"Kirsten, meet Morty." Cameron said, pointing at the gentleman that nearly gave the blonde a fatal heart attack. He politely held out his hand and Kirsten felt obliged to shake it. Respect your elderly, as poor Ed used to say. His palm was slippery, a weird combination between sweat and grease lingering. She shamelessly wiped it on the side of her kaki windbreaker jacket.
"So you're real."
Morty's eyebrow slightly widened in surprise. What a bold statement. This girl clearly piqued his interest. Next to her, Cameron's cheeks were flushing crimson. As much as he wanted not to look at her, he pulled her closer and whispers in her ear, his anger masked by his collected tone:
"Kirsten remember that talk we had about filtering? This was one of the reasons why we needed to have it."
"You're standing in a two by two shop, it's not like I can't hear you. Let her talk, son.'' The older man urges Kirsten to carry on.
"I'm sorry. This is awkward. I didn't think Cameron was being serious when he brought me here. I assumed he was the victim of a joke. Because this place is so barren, I thought it was an old warehouse somebody forgot to take care of- no offense."
"None taken, sweetheart."
"You don't live in here, do you? It's just so dark, and sad…"
"Kirsten!" Cameron shrieked.
"Your lady's right. I should make some light." Morty paused for a moment, then disappeared behind a tasseled curtain. A bright white neon light flickered twice above their heads before shedding some much needed light over the shop. It's just what you would expect: wooden mannequins in tall, stained glass cases, decrepit clothes racks with chipped hangers on one end and a long table full of horrifying mannequin heads and wigs on the other. The cash register was lying on top of a scuffed wood counter, near the entrance.
"Oh, you thought I was his girlfriend? No, no, we're just really good friends. Tell him Cameron."
"Actually, she's my date to this Halloween party the company organized. We're here to get our costumes, right sweet pea?" He poked her nose lovingly before possessively snaking an arm around her waist.
What was going on with him? First, he made a scene and now he acts like a lovefool. To say that she was fuming and gobsmacked would have been an understatement.
"Let me go in the back and grab them for you. I saved them for you, I took the last pair off the rack a little bit earlier." The man disappeared behind the curtain for the second time that afternoon. Luckily, that gave Kirsten enough time to react to the scene Cameron had made in front of her and Morty.
"What just happened? "Sweet Pea?" " She crossed her arms in front of her chest, boldly demanding an explanation from her- partner. Yes, that was it. If anything, they were more like Sherlock and Watson than Bonnie and Clyde. Or so she thought. To say that she didn't find Cameron attractive would be a blatant lie. But still, something held her back. He looked like he would want something serious, stable. She didn't do stable.
"I- um, panicked?" Cameron passed a hand through his hair before continuing. "Look, I used to come here a lot when I was a teenager- maybe more often than I could admit. "
"This was your nerd lair? I can see why." Kirsten twirled, pointing at the shop. "Still doesn't answer my question" That was Kirsten Clark to you. Straight to the point.
"Since I hung out around here, mostly by myself, he thought I was… gay." Cameron whispered, his eyes glued to the floor.
"That's it? If it helps, there's nothing about you that screams gay. Good God, I'm bad with compliments." She mimicked Cameron's position, her eyes fixed on the front of her sleek thigh high black boots. "So what, I was your blonde arm candy? I'm alright with that." Kirsten inquired in a glacial tone. This conversation was definitely escalating too quickly for their liking.
"I wouldn't let you degrade yourself like that, and you know it. You're… more than a pretty face. Anyone would be an idiot not to see that. You're going to make someone happy one day." Sadness was lingering on his last words. But of course she didn't pick up on that. Because although she was starting to understand who he is and where he's coming from, she was blind to his subtle advances. Either that or she didn't want to be a bitch about it and reject him directly.
The cloud of silence that settled between the two of them was so thick you could barely cut it with a knife. Kirsten was trying to take in the impact Cameron's words made on her while Cameron mentally slapped himself for speaking. Right at that moment, Morty emerged from the 'stock' room with the set of costumes neatly placed on the hanger and zipped up in a dry cleaner bag:
"Can one of you give me a hand? I still have a box with some accessories lying somewhere in the back."
"I'll go." Kirsten offered without thinking twice. "What should I be looking for?"
"Thanks a lot honeybunch. I label my boxes- helps me know where everything is. Yours should just say Cameron on it."
