Well, it wasn't the reaction I was expecting, but it's not like I'm complaining.
When I uttered the three perilous words, Shadow grabbed me by the shoulders and just, stared at me for a minute. What felt like hours began to pass while he stared into my eyes, my soul. All was silent, and I wondered what he was waiting for while I wallowed in the discomfort. I dared not speak, for I couldn't even tell whether his gaze was critical or not. His face showed absolutely no expression at all.
But then something started to take place that hollow stare. I could have sworn that for a split second, I saw a twinkle in his eye. Then, as his lips formed an awkward grin, he leaned in close to me, so close in fact, that our foreheads were nearly touching. Then he whispered, so silently that I wasn't sure if he had really said it, "I love you too." In the heat of the moment, he brought his lips to mine and we kissed, gently but passionately, locked in a steel embrace.
And at that moment, I knew this was the beginning of an epic chapter in my life. I also knew that it was a moment so incomparable to anything else in history that I wasn't sure what to do when we finally took a step back. I looked into his face to now see that the awkward grin had turned into a vibrant smile. His cheeks were flushed with red, and I could tell that mine were too.
"Um... Your party!" I remembered in an attempt to find any way out of more silence.
"Oh, uh, yeah! Let's go!" We were both so disoriented by the recent events. As we began to walk out of the huge room, I looked over at him. He had been peeking at me with one eye, but looked straight ahead as soon as I realized it. I was about to grab the door handle when he stepped in front of it. "Maria." He breathed, sighing, "I'm so sorry for being such a jerk. That wasn't cool of me."
"Hey, you were just upset. I might've done the same thing."
"No, but... I ruined your things! And I ran away! Why should you get punished for that?"
"You're over thinking it!" I promised, "Besides, it's all behind us now."
He faced the door and looked down at the ground. "Alright, but..."
I grabbed his arm and turned him around. "Shadow! Do you remember what just happened?" I motioned to the shrine. "When I kissed you, I knew that nothing mattered anymore but that. It was the best moment of my life. Why would I do that if I still cared about the damn books?"
"Okay, alright..." He closed his eyes for a few seconds, probably collecting his thoughts. "Let's just go."
"Okay." I agreed.
"After you." He smiled half-heartedly, opening the door for me."
"Why, thank you!" I giggled, stepping into the hallway. I glanced at the clock before Shadow closed the door behind us. I gasped at its reading.
"What?" Shadow asked.
"It's 9:59! We're not going to make it to the party in time!"
"Yes we are." His eyes narrowed mischievously as he picked me up bridal-style.
"What are you-" Before I could fully react, we were flying down the hall at the speed of sound. I shut my eyes in fear, but before they were closed for a full second, we had stopped again.
"We're here!" Shadow said cheerfully as he set me down. "And we're early!"
The clock still read 9:59. "Amazing..." I breathed.
"Well, while we're waiting, let me fix your hair." Shadow reached up and patted down my wind-swept hair, and I laughed as he delicately tucked a lock behind my ear. Not only was that humorous, but also the fact that he stood up on his toes to gingerly plant a kiss on my cheek.
I looked around us, embarrassed. We weren't near any people yet, so nobody had seen the project kiss the lead researcher's granddaughter, thank God. "What am I, your grandma?" I joked, wanting more than a kiss on the cheeks.
He chuckled, then pulled me down by my shoulders so that we were at eye level. He cocked his head to the side and we shared a similar kiss to the first one, losing ourselves in the moment again. Suddenly, a shrill "Maria!" could be heard from nearby. We pushed away as fast as possible, not wanting to explain that to Grandfather.
When he approached us, he was wearing a tuxedo instead of a lab coat, and I was relieved that I wore a dress today. Shadow looked down at his slick black fur. It was matted and messy, like he'd just gotten out of bed. "Um, I'm gonna go freshen up. Be right back!" He called, running to the bathroom. Then it was just Grandfather and I, and that really couldn't have been more awkward. I didn't talk to him much, because he was usually working on a big project.
"You look happy." He commented. I wiped the idiotic grin off my face as soon as I realized its presence. "Why?" He wondered, "I mean, not that you shouldn't be, it's just that, well, you're not usually very happy."
"Oh, uh, well, I made a friend."
