Leonardo and Victoria (Part 1)

As Leonardo kept walking, the smell of the sea became more prominent. His heart beat quickly with anticipation and anxiety, and he kept chiding himself for it with every step. He knew he wasn’t the same clueless guy from a few months ago, but this felt… different. Getting together with Reiko had sort of just happened, and his relationships with Angela, Seina and Lucia were born, primarily, out of need and responsibility. With Victoria, however, there was none of that. They owed nothing to each other, and in fact it surprised Leo that she would even suggest something like a date while knowing perfectly well that… he was spending time with other women. Again, Leo believed it was a decision born out of pity for them, who had to deal with the effects of the curse. But as he kept telling himself, this was an opportunity. Even if Victoria was willing to go on a date with him just because she pitied them, Leo would try to change that so that she actively wanted him. And for better or worse, he now had plenty of tools to do just that.

Victoria White sat on the top step of the short set of stairs that led down to the beautiful beach. But the sight that to this day still impressed her, with the white sand and clear turquoise water, failed to calm her at that moment.

She groaned and rubbed her head in frustration as her mind kept coming up with terrible scenarios. Had it been a good idea to butt into their affairs? Mrs. Wisler had told her the whole situation, drawing special attention to the detail that sex was the only way for the Tensai Clan to regain their sensations. What the old lady was implying was clear, though she wasn’t being subtle. She didn’t really push Victoria into anything either, but Mrs. Wisler had done enough for her that the personal trainer felt like she should give something back.

Mrs. Wisler had been the one to guide her into finding something she liked just as much a climbing the UFC ranks. If not for her, she’d probably never had thought of becoming a trainer. Mrs. Wisler also helped her with contacts and paperwork to get her gym built and set up incredibly quickly and as painlessly as possible. So yeah, Victoria felt like she should give something back, which was what prompted her to approach Leonardo like she did. However… Now that the day of their date had come, Victoria’s head was filled with the worst possible scenarios, those being where the other girls around Leonardo would cause a storm of dumb drama and get her involved in it.

Victoria only knew Angela and Valerie, and even then only slightly, but she was sure her thoughts had a worryingly decent chance at becoming true. The two girls in her mixed martial arts class clearly looked at the boy with interest, and she knew there were others apart from them. Would they really not mind this? And of course, this was all assuming Leonardo was as mature as he seemed. He didn’t look like the type of guy to go to his friends and brag about how many women he’d slept with, which was the reason Victoria decided to go through with this.

She groaned again. It was all too complicated, and she didn’t like it. All she wanted was to help out the Tensai Clan as a way to pay back Mrs. Wisler for her help. And if she could get some good sex out of it, then… Yeah, even better. Leonardo was handsome, she’d admit that any day, so there were no problems in the appearance department. She just seriously hoped to stay away from any kind of drama.

“Oh, you’re already here? Am I late?”

His voice startled her, but she pulled herself together before she turned back to him. There was no use in questioning past decisions. She was there, and she was going to see the date through. What came after would come regardless of what she wanted.

Then she saw him standing there, dressed in a white t-shirt and green swimming trunks, black backpack over his right shoulder and one hand in his pocket as he looked at his phone to confirm the time with the other. Victoria had to blink several times to make sure what she was seeing wasn’t the sea breeze making her eyes go bad.

He looked… fantastic, somehow. She wouldn’t be able to pinpoint a single thing, but… the way the T-shirt fit him and accentuated his muscles, the way his honey colored skin seemed to glow, the way his eyes seemed sharper and his look pierced through her. It was a combination of subtle things that made him go from very handsome to outright sexy. She found her heart beating faster, but a sudden thought calmed her momentarily. This change, though subtle, was still odd. Odd enough to have some sort of supernatural cause, considering who she was dealing with.

…

But was that a source of concern? Did it matter? Victoria didn’t think so. The guy looked hotter, and why would she complain about that?

“Nah, I’m here early,” she finally answered. “I had some errands to run and finished them earlier than I thought I would. You’re looking good, by the way.”

Leonardo let out a telling sigh of resignation and gave her a small, wry smile. “Thanks. I combed my hair real hard today.”

Victoria burst out laughing, then got an arm around Leonardo’s shoulder, and walking next to him, the two made their way down to the beach.