yes. For Dylan von Kaiser." Dylan replied with a smile.

"Your table is this way, ma'am, sir." The waiter very respectfully guided the two to their table and gave a slight bow. "Your order will be arriving very shortly."

After he left, Sherry turned to look at Dylan. "I didn't order yet though?"

"You have to order when you make the reservation so I ordered steak and wine for the both of us. Is that okay with you?"

"Ah, yeah. I like steak." Sherry nodded with a smile.

Shortly after, the waiter came back and set the two dishes on the table for the two. He also held a bottle of wine and poured them into the two wine glasses set before them. "Please, enjoy your meal."

"Thank you" The two chimed at the waiter.

As they cut away at the steak, Dylan began to make some small talk in order to dismiss the awkwardness in the air. "Your short hair really suits you. You look beautiful."

Almost instinctively, Sherry ran her fingers through her hair with a giggle. "You said that before as well."

"But it's the truth. You're the most beautiful person I've ever seen."

"Liar. You have elf friends." Sherry blushed and mumbled.

"In my eyes at least, you are the most beautiful person in the world, in both worlds." Dylan grinned and continued. "Even when we're old and wrinkly, you'll still be the most beautiful."

Sherry went red and spoke no more. She took a sip of the wine to hide her embarrassment and also to blame the flush on the alcohol.

"You drink some too, Dylan."

Dylan shook his head. "I'll have to refuse. A certain someone banned me from drinking not too long ago."

"A-Ahem, today's special so it's okay and wine doesn't have as much alcohol in it as whiskey so it should be fine. I'll also make sure you're not doing anything stupid."

"Then I'll take you up on your offer." Dylan clinked glasses with Sherry and took a small sip of the wine. "Hehe, your face is so red. Almost as red as the wine."

"It's because of the wine." Sherry lied.

After hesitating for a while, Dylan secretly cast storage magic and reached into it to retrieve his gift. "S-Sherry." He called out nervously. His face was as red as Sherry's and heart pounded erratically in his chest.

"W-what is it?" Sherry sensed his nervousness and it infected her too.

Dylan took a swig at the wine to calm himself down. "I, I have a present for you."

"A present?" Sherry was surprised. This whole dinner was already a gift to her, she wasn't expecting more.

"Mm, Merry Christmas." The box in Dylan's hand was wrapped in an elegant Christmas wrapping, topped with a lovely red bow. Sherry received it and found that it was rather light but it emanated with magic.

"There's magic?" She questioned dubiously and opened the box. Inside was a beautiful necklace. The stones were nicely cut and glowed ever so prettily, everything was Sherry's style and greatly appealed to her sense of aesthetics.

Sherry took the necklace out of the box and held it in front of her. "It's enchanted with magic?"

"Yeah, I don't have much experience with it so it's a little weak but I hope you like it." Dylan sheepishly smiled and said.

"No, I love it. Thank you so much, Dylan." Sherry would've hugged Dylan but there was a table in the way and she wasn't going to get up just to walk over and hug him.

"Put it on."

"Okay." Sherry put the necklace around her neck and as Dylan expected, the stones looked really nice against her skin and she looked beautiful in it.

"You look beautiful." Dylan smiled and praised.

"Thank you, I feel like that's the only compliment you know though." Sherry giggled and commented.

"I-It's because I'm so nervous right now, Sherry, I just want to tell you that I really, really-" Before Dylan could finish speaking, Sherry interrupted.

"Dylan, I don't have anything to give to you but I want you to know that I think you're a smart, handsome and talented man and that you're funny and charming. You're the best person I've ever met and I don't think I've met anyone kinder and more compassionate. You helped me when I was basically an overgrown infant stranded in an unknown world. Even though you were two years younger than me, you were so reliable and trustworthy. I felt safe being with you and without you, I don't think I'll even be here."

The more she spoke, the more relaxed she got. Everything came out smoothly as she spoke with a gentle expression.

"Back then, I thought of you as a friend, a comrade and a little brother. But after separating, I realised that you were so much more than that. I missed you, I was worried about you and thought about you all the time. Then, when I met you again, when you came here, I just felt a wave of relief and joy wash over me. You were so much taller, so much more mature and older but you were still you and I couldn't stop the feelings growing in my heart. I tried to deny them because you saw me as a friend, but, I couldn't. I, I love you Dylan. From the day we first met until now, I love you."

Sherry raised her head, unsure as to how Dylan would react. To her surprise, his face was just blank. Jaw dropped, eyes blinking and just staring.

"D-Dylan?" Sherry waved her hand in front of him out of concern.

That rebooted the Dylan-exe, allowing the stunned knight to fully digest what had just happened.

Dylan: Hmm, so, she was talking about the past, being friends and comrades, mhm, and then she just, SHE JUST SAID SHE LOVES ME!!!!!

Poof! It was like there was steam coming out of Dylan's ears. His face instantly turned red, his ears getting hot and his eyes watery. "You, you like me? As in, as a friend or family?"

"N-No! I, I love you, Dylan von Kaiser. I love you as a man, not as a friend, not as a brother."

There was a brief silence. "…I, I love you too. Since long ago, always. I love you so much." Dylan confessed in a quiet voice, sounding like he was almost going to cry.

Sherry also exploded, blood rushing to her head and her heart pounding like a toddler with a drum kit. She felt so stupid for being nervous and crying because she thought Dylan only saw her as a friend. His actions had always made it very clear that he liked her, she just ignored it because it was gradual and consistent, he had always been like that…he had always loved her.

The two sat silently at the table, heads lowered and fingers fidgeting nervously. It was unknown how long it took for them to fully digest the situation, until one of them finally spoke.

"…So, we're dating now?" Sherry asked.

"Y-Yeah, I suppose. That's what people here do when they're in love, right?"

"M-mm." Sherry hummed in response.

"Sherry."

"Hmm?" Sherry looked up at Dylan. His face was still as red as it was before.

"I love you."

"…I love you too."

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Author: Ah, such is love.

Waiter: Sure is, wait, who are you?! How did you get here?

Author: Don't sweat the small details. Why don't you head on over there and give them some cake to celebrate their…successful confessions?

Waiter: I can't just decide that myself. We don't do that here, only proposals deserve that attention.

Author: You see that girl over there? Her dad's the CEO of Faith and her best friend is the only daughter of the finance monster Shang.

A short while later, Waiter: Here's some cake

Dylan: We didn't order this?

Waiter: It's on the house. Congratulations on realising your love for one another

D&S: >////<