Chapter 8: A Snake in the Grass
Disclaimer: read chapter 1
A/N: Merry Christmas! I know it's a little late. I did plan on uploading yesterday, but I ran out of time with the editing on Christmas Eve. Another excuse is that the family and I had watched Red Eye on Christmas Eve. We all liked the movie. Dad predicted most of the scenes; I'm proud to have his movie brains. Mom didn't like how creepy Cillian Murphy was, and she didn't think he was cute at all. I did my best to bite my tongue on the latter. Everyone has an opinion, and the last thing I want is to have a heated debate on the night before Christmas.
I also updated another chapter of my Thor fanfic. For those who are Loki fans and haven't read 'When Storms Come and Stars Collide', go check it out now.
To think that 2020 couldn't get any worse, on Christmas morning, there was a bombing in Nashville that resulted in the destruction of small businesses and a power outage with AT+T. It is sick and a tragedy! I pray for the lives that had been taken during the explosion, and the business owners (most of who are suffering already from COVID).
Anyway, on with the chapter...
Kathryn returned home and jumped on her bed, lying on her stomach with her face buried in her pillow. Tears stained the case as Jonathan's words echoed inside her mind like a record player - repeating them over and over.
She knew it was stupid to think that they could have a chance. Jonathan was right; they couldn't be together. If Jeremiah Arkham did find out about Jonathan and Kathryn's romantic entanglement, then they both be out of the job. Kathryn couldn't let that happen. She gave up everything in Florida to work at one of the top psychiatric hospitals in the country. She couldn't let her feelings for Crane get in the way of her job. She must forget about her feelings and move on. How was she going to do it?
Her ringing phone interrupted her thoughts. Kathryn immediately pulled the phone from her pocket and looked at the caller ID. Was it Jonathan? Did he call to apologize? No, Jonathan was too proud for that. Maybe, he called to talk about what happened.
Kathryn frowned in disappointment when she read Elise's name on the Caller ID. She sighed heavily, answering the call.
"Hey, Lise," Kathryn greeted, forcing a happy tone of voice.
"Hey, girl," Elise's voice sounded ecstatic. "You wouldn't believe who I saw at the café today!"
"Don't tell me. You met a boy?"
The blonde giggled. "Yes. How did you know?"
Kathryn shrugged, rolling her eyes. "Just a guess. So you just met him?"
"Well, no. I didn't just meet him. He was an old friend back in high school. We talked, but not too long because I had a job to do. However, he wanted to hang out and catch up with me."
"So, you're dating him now?"
"Well, technically, he didn't call it a date. He called it a classmate reunion. I'm having dinner with him this coming weekend."
"T-That's great, Lise," Kathryn sniffled, trying to keep up her happy voice. However, tears threatened to fall from her eyes again. She refused to let her emotions get the better of her.
"Hey, Kat."
"Yeah?"
"Are you okay?" Elise asked.
"Yeah," Kathryn dabbed the tears off the corners of her eyes. "I'm fine." She hoped that Elise wouldn't ask her again, but that was just wishful thinking.
"You don't sound fine. I know you don't like me asking, but-"
"Then don't. Seriously. It's nothing," Kathryn insisted. "It's just that something happened today, and I don't want to talk about it."
"Come on, Kat," Elise tried to persuade her. "I know you don't want to talk about it, but I believe talking it out would help. And I also know I won't drop the subject unless you talk."
"Why are you my friend, again?"
"Seriously, what's wrong?"
Knowing that she couldn't hide it from Elise, Kathryn had no choice but to tell the truth as much as she hated it. She let out a sigh in defeat. "Elise, something happened-"
"I know. You told me that already. Are you okay? Are you hurt?"
"Physically, I'm fine. Emotionally?" the petite shook her head. "No. I'm not okay."
"Kathryn, what happened?" Elise demanded.
Kathryn exhaled and leaned back against her bed, allowing a name to escape her lips.
