I asked Troy to drop me off at Cornelia's Café and wait for me until I finish talking with Mickey about what I had forgotten. Did I promise her something? Did I owe her something? I began to backtracked the previous days, but nothing came up.
When I arrived at the café, I peeked inside to check if Amielle was already there, but she wasn't. So I proceeded to look for Mickey, and I was surprised to find her at one of the posts near the shop.
"Mickey, what are you doing here?" I asked as I approached her. "Why aren't you in the café? Order yourself some hot chocolate while waiting for me."
"No appetite," Mickey answered coldly.
Noticing that she's quite the moody lady today, I raised her chin and made eye contact. "Hey, is there any problem? Do we have a problem?"
She shook her head once again, making me pull my hand back, and then gave a deep sigh. It was admirable how she could still look stunning while bothered; her foxlike eyes were really godsent, her small lips such a pleasure to stare at, whatever her expression was. Truth was . . . I wanted to kiss her during that moment, only the bystanders seemed to know the uniform we were wearing. Though I was okay on being found out, I wasn't so sure with Mickey. She had a lot ahead of her, while I . . . I only had a hundred and fifty-one days left.
"Yeah, I guess you just don't know or don't care about dates," she answered in a defeating tone. When my brows crossed, she further explained, "It's not your fault. It was me who liked remembering dates and getting attached to them."
"Dates?" I looked at my phone to check the calendar. "What's today?"
"It has been a month since we've seen each other."
I was about to ask what she meant, but I paused upon realizing that her statement earlier was connected to what she said just now. Ugh, how naïve could I get? How could I not recognize Mickey's sentimentality by these statements alone? Clearly, she wanted us to celebrate today. But it was a Monday, and other than Cornelia's, I wasn't sure what local coffee shops and restaurants were open.
"I'm sorry," I said, almost a whisper, embarrassed of not being able to pick up her grievance. "You're right, though. Dates aren't that special to me, except birthdays, maybe."
"It's okay, my Majesty. Not your fault."
"Hey, I told you to drop the pronoun thing."
"Don't you think you have to make it up to me?" She smiled.
"Fine," I replied, rolling my eyes at the same time smiling. "What do we—"
I was forced to stop what I was about to say, just dumbstruck when she held my hand, leaned forward, and stole a kiss. My immediate reaction was to hit her arm and look around because I was afraid that somebody would catch us in our uniforms and use this to blackmail either of us—especially her—but the way she laughed assured me everything was fine. Her soft chuckle eased and calmed my nerves.
"Mickey!"
"Your face! So funny!" She kept saying in between her laughs, making fun of my reaction. "My Majesty, your knight will never forsake you."
"But she will steal a kiss from me?"
She nodded and whispered, "Might want to again." Returning to her normal voice, she added, "That's one off the list."
"A stolen one? I didn't see that."
"A stolen one wearing our uniforms outside of school," Mickey corrected, pointing her forefinger to my face. "And why would I include that? Thief don't tell when they steal."
"Fine. How'd you want to celebrate?"
"Even a short time with you here at the café is fine. Wanna do the assignment with me?"
About to say yes, I saw our car parked nearby, which made me suggest, "Want to do it at my place?"
"I'm uncomfortable with Suzie guarding us, to be honest. But I'm good with that too. Your bed is cozy."
"Nope, I have another plan."
"Which is?"
"A secret." I winked before I pulled her toward our car where Troy was waiting. He drove us toward my place, and when we were near our gate, I asked, "Troy, I can drive from here."
Troy looked at me from the front mirror, unsure if he heard me right. "Ms. Maddie?"
"I can drive from here," I repeated. "Don't worry, whatever happens to this car will be my fault."
"Are you sure, Ms. Maddie?"
"A hundred percent."
"A-are you sure? Do you know how to drive?" Mickey asked in a whisper.
"I have a license, don't worry."
