One Touch

15: Nothing is Impossible

Star Wars and Dora the Explorer were my entire life as a kid, and bits of my memories traced back to Winnie the Pooh. My childhood was like its own separate world, a part of a different dimension. It was the storage room for childish innocence, affinities, hobbies, and it had been a while since I visited that chaotic territory.

Atlanta wanted to go to the movies today, and I wasn’t jumping on the idea but I was fine doing anything with her. She watched all of the Star Wars movies, and when she found out I was a fan, she suggested we give Rogue One a go at the theatres.

Mom was happy to let me go, and I grabbed my car keys. Atlanta made a whole plan for us to spend the day, and I was her GPS. I went to get her at her porch door, and was relieved when she opened the door instead of Caspian. Apparently he had gone somewhere with the kingdom, or he was on a date with Amber. I didn’t want to pry too much.

“Hey, Atlanta,” I said, noticing her hair a shade darker. “Is your hair blue or am I seeing things?”

Her hand went to hair as she smoothed it. “Um, yeah. It’s a bit blue.” It would match the colour of her eyes if it was a darker blue rather than a baby blue. “I dyed it a teensy bit. Does it look okay?”

“You’re still rocking your hair, Atlanta,” I assured her. But the hair she had before was stunning as well. If I was right, I’d think the white blended into a blue naturally, but that was impossible.

The theatre for Rogue One was packed by the time it started playing on the large I-MAX screen. We got seats at the very middle, and enjoyed the experience to the fullest. It didn’t disappoint my childhood, and having Atlanta watch it with me was a real gift. After the movie ended, Atlanta and I rambled about all the differences in each of the Star Wars movies and which one was the best one. People in the theatre were staring at us, but I was sure most of them were attracted to Atlanta’s charming beauty. Even at the mall, she’d catch the attention of many.

“What next?” I asked her, sipping from my Pepsi drink.

“The mall,” she said as we sat in my car. “I need to get some clothes for dance class, and a dress for my date.” My ears perked up and she gave me a sly grin. This girl had a date?

“Whoa, where did that come from?” I said in astonishment. She zipped her lips and I gave her an icy stare. “You better tell me or I’m not taking you to the mall.”

“I’ll tell you on the way,” she said, suppressing her smile. I had a theory about what she would say, but I was more willing to know what Caspian thought about this date. Hopefully she wouldn’t leave those details out, because I didn’t want to ask about him myself.

I wasn’t a big shopper, but didn’t mind strolling around and looking at display cases outside of the stores. I was keener about shopping on a sale day, and it wasn’t just the money that attracted me to the store. I loved to see people price-match and fuss over a couple cents or dollars in difference. Money-minded people amused me.

“How about Forever 21?” Atlanta said, and I shrugged. I was good with anything and everything as long as the prices didn’t go through the roof. While browsing through the catalogue of dresses, she told me about her date. “It’s not really a date, but he asked me if I would like to go bowling. We were talking about activities we liked and I guess he remembered that one.”

“You like bowling?” I asked. Atlanta nodded. “Are you sure you want to buy a dress to go bowling?”

“We’ll maybe get ice cream after that,” she said. “And I want a knee-high dress that’s comfortable, or even a dressy shirt.” Her hands fidgeted as we examined clothes from their hangers.

“You should relax,” I said, nudging her shoulder. “Here, let me help you select clothes. This’ll be a walk in the park.” I pulled her into another store. “By the way, what did Caspian think of the date?”

Atlanta bit her lip. “I didn’t tell him.” My mouth dropped open and she put a finger to her lips. “I’m sneaking it. I’ve never done something bad before, but Eve, I really want to do this. You won’t tell him right?”

“Okay, don’t get all whiny now,” I joked, but something else ran in my head. I was the first one to backstab Caspian and I should be the first one to support Atlanta’s decision. But I was worried. All this time, Caspian was trying to keep Atlanta away to ward off whatever he found forbidden. But now? What if it was something terrible he wanted Atlanta to stay from? I wouldn’t know, but I didn’t want to cause my friend distress.

