Dark Side // h.s

Reminiscing

Oh you can’t see.

You belong to me.

How my poor heart aches.

With every step you take.

-The Police

Harry’s POV

I stood in line two people behind Veronica. She wore a pair of skin tight jeans that visibly showed the outline of her perfect legs and a loose fitting blue V-neck t-shirt with no tank top underneath. A little bit of cleavage was shown, but not a whole lot. I was upset that she had worn it. I didn’t want other men looking at what was mine. She bought movie tickets to see Warm Bodies, so that’s what I was going to see too. The man in front of me bought tickets to some action movie and then it was my turn. I stepped up to the ticket booth, withdrawing money from my pocket.

“I’ll take one ticket for Warm Bodies,” I said, sliding the money towards the ticket broker. He was wearing a striped red vest with a nametag that red, Barney.

As he gave me my change and the ticket, he grinned slyly. “You’re far away from home,” he said. “What kind of accent is that?” The gum he chewed smacked loudly against his teeth.

“British,” I politely replied. Giving him a slight nod, I entered the theater, whistling happily.

Veronica was at the concession stand, paying for a small popcorn and drink. I watched her pull napkins from the blue dispenser, gathering them in her hand. Tonight would be the night that I would take her. She should’ve never come to the movies alone. It’s not like it would’ve mattered anyway. She would soon be mine no matter what.

I skipped the snacks and caffeinated beverages and went straight into the auditorium. Veronica sat on the first row, feet propped up on the rest. I chose to sit two rows behind her. The lights were dull and soon the theater started to fill up. I could hear the crunching of popcorn and sloshing of ice and drink in the paper cups everyone had. Veronica never fidgeted once.

As soon as the movie was over and she was headed to her car, I would stall her. I would talk to her, warm up to her, and then when she least expected it, I would take her. And she would be mine.

The lights dimmed even further, making the theater grow dark. The previews for other movies started to play and I could see the outline of Veronica’s head. It was so perfect. Nothing could describe how much that I wanted her. And I needed her to see that.

The movie began and I paid attention to the first half. But after a while, I started to get antsy. It was almost time to set my plan into action. Before I knew it, the credits were rolling and I missed how the movie ended. Did the human girl end up with the zombie boy? How did they explain the situation to her dad? Was it a happy ending or a sad ending?

I didn’t have time to think about stuff like that. Veronica was on her feet and out the door in minutes. Once outside, she turned left and began to walk to her car. I trailed a few feet behind, keeping my distance. That’s when a dollar fell out of her back pocket. I took that as a sign and instantly picked it up, chasing after her.

“Excuse me, miss!” I yelled. She turned to face me and I immediately saw her deep blue eyes stare straight into mine. My heart skipped a beat.

“Are you talking to me?” She asked, raising an eyebrow. I had finally caught up to her and we were standing only inches apart. I could reach out and touch her. The thought of my skin against hers was pure ecstasy.

I nodded. “You dropped this dollar. I thought you might want it back,” I smiled.

She took the money from me and smiled. “Oh. Thank you.” Her eyes surveyed my face and her eyebrows drew in, creating a crease between them. “Do I know you?”

I gulped. Had she seen me watching her somehow? “Uh,” I started. “I don’t know. Do you?”

She tilted her head a little and her expression lit up. “I remember! You’re that guy from the store who said I should buy that blue dress!”

I inwardly breathed a sigh of relief. “Oh yeah. I remember that. How could I forget such a beautiful girl like you?”

Her cheeks flushed bright red and I beamed with pride. I made her blush for the first time ever.

There was a short pause. “Well, I must be going now. It was nice to see you again.”

I grinned. “Let me walk you to your car,” I offered. This was my chance. I could steal her away and nobody would find out until morning.

She seemed hesitant at first, but then she shrugged. “Sure. Why not?”

We walked to her car in silence. The anticipation was growing in my mind and it was all I could do to not take her right there, but I held back. She pulled her keys from her pocket and unlocked the door from a distance. My heart rate sped up. I reached into my back pocket to pull out a chloroformed napkin, but someone yelling caused me to cease my actions.

“Veronica!” They yelled. I instantly recognized it to be a boy. We both turned and I saw who the culprit was. Jett Grayson, Veronica’s long time crush.

Anger and jealously quickly aroused within me. I wanted to attack Jett. I wanted to beat him senseless. He used Veronica and led her on. It broke my heart to see her longing after him when he didn’t even think of her in that way. So why was he paying attention to her now?

“Hey, Veronica,” he said, catching his breath. “Why didn’t you tell me you were coming to the movies? I brought Tanner and Ava. We could’ve come together.”

A small smile tugged at Veronica’s lips. “Ava didn’t tell me she was coming so I thought I would come by myself.”

“Oh,” Jett said. “That’s a bummer.” He shrugged and then his eyes fell on me. “Who’s this?”

Veronica looked at me and then back to Jett. Then the unthinkable happened. She laced her fingers with mine. We were holding hands. My heart soared and I couldn’t help but smile. “This is my date…”

“…Harry,” I said proudly, holding my shoulders back. I stuck my free hand inside my pocket.

“Oh,” Jett said, sounding surprised. “Well, you two have fun. I guess I’ll see you around, Ronnie.” He waved goodbye and nodded to me. I nodded back.

Veronica immediately let go of my hand once Jett left. I felt disappointed. That moment we shared meant nothing to her, but it meant the world to me.

“Thank you for that,” she said. Her eyes were soft and thankful.

I smiled. “It’s no problem.” And I knew right there that now was not the time to take her. I couldn’t. Not after what just happened. I would wait for another time.

“See you around, Harry,” she said, crossing her arm across her chest to grab her other.

The sound of my name coming from her was like music to my ears. “Goodbye, Veronica.”

With a half smile, she got into her car and drove away. I sighed, feeling a little upset. There would be other opportunities when I could take her. And I would welcome them with open arms.