"Crane."
"Cray-Crane?" Fear laced into Elise's voice. "Are you okay? Did he did hurt you? Should we call the police?"
"No. No. It's nothing like that. Don't worry."
Elise exhaled with relief. "Thank God! Kat, enough with the suspense already! Just tell me what happened with Crane!"
"We kissed. Alright?" Elise was quiet. Kathryn didn't know whether the blonde hung up or was simply speechless.
"Hello? Lise? Are you there?"
"You two did what?!" Elise asked loudly, causing Kathy to pull the phone away from her ear.
Kathryn groaned, putting the phone back on her ear. "We kissed. Don't get overly dramatic about it!"
"How can I not?! I mean, I had a feeling something was going when Crane pretended to be your fiance and how you talk about him. But seriously, how could you suck face with that geek? He's not even that cute."
Kathryn felt her eyes burning again. She hated it when she cried, and she hated it more when it's for a man. It was stupid, but somehow Kathryn couldn't help it.
"Elise, if you're going to act irrational, I'm hanging up-"
"No! No! No!" her tone quickly changed. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'll stop. You're now speaking to the BFF who can listen."
"Thank you. Now, as I was saying, it was just one kiss," Kathryn could've sworn she heard the blonde gag on the other line. "We're not going to go any further than that. Jonathan made that perfectly clear."
"What did he say?" Elise asked.
"He said that it couldn't happen again, that we're coworkers. We'll get fired - blah, blah, blah," Kathy shook her head, letting tears fall from her eyes. She wanted to regret kissing Jonathan, but she couldn't. She couldn't get him out of her mind. "But I want to," Kathy added quietly.
"Wanted, what?" the friend wondered. "Have-"
"No!" Kathryn cried out, refusing to hear Elise's intrusive question. "I want... What I want... doesn't matter. We have rules in Arkham, and Jonathan is right; we can't take any chances right now."
"Uh-huh. Well, the no-dating policy is there for a reason - so much drama and complications. One time I dated a guy named Jake, he used to work at the café with me. We were together, and... I was fortunate enough to avoid a lawsuit. Yep, learned my lesson..." Elise paused, realizing that she was talking more about herself than her best friend. "Kathryn, I'm sorry. Here I am, talking about me when you obviously have problems."
"No," Kathryn waved it off. "No. No. It's fine."
"No, it's not! Listen, I am here for you-"
"I know you are. Look, I'm fine. Really."
"Are you sure about that?" Elise asked in a non-believing tone. "I know how tough broken hearts can be."
"Jonathan wasn't the first guy I kissed, Lise. Of course, I know how tough they can be," Kathryn sighed. "Hopefully, when I talk to Jonathan about it, maybe we can move past the awkwardness and go back to being just friends."
"Or just avoid him in general."
"Elise," Kathryn warned.
"I know," the blonde grumbled.
~000~000~000~
Kathryn was anxious about going to Arkham for work. She had no choice but to see Jonathan again. She knew that he wouldn't want to talk about what happened at the zoo, but they required closure. She walked down the hall, heading to the elevator. Before she could press the up button, music echoed in the halls before a voice took over.
"Dr. Knightly, please report to Dr. Arkham's office. Dr. Knightly, please report to Dr. Arkham's office."
The psychologist let out a groan, resting her head against the elevator door.
"Great. What now?"
...
Kathryn knocked before she entered the director's office.
"Come in," Doctor Arkham commanded, his eyes glued to his desk. The petite closed the door behind her, stepping towards Arkham.
His head perked up, and he smiled at the sight of Kathryn. "Dr. Knightly. Just the person I want to see." He closed his folders, rising from his chair, shaking her hand. "How are you doing so far?"
'Not good.' Though, she refused to say the words out loud. Instead, she forced a smile across her face and said the opposite. "Very well, thank you." He motioned her to take a seat, which she did.
"So what can I do for you?" she asked.
