Disclaimer: I own nothing She's The Man related.
Enough
The table was littered with crumpled checked wax paper and half-filled cups of ice bathed in an inch of soda.
"Thanks so much for inviting me to your party, friends," Eunice gurgled, throwing her arms around Toby and Olivia, who were sitting on either side of her. "Can I call you friends?"
Toby tittered. "You can call me whatever you want, baby bugger-head. But I was under the impression we were slightly more than…friends." As he said the last word, he contorted his face like a tiger's and nipped the air right by Eunice's nose. Her eyes grew large and round before she attacked him right back, closing her mouth around his and throwing her leg so she was straddling him.
Viola shivered and glanced at Olivia. The two of them spoke at once: "Friends is good!" and "Yup, pretty sure we're just friends." Then the two of them dissolved into giggles.
Duke was seated between Viola and Sebastian, and was feeling a little claustrophobic. His breathing quickened especially when Viola recovered from the laughter and put her arm around his shoulder and drew a seductive line with one finger across his neckline.
He gave the obligatory head-swivel to face her and stayed stiff and tense as Viola nuzzled his cheek. He listened to what seemed like the hollow sounds of Sebastian telling Olivia about a stray cat he had befriended in London. He watched what seemed like the distant images of the back of Eunice's head nodding as Toby held her tightly against him. And he remembered how Viola-cum-Sebastian had once swatted at Eunice's venturesome hands while Olivia played him like a fiddle, played him like a fool. And he realized he missed that Sebastian-cum-Viola, a person who wasn't all hands and mouth but who had things to say and things to stand up for.
The thoughts closed in around him as Viola's lips closed over his, and he remembered something Sebastian had said just an hour before…"At least you'll have me to keep your head above water…"
He felt like his head was bobbing in and out of the water as he tried to steal breaths of air at the brief moments when Viola took away her lips to do the same and he realized that's not what Sebastian said at all but that he had said at least he'd have Toby to keep his head above water and then he had pointed out that Toby would be no help whatsoever and he had been right and Sebastian said something about the cat throwing up a mouse on the hotel room porch and Viola's leg was curving around his from the side and Sebastian's thigh was brushing against his and
"Whoa whoa whoa, guys, isn't this supposed to be a double…I mean triple…date??" Duke cried, breaking away from Viola harshly and suddenly and giving Toby a swift kick in the leg under the table.
Olivia, who was resting her chin in her hand, glanced in irritation at Eunice and Toby, who were at this point practically one person – or, more accurately, one monster with four legs and four arms and one giant set of braces – then reached over to repeatedly poke it. "Hello?" she said. "Um, Toby, you're being addressed by your team captain."
"They're way gone," Viola determined, patting her hair. She shot Duke a knowing smile. "Then again, so were we…"
"Way gone, we oughta be way gone right now, it's getting really really hot in here," Duke rambled, glancing at Viola for back-up. She only shrugged. "Really really hot and uncomfortable," he continued, daring to glance toward Sebastian, who gave a quick nod and slid out of the booth.
"Why don't the four of us go for a walk?" he suggested, offering his hand to Olivia, who took it graciously and raised herself to a standing position.
Viola frowned at Duke. "I thought it was cozy."
"I…just need to get some air," he offered quickly, copying Sebastian by taking Viola's hand. But when he tried to help her up, she yanked him back toward her. Duke found himself leaning only inches over a prostrate Viola, who murmured, "Well why didn't you just say so. I can give you that." She gripped his face with both hands and twisted it to the side, then blew a long, cool string of air into his ear.
Mouth set in a straight, unfeeling line, Duke jerked away from Viola and stalked toward the door. What are you doing, man, he pleaded with himself. Why don't you want it?...What the hell is wrong with you? Turn back, turn back, you have to turn back.
Olivia and Sebastian had already gone outside, and Eunice and Toby still hadn't come up for air, so he didn't have to worry about them. And when he did turn around, Viola was perched on the edge of the booth, gazing at him with shock and concern.
His heart melted. She cared. She didn't just care about herself. She really cared for him.
She mouthed to him across the room, "We should talk," and gave a sad smile.
Miserable, he nodded, then trudged back to her with head hanging.
This time he didn't offer his hand, but she took it anyway. She didn't use it to help herself up, and she didn't use it to yank him toward her. She just held it and stared strangely into the distance.