Of Royal Descent (11 page)

"It's a birthmark," Chuck repeated, more calmly this time.

We fell silent again while a few more people sat down a couple rows in front of us.  Addy reached for a handful of the popcorn I had been holding in my lap.  Something about her hand being in such a close proximity to my crotch made my breathing irregular.  I shifted the bag so it rested on my knee.

Addy looked up at me with wide, innocent eyes as her tongue slid out of her mouth to grab a piece of popcorn from her hand.  Then she slowly withdrew her tongue and the popcorn back into her mouth.  I squirmed in my seat.  She smiled at me. 

"Popcorn?" she asked.  "It's really good."

"It looks really good," I choked out, grabbing a few pieces with my free hand. 

The lights began to dim as a few last movie-goers entered the theater and found seats near the front.
  There was some hushed conversation coming from Chuck and Kai's direction.  The theater was completely silent in the seconds before the previews began.

"IT'S.
A. BIRTH.  MARK."  I heard Chuck saying in a low voice to Kai.

The screen lit up with a panoramic view of a forest.  It was a new trailer for an upcoming werewolf movie.  Addy leaned into me when there was a sudden growl
, and I made a mental note to thank Chuck later.  I put my arm around her shoulders, and she snuggled against me. 
Please God, don't let my synapses stop synapsing properly
, I prayed.

The next two hours passed by with Addy pressed against me with varying degrees of pressure.  At one particularly scary part of the movie, the audience screamed in unison
, and Addy was practically sitting in my lap.

During a quiet scene, about half way through, I glanced over to see how Chuck was holding out.  There was a gap a mile wide between him and Kai.  Slowly, he began the
ol' pretend-to-stretch-and-put-an-arm-around-your-date routine.  It was painful to watch, but I couldn't look away.  As soon as his arm made contact with her shoulder, Kai snapped her head in his direction.  I couldn't see the look she gave him, as she faced away from me.  I can only assume it was a withering glare, the way Chuck's arm shrank as it withdrew quickly.  He returned his attention to the screen.

When the credits began to roll, we
collected our things. 

"
That was awesome.  I hope they make a sequel," said Addy.

"Yeah, it was pretty good," I agreed.

"I've seen better," added Kai.

"You guys ready to eat?" I asked, addressing the entire group.

"Yes, I'm starving," smiled Addy.

We began the climb down to the bottom of the theater before winding our way around the partition that led back up and out to the lobby.  We all stopped to use the restrooms.

"My date is defective," Chuck said, washing his hands at the sink next to me.

"Uh, yeah.
  Sorry.  I know.  I owe you."

"I don't know if you can ever repay this one," Chuck said through a
forced half-smile.

We waited outside the women's restroom for the girls.  The door swung open
, and a woman walked out, leaving the door to close slowly in her wake. 

"Could you at least try?  I really like Doyle.  There's something about him.  And it doesn't hurt that he's gorgeous," I heard Addy say before the door closed.

I locked eyes with Chuck.  We took a step closer to the women's restroom at the same time.  Another woman exited, again leaving the door wide to swing closed on its own.

"So what if he's cute?  He's got something growing on his back?  What if it's fungal?  He could be contagious," Kai was saying.

Chuck shot me a death glare.

"It's a birthmark!" he mouthed to me.

"Sorry," I mouthed back as the door shut again.

We took another step closer to the door and waited for it to open again. 

The next time it opened, Addy and Kai were standing on the other side, looking surprised to see us so close to the door.

"Lurk much?" Kai asked.  She stomped off toward the lobby.  Chuck smiled awkwardly before heading after her.

"We… thought we saw a spider near the door," I mumbled.

"Right."
  Addy smiled back at me.

Once we were back in the car, I asked if anyone had a preference for dinner.
  Seeing as Addy was the only one from the area, we all acquiesced to her suggestion of a local Mexican restaurant.  Queso Bill's was just a couple streets down from the theater.  We were seated right away.

"It's a new place," explained Addy, "It's not really caught on yet
, but it's good."

I slid in next to her in the booth
, and Kai and Chuck sat opposite us.  The hostess brought our menus, and I scanned over the selections.  My stomach snapped to attention.  I was hungrier than I had realized.

"What can I get for the misses?" the waiter asked
upon his arrival to our table, leaning in toward the girls.  He stared a little too openly at them, and it gave me an unpleasant sensation in my chest.

"I'd like the chicken quesadilla and
water with lemon," Addy answered, smiling and handing over the menu to the waiter.

"And you miss?" he addressed
Kai.

"Same
, but with a margarita please," she said, also turning over her menu.

I ordered the carne
asada, rare on the carne and Chuck ordered the arroz con pollo.

Once the waiter departed, Chuck was the first to initiate conversation.  He turned to Kai.

"So do you see anyone regularly in Cincinnati?"

"
What, like a boy?" Kai asked, smirking.

"Or maybe a girl?"
Chuck asked.

Kai rolled her eyes.
  "Neither," she answered.

"I find that surprising," Chuck said seriously.

Kai slanted her eyes at him, trying to decide if he was being sarcastic.

"What'
s that supposed to mean?"

"It means I think you're beautiful
, and I am surprised that there is no one in particular in your life," he said as if explaining to a small child.

Addy nudged me under the table wit
h her knee and gave me a smile.

Kai seemed unsure how to proceed and was staring down at the table when the waiter returned with our drinks.

"Thank God," she mumbled, grabbing her margarita and taking a gulp.