"Do you mean what I can do for you?" Arkham pointed at her.
Kathryn's eyebrows furrowed with confusion. "I'm sorry?"
Jeremiah Arkham smiled, amused by her questionable face. He handed Kathryn a folder, which she picked up. Her brows knitted together at the Arkham stamp on the cover.
"What's this?" she asked her boss, lifting the folder.
Doctor Arkham rested his elbows on his desk and his chin on top of his interlaced fingers.
"Your very own high profiled maniac," he declared, not expecting silence in return. He explained further, "You are ready, Dr. Knightly. Not only are you going to have a patient transferred to you by the end of this month, but you're about to fly solo."
"What?" she merely blinked.
"You no longer need supervision - the last phase of orientation is over."
Kathryn's lips parted, gazing back at the folder. "You mean... I'm on my own now?"
"Yes," Arkham's face faltered. "Aren't you excited?"
Kathryn shook her head instantly. "No! No! I-I mean, I am! Don't get me wrong; I am very excited. I'm just surprised, is all. Thank you!"
"Don't thank me, Dr. Knightly. For it was your supervisor who approved this."
She blinked. "Crane? He did this?"
"He confided in me that you are ready. He believed you could handle the big boys (though those weren't his words entirely). I thought you were ready when you defused the Zeus fiasco, but Dr. Crane decided to keep you a bit longer. Now here we are, six months later. Congratulations."
Kathryn's thoughts traveled back in time. She thought about her and Crane kissing at the park bench passionately. Kathryn understood his reasons for dropping the supervision. Even though he did it for the wrong reasons, Kathryn believed that she was ready to interview patients independently.
"Doctor?" Arkham's voice pulled Kathryn out of her thoughts.
"Hm?"
"You can go now."
Kathryn nodded, raising herself from her seat. "Yes, Sir."
~000~000~000~
Jonathan entered his office, reading through some papers until a door slammed behind him. He quickly turned to see the woman standing by the door. His mouth parted in disbelief about to ask what she's doing here. He didn't get the chance, for she spoke first.
"You dropped the supervision," Kathryn's voice was very faint mixed with sadness.
Jonathan leaned back against his desk, dropping the papers next to him. His arms crossed, and his eyes stared down at her. He didn't seem happy with her coming into his office without permission.
"And that surprised you?" he challenged.
Kathryn shook her head, "No... No, not really."
"Why are you here, doctor?"
Were they seriously returning to formalities?
"I just want to talk," she uttered.
"We both know that there is nothing to talk about, Dr. Knightly," Jonathan lowered himself on his seat, returning to work as if she wasn't here. "Now why don't you return to-" Two small hands slammed on his papers, interrupting his speech. He gazed up at her with a warning brow, "Dr. Knightly-"
"Don't pretend that we have nothing to talk about. You know it; I know it. We need to talk about what happened at the zoo!"
Jonathan huffed, resuming his work, "We already talked about it, remember? I don't appreciate you bringing our personal mess into work."
"Jonathan, we can't avoid this forever. As much as I want to keep my head down and pretend you don't exist, I can't. Believe me. We need to talk it out, so we can collaborate for treatment. If we don't communicate, how are we going to help the patients?" The man didn't respond.
"I mean, did you honestly think you can avoid me forever?" Kathryn demanded, crossing her arms over her chest. "Huh? Tell me, Jonathan." Not getting a response from him irritated the psychologist further, though his silence was answer enough.
"You're a coward, Jonathan."
Finally, his head perked up. His crystal eyes hardened, sending chills throughout her body.
"What did you say?" he challenged.
"You heard me," Kathryn hissed angrily as she turned to leave. She gasped at the cold contact around her wrist. She turned around and faced Jonathan's irritated gaze, struggling unsuccessfully to get out of his grip. He yanked her closer, bumping her hip against his desk; no doubt it'll bruise later on.
