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It was just unfair. How come everyone you knew was good at it? Why did you suck at it so much? Why has the lord forsaken you? However, you were determined to see this through. You told yourself that you could do anything that you put your mind to. You refused to be beaten by a stupid fruit.
You didn’t care how long it took; you were going to tie cherry stalks with your tongue. You would prove that you could overcome any challenge thrown your way. But it didn’t make the ordeal any less frustrating.
For the life of you, you couldn’t figure out how other people did it. You would always manage to bend the stalks and snap them by accident when you tried too hard. You had almost swallowed a few stems by now and you weren’t sure how you hadn’t managed to choke yet. You did, however; bite your tongue a few times out of frustration.
As you stared absentmindedly at the artwork hanging in front of you, tongue still working to tie a perfect knot, you heard footsteps approaching. You glanced down the hallway as the footsteps grew louder. It wasn’t hard for you to guess who it was, considering he was the one that invited you to visit his art gallery. You turned your head again when the footsteps ceased, spotting your favourite artist only a few feet from you. Stefano was impeccably dressed, as always, clean shaven with his dark bangs covering his right eye.
He had sought you out when he had realised you had wandered away from his side. You noted that he was staring at you with his good eye, obviously noticing your tongue couldn’t sit still in your mouth. He was going to ask you if you were enjoying yourself, since you were the only one who actually appreciated his art, but he had a more pressing question.
“What are you doing?” he inquired.
You offered him a smile. “I’m trying to tie cherry stems with my tongue” you replied.
Well, that’s what you thought you said but all that came out was muffled words and gurgled noise. Stefano’s brow creased in confusion.
“What?”
You sighed deeply through your nose before you reached into your mouth and pulled out the cherry stalks, the stems still not knotted.
“I said I’m trying to tie cherry stalks with my tongue” you repeated.
The confusion seemed to clear up as Stefano’s eye widened a fraction, his lips tilting into a smile.
“Oh?” he cooed. “And how’s that working out for you, cara?”
“Not good” you admitted.
You popped the stems back into your mouth and tried again, refusing to give up as you stared at the artworks hanging on the walls around you. Stefano always did find you a little quirky by nature and it was highly amusing to watch you struggle. An idea suddenly wormed its way into his head, and he grinned like the Cheshire cat. He was going to have a little fun with you. He stepped a little closer to you, the heels of his loafers clicking off the polished floor.
“Having a little trouble?” he asked.
Your gaze flicked back to him. “You could say that” you mumbled.
The smirk on his face didn’t disappear as he took another step, your shoulders just barely touching.
“Perhaps I can be of assistance” he suggested.
You stared blankly at him, your eyes narrowing slightly in suspicion. Of course someone like him would be good at tying cherry stems. Everyone else was better at it than you, so why not include Stefano on that list as well? Your gut was telling you he was up to something. But at this point, you’d take any help you could get. He was probably going to tease you later for not being able to tie a simple stalk with your tongue. You could live with that. Well, at least you convinced yourself you could. You sighed in defeat, turning to face him properly.
“Fine” you conceded. “Tell me what to do.”
He took another step closer, his gloved hand reaching out to grasp your chin with his fingers. His eyes were drawn to your lips as he stared down at you with a look you could not quite place. But it made your heart jump up into your throat.
“Better yet, I’ll show you” he whispered against your lips.
Your eyes were wide and like a deer caught in the headlights of an oncoming car, you were frozen stiff when Stefano pressed his mouth against yours. His grip was tight on your chin so even if you wanted to pull away you couldn’t. Not that you really wanted to. His lips were soft against yours and you melted at his touch. Your knees were weak and it took all of your strength to keep yourself upright. You shivered when you felt his tongue lick your lips, trying to gain access.
You opened your mouth, a moan bubbling up your throat as his eager tongue invaded your mouth. Your hands found purchase on his suit jacket as you gripped the fabric tightly, holding onto him like a lifeline. You were mindful of the stems still in your mouth as his tongue played with yours, flicking and teasing you relentlessly. Your face was unbearably hot during the passionate embrace. Dear god you wanted that sinful tongue on other parts of your body. You pulled away from the kiss, gasping for air as your lungs felt like they were burning from the sweet relief.
Stefano smiled down at you, his thumb stroking your cheek in an affectionate manner.
“Come find me when you’re done playing” he hummed. “I wish to show you something.”
You stared at him in a daze as he turned around and started to walk away. It took a moment for you to come back to reality after the intense kiss. Wait…were the stems still in your mouth?
You spat the stalks out, noticing that they had been tied together in a perfect knot. Your brow furrowed as you stared at the delicate stems. It must have been tied together during the kiss. Wait a minute; he hadn’t helped you at all. That bastard was the one that tied the knot in your mouth. That son of a-
“Wait that didn’t help me at all. Stefano! Get back here you little shit!”
You could hear his laughter echoing around the gala as you chased him down the hallway. You would get him back for that little trick, one day you swear you would.