AllFreeNovel
Share Us
March 2003
“Ooh, Ken. Will you buy me wine? They have wine here!”
“Hey, that lady had a program. I need a program!”
“Oh my God. Did you see those T-shirts?”
“Tank tops!”
“Coffee cups!”
My head was on a swivel as Ken guided me by the elbow through the gift shop of Cirque du Soleil’s Grand Chapiteau. Outside, the tent was the size of a city block, swirled with stripes of royal blue and canary yellow, but inside, it was a wonderland of colors and sounds and smells and merchandise, and we hadn’t even made it to our seats yet.
“You can get an entire bottle of wine for that price.”
“Those programs cost fifteen bucks.”
“No.”
“You will never wear that.”
“You don’t even drink coffee.”
By the time we made it to our seats, I had been reduced to a pouty toddler. I folded my arms across my chest and scowled as the house lights went down, and the stage lights came up. Hans would have bought me everything my little heart desired…until his credit card got declined, of course. But not Ken. Nooooo. He had to be all responsible and shit.
Nature sounds and animal noises and tribal drums and opera singing rose to a fever pitch as acrobats dressed like fantastical prehistoric reptiles slithered onto the stage and dispersed into the audience. A particularly predatory-looking bird woman pecked her way down our aisle, stopping to claw and squawk at me. A man with snowy white angel wings tumbled down from the rafters, two silken ribbons unfurling from around his almost-naked body as he spun.
And I pouted.
Contortionists twisted.
Jugglers juggled.
Tumblers flipped and cartwheeled and landed on top of one another.
And still, I pouted.
In fact, I pouted so long and so hard that I didn’t even notice Ken had left his seat until a plastic wine glass full of golden nectar appeared in my periphery. Turning to my left, I found a stoic, well-dressed man sitting next to me, his hooded eyes giving nothing away. In one hand, he held a glass of chardonnay, and in the other was a plastic bag containing something large, rectangular, and flat.
My face split into a shameless grin as I reached for my goodies with grabby hands. With the grace of an acrobat, Ken moved at the last second, holding the wine just out of my reach.
“What do you say?” he asked, a hint of amused condescension in his velvety voice.
I rolled my eyes but couldn’t fully retract my smile. “Thaaank yooou, Kennnnn,” I drawled, elongating every syllable.
Satisfied with my groveling, Ken handed over my wine and program. Our fingers touched as I accepted them, sending a jolt of electricity up my arm and through my body. Still images of his perfect naked form hovering over me flashed behind my eyes. It had been a week since our first night together. A week of school and work and studying and scheduling difficulties, but Ken had still managed to see me every single day. If he pulled the night shift, he’d come have lunch with me at work. If I had school, he’d meet me for dinner on my way home. And on the nights that we were both off, he’d invite me to come over, knowing good and goddamn well that I was not there for a fucking pillow fight.
If I didn’t know better, I’d almost think Ken was my boyfriend.
Except for the fact that he didn’t do the boyfriend thing.
Staring at his now-empty hand, I felt my mouth start to water. If hugs were uncomfortable, I knew hand-holding would be a hard pass. But I wanted that jolt again. I needed it. Just a little bump to get me through the night until I could strip off his tie and lash him to the bedpost with it later.
Downing my entire glass of chardonnay for courage, I eyed Ken’s right hand resting elegantly on his knee. I was going to grab the whole thing, lace my fingers through his, and stake my claim, but I chickened out at the last minute and hooked my index finger around his pinkie instead.
What the fuck are you doing?
I don’t know! Shut up!