"I'm not a coward, Kathryn," Jonathan declared with gritted teeth. Her lips twitched at how his piercing eyes were steel, terrifying, but beautiful. She lost the battle by momentarily averting back to his papers. What he said next took another stab at her already shattered heart.
"What a waste," he recalled how submissive and timid she was before the mistake. It seemed like they were going back to where they started. She was all words but no fight.
"So disappointing," he finally released her from his grasp, sitting back down to resume his work. "You know where the door is."
Kathryn closed her eyes, taking a deep breath. She wasn't going to cry nor throw a tantrum. She would speak with a cool head and professional demeanor. He won't break her. If anything, he, too, was picking up the pieces.
"Dr. Crane," she emphasized the name in venom - a snake ready to strike its prey. "You may be the head of Arkham. You may be the man in charge..." she placed her hands on his desk, creating a shadow over his papers. The movement of his pen ceased. "You may have Dr. Arkham wrapped around your little finger," she lifted a pinky. "Intimidate the staff, twist the minds of patients... and mine."
He raised his eyes back at her; only this time, she didn't back down.
"How does it feel?" she should feel disgusted when asking this. However, the corner of her mouth twitched, evident that she, too, had a trick up her sleeve. "I'm curious," a teasing, playfulness laced in her tone. "How does it feel to have so much power over an individual? Have them stoop so low and grovel as you reign supreme as our ghost king."
Jonathan didn't know how, but the room started to get warm. He should phone Miss Thomas to check the thermostat. He cleared his throat and crossed his legs, scooting his chair closer underneath his desk. He refused to fiddle with his tie nor look away from the woman. The way Kathryn was looking at him, he couldn't explain what it was. It wasn't fear or anger directed towards him. It wasn't like the Zeus hostage situation - the first time, Kathryn had stood her ground. All he could say that it was new, almost intriguing. It wasn't a good idea for her to look at him this way. Nonetheless, against his better judgment, he played along.
"I don't know what you mean, doctor," he smirked. His voice grew huskier as he spoke. "I'm not a sadist. I don't enjoy hurting you." She rolled her eyes as if she had caught his lie. Was it a lie?
"But you enjoy dominating the mind," she declared it as a statement than a question.
"I respect the mind's power over the body," he corrected, cocking a brow at her. "It's why I do what I do."
"You're good at what you do," she nodded in agreement.
He blinked, showing off no emotion as he said, "Thank you." There must be a catch. Where was she going with this?
"But putting all that aside, you're still a man," she had sunk her teeth into where it hurt. Despite having the personality and eyes of a robot, Jonathan had forgotten that he was human with a beating heart. A heart that's slowly taken effect by her venom - a sweet poison capable of paralysis to the mind and, eventually, the body.
"I'm not going anywhere, Jonathan," she declared with confidence. "You can't avoid me or get rid of me so easily. What would the other doctors say about that? Dr. Jonathan Crane, head of Arkham, scared of a tiny girl like me."
"You think I care what the doctors think of me?"
The petite shook her head. "No, you're just ashamed to be with someone like me. Because we both know, once they figure out a man's passion, it soon becomes his greatest weakness."
To his shock, Jonathan closed his eyes and suppressed a hum from escaping his lips as she kissed him on the cheek. He forced to recoil from her warmth, one second too late. His eyes scolded as she straightened her posture, eyeing the lip stain on his cheek - her own snakebite. He could wipe it off, but the effects would eventually consume him. Unlike a snakebite, no antivenom could reverse the effects. She didn't apologize, but her distraught face said it all.
"So you see, Dr. Crane? That, right there, is your problem."
Jonathan exhaled through his nose, clenching the edge of his desk. If he were, to be honest, the psychiatrist didn't know how to respond to that. Kathryn must've become suicidal to treat him this way, and what's worse was that he wasn't going to do anything about it. They knew he couldn't fire her without condemning himself. He couldn't test his compound on the guinea pig because...
