Chapter 15 - Lillian.
"Ok folks. It"s time for "Kissed Or Dissed". You have one minute," the DJ said over the loud speaker.
"What does that mean?" I asked Cain.
"Well, this club does this thing where when they give you the signal you have one minute to find someone to kiss. Whoever, when the minute is over, doesn"t have someone has to get up on stage and sing."
"That sounds so juvenile."
"It is, but it"s tradition," he joked. "Besides, don"t worry. You have someone to kiss."
I gasp slightly involuntarily.
"What?"
"Are you gonna sing? Cause I sure ain"t."
"Ten seconds," the DJ yelled. "Judges, get ready to be on the lookout."
"Ok. Ok. I"m not singing either. I just want you to know how stupid this is," I say even as he comes closer.
"Stupid or not, if we want to stay and get what we need, we gotta play along. Besides, lovely, we kiss drunk all the time anyway, right?"
I smiled at his willingness to play my game.
"Right, sweetie-"
He cut me off as the DJ yelled time with his lips on mine. I"m not sure of the rules of this game. If it was supposed to be a peck or if it was timed but Cain was not taking chances. Or maybe he was just enjoying himself.
His lips were warm and commanding and kissed me long and hard and good. More deeply than Mitch.e.l.l had and more skillfully than Michael ever had. His hands were on my waist, pulling me towards him, closer. Then one came up to snag the nape of my neck so he could have complete control.
Fireworks.
As cliche and girly and silly as it sounded, that"s how it felt. It was everything I hadn"t felt with Mitch.e.l.l that I had wanted to. I was on fire, burning from the inside out anxiously antic.i.p.ating his next move.
His lips gently parted mine and that was all it took to completely shatter any lingering resistance. My hands were somehow around his neck but I can"t remember putting them there. I didn"t remember pulling him closer either but there I was doing it. He had the most fascinating tongue that flicked instead of caressed against mine and I loved it.
For a second I felt cheap. I"d just kissed Mitch.e.l.l a week ago. I mean, it"s not like we"re committed or anything but still... It"s all so confusing. Feelings. I like Cain too. Jeez. I"m a feelings prost.i.tute!
Then, after what was only actually mere seconds he pulled back and looked down at me. His eyes were bright and locked onto mine and his breaths were uneven and slightly ragged.
"Well." He cleared his throat. "Wow, that was...uh..."
I wondered if he had felt what I felt.
"Yeah," I said licking my lips but regretted it when I saw his eyes follow then shoot back up to mine. "So is that it? Contest over?"
He smiled c.o.c.kily.
"Yeah. I"d say we held out long enough."
"Oh. Well, good." I saw them drag some poor drunk-out-of-her-mind girl up there on stage to be humiliated because her boyfriend was in the bathroom. "You want to get another drink. I don"t particularly want to see this."
"Yes. Let"s," he said and grabbed my hand to pull me behind him to the bar.
I was starting to question and doubt everything. I"d been some time with Mitch.e.l.l this week, just talking. He hadn"t tried anything and honestly, I hadn"t felt compelled to either. But. How could I have been so blind to Mitch.e.l.l"s feelings for me? How come I liked him but not as much as he did me? How come the age thing didn"t bother me? Is it because I didn"t actually think it would go anywhere? How come I"ve known Mitch.e.l.l for months and Cain only for a week but my feelings for him are so intense already? How could I have feelings for two people at the same time? How come Cain"s kisses were so electric?
"So, you"re still having fun then?" he asked me once we reached the bar.
He held up two fingers to the bartender to tell him, two more.
"Yes. A lot. I have to say, I love dancing. It"s a shame Michael and I never-" I stopped myself but it was too late. "Oh, I"m sorry. I didn"t mean to bring up- I"m sorry."
I felt so terrible, not only for bringing up my dead husband but also for thinking about him and Mitch.e.l.l as well. Cain wasn"t thinking about Sherry was he? Or maybe...? Is that why he kissed me like that?
He pulled me back to look at him with a finger under my chin.
"Hey. It"s ok. I can"t really be mad at you for thinking about your husband. Besides, you were going to say you wished you done this with him, right? There"s nothing wrong with that. Happy remembrance is ok. It"s sad pining that we are against tonight."
"Thanks." I had to ask. "So, you"re not thinking about Sherry, then?"
He looked at me thoughtfully for a few moments, c.o.c.king his head slightly. Then the bartender slid us our drinks and I followed him away from the bar once more. Once we were settled against the wall somewhere he returned to my question without my prompting.
"You think I kissed you, pretending you were Sherry," he said and once again stared at me with a thoughtful gaze.
I decided to be truthful.
"Yes."
"No." He took my gla.s.s from me, setting it somewhere behind him and then turned me to look at him full on, his hands still on my shoulders. "For one thing, your kissing stands on it"s own without any help from my fantasies. Believe me."
"Ok," I answered, not sure if I believed him yet, or where he was going with it.
"Second thing, you are a gorgeous creature. I was lucky to be the one kissing you in here tonight."
I wanted to roll my eyes at him but he was dead serious.
"Third." I realized, he had a penchant for numbered list. "I have to get over Sherry. I know that. What better way to do that, than be here with you and only you." He must have seen my brow crinkle because he held up his hand and continued. "I"m not saying we"re an item or anything, don"t run for the door, honey, ok. I"m just saying...you"re sweet and fun and beautiful. I want to get to know you more. That"s all."
