He felt like the male version of Cinderella as he watched Alessia's mother run around him, measuring his every body part with measuring tape. The suit was coming together faster than he could believe, mostly because Alessia's mother use of the jacket and pantalon from the manikin he had first seen through the window. She then used his measurements to sort of reconstruct it to fit him, she did this unbelievably fast.

"There!" She sighs, traces of sweat dripping down her forehead.

Valentino looks himself in the mirror and smiles. "Thank you, how much do I owe you." His plan was simple, he was going to use his sponsorship money, originally meant to be contributing to him buying a new leather suit, which he was very much in need of. His old one was getting well-worn, with all that loose leather hanging off of his sides. However, It will have to do for a couple of more weeks.

"Don't be silly." Alessia's mother waves, "Just return it tomorrow, I can use your measurements to design replicas for other young men, because after tonight...." She says and snaps her fingers all sassy, ".....everybody's gonna wanna wear something designed by me."

They laugh.

Outside the shop Valentino boards his skateboard.

"Do you have someone who can borrow you some nicer shoes, because those won't cut it, not with my suit." Alessia's mother says looking down on his muddy sneakers.

"Yeah, I'll borrow some from my friend."

"Okay go on then and I'll see you later." She winks.

"Thank you Miss Assoro." He says and dismounts his skateboard to walk over and embrace her, whilst doing so he inhales her soft sent.

By the time Valentino got to Hilda-Maria's house a black car was already pulling out of her driveway, luckily it was only her father getting the car out of the garage.

"Is she inside?" Valentino asked breathless, her father rolled his window down. "Yeah!" He sighs, "seems to me she is never coming out, women and their, hair and makeup, all we men do is shower and get dressed.

Valentino let himself in, which stunned her mother who had been lingering downstairs.

"Valentino? I thought Hilda said you weren't coming."

Valentino was in a hurry the party was starting real soon, "Is she upstairs?" He spat, his chest rising up and down, he had rode his skateboard like a maniac trying to get here on time.

Her mother didn't even have a chance to answer him before he was rushing up the stairs, behind him she yelled " Hilda Valentino Rossi is here!"

"Mama that's not funny, I've told you he....."

Their eyes met in the mirror as he slowly pushed open the door to enter her room. She was applying blush to her cheeks, but the brush withered in her hands at the sight of him. She turned around in the chair, "Valentino? You look...."

Valentino smirked all boyish. "I'm sorry I'm late, I got you this.". His arm stretched towards her and in it, a half cut rubied rose.

"Valentino!" Hilda-Maria moaned, she accepted the rose and immediately put it to her nose.

Valentino rubbed his finger together in agony, he had cut himself on it's thorns prior to ripping it from the bushes outside.

One look at his shoes and Hilda-Maria knew what to do, "you'll need a tie too". After getting him a pair of polished shoes from her brothers room and a matching tie, to go with her dress, they were off to the party.

Valentino's palms were sweating by the time they arrived at The Palace.

"Hey! Can't believe you made it." Angelo says, spotting them amongst the crowd. "What changed your mind?"

Valentino anxiously searched for Alessia in the crowd, before his friend interrupted. "You man, if you suffer, I suffer." He said, patting Angelo on his chest pocket.

"Valentino? You look so handsome," Angelos mother appeared from behind her son, "doesn't he Hilda-Maria?"

"He sure does." Hilda said proud and started fiddling with his tie. A quick glance over her shoulder and he finally spotted her. On top of the stairs in front of the exit to the garden, she stood, arms crossed over her chest, still he could tell that her thin lemon dressed looked perfect on her. Valentino's stomach suddenly twirled in it's pit, to the left of her, was Dario Russo, Alessia's ex-boyfriend. He looked to be admiring his current girlfriend hough, who was making her speech up on the stage, a calming tug for the pit of his growling stomach. However, why were they standing so close to each other and they looked be whispering something out of the corners of their mouths. He felt like bargaining up there and setting him straight.

" Have a great night everybody..." applause and loud cheers swayed the room as Gaia finished her speech.

"Man I can't wait to get out of here and head downtown." Angelo sighs, he throws and arm around his friend. "Look at all of these posh girls, you know what happens when they let down their hair and have had a couple of riffs."

"What?"

"They go apeshit."

Hilda-Maria groans disgusted, but not by Angelo. "What is she doing?" She mumbles to herself. Valentino turn to look in the same direction as her, not far from them Alicia stand, she is bubbling loudly and carry herself like she is wearing two left shoes. Beside her stood this tall boy with sharpened eyebrows, carved cheeks and a smug look. If Valentino wasn't mistaken he'd probably assume that the boy was posing for a magazine or something. Hilda-Maria frowns as the couple pass them, as usual Alicia throws Valentino a look of pure despise.

Once more Hilda-Maria groans and mumbles to herself, "Why is she with him?"

"With who?" Valentino ask half heartedly as his main focus is now over at the bar, Alessia's current position.

"With Timo, Gaia's hot cousin."

Valentino frowns, "You mean, Edward from twilight over there, he's not that hot."

Hilda objects, "Yes he is, all the girls used to love when he came to stay with Gaia and her mother, he is so charming and funny...."

"Hey, I'm standing right here." Valentino jokes.

"You know what I meant." she says, playfully hitting his arm. "Anyways, He's trouble."

"He is, why?" Valentino scopes them out as they walk over to the bar where Alessia stands, he doesn't want him close to her if he's trouble.

"Let's just say that he really likes to party."

"How do you know?"

"Because I used to like to party with him too." She says, serious.

Valentino looks over to the bar again, Alicia and Gaia's cousin looks to be ordering, his head turns left and right when he notices that Alessia is now nowhere to be found.

*****

It's been several minutes since he last spotted her, Alessia was still nowhere to be seen, he contemplated looking for her, maybe out in the garden?

"No way!" Angelo gasped, he was retrieving a silver watch from his gift bag. For the last hour they had been occupying themselves in Gaia's "Candyland," Valentino had missed dinner today, so to go straight for the dessert didn't sit to well with him, his stomach had begun to ache.

"I'm warm, do you wanna maybe take a walk in the garden?" Hilda-Maria ask.

"Humh?" Valentino is too busy searching the crowd, to even notice her.

Hilda-Maria sighs, "Last time I saw her she was on her way to the bathroom.

Valentino's attention quickly shifts to her again. "What?"

"Alessia, last time I saw her she was on her way to the ladies bathroom." She points.

Guilt swirled around Valentino, Hilda had noticed him. "Why would I care about..."

"Oh please!" She interrupts, "You've been looking for her all night, I'm not dumb you now."

Valentino's face softens as Hilda-Maria tries to avoid his gaze. "I'm sorry...I"

"You're different whenever you know that she is close by, did you know that?"

Valentino slowly shakes his head.

"Well you are, I just noticed that the other day, when we came to watch you at the motorpark, you just weren't the same after noticing her, you just seem so uncomfortable in your skin, why is that...?" He'd never thought about it. He shrugs his shoulders.

Once more she sighs, "Anyways, I'm going out to the garden."

He watches her walk away.