"What? How-" Suddenly, a wave of understanding crossed his face. "Oh! You've befriended the project! That explains why you came here with him! How cute!"
"Yeah...uh-huh..." I avoided all eye contact. This was just getting painful.
"In fact, when I came over here you two were... hugging, was it? That's an odd relationship."
"Well, who are you to judge? It's my life, Grandfather!" I immediately regretted my tone of voice, for I could see the hurt on his face. I looked over and saw Shadow coming back from the restroom. "Grandfather, I'm, I didn't mean to be so disrespectful."
"It's okay... I mean, you're twelve. It's a very bumpy road ahead, what with hormones and puberty..." Yep, couldn't be more awkward. that's a given.
"Hey!" Shadow had come back. "Can I change the topic?"
"Yes." I replied.
"Sorry to invade. You two have fun!"
He waved goodbye sheepishly, obviously excited about my new "friend".
"So..." Shadow shifted his weight from foot to foot. "I could hear what the professor was saying from across the room. That's... pleasant." So, Shadow was using sarcasm now. He must have picked it up from me or something.
"Hah. You shouldn't be talking though. Is that supposed to be a bowtie?"
"Hey, it was a last resort decision!" He had tried to tie a bowtie that looked like a ripped-up pillow case. "I ripped a strip of fabric off a curtain in the bathroom and tied it around my neck. You should be happy that I'm trying to look nice."
"Why?"
"I don't know! Just help me with it!"
"Okay, just, hold still!" I untied it and made it a neater bowtie, though it still looked ridiculous. A female scientist suddenly rushed over to us.
"Is that the best you've got in clothes?" She laughed.
"Yeah, what's it to you?" Shadow asked.
"Well, you look hilarious! I made you a tux, you know!"
"Why?" We both said in unison. This night was beginning to turn into a cheesy movie.
"It's my birthday gift to you! Here, I'll go get it and be right back!" She ran over to her table and came back with a blue and green gift box. Shadow ripped the bow off with his razor-sharp teeth and threw the lid behind him, leaving me to pick up the scraps. The scientist watched us curiously, anxious to see Shadow's reaction. He pulled it out of the box with one hand and held it up. It was a black tux, complete with a red cummerbund and, thankfully, a bowtie. I sighed with relief.
He left for the bathroom again, and I looked down at myself. Now I was underdressed. I figured nobody would notice if I slipped out for a second or two. I ran back to my room after the scientist left and looked in a mirror next to the armiore. My hair wasn't too bad, but my dress was red and yellow, and ended just below my knee. Way too casual. I flung open the wooden door and found a long white gown with a light pink, sparkly ribbon. "Why do I have this?" I wondered aloud, not sure where it came from. Didn't matter though, because Shadow was probably going to come out of the bathroom and see my absence any second now. I threw the dress on and yanked a brush through my hair. I was about to leave when I saw a slight twinkle in the back of my armoire, under where the dress used to be. It was a sparkly pink headband to match the ribbon on the dress. "You've got to be kidding me." I muttered, deciding to put hairpiece on for the heck of it. When I looked in the mirror, I couldn't help feeling like an idiot. This really wasn't my style, but I didn't have any other choice. I suddenly began to hear a low chuckle in the open doorway. I glanced over to see Shadow. "What the heck are you doing? Where you watching me change?!" I scrambled to shut the door, when he put his foot in the way.
"No, of course not! I just noticed you were gone and came over. I didn't see anything, I swear!"
"Alright, come on in, then."
"I just want to put this out there; you look... so stunning." He breathed, "Truly gorgeous."
"Wow, thanks..." I could feel the heat in my face as it reddened. "Wanna go back to the party?"
"Not really."
"Well, we have to." He sighed in response. "Is something wrong?" I asked.
"No, I'm just stalling, I guess." He admitted, "I hate crowds, but I especially hate the ones gathered for me."
"As much as I feel the same way, they probably know you're missing, and we should go back. People put a lot of time and effort into setting it up and stuff, so..." I opened the door and motioned for him to go. "Ladies first." I joked. He didn't seem to get the humor as he walked out into the hallway. "Don't be a grump." I muttered, "We'll go back as a team."
We locked hands and headed back into the merciless dungeon: Shadow's birthday party.