Final Second

Preface

Three words. Fate. Prom. San Francisco.

I'm not sure how long I had been watching the waiter serve the other tables, slowly making his way towards us... Probably only for a few short minutes. I continued to watch him until my occupation was pulled away. Kyle uttered my name with his smooth, deep voice, "Faith," I looked up and saw his emerald eyes staring at me, in a good way of course. "Yes?" I asked, trying to make my voice sound as normal and calm as possible.

"Are you alright?" he replied to my question with another question and anxiety appeared in his liquid emerald eyes. I quickly looked away when I saw the colour of his eyes, I couldn't have him seeing how I actually felt when I was trying to calm him down. "Yes, I... I'm fine. W-what are we going to order?" I asked. Dammit, I couldn't control my stupid stutter. I looked up at him and I wish I hadn't, I could see the anxiety twisting his features. His perfect features.

Kyle and I have been together for as long as my high school career has lasted. In grade nine, we had all the same classes together... we still do. Then, he had the round boyish face every young man had, along with those innocent eyes, plump pink lips, and the tannest skin I've ever seen. He's never been dark skinned, just tan, which made me wonder if he went tanning. Anyway, I watched this boy become a man, my man.

I smiled at that thought, and laughed a little when I saw Kyle raise an eyebrow at my sudden change in attitude.

Now as I looked at him, I saw no boyish resemblance at all; his jaw line squared, his nose pointed slightly, his lips thinned but stayed full, and his eyes tightened and grew more intense and green by the year.

"That depends on —," I cut him off, "Do you go tanning?"

He looked at me with surprise, "Do I go tanning?"

"Yes, do you go tanning?"

"No. Why?" Kyle eyed me with suspicion.

"Just wondering," I smiled at him innocently. I had to get these questions off my chest before it was too late. "Sorry about interrupting you. Please finish your... statement was it?"

"Question. As I was saying, it doesn't matter what we order, it depends on what you would like. I was thinking of ravioli myself," he said, a smile playing around the edges of his pink lips. "That sounds good," I said.

"My name is Nike and I'll be your waiter this evening. May I help you?" asked a small voice from beside me. It was the waiter I'd been watching earlier. I'd say he was around the age of sixteen, just slightly younger than I. He had slick black hair that was a little bit too long, according to my father's perspective. His face was small-structured and only slightly rounded; when I arrived to his eyes, I noticed that they were ice blue, standing out with intensity and in contrast to his black hair. He was beautiful.

"I think we're both having the ravioli and a glass of water," Kyle said to him and Nike looked at me for a confirmation, as if he didn't trust what Kyle had said. I nodded in response and he jotted down our order on his waiter's pad. "Can I get you anything else, an appetizer maybe? Or are you just having the salad that comes with the meal? We have a choice of Greek, Caesar, or Garden,"

"I'll have Greek, please," I said and I watched as he wrote this new information down.

"Caesar for me," Kyle responded, I was still watching Nike, amazed that any human could be so pretty. He looked down at me and asked again, "Would there be anything else I can get for you two?" I shook my head, still in awe, but aware that his beauty was mortal. It was still nothing I've seen before.

Nike nodded, closed the pad, turned and walked away.

Kyle looked at me, "Are you sure that you're alright?" he asked an eyebrow raised, "You were looking at that 'Nike' fellow oddly,"

"I'm F-I-N-E, fine," I said with an unnecessary, urgent tone to my voice. I cleared my throat, and my head for that matter. "I'm sorry..." I said and attempted a sheepish look. He laughed at my pitiful attempt and reached a hand out to my face.

"Let's make this night last forever, okay?" Kyle asked, although it sounded more like a statement, of which I agreed to without effort. He leaned across the table and kissed me softly on the forehead, then keeping my hand in his, Kyle placed our hands on the table.

Just then I saw Nike walking towards us, with about ten menus in hand... we didn't need those, what was he doing? In a few swift strides he walked past us and to the table on my right. Oh yeah, there were other tables around us, my mind wasn't with me tonight. I quickly looked to the left to see who he was placing beside us and I saw a group of old ladies hobbling towards the table Nike lead them to. I glanced at Kyle to see him finishing a rather well executed eye roll. A smirk appeared on my face and just as quickly as it appeared, it vanished, I knew we shouldn't have come here.

One of the ladies stopped at our table, clapped her hands together and shouted to the whole restaurant, "Oh look! Young love! It looks as if they just came from prom!! I remember my prom..." I looked to her hand -- as she was mumbling about her younger days -- and saw she was pulling out an old Polaroid camera.

"Er... Ma'am, we're going to prom after dinner," Kyle said just loud enough for her to hear, and not the entire establishment. He also said it with a hint of irritation, but still very noticeable. I shot him an angered glance, poor lady.

"Oh! I'm terribly sorry, I was just hoping to get a photo for my grandchildren..." she said and she hastily began to stuff the camera back into her overly large purse, disappointment rushing over her face. I didn't understand why she wanted a picture of Kyle and I for her grandchildren, but I couldn't see her walk away so sullen. "You can take a picture us, Ma'am," I said and I saw Kyle return a mock look to me.

She smiled so wide that I could see almost all of her dentures... they had to be dentures, they were as white as the table cloth. As the lady was rustling through her purse, Kyle and I stood up and he grimaced. The whole restaurant hadn't taken their eyes off of us since this old lady shouted. "Let's just make her happy, I couldn't stand to have 'make an old lady cry' on my conscience," I whispered in Kyle's ear.

After she snapped the photo, she yelled at us (louder than last time), "Get closer! I would like my grandchildren to see young love's kiss!!"

I felt Kyle tense and intake a breath, he wanted to smack her. I rubbed his back and said, "Sorry Ma'am, but we wouldn't be comfortable with that here,"

"Oh, but I only meant a kiss on the cheek," she said with a sad voice. Why do I have to be so guilt-stricken when old people sound sad. Her fellow ladies stared at me hopeful and I started to think these pictures were for their amusement. I kissed Kyle on the cheek, she snapped the photo, and we sat down. Kyle's grimace reappeared when she finished.

"Thank you, dearie. Here's something for the trouble I caused you two," she said and she patted both Kyle and I on the top of the head, messing both of our hair. Luckily, neither of us did anything major or over-the-top in style with it.

Then she scuffled over to where her friends were and they all giggled as she sat down, "Tell us everything," they said to her.

Kyle glared at them for the shortest time and then brought his attention back to me, took my hand, and said, "Wow... that was embarrassing, people are still shooting looks at us," I laughed at his response then saw Nike on his way to our table with salad.

I decided to avoid Nike's face this time and I let my mind wander... I knew that was going to happen, yet I still allow Kyle to take me to place name of restaurant here. Maybe is was because he had already made reservations, maybe I wanted to see his reaction to the old ladies, or maybe, I wanted to be normal. Whatever the reason, I knew that I didn't want this moment to end, even with the group of elderly women beside us.

I didn't want it to end because when it did, we'd go to prom. When prom ended, I knew that my life would change forever. The end of prom was the beginning of a meaningless life for me. That second meant my eighteenth birthday, that second meant that last time I'd see Kyle or my parents alive...