The only thing to protect himself, for now, was silence.
"Good-bye, Jonathan."
She didn't say the words as much as she wanted to. Jonathan watched Kathryn walk away with her head held high. A part of him wanted to stop her. His fingers clenched around the edge of his desk, refusing to give in to the temptation. To think he was worried about his half causing trouble. He should've finished her when he had the chance. Now he must conjure an antidote fast, for it's only a matter of time before she kills him first.
She hadn't been gone long, and he could already feel the first sign of her snakebite - painful swelling. Unfortunately for him, no antiserum or ice could reduce the lump. He must take care of it in a degrading way that resulted in dissatisfaction.
"Goodbye, Kathryn."
He was relieved to hear the intercom, a temporary distraction from his racing, wicked thoughts.
"S-Sir," Emma stuttered, "you have a phone call from a guy named Henri Ducard. He seemed very insistent to speak to you." Jonathan lowered back to his seat, pressing the button to reply.
"Put him through."
~000~000~000~
After a few days, the awkwardness slowly faded, going back to somewhat normal. Jonathan wasn't avoiding Kathryn anymore. In fact, he was polite to her, even though their conversations were brief and their coffee meetups no longer happened. They seemed fine with that, but it was a facade; Kathryn knew as much. Deep down, they were dreading the idea of not entangling themselves in the dark web they had woven, but it was the only way to keep their job in Arkham.
Elise had a classmate reunion with a guy named Troy. Kathryn was surprised that Elise remembered most of the guys' names because of her background. Elise invited Kathryn to come along, but the psychologist felt awkward about the arrangement. She didn't want to feel left out, but Elise assured her that Troy was bringing a friend with him. After many times of begging, Kathryn reluctantly agreed.
Elise picked Kathryn up and drove them to Carrabbas. Kathryn was happy that they're going to her favorite Italian place for dinner. After pulling in a free parking spot, Elise slanted her rearview mirror to check on her makeup and curls, making sure both components were intact, not a smudge or frizz on sight.
"Listen," Kathryn broke the silence, "thanks for inviting me-"
"Don't mention it. I'm not going to go without my best friend," Elise smiled. "So are we ready?"
Kathryn nodded. 'Let's get this over with.' They stepped out of the vehicle and went inside the restaurant. Once they were inside, the hostess escorted them to a four chaired table, where two men were sitting across. One man had short, black hair and blue eyes, wearing a tuxedo. The other one was blonde, but Kathryn couldn't see his face, only the back of his blonde head.
"Hey!" Elise greeted the men with a friendly smile.
"Hello, Lise," the black-haired man greeted by standing up and hugging the blonde. "It's good to see you."
"You too."
Kathryn realized the black-haired man was Troy, and she instantly knew he had a British accent. He pulled away once his eyes laid on Kathryn's. Elise noticed his gaze, stepping next to her friend.
"Troy, this is Kathryn. Kathryn, this is Troy."
Troy greeted Kathryn with a handshake, "Nice to meet you, Kathryn."
"Nice to meet you too, Troy," she returned the friendly gesture.
"Oh, and Kat," Elise stood next to the other guy who quietly remained seated. In Kathryn's eyes, he seemed familiar. "This is..."
"Sam," the blonde-haired man introduced himself. "Samuel Pohill," Sam scooted closer to the edge of his seat, shaking the woman's hand. "I work with Elise at the cafe. Call me a creep, but I remember serving you daily for the same to-go order. The World-Class Chicken, is that right?"
"Um..." Kathryn nodded as her face flushed, "That is... right." She remembered the guy now. Sam worked behind the bar at Gotham Cafe; he wasn't Troy's friend. Elise lied to Kathy, and the doctor knew why. Kathryn silently scolded Elise with a narrowed, stern look, which Elise avoided with a guilty smile.
"Sam," Elise began with gritted teeth, "Kathy may be too nice to call you a creep, but I will."
