24. Love Love Kiss Kiss Death #2
Alex frowned but I just pulled him along as well, tagging behind Chelsea as she swiftly weaved in and out through the large crowds of people. She was searching.
“Your friend?” I asked and she nodded.
“Yeah, I can’t wait to see her expression when she sees you. She doesn’t know you’re here. It’s a surprise.” Chelsea laughed and her eyes brightened. “There,” she pointed. “She’s over there.”
I observed the crowd, trying to follow her gaze and direction. We moved closer to the snack bar.
“Delane! Hey!”
My eyes triggered forward.
That name.
And when I focused, I saw her.
How could I not have seen that bright red before?
She turned, taking a large tub of popcorn from the counter, smiling. “Yeah?”
The world seemed to spin in a different direction. It had been so long since I had seen that smile. Her eyes lit up when they laid upon Chelsea and I couldn’t help but return that same energy. What were the odds? She giggled and made a move towards us. I grinned.
She barely took a step in our direction before freezing, her green eyes locking onto me with a stunned fear.
The smile immediately vanished from her face.
She didn’t move or speak, just stood there, paralyzed.
She looked very much like a deer caught in the headlights of an oncoming car.
The way she looked at me terrified me. Was this… my fault?
“I want you to meet Noah Hansen!” Chelsea exclaimed proudly, thrusting me forward.
I didn’t move. Delane stared at me disbelievingly, like she couldn’t trust her eyes.
For a moment, I wondered if she believed I was real.
The way her face went pale, like all of the blood had drained out—it was the kind of look that people have when they see something that shouldn’t exist. A ghost. Why did I feel like she was afraid of me?
I swallowed nervously. “Hey there.”
The popcorn she held slipped from her hands and scattered across the thick carpet of the theater. The sound of Chelsea gasping seemed to bring Delane back to reality and I watched her scramble about, attempting to pick up every kernel from the ground.
“Miss?” The guy behind the counter leaned over. “We can replace the popcorn for you. You don’t have to clean it up.”
Delane shook her head, unwilling to rise from her current position.
I shoved Alex away, realizing to my horror that I had been holding his hand through the whole encounter, and squatted down besides Delane to help her clean up.
“How are you?” I whispered, thinking that was the first question I should ask.
“I spilled the popcorn,” she muttered.
I chuckled. “It’s okay. It’s only popcorn. And you didn’t answer my question.”
She stopped what she was doing and shook her head. Her eyes flashed to me, her mouth slightly ajar. What was she thinking?
“What...are you doing here?” she questioned, her voice quiet and shaky. She blinked at me rapidly, as if doing so might correct her sight and cause me to disappear.
“Chelsea invited me.” I shrugged. “Small world, I guess.”
She was silent but then smiled as she rose. I stood too, hating the way her smile didn’t seem normal; it was more of a fake gesture, a mask that she had on display to hide what she was truly feeling.
She extended her hand. “Well, Noah. Nice to meet you. Thanks for the help.”
I stared at her. What the fuck was this?
Was she just going to avoid me because we were in the presence of others?
I didn’t understand her attitude, but for the sake of her lie I shook her hand.
I didn’t want her to look like a fool. I knew that we hadn’t necessarily parted on good terms, but was the situation so bad that it called for her to pretend as though I were a complete stranger?
“Yeah,” I whispered, shaking her hand for show, unable to resist the thoughts of how soft and delicate it was.
My mind took me back to when I first found her. Had I not helped her in some way? If so, then why was she deciding to act as though we had never met?
She pulled her hand away as if I was on fire. “Chelsea, I’m leaving,” she said with a nod.
“Why?” Me and Chelsea said at the same time. Now she was disgusted with me? What had I done?
I just want to know her better.
Alex looked at me with that quizzical Alex stare, his eyes squinting and his mouth curving into an evil little grin that meant he was highly interested in the event taking place before him. Thankfully, he did not try to raise any conversation about the matter.
“I-I’m tired,” she mumbled.
She was lying.
Was she that desperate to be out of my company?
Chelsea swayed her hips, not buying the facade at all. “Fuck that.” She reached over to the counter, grabbing the fresh popcorn that the manager had set out for them and then took Delane by the wrist despite her protesting. “We are going to watch this damn movie, and we’re going to like it!”
Alex grinned and nudged me in the arm. “This is going to be interesting, no?”
My feet were glued to the ground. I had no idea what to say, what to think, or what to do. I hated this feeling. I always had a plan.
“Sure, Alex,” I murmured, taking a step in the direction of the girls. They were already ahead of us, on their way to the theater.
An interesting night indeed.