Landlocked (A water witch novel) by C.S. Moore Page B

His chiseled face was cast in shadows. In the low light of the hallway, he looked glorious and menacing. I didn’t know if it was the lighting playing tricks on me, but his mood seemed to darken by the moment.
    “Let’s get to your show, ” he said, moving to grasp my arm. He hesitated and pulled his hand away. “I’m sure the previews are about over.” Jaron walked me to theater number four, standing so close I could feel his body awakening something in me, though we weren’t touching. Without a word, he opened the door and ushered me inside, never taking his eyes away from where the stranger had stood.
    We stepped into the dark theater, and with the loss of sight, my other senses heightened. Over the noise blaring from the speakers, I could hear his heart hammering away, keeping time with mine. I could taste his scent on my lips, and the salty musk made me dizzy. But all of those things were drowned out by a stirring inside of me. My skin tightened and prickled with longing. An urge to reach out and wrap my arms around his neck, twirl his dark hair around my fingers was so strong I had to grab the hand rail to keep from throwing myself at him. The cool sting of the metal railing helped me regain composure.
    I chanced a look his way. Jaron was pressed against the wall opposite me, his wide eyes amazingly bright. I wondered if he could feel the frantic energy pulsing between us or if it was just me feeling gravitated to him. He opened his mouth as if to speak then stopped. A wry smile pulled up the left half of his perfect lips.
    “I think we are being summoned.” He gestured over my shoulder.
    Out in the dark crowd of people, a soul person was standing up waving their arms dramatically.
    “I don’t like being summoned,” I said quietly and turned back. It felt more comfortable to look at him now that I had myself under control.
    “Neither do I,” he said and glanced back down the hall leading to the lobby.
    A hiss reached my ears. “Maribel!”
    I groaned. Clarissa really was annoying.
    “Come on, before she has a heart attack.”
    “Or before someone punches her in the face for interrupting such an important film,” he whispered in my ear, sending shivers down my spine as I stifled a laugh.
    We climbed up the steps in the dark and I tripped a few times because the owner of the old theater hadn’t decided to splurge on step lights yet. Jaron seemed unperturbed by the dark and patiently waited for me. The movie was just starting. I awkwardly shimmied down the aisle , excusing myself. After a moment, I realized Jaron had stopped. He was a few yards behind me hovering above someone. I squinted and realized who he was standing over. Brad and two of his friends were there.
    I hurried back down to him. Jaron’s eyes looked distant. “Come on, Jaron. They aren’t bothering anyone.” He didn’t move. “He already said sorry.”
    Jaron nodded and walked forward with me. I noticed that everyone in the theater had their eyes on us instead of the screen. If I thought I was embarrassed before, I was one hundred times more so now. As we walked away, I heard Brad’s hushed voice.
    “Jeez, that’s the new guy, right?”
    “He’s huge.”
    “He’s not that huge… But it looks like Maribel’s finally got a boyfriend.”
    I hoped that Jaron hadn't heard that last part, but my instinct told me that if I could hear it, he could too. I took my seat next to Clarissa, my overly nosey and straight shooting friend. Nothing in our long history made me think that she would leave it alone, but I was hoping against all reason that she wouldn’t bring up the little outburst that had peaked the entire audience’s curiosity. I was once again reminded never to hope against reason.
    “What happened? Seemed like Jaron was about to box a dude,” she said in an all too audible whisper.
    Jaron took a seat next to me, still appearing irritated. I studied his face in the soft changing light reflecting off of the screen. His