“Eve.” Atlanta took my hand in a flash. She ducked and took us out of the store. I followed her with bewilderment as she began to jog to the other side. “Why did it have to be now at this specific place?” she groused.

“What are you doing?” I said to her as we hid behind a rack of men’s jackets. She pointed across the escalators to the other side of the glass railing.

The kingdom was right across from us, and if we moved, they’d see us for sure.I saw Ryu, Caspian, and Zavian grouped as a trio while the girls began to walk in the other direction. Their voices were inaudible as they faced the other way. Atlanta and I made a run for it and we escaped from their view.

“Wow, that was awesome,” Atlanta said, looking behind her. It was an intense rush we had there, but dangerous.

We continued to shop and managed to find an outfit for her to wear on her date. We had completely forgotten about the kingdom lurking in the mall when I bumped into one of the members.

“Oh, hey,” Zavian said, as I clutched my bag. Atlanta was near the cash register, somewhere in the store behind me. I prayed she didn’t come out anytime soon, or before Zavian left.

Oh no, it just got worse. I saw Caspian heading towards us, and I held my breath. Lovely.

“We better get going,” Zavian told him, but Caspian’s eyes were on me. “Dude, I think Emerald and Amber are waiting for us.” I began to walk away when Caspian brushed past Zavian and stopped me.

“Are you here alone?” he asked with his brows furrowed. I nodded. “I thought you hated shopping.” How would he know that? I didn’t remember telling him that. “Were you talking to Zavian?”

“Amber’s going to be mad, dude,” Zavian interrupted. “We need to go back.”

At that moment, we heard a bubbly Atlanta hop towards me and wrap an arm through mine. She thanked me for choosing a dress for her and I told her to look up. When she did, her arm slowly slipped out of mine and she took a step away from me. And another, and another.

“Atlanta, where are you going?” Caspian said to her, and she stopped.

“I don’t see what’s wrong,” I said. “You gave me permission to hang out with your sister, and I haven’t broken any of your conditions.” Atlanta nodded on the other side.

“Zavian, take Atlanta home,” Caspian said. I gave him a look of disbelief. “And you can go on without me. I have another important matter to cover.” Zavian was about to decline when Caspian told Atlanta to go.

“Hey!” I complained. Zavian escorted Atlanta away from us, and I crossed my arms across my chest. “You said all I had to do was tell you what we did and not touch her.”

“First of all, she did touch you,” he said. What? It lasted for a couple seconds before she let go. “And didn’t we add a third condition? There is a time limit. You’re done.” I was about to interject when he cut me off. “Come.”

“Where?” I said.

“To talk about your playdate,” he said. It was not a playdate. “Don’t argue with me. Come.” I did without a choice and we took the escalator to the first floor.

“You know we could just talk right here and have it done with,” I told him.

“I don’t work that way,” he said. We went outside and walked into the parking lot. I had a bad feeling about it the moment he took out his car keys.

“My car is on the other side, what do you plan on doing?” I said. He sat in his car and ordered me to get in. “I’m not going anywhere with you. Just so you know. And weren’t you the one who said you’d never let me in your car?”

“Get in,” he repeated with annoyance. “I’m not turning the engine on.” I got in and closed the door, putting my bag in my lap. “Now, tell me everything.” It wasn’t a top secret. We didn’t need such a confidential setting.

“We went to the movie to watch Rogue One, and we went to the mall to get clothes,” I said. It was all the truth. “That’s all that happened. I’m leaving.” I reached for the handle but he locked all the doors. “Hey, what do you want?”

“This is serious,” he said, his voice low. “I need to know every little thing. She didn’t touch you before I came, right?” How many times would he ask me that? I shook my head. “Is there anything else?”

I was about to say no when I remembered Atlanta’s date. I wasn’t someone to snitch on a friend, but I was worried for her—I’d do it to clear any doubt. I didn’t want to call off the date, but I wanted Caspian to know and understand her feelings. I wanted him to give her a chance.

“There is this one thing…” I started off slow. He moved closer to hear the best he could and I moved away to put an equivalent space between us. “You have to promise me you won’t freak out.”

“I can’t promise you anything,” he said.

