September 18th, 1993.
"God, the part when the prison starts, like, completely coming unglued? And the guy's like, 'I sawr it all go down in Grenada'... Totally classic!"
Eve snorted with laughter and linked arms with Tate as he did a terrible impression of Robert Downey Jr.'s accent in the film they'd just seen.
"We should've seen this like two weeks ago when it first came out," she said with a smile. "It was a bad ass movie."
Thus far, their first official date had consisted of the standard dinner and a movie. It was as low pressure as two people could truly expect in making the leap from friendship to something more, and Eve had to say it had gone quite well.
In fact, in the time since The Fight led to The Kiss, both hallmark milestones in their story, everything had been going better than she could have imagined.
Sure, they'd both gotten a little more hazing at school, but their getting together in a romantic sense wasn't really anything that came as a shock to anyone else.
As far as the general public was concerned, it was two freaky nobodies pairing off to avoid extinction.
As far as Eve was concerned, it was the happiest she could remember being in a long time; there was just something about Tate that made her feel safe. She supposed it always had, looking back to the first time they'd spoken.
If she could have, if she had known where things were headed, she would have either run while she had the opportunity or hung on more tightly to the time when things were so good.
Hindsight, as they often said, was 20/20.
---
Tate couldn't remember feeling so complete in all his life.
It was an addictive sensation - the feeling of being appreciated, needed even.
It was as though Eve was the first person to ever see that all the tiny things he did truly mattered, that they were worthy of note. He made her feel safe, that much he could tell.
Even if that had been shaped on rocky beginnings, a little half truth here and there, Tate could rationalize to himself that he'd only helped her to see what she needed to see but for whatever reason could not.
There was no harm in that, right? However it had started, she was happy now, and they were together.
And she was happy now, that much he was sure of. There was a broad smile on her full lips, her hand warm in his as they exited the movie theater with her laughter playing in his ears.
"So, what do you wanna do, next? I can take you home or we could check out the arcade or-" he was cut off by Eve suddenly turning to wave in the opposite direction.
He followed her gaze to a group of kids - the misfit art freaks congregating just outside the exit of the theater, smoking in the parking garage.
One kid was waving excitedly and broke apart from the group to jog over to them.
Tate felt his stomach drop, an immediate sense of undue rage coursing through his veins as the boy approached. Eve was still smiling, but he could have sworn the expression only grew more enthusiastic.
"How's it goin', Eve?" the guy asked, smiling just a little too broadly himself. Tate's hold on her hand tightened.
"Good, good. Just saw Natural Born Killers, such a good flick," she gushed happily. "What about you?"
Tate could no longer hear the words pouring from between the kid's lips, sound funneling into a constant drone as his vision turned red.
Why was this guy grinning at her, like that? Was she returning those stupid fucking puppy dog eyes this guy was giving her? Did she wish it was his hand she was holding instead of Tate's?
The questions that filled his mind rolled in like a storm cloud, running through again and again until he couldn't think straight.
He was pulled out of the spiral only when Eve's hand squeezed his just a little harder.
"Sorry, I'm so rude," she apologized with a self depricating roll of her blue eyes. "Josh, this is Tate. Tate, this is Josh. We have Mr. Dawes for chemistry together."
Tate tried to compose his expression into something friendly for Eve's benefit, but he couldn't change the hardness in his dark eyes that bore into those of the boy who had invaded their evening.
"Nice to meet you, Josh," he said quietly. Any longer of a sentence and he wasn't sure what might come out of his mouth.
"Um, yeah, man. You, too," Josh said with a nervous smile. Good. Nervousness meant he wasn't completely stupid.
"I'm gonna go," the kid said, jerking a thumb at his group of friends and shoving his hands into his pockets. "I think we're gonna check out The Last Action Hero, that Schwarzenegger movie?"
"Oh, cool. See you in class," Eve said and smiled politely, obviously unaware of the daggers Tate's eyes were throwing.
Josh jogged back to rejoin their group which quickly moved inside the theater after a few quick glances back to where Eve and Tate stood.
"He's a really nice guy," she summarized her friend for him, though he was as anything but convinced.
"I think he likes you," Tate answered sullenly. This, for whatever reason, made Eve laugh.
"What? Yeah right. He's totally moony over Victoria Smith. You know, that chick with the purple hair?" she mimed the girl's long flowing locks with a smirk.
"I mean it," he pushed a little more, disappointed at the loss of contact when her hand slipped from his.
"Oh, c'mon, Tate. I'm not exactly every guy's dream girl. Not everybody in the world is dying to get their hands on me," she dismissed his concern with another soft laugh. "He's just a friend."
For now, he mentally completed the sentence for her.
She shook her head at him leaned against the wall of the parking garage and fumbled in her purse, likely for her cigarettes.
Despite her calm about the situation, there was an urgency in Tate, something that said he had to act at that very moment. If he didn't, he was leaving it all too open ended, too up for intpretation.
He had to make sure she stayed where she was supposed to be and remembered where that was - with him.
He boldly leaned forward and captured her lips with his, finding her stiff and surprised only momentarily before kissing him back with a smile. She allowed him to inch forward slightly until she was flush with the wall, pinned gently in place by his kiss.
"You are every guy's dream girl. My dream girl, at least," he whispered, nuzzling his nose against her jawline.
"You're cute when you're jealous," she spoke in return.
Her lips were curved upwards in a smile, her eyes having fallen shut in the moment. He placed his hands on either side of her face, tilting up slightly so that their gazes lined up.
He knew what he had to say to impart the seriousness he felt, even if the words themselves terrified him from the inside out
"I love you, Eve."
She blinked at him for a few tense, heartrending moments in which he thought the sheer anticipation might cause spontaneous combustion before leaning up to kiss him softly, just once.
"I love you too, Tate."
And that was all it took, for the moment. Those words were enough to pacify the fear of her departing from the course, of losing her.
He knew those feelings of security wouldn't last - they never lasted long enough - but for the moment, he felt safe.
×××
Once again, Tate goes about things in entirely the wrong way. Sigh. The poor dear just can't win with himself.
Let me know what you think so far, please? I'm really enjoying writing this, but it would be so rewarding to hear what you guys have to say!