It was the least I could do.
‘We?’
Oh, scrubs. Her boyfriend Victor must’ve taken a break from managing the Westbrook Cineplex to keep her company.
If I left them alone for too long, I was going to have to sanitize the seat.
I hurried through security, re-entered the mall, then high-tailed it to the movie theater parking lot, where the moon cast a silver glow on my sister's glossy black car. Steam curled out the tailpipe like a beckoning finger.
She must've tinted her windows recently, because they reflected my bundled-up face. The locks clicked upon my approach.
I opened the passenger’s side, which was thankfully empty. But so was the driver’s seat.
“Hello?” I called tentatively.
A dark, rumbling voice replied, “Greetings, Tori.”
My skin broke out in goosebumps. Victor was always polite, but I got the feeling he knew how to get rid of a body.
I tried to stop my teeth from chattering. “Are you two done, um, warming things up?”
Kat giggled. “We’re only snuggling. Very PG.”
I briefly checked to make sure her version of ‘snuggling’ meant they met all criteria for public decency. Not that she’d purposely do anything in front of me. But I still remembered what I'd interrupted in the movie theater lobby when they first started flirting. She'd been dragging him closer by the key card on his belt, and his ravenous grin was dangerously close to her lips. I couldn’t imagine being so brazen nor so passionate in public. Especially in his workplace.
At that point, she hadn’t even known his name. Now, I was pretty sure they'd crawled inside each other's skin to learn everything. It was kind of romantic. Although, maybe it was good to keep some element of mystery.
I couldn't help but wonder if one day someone would inspire that kind of eager curiosity in me.
Kat draped herself over Victor’s lap while he absently stroked her legs through the decorative tears in her opaque tights. Her plaid skirt was in order. Belted, even. Maybe they really hadn't gotten up to anything in here while waiting for me.
“So, you two were just getting cozy,” I clarified.
He hugged her possessively. “I always escort her to the car and ensure she gets home safely, even if she’s not leaving with me.”
Guilt lodged in my throat. Was I stealing time from them?
Kat tugged her boyfriend closer by the silver chain hanging around his neck. “Jinx and I will be at home waiting for you,” she told him, then kissed his angular cheek.
He gazed at her with a sentimental softness, as if he was telepathing how much he loved her just by blinking slowly like her adoring cat.
“Tori, look away,” she teased, then leaned in to kiss him.
I rolled my eyes and faced the front. It wasn’t like I was a prude for not wanting to walk in on them exploring each other’s anatomy.
After a lingering smooch, Kat clambered toward the driver’s seat, most likely to avoid facing the bitter cold outside.
Victor hurried to help her so she didn't knock her knee or trip over the console. It would've been sweet if not for the reverent way he eyed her backside and the cheeky look she shot him over her shoulder.
I didn't realize it was so easy to third-wheel from the passenger's seat.
The science behind love, stress, and physical reactions was all kinds of miraculous. Not that I’d experienced anything quite like that.
I pulled my sleeves over my palms and sighed.