I looked over at Addy.  I wanted to reach out and touch her, kiss her.  But even if we had been by ourselves, I would have held back.  I didn't know if I completely trusted myself to stop if I needed to.
Just being near her ignited a fire that would have been so tempting to let burn out of control.  She smiled at me again as her knee brushed against mine.  But this time she didn't move it away.  I closed my eyes, momentarily lost in the thought of trailing my hand up her thigh.

"Right, Doyle?"

I opened my eyes to find Chuck staring at me.

"Sorry
.  What?"

"I was saying we were a
ble to stay another couple days, you know, if we wanted to."

"Oh, yeah, absolutely," I said smiling down at Addy.

"That's great," said Addy, tilting her head to one side as she stared at me.

I couldn't understand the hold she had over me.  Obviously, she was beautiful, but it was so much more than that.  Being around Addy was how I imagined Icarus felt while he was flying around in the sky.  She made me feel alive and free
, and when I got too close, I was in danger of being consumed by the heat.

I'd never believed in love at first sight before.  Was that what this was?  I'd never had such a strong desire to overpower and submit to someone at the same time. 

"It looks like you're in deep thought," she mused, taking her hand and very slowly laying it on top of mine.

Something stirred in me.  Maybe Chuck was right
.  Maybe there was a monster hidden beneath my skin - not a supernatural one, but a real one nonetheless.  I could feel my pulse quicken and my jaw clench.  I withdrew my hand from Addy's, though I continued to give her my most charming smile, so she wouldn't get the wrong idea. 

"Just thinking of how beautiful you look," I said quietly so that only she could hear.

She flushed as she smiled.  In a nervous gesture, she moved her hair over to her other shoulder, exposing the milk-white of her neck.  I forced myself to look away.

The waiter returned with our order
, and I busied myself with unrolling the silverware from my napkin.  When he placed my plate in front of me and I saw the rare steak, I had an immediate sharp pain in my gums.  My teeth began to throb.  And then came the all-too-familiar sensation of dizziness. 

No, no, no!
  I was not going to let it happen.  I was not going to faint or morph or whatever the hell Chuck had called it.  I closed my eyes and inhaled slowly and deeply through my nose before exhaling through my mouth.  I inhaled a second time, demanding my heart to calm, demanding my hunger to still. 

"You okay?" asked Chuck.  I opened my eyes to find him looking more than a little nervous.

"Yeah, I'm fine," I answered honestly and dug into my food.

Chuck seemed to relax as time passed and I didn't grow horns or whatever he thought was going to happen
, and we all fell into a comfortable silence as we ate. 

When the dishes were cleared and the bill was brought to the table, Chuck took out his bank card and slid it inside the leather holder that accompanied the check.  This apparently didn't go unnoticed by Kai, who rolled her eyes and drained the last of her
drink.

"Is there something you wanted to say?" asked Chuck politely.

"No, not really," she began as she set down her empty, salt-rimmed glass with a forceful clink.  "It's just that I've spent half the night trying to get a read on you, and I finally just figured it out."

"Oh, this sounds like it's going to be interesting," Chuck said, relaxing against the back of the booth while the waiter came to collect payment of the bill.

Kai smiled her sarcastic, pursed lip smile at him. 

"You're the type of guy who always gets what he wants
by footing the bill.  You’re probably well accustomed to buying people – dates, friends."

"Kai!" exclaimed Addy, looking shocked and embarrassed. 

"No, that's okay Addy.  She has a right to her opinion," Chuck said, looking more amused than anything else. 

A couple restaurant employees began to stare.  I stood up before anyone could have a chance to say anything else.

"Hey guys, let's get going," I suggested.  We stood as the waiter brought Chuck's card back to him and made our way to the exit.  Once outside, the argument continued.

"So
I'm a bad guy because I opted to pick up the check?  Is that it?" Chuck asked.

"No, you're a douche because you have to make a show out of paying for things," Kai countered.  At this, Chuck look surprised.

"I'm sorry, I must have missed it.  Could you describe to me how quietly sliding my card in with the check was
making a show
out of paying?"

"That's my point," Kai shot back, "You were trying to be all nonchalant about it, like,
Hey, look at me, I have money to blow on dinner and empty movie cups
," Kai mocked in a voice that in no way resembled Chuck's.

Now Chuck was upset.

"It wasn't my idea to buy empty movie cups!  That was all you trying to show how superior you were!  You thought you were being so damn clever!"

"So what?
  Maybe I am superior.  How would you know?  You don't know me!"

"Thank God because I wouldn't want to!  From everything I've seen tonight you're just a spoiled little brat who can't even be pleasant long enough to let her friend enjoy her date!"

"Hey guys," I interjected softly, "Maybe we should let it go, I mean the night's pretty much-"

"Maybe I'm doing her a favor!  You ever think about that?  You guys are from
Maine.  You really think there's a long-term relationship brewing here?" Kai shot out, effectively cutting me off.

"Maybe it's none of your damn business!  Did
you
ever think of
that?
  Just because you're miserable doesn't mean you should make everyone else miserable too!"

"I already told you, you don't know anything about me!"

"Wrong!  I do know something about you!  I know you are in serious danger of being taken over my knee!  You wanna act like a brat, I'll treat you like one!"

Addy sucked in her breath
, and I have to admit, I too, was taken by surprise.  I had never seen Chuck respond to a female like that before.  Although, in all fairness, I had never met a girl quite like Kai.