What Happens in the Dark

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Present

I moaned as the taste of crispy shrimp, sticky rice, seaweed, and roe exploded on my tastebuds. I was eating a classic Tempura roll, and the cucumber and avocado blended perfectly with the seasoned rice and shrimp. I couldn't keep the noise in any more than I could prevent closing my eyes. It simply couldn't be helped.

I was somewhat of an oddity, because I wasn't much of a fan of cooked fish, and I usually despised shrimp any way I tried it, but something about sushi just agreed with my tastebuds.

I could never quite get the hang of utilizing chopsticks properly, so I was resorted to a fork for a utensil. I opened my eyes and dipped another slice of the Tempura in eel sauce, bringing it to my lips. I was chewing the delectable piece when my eyes met Draven's. He was holding his own slice of sushi poised between two slim sticks in an eloquent grip, watching me with a mixture of amusement and stark hunger.

"What?" I asked around a mouthful, rather rudely, I'd usually think, but was so enthralled with the food that I simply didn't have time to execute any proper grace. Oh, who cares, I thought. He has seen me in far more compromising positions. I strongly doubted he gave a fuck, and his growing amusement only represented that.

"I almost feel jealous," he said, his hazel eyes alight under the yellow light of the restaurant. "You're so into the food. You seem as if you're making love to it."

"You think anyone has ever actually made love to sushi?" I inquired with an honest thought. It appeared rather possible with the right angle and precision, I'd say, as grotesque as the notion sounded.

Draven's amusement only grew. Despite my abrupt change in conversation, he indulged my morbid curiosity. "Oh I'm sure. There are a lot of weird people in this world, Darling. I bet there is someone this very second getting fucked, or fucking, an animal."

"You mean like a horse?"

"Precisely."

"Gross," I fake gagged. "You know they have monstrous cocks. That can't be sustainable for any human for any prolonged length of time. Oh, God, just thinking about it makes me cringe." My legs clenched in protest and I grimaced with faux pain, as if I could feel the horse cock inside me.

"It's killed people, you know."

"I bet. It would tear up your insides and mash it into stew!"

We laughed at the visual brought on by those words, and I can't say whether or not the fact that we found humor in it was more fucked up than Draven making crude motions with his fingers to simulate the tearing up of said insides, accompanied with some unrefined facial expressions. Unsurprisingly, that only made us laugh harder.

I was clutching my side from laughing so hard, and tears were seeping out of the corners of my eyes in a steady river. We had drawn the attention of the few other people that were in opposing tables around the quaint space, but the majority appeared to be amused rather than annoyed to have their dinner disrupted, even if they hadn't a clue as to why we were cackling like feral witches.

"I'm going to choke if we don't stop." I heaved in an attempt to calm myself down.

Draven was in no better state than I, and as we came down, both of us let out little laughs in between deep breaths.

"I'd say we made quite the scene, Darling." He said once we had ourselves in order.

"And I could not care less."

"That means you're having a good time, then?"

"I'm having a great time. You?"

"Of course I am. It feels good to be out together, doesn't it?"

"Yeah, it does. I never thought we'd be here."

"I can't lie; I didn't think it at first, either, but as we went on, I found myself wondering what it would be like to take you out, show affection in public, let any boy who thought he had a chance with you see that you're mine and belong to nobody but me." He leaned in to the table more closely to whisper so only I could hear, "I want to see the imprint of my fingerprints on your neck, the bruises from my teeth. I want everyone to know they came from me."

"Oh, I want that, too," I breathed, the air between us becoming charged once more. The very implication of it had me soaked and ready for domination.

Our eyes were locked intently when the waitress that served us our rolls came to check on us. "Everything okay here?" She asked with a thick accent that I always thought was lovely. She smiled politely, no doubt being one of the throngs that witnessed our little debacle a minute ago.

"Yes, we're fine. Thank you." Draven said and smiled at the petite woman.

Pitch black hair, and cat like eyes were complimented by a narrow hipped frame that I knew men found alluring. To me, Asian cultures were the epitome of grace. It wasn't even because they appeared delicate with cores of impenetrable steel, but because they appeared so composed, so in touch with themselves and the world around them. I knew the skill required much discipline and dedication.

I couldn't help but admire them. Asia was most definitely on the top of my list of continents to explore.

I wasn't even jealous of the woman as she blushed from Draven's smile. I wouldn't blame Draven for being captivated by her. Hell, I was just as enthralled with her ageless beauty.

She left with a polite nod in both of our directions, and scurried away to cater to the few other people occupying her station.

When I turned back to Draven, however, his focus wasn't on the graceful woman, but rather on me. The warmth that I had come to endure from him was spilling out of those hazel eyes of his, more green under the lights of the place, and positively captivating.

"Thank you for this." I said after a time. "This date is making me feel much better."

"That's all I wanted, Darling. It's been a hard day, for the both of us."

"Understatement of the year." I murmured and toasted my glass of water at him.

He returned the gesture with his own glass, tipping his head in my direction. "Cheers to that."

We ate comfortably for a time until I was beyond full. We enclosed our leftovers in a couple of takeout boxes. Draven paid, then we left.

"We should go there again." I said idly as we walked along the street.

We decided that some fresh air was in order. It was breezy tonight, and the wind flowed through my hair, making it trickle behind in the air. The lights from the array of shops casted an illuminating glow toward the sky. The stars weren't visible from the city, but I imagined them there nonetheless.

"We will before the summer's over."

I had the faintest urge to ask what his plans were after this summer, and what it meant for us, but I was enjoying this time with him and didn't want to ruin it with questions of that nature. Later, I decided quickly and the moment passed.

The rest of our date passed by in amicable chatter and endless joking. The conversation wasn't as vulgar as before at the restaurant, but it was a close thing. We were both weird in our own ways and had the most oddest of thoughts at times.

It was reassuring, in a way. To me that meant that we'd never tire of things to talk about.

I supposed that was important in a longstanding relationship.