Three Means 1

That girl

There was a long silence between them and the weight of what could have been said was heavier than anything they could have said out loud. The background noise of the theater, like the conversations of the people, the popping of popcorn kernels hitting metal, and the distant dialogue from a movie, all seemed to fade as they stood there.

Arthur shifted on his feet and his eyes narrowed slightly before he broke the silence with a question that immediately felt ridiculous, even to him.

"What are you doing here?" He asked low but clear.

Dulce blinked, surprised by the absurdity of the question. It was, after all, a public space. She hesitated, her mouth opening, searching for something clever to say, but all that came out was the most obvious answer.

"I... I wanted to watch a movie."

Her response stretched awkwardly and his expression softened a little, realizing the absurdity of his own question.

"Alone?" He asked. He tried his best to fake a casual tone but it wasn't working. The thought of her here, with someone else (Pierre, perhaps) was bothering him.

Dulce flinched at the question and then she shook her head quickly, almost too quickly, like a reflex.

"No..." She started, but her voice trailed off, stretching again, unwilling to give more details.

Arthur's eyes darkened and his hands slowly balled into fists at his sides. He stayed silent, but that quiet spoke volumes. It was clear, painfully clear, that her unclear answer had angered him.

"Baby"

The voice came from behind him, soft and feminine, but with a confidence that immediately made Arthur tense. Dulce's heart tightened in her chest as a pair of slender arms snaked their way around his waist, pulling him back

Dulce stood frozen as the woman appeared from behind Arthur. She was beautiful, of course she was, and the casual grace with which she moved up to Arthur, fitting perfectly into his side heated Dulce up, and not in a good way.

"Can you help me with the snacks?" The woman asked sweetly, pointing toward the concession stand, where their popcorn and sodas were waiting. Her eyes switched briefly to Dulce, taking her in with a polite smile, but she made no move to introduce herself. Instead, she looked up at Arthur, silently asking him to take the lead.

Arthur, who stood very still, like he was stuck in a sleep paralysis, cleared his throat, breaking whatever trance he was in.

"Céline, this is Dulce." He said. He paused for a beat before turning to Dulce. "Dulce, this is Céline."

"Nice to meet you." Céline said, though her eyes revealed her lack of real interest. "Are you guys friends?"

Dulce's words refused to come. She wasn't sure what she wanted to say, and even less sure how to respond to that question. So she did the only thing she could: She looked up at Arthur, hoping, no, expecting him to handle this.

Arthur shifted again uncomfortably, his gaze switching between the two women. "Yes." He answered with not enough confidence, at least not as much as Dulce had hoped for. "I met her recently. She's... a friend."

The word hit Dulce like a slap to the face. A friend. Was that all she was to him now? After everything?

Céline smiled sweetly, oblivious to the tension bubbling between them. "Aw, baby, that's sweet." She said, leaning into Arthur just enough to mark her territory. "Anyway, nice to meet you, Dulce." She added with some condescension in her tone. Dulce wasn't sure if it was intentional or not. "But we should really get going now."