The stock room resembled a high school janitor closet, without the creepy janitor lurking around. It took Kirsten less than two minutes to find the box. She would have to remember to thank Morty for her labeling system as it made her task a lot easier.
"Star Wars? Out of all ideas you could possibly think of, it had to be Star Wars?"
"It's old-school." Cameron retorted defensively.
"Wait till you see your costume." Morty and Cameron exchanged knowing looks.
"Oh Mort, look at the time! We have to jet! Sorry we couldn't hang around a bit longer." Cameron pretended to check the watch that was wrapped around his wrist.
"It was nice meeting you, sir. I'm sorry about my behavior from earlier. That was uncalled for."
"Quit the formalities. Call me Morty. Oh, and don't worry about paying. It's on me. Happy Halloween!"
"You should see what costume Cameron picked out for me. It's... Interesting." Kirsten said, waiting for a reply from the woman on the phone.
"Come on, it can't be that bad. It's not like he dressed you as slave Leia."Camille commented, slipping on her leather catsuit. Kirsten's silence said it all.
"He did. Ugh, men are so predictable."
"I'm sure that Linus didn't pick a more cliche costume." The blonde interfered, humorously raising an eyebrow.
"As if I'd let him handle that. " She scoffed. "Anyway, your slaveness, see you at the party." The line went dead after a few seconds.
"Cameron, you owe me one, girlfriend." Kirsten told herself as she added the finishing touches to her costume.
" I do?" He inquired, pretending to knock on the door.
"What are you doing here? It's bad luck to see the costume before the party." The woman concluded, pulling tight on her ponytail.
"I'm pretty sure that's only for married couples."
"Well you definitely made us sound like one back at Morty's. I have to say, you clean up well, sir Anakin." She took a curtsy bow.
"It's Star Wars, not the medieval era. You need to hang out with me and Linus more often."
"I'll have to say pass. Don't want to interrupt your bro time. Shall we go now?"
"Sure. After you."
"For a Sith Lord ass, you are pretty polite. "
As they stepped together into the lab, a curtain of thick smoked engulfed them.
"What is this?" Cameron wondered, taking in the polluted air.
"I can't decide between a witch's broth or toxic fumes."
"There you are! " Maggie greeted them as she stepped down from the gallery.
"Maggie, you do Pocahontas justice." Cameron eyed his boss from head to toe. She looked amazing in a Native American leather tasseled dress and tribal face paint.
"Fisher, is that you?" Kirsten pointed a finger at the lean man that approached them. His usual raven like hair was concealed by some blonde tresses.
"I look like John Smith puked on me." His embarrasment was clear as daylight. Maggie gave him a friendly pat on the back, followed by an amused giggle.
"Has anyone seen Linus and Camille?" Cameron asked.
"Call our names and we'll be there. Who said nemeses can't work together?"
"Linus, the voice modulator thing is getting old." Camille whined from behind her Catwoman mask.
"Your costume isn't cliche, is it?" Kirsten teased her brunette friend.
"Shut up, I was going to pick out something else but there were no other options left. That's what happens when you're notified about a party two days earlier."
"Can we get past that? I already said I was sorry." Maggie asked on a defensive tone.
"Excuse me, can I have this dance?" Cameron asked Kirsten before pulling her in the improvised dancefloor in the middle of the room.
"I'm in a skimpy costume that you picked out without consulting me. I guess you earned that right."
Suddenly, a transition is made from an energetic to a slow paced song. Kirsten's hand was propped against Cameron's shoulder as he wrapped an arm around her bare waist.
"You're not that bad of a dancer, Goodkin."
"I have my merits, Clark." He leaned against her, as he whispered in her ear.
"Don't tell anyone but my mom made me go to ballroom dance lessons when I was 10." His hot breath tickled her ear and suddenly, her core was shattered, her defenses were broken down.
"Well, I guess they paid off." She flushed, feeling out of breath.
Suddenly, the music stoppped and the lights went off. When the lights came back on, everyone was gathered round Cameron's unconscious body.
"No! Cameron!" People were talking but Kirsten was tuning out their words like white noise. They stepped aside, letting the woman kneel beside her date.
"Wake up, you dork. Please, please." She was hyperventilating, her body was shaking uncontrollably as nobody could do anything but watch. She towered over him, letting the tears fall freely as she lowered her mouth on top of his. The kiss was fervent, desperate. His eyelids fluttered awake slowly and Kirsten gasped in relief:
"Don't ever do this to me again."
"I wouldn't even dare trying.