Lovers in October

NINE

M A R Y - K A T E

"Do you think they're planning something?" Mary-Kate stated before biting down on a piece of dark chocolate, silently chewing as she thought over her own question while Antonio did the same.

That Tuesday morning was a sunny one, unlike what they were used to, and it allowed for Mary-Kate to roll down the window of Antonio's car when they were riding together to enjoy the light breeze. Mornings like these, with them being in a car together was something that had become a regular, Charlie and Clayton disappearing more and more and leaving them alone. Not that Mary-Kate was going to complain about the time alone she was granted with Antonio.

This morning was no different, as Charlie justified her inability to walk with Mary-Kate to Broadshare with some excuse Mary-Kate wasn't sure if she should believe or not. Charlie had one of the best poker faces she had ever seen, making it impossible for most people to decipher what she was thinking. If she wanted her emotions and thoughts to stay a secret, then they would definitely stay a secret.

"Like what?" Antonio answered with confusion, placing his hand on the small of Mary-Kate's back to guide her around a group of insanely slow first-years that were playing a dangerous game with his nerves.

"A party maybe? Come on, isn't it suspicious? Our birthday's a week away and all of a sudden they start acting weird?"

Mary-Kate offered him some chocolate he declined with a wave of his hand, thinking over what she said carefully. She had been talking about it since the second he had picked her up from his apartment, and he found it adorable how fascinated she was with this mystery.

"Technically they've been acting weird a week ago." Antono replied, smiling at Mary-Kate's pursed lips. "But what kind of party takes two weeks to plan?"

Mary-Kate smiled with glee to herself as different scenarios manifested inside her head, her thoughts a mystery to Antono that he desperately wanted to solve. He would give all his pennies for just one thought of hers, no matter how insignificant that thought would turn out to be.

By the time they were done speculating of all the possibilities that were likely to happen in a week on the fourteenth of October, they had passed a thousand different students involved in a thousand different conversations, but their bubble protected them from paying attention to any other set of eyes or any other subjects of conversation apart from theirs.

And it made a platinum blonde behind them seethe with boiling anger and resentment.

"This is me." Mary-Kate pointed towards the studio she would spend the rest hour in, Antonio feeling his heart plummet a little bit. "See you later?"

His lips turned into a smile as he replied shortly, a twinkle in his eyes Mary-Kate had started to feel so deeply connected to. There was something in the way he looked at her that soothed her soul and set it on fire at the same time, Mary-Kate not knowing how the two could co-exist and work together so well, sending her spinning. But there she was, feeling warmth spread from her fingers where she touched his arm goodbye to the rest of her arm and up to her heart, trying to not look back to see if there were any signs he had felt it too.

Mary-Kate noticed how Antonio lingered outside the classroom for a few seconds before walking away, unable to tear her own eyes away from him, now that she knew he couldn't see it, like he was the only thing she found interesting enough to look at. But when he disappeared from her view she had no choice but to look away and towards her usual spot, saying a few hello's to any classmate that smiled at her or showed her any kindness she would happily give back.

Mary-Kate abandoned her bag on the floor and dropped down after it, preparing herself for the draining class that was about to take place in fifteen minutes. She adjusted her leg warmers, fixed her tights, put on her pointe shoes and threw her sneakers in her bag as she let the chatter around the studio go through one ear and out the other. She never really cared to listen to the daily gossip unless it was something so scandalous she had no choice but to pay attention. She was human after all, a human with a big deal of curiosity in her.