With a roll of my eyes, I forced a smile. “Of course. What about you, sicko?”
“Ugh.” She leaned her head against Noel’s chest and muttered, “I’m better, but still queasy.”
“Come on,” Noel urged, tipping his chin up to get me to follow them. “Let’s get her home.”
“Yeah, okay.” But I couldn’t turn fully away from the shadow quite yet. As the other four wandered off, across the street, I turned back to it.
If he didn’t want to talk to me, fine, but I definitely had a message for him. “I don’t understand,” I said. Then I hurried after the others.
Asher looped an arm around my shoulder, tugging me against his side when I caught up to them.
“You look cold,” he said.
I was. I felt cold all the way to my bones. When I shivered, he hugged me closer with one arm. “Did you find Parker?” he asked into my ear.
I shook my head.
“Gonna tell me why you chased after him?”
Another fierce head shake.
He sighed, but said, “All right,” and let it drop. “As long as you’re okay.”
“I am,” I lied.
Inside, I fell apart, not sure what was going on or what I was going to do about it.
“This is crazy,” City hissed through the darkened theater.
I just grinned as I popped a handful of popcorn into my mouth. “What? I’m having fun.” Without looking at her, I swung the popcorn tub her way, silently offering her some.
“Thanks.” She looked around the empty aisles as she dug her hand in. Then she leaned toward me and whispered, “We’re going to get caught.”
I leaned toward her as well, because I liked how good she smelled tonight. She’d put on some extra perfume that was driving me crazy. I swear it smelled like one of the wildflowers that grew in the woods, except better because this was layered on top of her natural scent.
“We won’t get caught,” I promised. “I’ll bet money no one else even comes into the theater with us.”
She turned to me, her breath brushing across my cheek. “Why’s that?”
“Because this movie’s about some doll who gets a soul, comes alive, and falls for some video store clerk.”
“Say what?”
I grinned and kept watching the opening credits.
City nudged me in the ribcage with her knuckle. “What the heck kind of movie did you pick for us?”
Something I wouldn’t feel the least bit distracted by when I made out with my girlfriend through the whole thing.
“I cannot believe you purposely picked out a bad movie for our very first date.”
Finally, I turned to her. Her brow was puckered with disappointment so I murmured, “Hey,” as I gently cupped her cheek. “I know the movie and date were my idea, but I don’t want us to get caught, either. That’s why I took every precaution possible to protect you from trouble. And this...” I hitched my chin toward the screen, “was the safest place in public I thought we could go. Besides, the movie’s not what I came to see.”
I could tell the exact moment I’d said the right thing. Her eyes changed, the bright blue turning a liquid azure as her breath caught. When she leaned toward me, I met her halfway, my lips catching hers and my fingers burrowing into her hair. We didn’t come up for air until the characters on the screen started talking...in Japanese.
“Oh my God!” Mouth falling open, City shook her head. “And it’s not even in English?”
I bit my lip. “Well...at least it has subtitles.”
She glanced at me incredulously. I cringed and bit my lip a little harder until we burst into simultaneous laughter.