Ask the Sinners

Double date

  "Dude, no. Absolutely not. Go change. You look atrocious. Go."

  Those very lovely words came from none other than Nemesis herself. She was staring at me from her mirror, her eyes widened in mock gremlinness . She gestured at me. "Go. Go change."

  Biting back any retort, I glared at her, but I went to go change. I was done in a few minutes, and we left.

Nyoze and Iari were in the car waiting for us. Nemesis exchanged a kiss with her boyfriend, while Iari just stared at me. She reached over to push my forehead.

"Alright, no one told me what we're doing, so I don't have a clue. If one of y'all is feeling generous, that'd be nice." She smiled at me.

I felt my heart rupture. Iari was perfect in every way possible. She was kind, excepting, sweet, everything you would want in a person.

Nemesis took her seat in front of the wheel. "We're seeing a movie. It's a surprise for you. I've actually seen it before, so I know it's good."

Nyoze ruffled her hair playfully. "Okay, demon-spawn. We'll see your favorite movie." His words were kind, not harsh. He truly did love her. Love couldn't even describe what they had. It was something other couples lacked.

The only other time I had seen this was with Riliane and Allen's parents. They had radiated love and kindness. It was something I wished to have one day. No one had truly granted me that. Not even Iari. Maybe in time......

-/\-

By the time we made it to the theater, we had maybe five minutes until the movie began. Traffic had been a pain, so we ended up being late.We made it to our seats with two minutes to spare.

  I sat at the very end, with Iari to my left. Nemesis was to her left, and then Nyoze was next to her. As soon as the lights dimmed, I knew those two were up to some funny business. Either it was that, or they were playing a trick on us.

  Iari shot me a look that said, "These two can't be serious."
 
  I chuckled and watched the last few trailers play.

  The movie began with a carnival. It was—from what I knew—a murder mystery movie with a decently star-studded cast. I actually recognized a few of the actors. One of them looked like Gumina. Another looked a bit like Riliane. If my memory was correct, she was Rin-Chan, a diva from Lucifenia. Margarita knew her....I think.

  As the story continued, I began to feel uncomfortable. I could hear the other two kissing as I watched. The theater was mostly empty, so they wouldn't really be caught.

  Iari squeezed my hand in her own. "It'll be alright," she whispered.

  "It's not my fault that you lost," the girl onscreen said. She was the main character Richelle. "I've just played this game a ton." She smirked, then got up to leave.

  Forty minutes later, a pit of dread had grown to epic proportions. I felt like I was going to be sick. With good reason, too. Dates weren't things that I had done before. It didn't help that Banica was the only other one of us who did go on dates. She and Nemesis. This was one of the few dates I had had outside a house.

  Twenty minutes after that, I got up and bolted outside. I didn't stop my brisk pace until I was in the fresh air. As soon as I air hit my face, I took a deep breath. Pulling out my phone, I called Kayo.

  "Uh, Sati, you're supposed to be on a date. This better be an emergency," Kayo said when she picked up.

  I shifted my weight from one foot to the other. "Fine, I'll call Margarita."

  She groaned. "No, I just put her to sleep. Tell me what it is first."

  "I need you to pick me up. I can't do this anymore. I have to leave. I feel like I'm suffocating," I told her earnestly.

  There was a pause. "Look, go back in there. I'd tell anyone that. You need to get over your fear of dates. I got over my fear of fire." She then whispered, "Just barely."

  "This isn't a fear. It's a suffocating, excruciating pain that won't leave me. I need out. I can't do this anymore," I begged. "Please, come get me."

  "Sati? What's wrong?"

  I froze. Behind me was none other than Nyoze. I turned, feeling guilty.

  "I, uh, I need to go home. Banica had the twins over, and now they're wrecking everything," I said. It was a lie that came easily. Perhaps that was because it had happened on more than one occasion.

  He stared at me with kind eyes. I could see why Nemesis liked him.

  "Look, I don't know if that's the truth, so I'm not going to judge. From what I've heard about the twins, your statement matches up. I'll get Nemesis and Iari, and we can leave."

  "No! Don't do that!" I shouted. Then, "Kayo's picking me up. You three can drive home."

  Kayo let out an annoyed hum from the other side. And then she said, "Sati hasn't had a date in forever, so he's incredibly nervous. Go get Iari, please."

  I cursed myself for not taking her off speakerphone. Nyoze laughed and went back inside the building. As I waited, I took a spot on a nearby bench. When Iari came outside, I exhaled.

  Getting up, I hugged her. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to leave like that."

  She hugged back. "Hey, it's okay. I don't know what happened, but I won't hold it against you. You're a nice guy." Looking up at me, she laughed. "Nicer than you were. Ah, sorry, too soon."

  I kissed her. "Thank you."

  I saw shock in her eyes. "You're welcome. Come on, it'll be okay. No matter what it is, it'll be okay. I do love you, you know."

  I held her hand. "I love you, too."