I relaxed at his words.
"That sounds perfect," I said.
He smiled, then I smiled and I even welcomed the tentative hand on my waist he used to steady himself as he leaned back to get our drinks from the table.
Then we heard the PA system blare a sharp whistle and all went silent as the conversations halted. Cain whispered that the rally must be about to start.
I took a flyer from a cute young blonde teenage girl pa.s.sing them out. Cain didn"t even glance up at her, which gave me a boost of confidence. I read the flyer and it stated the same thing as the flyer above the stage basically. That we would be nowhere without our leadership and need to bow down to the new Taker. Course they don"t call him that. They call him savior.
Sickening.
It said his name was Malachi and he would be residing in the former mayors house not far from here. I showed it to Cain and he read it over my shoulder.
"Dang," he whispered. "That"s the same place the last once lived. Or headquartered anyway. That"s where we had to go to get Lily and Calvin."
I remembered the story and gasp.
"Why is he here, so close? What"s here that would make him stay here out of all places?"
"I"m afraid to ask. Sherry probably."
"Oh, no. I forgot about that. You think?"
"Don"t know any other reason. Maybe because they have such a big following here. It"s huge here compared to other areas."
"Hmm."
I thought about what he said. I looked around and watched the others. I could see a Lighter, no two Lighters in the back and it made my skin scrawl to think about them being so close. How hard was it for them to be here in a room full of humans and not want to kill us. Course, they probably did want to.
A man took the stage. He must be an enforcer or something. Never saw one before. I listened intently as did Cain.
"Welcome! Welcome! We are so pleased that you could come tonight. I know you are enjoying yourself and we"ll let you get back to it but first, we want to make sure you understand and know who to thank, not only for this party, but for your freedom as well. Malachi is not only a savior but he"s a leader. A leader who has suffered just like the rest of us but had now has the political power to end our suffering. The Keepers may hold our moon hostage, but they will not hold us!"
His crescendo was perfect for the full effect and let the crowd scream in acceptance. They gave people who had testimonies a chance to speak. And they did, by the piles. We stood there for almost forty five minutes just listening to their stories.
Finally the man was escorted away by the Lighters and the rally ended. They cranked the music back up and the dance floor filled quickly. I glanced at my watch, it was 12:45.
"We"re gonna have to leave soon," she stated and bit her lip.
"Yep. I was just thinking that. But you owe me a last dance, remember?"
"Yes, I do. And I"m happy to do it. I"ve had a lot of fun. So much more than I thought possible in the circ.u.mstances. I know I won"t get to do this again so... thanks, Cain."
"It was my pleasure, lovely," he said and kissed the backs of my fingers before taking me to the dance floor.
Keane was playing. I couldn"t remember the name of the song but pretty soon it didn"t matter. Cain had been waiting for a slow song to come on so he could play the "last song" card on me. I knew it. He knew I knew it. It still didn"t matter.
He once again wrapped my arms around his neck and placed his hands on my hips. He swayed me slowly, I let him lead me easily. The song was sweet and melodious. He was an incredible dancer and a great lead. He didn"t jostle me around, he pushed and pulled with the right amount of force to smoothly transition in the steps and sways.
"You really got the hang of this tonight," he said, his breath on my ear and neck as he talked over the music.
"Thanks. You"re a good lead."
"What?" he asked and I had to lean in more.
"I said you"re a good lead."
"Oh. Thanks. My mom made me take lessons when I was in middle school."
"Really? Awww. How cute," I said and smiled to goad him jokingly.
"Ah no. Not cute. Torturous. But I guess it paid off in the end. I got you to dance with me," he said and winked.
I felt myself blush and tried to breath it off.
"Yep. Definitely paid off. I think she"d be proud if she were here."
I meant it as a joke but my voice dropped to almost a whisper when I said it. He looked at me for a moment then spoke. I didn"t know where his family was or what happened to them.
"I doubt that. She wanted me to be a lawyer. Fight crime from the inside not with guns. She wasn"t exactly happy with me for joining the military."
"Really? Did you have a good relationship with her before that?"
"Yeah- well, no. But she uh..." he looked uncomfortable and cleared his throat. "she killed herself when my dad left her and I joined up. Then my dad kinda got a little... messed up after that. He died the next year."
I understood what he meant.
"It wasn"t your fault."
"I know, I guess. It just sucks not being there for her. She thought we abandoned her. I couldn"t leave Afghanistan and my dad... Well, I won"t poison those delicate ears of yours with foul language so let"s just call him an a.s.s, as in a donkey."
I laughed and he seemed like he was in a lighter mood and I was glad. I was sorry to bring up a sore subject.
"Well, thanks for the consideration."
"So, anyway. And now I work at a diner." He laughed. "My moms whole ambition was for me to be some rich lawyer and I serve coffee to truckers and townies."
"Well, a diner is kinda like a courtroom," I teased.
"Ha ha ha." He tickled my ribs, as I am so ticklish, and grabbed me up when I squirmed laughing into his shoulder. "You"re a funny girl."
"Well my mom wanted me to be a preacher so, you get no sympathy from me. She was very disappointed in my homemaker lifestyle."
"Wow. Well, you got me beat on that one. Why did she want that?"
"My dad was a preacher." He looked slightly shocked so I changed the subject. "So, how old are you anyway?"