Two Loves

Chapter 35

WARNING: The tackiest, worst, cringiest telenovela-drama is ahead, and I cannot believe that I actually made it a plot-point. Here it is. If you still read this book after that - respect.

CYMBELINE

We see the fight before we hear it. Ada was just dragging me towards a more remote and calm corner, to cool down after that fast dance, when she stops suddenly.

"What?" I ask and look over her head, to see what she sees. My legs are jittery, and my whole head is filled with nervous, exalted tingling, but it immediately stops when Ada inhales sharply and presses my hand.

"Do you see Apollo over there?" she asks and points in his direction. Of course I do, Atticus' head peeks out above most others. He makes his way through the crowd, obviously searching for Isaac and his reward for this breath-taking solo - when somebody holds him back.

A man, smaller than him, but much blonder, suddenly grasps his shoulder and turns him around violently. I recognize the face from somewhere, but I don't know where - He has those kind of cheekbones you could use as a letter-opener, and the fact that he looks really pissed makes his features even sharper - a cutting stare, followed by the most obvious fake-smile stops Atticus. When he recognizes the smaller man, he turns pale as ash.

A sick feeling clogs up in my stomach. Something here is really, really wrong.

"Who is that man?" I ask Ada silently. I can feel how her shoulder tense when she sees how Atticus looks like a shot deer. The blondie starts talking to him, but we cannot hear the words over the noise the band makes. Only the expression of the blonde is quite calm, he even smiles at Atticus, but the menacing grip he still has on his arm somehow tells me that the blonde bitch is not only complementing him. He even draws closer, against Atticus visible restraint. Whatever the blondie is up to, we cannot leave him alone for one second longer.

Ada suddenly gaps and whips around to me, wide-eyed. "I know who he is!" she hisses, silently so that no one hears the name.

"It's Bosie."

Something cold drips down my spine. I can't pin it down - but the sound of that name immediately implies that this is bad. Bad in bold headline italics.

My mind already switches into a more serious mode as I move forward and grab Ada's hand. Without a second thought I say "Let's get over there."

Not fast enough. We reach them exactly in the moment when Isaac appears behind Atticus.

And as we do, my brother suddenly freezes when Bosie grabs Atticus' face and kisses him.

Time seems to stand still for a moment, even though the earth keeps moving. All around me seems to blur, except for the picture of Bosie and Atticus, the first one grinning into his sloppy, showy kiss, the latter too shocked to react. Isaacs glass falls to the ground.

Then time comes back into its normal ways with a loud bang. Atticus has broken loose from Bosie's grip and slaps him across the face. Angry red spots are all over his cheeks.

"How dare you!" Atticus seethes, fists clenched and chest heaving under barely controlled breathing. His eyes flash back onto the completely unimpressed Bosie.

"How dare you" he repeats and stumbles back, against Isaac. When their eyes meet, Atticus sways to the side. For a second I think that he is going to fall - fall a long way down. But he finds his balance again - physically, at least.

Isaac opens his mouth, but before he can say something, Bosie, who toppled over after the slap, has found his normal stance again.

He has one hand on his slapped, red cheek - the imprints of the rings on Atticus fingers will probably ruin that pretty little face tomorrow. Not that I don't think that he deserves it. But the rest of his face is less amusing. Within seconds, he has abandoned the masque of polite slyness for something much more grotesque.