I sighed. “This is even more important than your stupid conditions. This is about your sister and I’m sure you want to know everything.”

He gritted his teeth. “Fine. Tell me what it is.”

“She has a date with Ronald,” I told him. Before he could flip, I continued. “I don’t know when, but all I know is that she wants it to happen.” Caspian’s anger radiated from his spot on the driver’s seat, but I didn’t let him speak. “Listen to me. She didn’t want to tell you because she knows you will stop them. Listen to me, Caspian. She wants that. You can never give her that much happiness.”

“Who are you to interfere?” he spat. “She knows why she can’t spend time with a human like that. We’ve been through it before, and I can’t even count how many times.”

“First off, I’m her friend.” I jabbed a finger at him. “I care about her. If not, I wouldn’t be telling you this. She told me not to tell you, but what am I doing now? Why are you showing all your anger and hatred on me?” His lips formed a hard line. “And what’s wrong with Atlanta hanging out with humans? She’s a human. You’re a human. You act like we’re a whole different species.”

“You won’t understand,” Caspian said with his voice tight.

“Give. Her. A. Chance,” I punctuated every word. “If it, God forbid, ends up being a disaster, she’ll learn from it. Let her do it, give her some freedom. She’ll never know the experience of it and the consequences without taking action.”

I wasn’t sure if Caspian gained anything from this, but the way his features relaxed to stupefaction told me he was listening. His golden eyes were stony, a confound glaze over them. I got lost in them when I forgot to avert my gaze, and we sat in silence for the next few minutes.

“So, what are you trying to tell me?” he said when he found out I was done with my lengthy speech.

“Happiness, is important,” I told him after taking a deep breath. “Okay? You don’t have to do things that give you happiness, but don’t do things that won’t give you happiness. Don’t do things that will make you unhappy. That’s all.”

“And what about safety? What about financial issues?” he opposed with examples of obstacles. “What if your life is on the line, or you’re in a fairy tale?”

I laughed, but it was small and quiet. “You’re losing me here. I don’t want you to think of the impossible.” He was missing the main idea. “If you set your heart to it, I’m sure you’ll get what you want. Goodness, I’m sounding like a cheesy poem. Or some Tumblr quote.”

The corners of Caspian’s lips quirked up, and it made my heart leap. I didn’t know what it was, but making him smile was rewarding. It was like an unlocked achievement in the game of mystery. It was charming and at the same time, formidable.

“Nothing is impossible,” he said, and put an arm on the steering wheel. “The cheesy quotes can go far.” A hope lit up in my body as I waited in anticipation.

“So…we’re okay with Atlanta and her date with Ronald,” I stated. He took a long time to answer and it was killing me in the inside wanting to know if I changed his mind.

“I’ll be taking extra precautions,” he said with sigh. “But, I guess.” A wide grin formed on face as joy consumed me. Caspian saw my delight and the minuscule smile returned on his face.

“Thank you!” I exclaimed, lifting off my seat and throwing my arms around him. He was taken off guard when he recoiled on the impact. I pulled away quickly, my cheeks hot. “Sorry. I, I have to go tell Atlanta.”

“Tell her what?” he said, straightening. I wanted to tell Atlanta he agreed to her date. “Don’t tell her anything. And what was that? Who gave you the right to touch me?”

My jaw dropped and Caspian suppressed a grin. “You’re the biggest hypocrite I’d met in my life,” I said. “I’m sorry for forcing any type of action on you. I will never touch you again. Happy?”

I opened the door to leave when Caspian grabbed my hand. “Do you mean that?” he said. I didn’t know whether he was being genuine, or a jerk. “If Atlanta is going on a date with him, I don’t see why…” He trailed off and let my hand go.

“You’re right,” I said with my brows furrowed. “I don’t understand you, because you make it impossible to. Even when I try to, I just can’t understand you.”

His eyes narrowed. “Do you want to?” It was more like a request than a question. More like an offer than a request. More like a challenge than an offer. In fact, Caspian himself was momentarily startled, and he faced the steering wheel. A chilly aura enveloped him and I stepped out of the car.

I shut the door. What in the stars of Neptune happened?