Keith’s eyes widened and a vein pulsed in his forehead. He had just comprehended the seriousness of this conversation. “Did you just ask me if I have a girlfriend? Are you serious?”
Elly knew she had crossed a line, but she didn’t care. She wouldn’t have this happen to her, not again, not behind her back. “Yes I’m serious! You keep avoiding bringing me to your home at all costs, and for what? It can’t honestly be the laundry, or the upkeep, because I don’t care. You know me, you know I wouldn’t care, so it’s something else, something sordid and wrong.” Tears were flowing down her face freely now, and Elly was vaguely aware that a battle-damaged Imperial Stormtrooper had stopped walking to observe their fight. “I’ve been taken advantage of before, I know what having a secret means.”
“Elly, you don’t.” Keith pulled her toward him. His arms, strong and thick, circled around her. “Let’s talk about this later.”
“No.” Elly pulled away from him. “No distractions, no excuses. You’ve done this a hundred times already. Tell me the truth.” She had to raise her voice to be heard over the buzz of the crowd. A man dressed as the Joker circled around them. “Why so serious?” he hissed.
“Shut up!” thundered Keith. The Joker looked terrified and skittered away.
“Why won’t you take me to your house?”
Keith fidgeted. “It’s a long story, and I’m not ready to explain it. It’s complicated.”
“It’s complicated,” Elly repeated. Keith nodded. “You know what’s complicated in a relationship? Nothing. Lies are complicated, so are secrets. Hidden feelings and tucked-away shame are complicated. A real relationship has no complications, no secrets.”
Keith rocked back on his heels. “I’m really not sure what you are referring to.”
“I won’t have this happen to me again. I have not worked this hard and come this far only to have a man lie to my face. I can tell when something is wrong; I can tell that you have been lying to me. Do you think I don’t know?”
Keith looked up nervously. The crowd watching them had grown. A female Batman looked with pity at Elly, while a life-sized Pokémon character bounced back and forth on its chubby yellow feet, anticipating a physical blowout. Keith gritted his teeth. “I’m just not ready to talk about this. Can’t you understand that?”
Elly’s pent-up defenses roared inside of her. “No, I feel like we should figure this out right here, right now. What I’m asking is simple. Look at me and tell me why can’t I go to your house?”
Keith stepped toward her. “Don’t do this, Elly. If you do this, it might ruin everything. Trust me when I tell you that I’m not meaning to hurt you. I can tell you are upset. Let’s go outside. You just have to give me some time….”
Elly, her eyes brimming over, stepped back. “Give you some time? So you can cover up your lies? Or send your girlfriend back to LA?”
“Los Angeles?” A short Indiana Jones shook his head in disgust at Keith.
“Elly, what are you talking about? Just come with me, we can just step outside….”
“I can’t have this happen again. I know what you are doing, I know who you are….”
“Well, then, you should know that I would never cheat on you!” yelled Keith. He lowered his voice and looked deep into Elly’s eyes, his dark-blue eyes disturbed and stormy. “I would never cheat on you because I love you.”
Elly felt her heart ripping apart. I love you, I love you, he said it, her heart crowed happily, but at the same time her doubtful thoughts swirled, drowning out the joyous sound. The crowd had fallen silent, as Transformers and Disney princesses watched in fascination. Elly looked at Keith, her voice low and pleading. “Then if you love me, tell me the truth.”
“I need you to wait.”
“No. I’ve waited long enough. If you can’t tell me here, I don’t want to know the truth.” She didn’t. Even if the floor felt like it was falling away from her, even though her future looked black without him, she could not bear the weight of not knowing for another minute.
Keith let out an exasperated groan, raising his voice angrily. “Why are you doing this here?”
“Elly?” Dennis walked through the growing crowd, taking in their drama like a soap opera. “What’s happening?”
Elly wiped her tears away, suddenly mortified at her behavior. “Nothing. We’re just talking.”
“No, we’re not talking,” replied Keith. “Elly wants to fight in the middle of a convention and there’s no convincing her otherwise. She’s being ridiculous.”
The crowd around them bristled angrily at his words. “Tool bag!” someone yelled.