Troy stopped the car so we could both go down from our seats. He waited until I was buckled on the driver's seat and Mickey on the passenger's before knocking on the window. "You okay there, Ms. Maddie?" he asked as I rolled it down.
"Yup. Last time was three months ago. Still seems fresh."
"Just call me if anything happens. And tell Suzie where you're going."
"Got it."
I rolled the window up and breathed in. When I looked at Mickey, she was holding to her seatbelt as if she was holding on to her dear life. Not knowing whether to laugh at her or be insulted, I said, "My kiss thief doesn't trust my driving skills?"
"I didn't even know you drive."
"Sometimes."
"M-M-Majesty! Are we sure about this?"
"Don't worry, we're not going anywhere far. There's a hill with a good view nearby."
"I can work on that."
My driving skills were not as good as a pro like Troy, but satisfactory. At least, Mickey loosened her grip on her seatbelt midway. The roads to the unnamed landform near our territory were wide and empty, with some of them uphill, so it wasn't very difficult to maneuver the car. Besides, there were streetlights installed.
When we arrived, the sun had already set, and stars started to glimmer in the sky. We leaned against the hood of the car, just taking the panorama of the seemingly rural setting. Mickey and I was enamored by the landscape and the surrounding silence, magnetizing us to kiss—this time, a bit longer.
"How did you find out about this place?"
A small smile appeared on my lips. "When my father was still alive, we had a picnic here once. And we often pass through this area because this is a shortcut to the next city."
"How come it isn't crowded?"
"You need to trespass properties to get access."
"Tsk. Some roads are only accessible for the super-rich."
"I remember Mom was so mad about closing these roads, but what could she do? Greedy men are greedy. While it greatly lessened the traffic here in our area, it worsened in others."
"But doesn't she have power?"
"I thought so too. But I don't know. Adult fights are weird. My parents had a fight about this since Dad didn't want her to intervene on political matters anymore after she quitted politics. But I was a kid then. Maybe I'm making this memory up."
"Do you want to open up about your family?" Her question was so out-of-the-blue, I didn't know what to say. She looked at me then at the sky before smiling with a subtle sigh. "My parents have a lovely relationship with each other. They make marriage meaningful, but sometimes I do wish I were born in a different family."
"Mind if I ask why?"
"Could I keep this secret for a while?" she then said. "I will let you know when I'm ready."
I was extremely curious, but at the same time, I didn't want to ruin the moment and the bond we were having. It occurred to me that she didn't know what kind of family I had either, so what right did I have to force her to tell me her family secrets?
"We can include this in our competigreement," I replied. "We'll share our family dramas once we're both ready, but of course, it has to be before the seventh of December." Of course, I am only allowed to live by then.
"I'm all ears."
If someone told me years ago that having this kind of connection I had with Mickey was possible, I wouldn't believe it. To me, everything was superficial, and life on Earth was a waste. But look at me now, being so tender and novelettish about this moment—the hill, the silence, the night sky. Us. Her.
We leaned for a deep kiss, one ready to bare our secretive souls. When we separated, as if our minds were connected, we hurriedly went inside the back of the car and continued. She untied my necktie and unbuttoned my blouse so she could kiss my neck more comfortably, her hands now inside, gently kneading my breasts. I could only kiss her with all the burning passion I had, with my hands encircled around her neck, allowing her to take all of me.
"You're so beautiful, my Majesty," she moaned under her breath as her fingers went down to touch my sweet spot, her foxlike eyes focused on my now begging gaze. "May I?"
"Please. Please. Don't let me beg."
"I actually want you to."
"Sadist."
"Lover, you mean."
I loved the way she just stared into my eyes as her fingers moved up and down until I could no longer take it. My thighs coiled around her waist, pressing her body against mine. She, on the other hand, covered my mouth as I almost shouted her name, which would possibly echo throughout the area.
Maybe it was our kink to do it in places where we could be found . . . and I loved it when no one did.