“I hate to bring this up, but youdidhave a girlfriend before,” Charlie said. “Did you completely forget?”
“Anya askedmeout, and she didn’t really give me a choice about it, either,” Marcus hushed back. “She just told me we were dating, and I went along with it.”
Clearly his type is dominant women,Oberi mumbled.
I leaned in and whispered to Marcus, “Hey, I had to ask Charlie tomarry me,and that was way harder. It’s just one little date!”
“You’re braver than I am,” Marcus whimpered. “What if she says no?”
“What are you guys talking about?” Kallie stood before us, clutching her books to her chest. She raised an eyebrow, appearing completely unimpressed with whatever meltdown Marcus was having.
Marcus took a deep breath. He held it so long I thought he was going to pass out. Then, like a withering balloon, he asked, “W— would… would you like to go on a d— date with me?”
Kallie’s mouth fell slightly open in a visage of surprise. She glanced at me, as if to make sure this wasn’t some kind of joke. I made a gesture for her to hurry up and say something.
“Uh… yes.” She gave a soft smile, which wasvery unusualfor Kallie, and yet somehow, it suited her. “I think that’d be nice.”
“Really?” Marcus squeaked, and his cheeks tinted pink.
“Sure. I think it’d be fun,” Kallie said. “What are we doing?”
Marcus paled, as if he didn’t think he’d get this far. I could see he needed some help, so I quickly subbed in.
“It’s a double date, with all of us, tonight,” I said. “And it’s a surprise.”
“I enjoy surprises,” Kallie said. “I’m very excited. Can’t wait to see what you have planned!”
Kallie walked out, swaying her hips as she did. I got a very contented feeling watching her leave like that. It was nice to see her… in love.
Meanwhile, Marcus sank down against the back of the chair, like he’d just received some kind of death sentence. “Great. Now I need to come up with something that’ll impress her. What the hell can a guy like me do to impress aprincess? She probably had lords and princes all around her, throwing diamonds at her beautiful feet."
“You can’t tell me you haven’t been thinking about it,” Charlie pressed.
Marcus got a thoughtful look. “Well… Ididconsider singing her a set of show tunes from my favorite musical, but I don’t have time to make the costume. Do you think that’s too much?”
I cringed. That was thoughtful, but a little over the top for a first date. “How about we start with dinner?”
“Dinner. Yes, that’s brilliant.” Marcus gave a resolute nod. “I already know her favorite meal. It can’t be that hard to make. I’ll get supplies from the Arts and Crafts room. I’ll make everything look perfect in the Arboretum, like a stage set. She’ll walk in and be starstruck.”
“You should make it simple,” Charlie suggested.
“No way. It has to beperfect,” Marcus emphasized. “This isn’t some last-minute production like your wedding.”
“Hey asshole—” I started.
“Do what you think is going to make her happy,” Charlie said. “I’m sure she’ll love whatever you come up with.”
Marcus let out a tiny peep, and Rishi meowed in his lap.
When we left music class, I saw the guards were no longer at the lake, which meant they’d either given up… or found what they were looking for. Either possibility was unsettling.
The rest of the day was pretty boring. I was somewhat uncomfortable, but I didn’t feel pain like I had before music class, though I didn’t have much medication left. By six o’clock, it was time for our double date.
Charlie helped me into a dress, but I was too tired to fix my hair. I didn’t often have the energy to doll myself up like I used to. It definitely was a huge blow to my self-confidence.
My husband must’ve read my thoughts, because he ducked down and kissed my cheek. “I know you look beautiful.”
I smiled. Charlie pushed me into the Arboretum, and we made sure to stick to the curved concrete paths within the greenhouse. Flat surfaces were easiest for me to maneuver, as uneven ground, like grass, gravel, or woodland, was a pain to navigate. It certainly upset me, because being in nature was very important to me, though I could no longer enjoy it unless I had Oberi or Charlie physically take me there.
