Chapter 82
Keahi
By the time we’ve binge-watched two seasons, the sun’s slowly setting.
"How bout we go out tonight?" Malia proposes after another episode of our chosen series.
Despite it having been Malia’s pick, it’s actually good. Not nearly as gruesome as the movie she wanted to watch the last time, much to my delight. I pause the tv before the next episode can automatically start and look at her.
Her hair is a mess after hours of switching positions to cuddle up to me, and my shirt is hanging crookedly off her shoulders.
She’s beautifully disheveled, and he sight brings a smile to my lips.
This must be what normal couples get to have every day. I envy them.
"Where do you want to go?"
"A club maybe?" she proposes.
The characters in our show were in a club twice, so I get where Malia has the idea from.
"Fair warning, it’s not as great as it gets portrait on tv.
A lot of people standing around on their phones, these days.
We can go though, it’s still fun. In a delirious, sweaty kind of way if you will," I tell her, to which she replies with a small smile.
"That sounds interesting enough.
I guess we should start getting ready then.
I’ll go over to the academy to get some clothes and you can pick me up later, okay? Just text me." She kisses me goodbye and is out the door the next moment. I laugh to myself when the door closes behind her, glad to see her excited enough to neglect hearing my goodbye. I get ready and text Malia an hour and a half later.
"Do you approve of my outfit?" She asks while getting into my car.
"Of course not, woman.
Go change right ahead, I can see your skin!" I exclaim sarcastically.
"Just kidding, you look amazing. Absolutely mouth-watering."
"Is it not too risky?"
"Who cares? As long as you feel comfortable, society’s description of risky can piss off.
We both know you can take care of yourself if a jerk gets the wrong idea.
That is unless I get to them first, of course," I assure her.
She chuckles.
"You’re right, thanks.
You look really good too, by the way." When did we become one of those unbearable lovey-dovey couples, I would have made fun of a few months ago?
Oh, who cares? I like it.
"Let’s go over this one more time.
Don’t accept drinks from strangers and never leave yours out of sight.
I’d say don’t wander off without me so I can look out for you, but again, you can handle anything I could ever help you with. I think those are the basics," I say only to have Malia roll her eyes at me.
"I know, you’ve told me before.
I’ll be fine, relax," she brushes me off.
I squeeze her thigh and she smiles again.
"You’re really looking forward to this, aren’t you?" I ask her.
"Yep.
We’re going out like any other couple would, no unusual drama.
Maybe we’ll even meet nice people and dance with them." My girl is always awesome, no matter the mood she’s in, but when she’s excited and her eyes light up like this is my favorite.
"By the way, I ran into Flint at the facility.
He told me there still haven’t been any new disappearances.
It’s been over a day now," she adds.
"You don’t make it sound like that’s a good thing," I remark, picking up on her dimming smile.
"Why would they just stop?"
"They appeared out of nowhere, so maybe that’s where they vanished the same way.
We could have just been collateral damage.
Maybe they were passing through and made kidnapping our guards a sport. Or they got what they came for and left again." I really want to believe that whatever was going on is over, but I doubt it. I just want this evening to go well, so I’ll be the optimist for once.
"I don’t know.
To me this feels more like the quiet before the storm than some kind of victory," Malia argues.
"Either way, we can’t do anything about it now.
Let’s just enjoy tonight, agreed?"
"Agreed."
Once we’re at the club, we head straight for the bar, and I order us a round of drinks.
Luckily the bartender doesn’t ask for our IDs.
Not that we couldn’t have handled that, this just makes things easier and a little less against Arcane laws.
Malia soon drags me onto the dance floor.
She starts off by jumping around to the beat of the music like most of the other people.
When the songs slow down a tad, she starts dancing closer to me until she’s finally swaying her hips against my body, throwing me sultry looks over her shoulder. Her arms are wrapped around my neck while mine rest lazily on her waist. She’s mimicking the protagonist of our show so well, no one would be able to tell it’s her first time at a club.
I love seeing her so unconcerned and happy.
It would have been unimaginable to see her drink and let loose like this when she first came back from that camp of horrors.
Knowing she’s healing and realizing she’s no longer in danger at all times is more intoxicating than any drink ever could be.
After several minutes, Malia leans toward my ear to yell over the music, "Do you want to get some air?" I nod and start leading her outside.
"It was so hot in there!" she exclaims after taking a deep breath of fresh air.
Her skin is glowing with a blush and a light sheen of sweat.
"You were jumping around amidst a mass of hot bodies, what else did you expect? This is a workout like any other," I tell her, to which she starts to giggle.
“Yeah right.
If this were the kind of workout my father put me through, he wouldn’t have been repaid with an arrow to the head.
Just the idea of him dancing.” She keeps laughing, completely unconcerned with her sordid choice of words.
"This is the point where I’d say you’ve had enough to drink.
You really are a lightweight.
Do want to go home?" It’s still early, but she has to work tomorrow. And I might have to as well.
"No.
I can decide when I’ve had enough to drink," she declares, making me bite back a smile.
"Of course, you can.
Although, you should know that while it might be fun now, it only gets worse from here on.
I’m talking vertigo and possible nausea now or even worse, a killer headache in the morning. This is just me trying to look out for you, not control you, but you can do as you please. I’ll do my best to be around and hold your hair if things go south,” I assure her.
She mulls my words over for a few seconds.
“Okay, I guess we should get going.
Getting up early is bad enough on its own. No need to add any additional discomforts to it.”