6. Grae #2
“I pulled it out of the hull of one of the Royal Navy boats,” the guard stammers. The scaly hand tugs on the necklace again and yanks it off. The camera zooms in as he flips the blue scale in his hands. Inside the Pirate King’s mind, the Demon stands and leans forward.
“What is it?” He growls.
“Dragon scale,” the Dragon’s voice says in a hushed whisper. The Dragon withdraws his control of the Pirate King’s body as he strokes the scale with his human fingers.
Memories and scenes from the past three seasons montage across the screen. The camera zooms in on his face and as his lips curl up. He pumps his hand in the air and dangles the scale necklace between his fingers.
“We will fight beside the Water Folk and the Rebels during the final battle,” he announces to the men. The Mer King gills flap open and shut.
“Why the change of heart?”
“Because Lady Elnona lives.”
The screen goes black, and Alana and I are on our feet cheering. For three years this character has lost hope, killed thousands of men and tortured himself, and now he’s got the first shred of evidence she’s alive. I fight back my tears. Alana is fanning herself with her hands.
“OH MY GOD!” I’m not sure which one of us yells. We’re still in our little fandom bliss when Alana yells, “Shit! The auction.”
She sits down as she grabs her phone and starts typing away. I grab my phone and while I want to scroll through the internet to watch reaction videos and see how the fandom is freaking out, I need to focus on the auction too. But Alana is still busy, her face is buried in her phone.
“What’s the bid at now?” I ask.
“One hundred thousand,” she says with a flat and annoyed tone.
“For a script?” Wow, way over my budget. Glad I backed out when I did.
She’s still typing away, scooting closer to the edge of her seat. She mumbles expletives whenever she loses a bid and curses louder when she’s a winner. Each bid adds ten seconds to the countdown. And whoever she’s battling isn’t giving up.
“You aren’t bidding, are you?” she asks but doesn’t take her attention away from her screen.
“Nope, this is too rich for my blood.”
Her lip curls at the corners and she makes one last bid at the literal last second.
Winner flashes across her screen. She tosses her phone to the side as she jumps and does a victory dance.
But she looks like a dying fish flopping on a pier.
I see dancing is one skill she did not improve on over our time apart.
But I love seeing the joy pouring out of her. Her competitive nature is another thing that hasn’t changed over the years. She sits down and laces her fingers together, resting them on the back of her head. She used to take the same stance when we played Uno.
“I guess you won.”
“Yeah, but I had to sacrifice my birthday gift to get Hadeon’s script for Penny.
It’s fine. I’ll force him to get me something else.
Did you get what you wanted?” She sits perfectly there, regal, happy and stunning.
The dress is not meant to be in a lean back position, and it exposed more of her cleavage.
The slit up the side of the leg reveals her thighs.
More. I want more.
“Almost,” I admit. Her gaze meets mine, and my stomach flips.
“What do you want?” She asks, with a coy smirk.
Her and all that it implies. I crave her time, her heart and her mind. But instead of confessing, I chicken out and say, “Your fan theories.”
We spend the next two hours talking about the past six seasons of The Knights of the Night.
She loosens her hair as she paces around the coffee table, giving basically a TED Talk on the funniest one liner in the series.
I order more food, and we have a heated debate about the wolf clan and the parallels between the brothel politics.
That’s around the time I noticed our knees were touching.
I don’t look down at them, terrified that if I make a comment she’ll pull away.
She yawns as the second round of room service arrives.
“Okay, but did you see how the cinematography is an exact contrast in season two episode five as it is season five episode two?” I ask as I open the door and bring in the extra pizza and water.
I think she was about to leave, but the warm cheese and tomato sauce was enough to keep her a little longer.
She reaches for a slice, and the strap of her evening gown falls to the side.
A juxtaposition between the elegant woman and the nerdy fan leaning over the coffee table as she takes a bite.
And here’s the thing: that’s always who she’s been.
A constant contrast between the expectation and reality. Fuck, I missed her.
I don’t expect a future with her or even her forgiveness. She’s given me her time, and her thoughts on her fandom. I shouldn’t ask for anything more. But it feels like there’s entire tomes that have gone unsaid.
I toss a pizza crust inside the box, and she grabs it to finish it off. And it seems like a perfect time to switch the topic. “Do you want to do bodily harm to me?” I ask.
“If I wanted to hurt you, I would have done it before you ordered the pizza.” Then, softer, “I don’t feel hatred or malice.
I like your fan theories too much.” The pizza crust vanishes between bites, “It’s been nice talking to you.
” That’s a very good sign. I stare at the wood grain on the coffee table.
“It’s been fun.” It’s been the most fun I’ve had in forever, and I don’t want it to end. What can I offer her to keep her here a little longer, something only I can give her? “Can I convince you to stay?"
She crosses her arms from the other side of the couch. Her gaze shifts from calculating to smoky. “What I really want is to get off.”
What? My whole body feels like I’ve walked into a brick oven. Is she calculating my response? “Hmm?” Very smooth, Grae.
She gazes off at the TV which is playing an ad for some other show.
“All my friends are in serious relationships, and every time I go to Joey’s sex club, I can’t even find anyone I’m interested in.
” Alana has always been comfortable with her sexuality.
Since high school, she’s led me down paths I never expected.
“It’s been a while since the cup guy, and I vaguely remember you being pretty good at getting me off. ”
Is this a test? A trap? “Is that all?” I ask.
“Well, you did offer.”
This is definitely a test, and I want to make things right with her. I owe her that much. And if she leaves now, I might never get the chance.