💌 Ship: Nevillette x F!Reader
💌 Summary: Neuvillette was your trainee teacher years ago when you had a crush on him. Now you're his colleague at the law firm and everything seems to start over again. (Modern AU)
💌 Word count: 1292
💌 Requested by KawaiiCheri
💌 There's also a Vietnamese version on my page. Please kindly check.
This is a story for 2024 Valentine's Day Character x Reader series, which includes:
You held a small brown box in one hand, and in the other embellished the red ribbon that was tied on top. With anxiety, you glanced up at the nameplate that was affixed to the door of the room.
Neuvillette, Attorney at law.
You took a deep breath, then twisted the doorknob. There was no one inside; you were glad there wasn't. You quickly stepped inside, or, snuck in to be precise. You didn't want anyone else to see what you were doing, so you came to work early.
Your footsteps crept towards his desk. Even when no one was there to catch you, you were still nervous. Only when you successfully placed the box in a corner of the table, neither too far out of sight nor taking center stage, did you return outside, close the door behind you, and breathe a sigh of relief.
It was not the first time you had been in this sneaky situation.
Many years ago, in the spring when you were seventeen, your heart fluttered for the first time.
You found his silhouette in peach blossom petals and pressed into the notebook pages. That person never knew. There was not only a podium gap between you and him, but also in age, in status. At that time, you were just a silent little student sitting at the back of the class, and that person was the strict intern teacher of your school.
Frequently, you would see him having lunch all by himself in a corner of the garden. That person avoided making acquaintances and disliked loud noises. He only kept casual social relations with others. That was the kind of person who preferred to read alone; his law books were so thick that they made you dizzy by just hearing the titles. But you did enjoy silently observing him in that way from a distance. After all, this corner of the garden was yours to begin with. You also enjoyed the quiet of noon, away from the noisy friends out there. He just happened to come one day and, all of a sudden, this place belonged to him, while you found another shade to rest.
But you were not bothered. You could share his corner of the garden with him, or everything if he ever asked you to. You still knew your boundaries. You had never gone beyond what was expected of a teacher and student. All you had ever mentioned to him was a few inquiries concerning the courses. And each time he responded to one of your questions, your eyes would light up slightly in happiness, only to hurry away before he caught you.
On Valentine's Day that year, you bought a box of chocolates. Never dared to give it to him in person, you could only covertly set it on his desk before he came to school. No false hopes. You just wanted him to be able to enjoy a box of chocolates without having to figure out who sent them. Yet when you left school, you found your present being in the trash.
Your first love, however unrequited, ended like that. You graduated without seeing that person again, trying to get rid of that day and move on. But then, the flow of life brought you back to him, when you became an intern at the law firm where he was the best lawyer.
You did not want him to remember you, because it was embarrassing enough to recall the box of chocolates that day. Maybe he did not know the sender was you, but facing him was enough to distract you, as if the spring of that year's youth had returned. You could not love anyone else while you buried yourself in study and work. Because you wanted to be good enough. You wanted to stand next to him and be recognized by him. Only then, perhaps only then, would you have the courage to give him your heart.
You did not expect to see him again once you had graduated. But based on your excellent performance, you were welcome to his law firm. He also recognized you at the New Year's party. He was quite different. The years left him with an older, more sophisticated look on his face than the trainee teacher that year. The same went to you, as you were no longer a shy schoolgirl.
He, as a guide, helped you a lot through your first but messy litigation. You had done a great job. And, as a thank you gift, you gave him another box of chocolates. It was just in time for Valentine's Day. You were thinking too much again. Perhaps your gift would be mercilessly thrown away again, but, you still wanted to give it to him, as if your heart would always go for him just like that. You did not let him know it was your chocolate either. Let him think that the present was from a secret fan.
Hesitantly, you passed by his room as the working day was coming to an end and took a quick look inside before heading out. He continued to work at the computer very firmly. Nothing resembled your chocolate box that you saw there. It had to be in the garbage. With regret, you turned away.
As soon as you stepped outside the office door, you suddenly found your wrist grasped. Turning around, you were surprised to see that person.
"Mr. Neuvillette?"
On his face was a very complicated expression; disappointed, regret.
"Are you going to run away again?"
"H-Huh?..."
When you were still not quite sure what was going on,Neuvillette took out the chocolate box you had given him and raised it to the level of your eyes.
"Are you going to leave it on my desk and walk away again?"
You were stunned. Did he know?
"How... How did you know it was mine?"
The hand that was holding you only slightly loosen, but it would not release the grip. In response, he said:
"Your writing is on this."
As it turned out, your handwriting had exposed you. That year, you had written your name on the box, and you did it again. You never thought Neuvillette would pay such attention and memorize the details.
"I..."
"That year," Neuvillette interrupted. "I suspected that gift came from you. But you said nothing and graduated. I thought we wouldn't see each other again."
Neuvillette never went up to say hello to the schoolgirl sitting with him in the garden, off in a far corner. But he was aware of your presence. He did know how much you cared about him. Simply put, neither of you were in the right place at the right time. And now, you were standing in front of him. There was no reason to let you go again.
"But..." You met his gaze directly. "Don't bring it up again. You threw that chocolate box away."
Neuvillette's face seemed puzzled. "I threw it away?"
"I saw it in the trash."
He furrowed his eyebrows slightly, then his face dilated in a relaxed state. "I don't know what you saw, but I'm sure I've never thrown away a box of chocolates meant for me."
Then it was your turn to frown. If that box wasn't yours, someone must have bought the same gift you had chosen. That misunderstanding started in silence, and tormented you all these years. You felt so foolish.
"You can't just give people chocolate on Valentine's Day and walk away like that." Neuvillette spoke to you in a stern voice, making you stiffen. Before you could even say anything, he squeezed your hand again. "You have to take responsibility for what you started."
-The end-