Sam raised his hands in surrender, "I'm just a better server than you, Elise." The woman rolled her eyes at that comment. Looking back at Kathryn, Sam saw how baffled she was.
"I'm sorry," he apologized. "I didn't mean to make you comfortable. It's just that I-"
"No. No. It's fine," Kathryn forced an awkward laugh, shaking the man's hand again. "It's nice to finally meet you."
"Well," Troy clapped his hands dramatically, "Shall we sit down?" Everyone agreed as the women and Troy found a seat at their table. Elise hurried to the other side, shoving Sam out of his chair to sit across from Troy. Kathryn seated next to Troy, completely astonished at her friend's actions. She knew Elise was trying to set her up with this guy, but there's no need to be rude. Nobody missed the quiet set of curses Sam had bestowed on Elise before taking a seat next to her.
They ordered their meal and tried to kill the wait time by conversation. Troy was good with small talk; his conversations lasted longer than the other three combined.
"So you work at Arkham?" Troy asked Kathryn.
She nodded. "Yep, that's right. For a couple of months now."
"Did you interview a bunch of crazy patients?"
Kathryn laughed, answering it with modesty, "You could say that."
"Who is the worst you've seen in Arkham?" Sam wondered.
"Well, they are a few, but I really can't talk about who I'm treating. It's part of the doctor/patient confidentiality."
"Of course," Troy agreed. "As a doctor, I understand. If I may, Dr. Knightly, does Arkham have an opening for medical doctors?"
"Um..."
Elise glared at Troy and held his hand for attention, "Hey, Troy, I left my purse in the car. Could you go and get it for me?"
Kathryn furrowed her brows at Elise, "Is there something wrong with your legs, Lise?"
The blonde friend shook her head, "No, Kat, it's just I... need to go to the restroom." She turned her attention back to Troy, offering him the keys. "So, do you mind?"
"Whoa! Whoa! Whoa!" Sam interrupted with disapproval. "Lise, you're trusting a man, who you haven't seen since high school-" he briefly glared at Troy, "take no offense, Troy, you seem like a nice guy-" The British man merely shrugged as Sam returned to scold the woman, "with your keys, especially after what happened to your previous car?"
Elise's face slackened, recalling the horrid event that took place after her one-sided breakup with another guy. It wasn't a breakup, for he had blocked her number and had stolen her car without a word. Fortunately, the police found it tampered with alongside many other vehicles inside a body shop about to be sold to a bunch of suckers for a high price. The ex was arrested for playing a role in the car scam. Elise was lucky her brother was lenient with the lecture. The important thing was that the guy didn't pull a gun on her. Now she was ready to break his trust by giving the keys to a somewhat-stranger.
"Right..." Elise trailed, standing up and smoothing the wrinkles of her dress. Then, she took Troy by the hand in a dominant grip, "You need to escort me, sir." She wasn't asking but demanding his help.
"I thought you needed to use the loo," Troy claimed as she dragged him out of the table and rushed towards the glass entrance. Sam and Kathryn watched the two disappear outside.
"She's weird," Sam mumbled.
"No comment," Kathryn retorted. Even though Elise had little common sense with trust, Kathryn refused to talk badly about her friend - the first Gotham civilian to welcome her in the city. The awkward silence filled the room, waiting for Troy and Elise to come back with her purse.
"So... um," Kathryn broke the silence, restarting a conversation, "what do you do?"
"Uh..." Didn't he say his occupation already? "A bartender?"
"I mean, hobbies," Kathryn clarified.
"Oh. Other than being a part-time bartender, I also work as a cameraman."
Kathryn raised a brow, "Cameraman?"
"I film for GCN."
"Really? That sounds exciting."
"Oh yeah," he nodded. "It's cool."
Kathryn paused to think of another subject to keep the conversation flowing. There was one, something that both Sam and Kathryn needed to address.
"Elise is setting us up, is she?" Kathryn declared.
