Unthinkable (Tate Langdon)

007

September 18th, 1993.

"God, the part when the prison starts, like, completely coming unglued? And the guy's like, 'I sawr it all go down in Grenada'... Totally classic!"

Eve snorted with laughter and linked arms with Tate as he did a terrible impression of Robert Downey Jr.'s accent in the film they'd just seen.

"We should've seen this like two weeks ago when it first came out," she said with a smile. "It was a bad ass movie."

Thus far, their first official date had consisted of the standard dinner and a movie. It was as low pressure as two people could truly expect in making the leap from friendship to something more, and Eve had to say it had gone quite well.

In fact, in the time since The Fight led to The Kiss, both hallmark milestones in their story, everything had been going better than she could have imagined.

Sure, they'd both gotten a little more hazing at school, but their getting together in a romantic sense wasn't really anything that came as a shock to anyone else.

As far as the general public was concerned, it was two freaky nobodies pairing off to avoid extinction.

As far as Eve was concerned, it was the happiest she could remember being in a long time; there was just something about Tate that made her feel safe. She supposed it always had, looking back to the first time they'd spoken.

If she could have, if she had known where things were headed, she would have either run while she had the opportunity or hung on more tightly to the time when things were so good.

Hindsight, as they often said, was 20/20.

---

Tate couldn't remember feeling so complete in all his life.

It was an addictive sensation - the feeling of being appreciated, needed even.

It was as though Eve was the first person to ever see that all the tiny things he did truly mattered, that they were worthy of note. He made her feel safe, that much he could tell.

Even if that had been shaped on rocky beginnings, a little half truth here and there, Tate could rationalize to himself that he'd only helped her to see what she needed to see but for whatever reason could not.

There was no harm in that, right? However it had started, she was happy now, and they were together.

And she was happy now, that much he was sure of. There was a broad smile on her full lips, her hand warm in his as they exited the movie theater with her laughter playing in his ears.

"So, what do you wanna do, next? I can take you home or we could check out the arcade or-" he was cut off by Eve suddenly turning to wave in the opposite direction.

He followed her gaze to a group of kids - the misfit art freaks congregating just outside the exit of the theater, smoking in the parking garage.

One kid was waving excitedly and broke apart from the group to jog over to them.

Tate felt his stomach drop, an immediate sense of undue rage coursing through his veins as the boy approached. Eve was still smiling, but he could have sworn the expression only grew more enthusiastic.

"How's it goin', Eve?" the guy asked, smiling just a little too broadly himself. Tate's hold on her hand tightened.

"Good, good. Just saw Natural Born Killers, such a good flick," she gushed happily. "What about you?"