AUGUST PROMPT: HOTELS/ GETTING DINNER/MOVIE NIGHT/NOIR/HANDCUFFS/UNDERCOVER

OPTIONAL GENRE/THEMES: ANGST/MYSTERY/ROMANCE

Synopsis; How can their normal occasional dinner together be something that is not?

#Post-Resident Evil: Death Island

Note: Just a heads-up, there is some movie reference/spoiler inside.

Claire sat with her leg stretched out on the extended sofa, her feet were danced left and right showing her excitement. Her cheeks hollowed as she drank up a good amount of strawberry milkshakes from the large container. A small smile formed by the corner of his lips as he glanced at her. Even though there was a tinge of hope that he was the reason she acted, his thought echoed the relevance that it must be dinner.

"What are we watching?", said Claire, while laid out the napkin on her lap. Courtesy for not staining her clothes, but especially the sofa.

"On the Waterfront."

She unconsciously licked her lips when receiving the double cheeseburger she ordered that was passed by Leon. The wrapping was already neatly peeled by him to make it easier for her to munch away her dinner. After whispering her thanks, a satisfied moan elicited from her denoting the contentment she felt after taking the first bite of her meal since breakfast. The whole scene tickled Leon with happiness as he watched it discreetly under the dimmed lights.

"On the Waterfront?", said Claire in between chewing a mouthful of her dinner. The big screen in front of them unveiled a black and white display with the name of the main actor and followed with the title he had just given.

Before taking a bite of his chicken sandwich, he asked her. "Yeah. Have you seen it?"

Claire shook her head in negation, with her eyes still glued on the film that had started rolling the first scene. And then she added, "You know I only watch movies when I'm with you."

Her notion made his ears feel hot and his cheeks dusted with a rosy tint a little. He cleared his throat to conceal his shyness. Another smile came to show upon his mouth after he took a glimpse at her when happened to be she was taking a piece of her fries and popped into her mouth. Her eating habits of eating the burger and alternating it with the fries had never changed. She did the same when the night they ate together for the first time after the Raccoon City debacle. He was also the same, yet in contrast to her; he liked to finish his sandwich and then focus on getting the fries. For some reason, that frozen smile became a proud smirk knowing that some of her and him were still the same.

"Is it true?" After nearly 30 minutes she finally spoke. Another common habit of hers, talking while watching the movie.

"Ehmm?" Leon turned to Claire with a quizzical expression. He observed the woman next to her with great interest.

Discarding the crumpled wrapping on the side table next to her, Claire proceeded to wipe her hand with the wet wipes. "About what he said. The pigeons."

"They get married and stay with their partner till they die?", Leon answers with another question to get confirmation about her querry. After seeing her nod, he explained while reaching out for a tissue, "Yeah they do."

"That seems-" She flinched in surprise when he candidly wiped the excess sauce that was at the corner of her mouth.

Leon finished her sentences upon their eyes met, "Romantic?"

"For pigeons.", countered Claire as she snatched the tissue from Leon's hand and wiped the rest herself. Regardless of the dimmed lighting, he noticed a slight redness across her cheeks that prompted a smirk playing around the edges of his mouth. It was not intentional to get her blushing in shyness, however, Leon planted affirmation that there just being embarrassed. He needed to set a boundary between him and her because she was taken.

"You don't you think it applied to people?", Leon asked. He took the last piece of his fries hiding his sorrow.

"Yeah, it does. But the reality is when their partner dies they will find another. People yearn for companionship."

"Companionship does not mean only as in get in love again. Companionship can be among friends."

"That's friendship."

"It's-" He paused and added subsequently without countering further. "Okay."

After some quiet stillness, Leon said. "You're correct. But it did not happen to just people. To pigeon too, because they will still remarry if there is death in the family."

He sensed her eyes were on him, so he turned to face her fully. Regardless, he regretted doing so because he failed to discern her expression. Her look was mixed of desolate, almost heartbroken. If she continued much longer her long stare burned his face. Luckily, she turned her attention back to the movie. His focus in the movie was gone. It did not matter anyway, he had seen the movies several times. Clearly interpreting the expression she gave was much more important.

What's wrong? Didn't you move on already with someone else other than me?

Not long after their last conversation, Leon felt it gonna gets another when the movie rolled to a scene where the protagonist uttered those lines that he also used upon her.