Sam sighed with relief, happy to hear his thoughts come to life, "Seems that way. She told me that her friend is in dire need of companionship."
"Dire need?!" Kathryn laughed in disbelief while Sam chuckled with her.
"Her words, not mine. Let me ask you, did you invite yourself?"
"Absolutely not! She told me that Troy was bringing a friend, and she didn't want him to be lonely tonight."
Sam scoffed, "Lise isn't a schemer, that's for sure. This isn't the first time she'd done something stupid. I remember her belly dancing in front of Asian people to get more tips."
Kathryn giggled, picturing the scenario in her head. She took note of how long Elise and Troy were taking outside. Either Elise lost her purse, or the pair ditched the other two for a hotel suite.
"Didn't work, obviously," Sam continued. "The Asians complained, called it offensive, and left without pay. Elise was suspended for two weeks. I'm surprised she didn't tell you this."
"No. God, no!" Kathryn shook her head in dismay. "Yeah, I'm sorry that she had to drag you out here."
"Don't be. This is great. I mean, I get to have a night out of the house, meet new people, get free food. It's a win-win situation when you think about it," Sam sipped his beer.
"Maybe."
"So, what's your story?" Sam asked. "Why did Dr. Maneater feel the need to treat you? Got a bad case of heartbreak?"
Kathryn raised her brows, "Do you?"
Sam shrugged, "A month ago. Putting aside my pride, she dumped me. She wanted someone better, a million-dollars richer."
"Damn."
"Right. Now you? Did Lise disapprove of your boyfriend or something?"
Kathryn scrunched her eyes brows. "Boyfriend?"
"That nerdy guy at the bar. As I recall, you two conversed till closing."
"Jonathan?"
"Whatever his name is..." Sam dismissed the correction. "I'm sorry. I know it's not my business or anything. I mean, we barely know each o-"
"No," Kathryn shook her head. "Jonathan isn't my boyfriend."
"He's not?"
She shook her head.
"Oh..." Sam leaned back against his chair. "That's good..." Sam widened his eyes realizing what he just said, "I-I mean, it's great you two are friends. I mean, not that I care of course, but... I-I-"
"Sam," Kathryn chuckled, amused by his flustered behavior. "You're blushing."
"I am?" Sam was too focused on what he was trying to say; he didn't realize that his cheeks were red. She nodded. "I'm sorry."
"No. No. No. It's fine," she dismissed it, completely amused by the whole thing. "I think it's..." she finished with a smile, "adorable."
Sam scoffed, "I doubt it."
"No, really, it's cute."
"But not as cute as you."
'Oh, my gosh.' Now it was Kathryn's turn to snort and roll her eyes, "That's a cheesy thing to say, isn't it?"
"Maybe, but you see it as 'adorable'."
Kathryn shook her head but a smile hadn't left her face.
Sam leaned as he whispered a question, all joking aside, "Could this be a double date?"
"I don't know you well." As cute as Sam was, it couldn't piece the broken heart back together overnight.
"That's okay. I don't know you either, but what's stopping us from doing so?"
Kathryn looked at Sam, who gazed at her back with a flirtatious smile. The petite wasn't sure if she should thank Elise for lying to her or not. Depending on how the night would go, maybe there was a slight chance she could get over Jonathan Crane.
...
Meanwhile, a car was parked outside the restaurant, peeking through the window. He tightened his grip on the steering wheel at the sight of the blonde boy placing his hand over Kathryn.
Jonathan didn't know why he came to witness this. Why would he be this upset? The girl needed to move on, be happy, though he didn't expect her to accomplish it quickly and easily. This showed that she wasn't entirely innocent as she led him to believe. She was indeed a snake in the grass without knowing it. Maybe she did know and just didn't care. He didn't care. So what's the problem?
Stress was another symptom of a snakebite. Jonathan was running out of time. For that, he turned the key into the ignition and drove off.
