Lucian's Kryptonite

II-XVII

The tranquil wind blowing in my ears kept me calm. The silence wasn't awkward, though I couldn't see why. We'd usually be fighting about now.

Who knew that he'd actually keep his word? Our destination plagued my mind. Where would he take me? Did I have a say so in this? Was he just doing this on a whim? Did he actually mean it? Or did he just want to trick me into thinking he's a good guy just to demand more blood.?

"You're unusually quiet today," Lucian commented.

I replied with a meek hum. He didn't press any further and only cut the volume of the radio up a notch. The silence was no longer, as familiar melodies invaded our tongues, telling us to sing and to forget about anything negative.

"Now do you feel better?" Lucian asked me at a red light.

I was until he dreadfully asked me that question. Now it was on my mind again, replaying that anthem of hesitancy. Am I soft? Am I weak? Would I survive? Am I too much of a dreamer?

I didn't answer and he left well alone again. I watched the traffic in a haze. Flashes of light here and there and the crude sound of honks invaded my mind, and for a second-- only for a second-- I thought I saw my father and his fading smile.

Sometimes, I wondered where could be now. Where would Mom be? Am I making them proud or am I just dilly-dallying into an inconspicuous life? Pft, maybe I am soft..

The sudden stop of the car brought me focus. We arrived at the theater and i could feel my heart swell with anticipation. I hadn't been to a theater in a while. I used to love them; I could feel the nostalgia slowly washing over me.

Lucian took care of the tickets and i followed him to the concession stand. He bought us popcorn and soda.

I could barely remember what Lucian was saying or what was happening in the movie. More than halfway throughout the movie --maybe even right before the end-- Lucian finally addressed my behavior.

"Did I bore you with this? I thought you'd like something girly and emotional dancing across the screen," he joked.

"I'm not bored at all." Well, I didn't lie. I wasn't bored.. just too distracted by my thoughts to focus on a trivial thing such as a cringey movie. I managed to give him the best curt smile I could feign.

He stroked the tips of my hair. "You shouldn't worry. Everything will be okay eventually."

I snapped, "And how would you know?" The sniffles became increasingly prevalent. Soon, we were in his car again and I was inevitably scooting closer to a breakdown.

"Tell me," I demanded with a sniff, "Do you think I'm soft?"

Lucian didn't answer; instead he just looked at me blankly for a second then turned his head. I was at my limit and that was the final straw. The tears leaked for i don't know how long and it never once bothered me that I was having a breakdown in front of him, and I was even less worried about myself & my image or what he thought.

He pulled into a parking lot and waited until I regained my composure. He escorted me to the bench and brought us ice cream. His voice disrupted the slurps of ice cream.

"Do you think you're soft?" He asked.

"I don't know," I answered honestly, searching his eyes for the truth.

"Well, you tell me. Do you think a girl who willingly chooses to be with the devil is soft? A girl who isn't afraid to speak her mind or stand up for others? That's nowhere near soft to me, but then again, I may be wrong," he teased with a wink. He gently dried my tears with a napkin.

"I've seen you get feisty," he continued, "There's absolutely no way that you're soft," he reassured me with a confident smile and there was just no way I could believe it was a lie because there were no indications of deceit.

This was the only time I genuinely looked at Lucian.

Those eyes, the way this was the first time his smile ever reached his eyes, his tone, the expression on his face, the light scar around his chin-- all of it-- I engraved this very moment in my mind and returned a bright smile.

"Quick! Say the first thing that comes to your mind. What would cheer you up?" He inquired.

"Arcade," I blurted.

A 25 minute drive never felt shorter. There was nothing awkward about the ride this time. We conversed way better than ever, jumping from subject to subject and I didn't notice how fast my heart was beating. It felt so amazing to finally connect. But if I knew Lucian, and I think I did pretty well, I knew this wouldn't last long. So I intended to enjoy it to its end.

Lucian didn't ask me for a thing. Not only did he accompany me, but he played games with me too. He never complained, not even once, and the smile never faded or left his face. I wanted to reach out and touch that smile, trace it with my hand so I wouldn't think this was a dream tomorrow.

You've never smiled like that at me before..

I wish you'd do it more..

Lucian's POV

You've never given me a smile like that before, I thought to myself. Was it crazy that in this moment I just wanted to break that smile-- turn it into something else.? I wonder if she'd still keep that same smile if she knew about all the horrible things I've done in my life?

I caught myself having a notion of sickness for this feeling. This feeling of caring.. I hadn't felt that in eons. Before I could reprimand myself, my feet motioned me to her, as her sweet laugh filled the arcade. Her soft, glowy skin beckoned me and I couldn't stop myself from planting her a kiss.