'Oh... what a fruitcake you are.'

The moment that line echoed, he felt the slight shift beside him. SHIT! He knew that got her attention again. Timidly he faced her, meeting her astounded look with a gaze that looking for answers to the unspoken question.

"You remember?"

"How could I not."

Yes. How could she? And how could he expect her to forget?

Regardless it happened 10 years ago, she remembered. The exact phrase pthat he stole from the movie, to express his bottled-up resentment of what happened to him and was innocently dumped on her. The discordance happened months just after he came back from Spain and a few months before the Hardvardville Outbreak happened, resulting in a chaotic silence between them. In the span of knowing each other, there had been disagreements and clashes countless times. However, what happened that day was indeed their first fight. Disappointed at his own self and how much he regretted not handling the situation better.

Leon looked back at the screen, shying away from Claire's burning stare. When her gaze did not waver from him, he bravely returned to face her again. He broke the silence by asking her, "You still remember?"

"Of course."

"Hurmm..." Pressing his lips, he did not know how to proceed. Therefore, she took his cue.

"I thought you were mocking me when you said that."

"You know I would never do that."

"Well you never explain and quiet most of the time."

He was well aware he owned her explanation, so his brain began to work. Nervous, he gnawed his lower lip. He was not at best with words, especially with the person he loved the most. After all, his unguarded words led to their fighting 10 years ago. Seconds turned to minutes, she misunderstood the silence that he unintentionally proffered. At the corner of his eyes, he caught her displeased and heard her muttering, "Like what you doing right now."

Therefore, he did what he was best at, deflection. "This is why I could never take you to watch movies at the theatre.", said Leon softly.

Leon successfully got her attention to something else, upon hearing her question on asking further.

"Why is that?"

"Because you talk too much during the screening."

His lips curved amused seeing her sink further to the couch, arms folded to the chest with a pout on her lips. He thought she looked cute.

Returning her attention to the film, she said, "Maybe for you. You know some people actually enjoy my chatty side during movies. It's one of my charms."

His plan of evading backfired him with her answer. Too emotional, he responded to her too soon.

"And who that might be?"

He had dug his own grave with his question. Because if her answer was the man she currently dating he would feel disheartened. Truthfully, he did not enjoy it a bit. In fact, there was jealousy in it. Eyes locked to the movie screen were his disguise. Trepidation clouded him as he waited for her answer.

"Just one. It's Sherry."

Quietly, he sighed in relief. His relief was vividly manifest in his demeanor. He slumped further to his seat, resulting in his body shifting closer to her.

"Not only Sherry.", added Leon. Letting her know not only Sherry who enjoyed her chatty companionship during movies.

"Uh?", expressed Claire slightly surprised.

Therefore, he clarified. "I never said I didn't favor it."

"Oh yeah? Is this the same case as Chris, where he is okay with it but later bitching about not getting any of the movies?", said, looking at Leon skeptically.

Leon's body rocked with laughter, he added, "That's why I watch all the movies beforehand. If not, I wouldn't get anything from the movie every time watching with you."

She slapped his chest with the back of her hand and rebuked, "Oh, come one! I'm not the only one to blame. You on the other hand sleep after halfway through the movie."

"It happens only with you."

"Yeah right."

Hearing his response, Claire let out a half-suppressed laugh. He sensed her disbelief in his words, but it did not matter. The important thing he was being honest and that she was true. He never saw the end credit every time they watched movies together. Not because she was boring company, or the movie was bad. It was because of the comfort and the familiarity that she provided him peace to actually sleep without depending on the usual alcohol.

It was one of many things that he did differently when he was with Claire. The only person who spent time with him in his mini-theatre was Claire. Not even Sherry ever set foot in the room. There would be no eating during the movie screening, not even popcorn. However tonight, he was with her belly full of a chicken sandwich and vanilla milkshakes.

Sure enough, the atmosphere became lighter as they resumed watching the movie with Claire still oftentimes chatting during the movie, to which he eagerly responded. Night picked up the pace. Somewhere within the remaining 20 minutes before the movie ended, he sailed to a dreamland with him slumped next to her snuggly, with his head propped on her shoulder. His last thought was on Claire, wishing her to stay overnight at his house with him instead of the hotel she staying at.

EndNote: On the Waterfront is my personal favorite. I love that movie. Highly recommended.