Entry tags:

chernobog, marzanna

Holding my hand in the pale gloom
Who: Nathaniel and Juliet
What: Nathaniel and Juliet try for another date to see a play! And things are gonna go RIGHT this time!
Where: NCM Fathom theaters at Irvine, CA
When: November 19th, evening
Notes: Kissy-kissy!

While it wasn’t seeing a live Shakespeare play, the film of The Tempest had decent enough reviews and Nathaniel had the greatest of hopes that Juliet would enjoy herself. Even more- he hoped that nothing would go wrong with this date. No disappearing hands, no spilt drinks, they would just enjoy one another’s company and the showing of Shakespeare.

Nathaniel had dressed in dress pants and a button down shirt that was a dark blue. It was warm enough out to be without a jacket but still he carried it, just in case Juliet were to grow cold. “I must say, it’s enjoyable that we can have popcorn if we would like while we watch this,” Nathaniel commented as he took Juliet’s hand in his own and led her to the lobby of the theater. “Would you like to get some treats? I’ve never had these... Sour Patch kids... they aren’t available in England.”

Turning to his date, Nathaniel flashed a smile before giving her hand a reassuring squeeze. “But we don’t have to get any food if you don’t want to, Juliet. Your wish is my command.”

“You say that, you’re liable to give a girl ideas,” she responded teasingly, completely glad to be here, with him, and to have everything going so smoothly thus far. Of course, she didn’t want to count her chickens before they hatched, and she had all her fingers and toes crossed that nothing would go wrong on this date. The previous one had been so...weird, even weirder than the bowling alley incident, but for now Juliet was more concerned with forgetting all of those stumbling blocks and focusing on the play Nathaniel was taking her to. She’d heard of the recreation of The Tempest, but hadn’t had a chance to see it just yet - so when Nathaniel proposed a viewing, she could barely stop herself from jumping up and down with joy at the idea. For this particular outing she’d dressed up with heels, stockings, and a still somewhat casual black dress, a soft pink sweater keeping her arms warm.

The theater he’d found that still played the film was a small, independent venture that retained all the charm and loveliness of a family owned business. One purchased the tickets at the concession stand, and everything they sold food-wise was selected with a mind toward healthiness. The walls were covered in posters from independent films, many of which Juliet hadn’t heard of, but certainly was going to look into now. She would adore it if such a pastime became a regular thing for her and Nate, and she had to calm herself to match his pace while walking into the theater itself.

“I would love some popcorn, and some candy, too. We can split a bag, if you like?” She flashed him a bright smile, her eyes sparkling with excitement.

Nathaniel grinned, tightening his hand safely in Juliet’s hand but regretting that it didn’t feel like it had when his hands--his entire body, in fact--had become nothing but a shadow. Still, this was normal and normal was good, even if it didn’t send a tingling sensation through him. “Sour patch kids and a...medium popcorn,” Nathaniel requested the concession stand worker. His grin had turned silly due to his eagerness to try a new candy but he managed to pull his attention to Juliet, which was pretty easy to do. “I apologize, I meant to tell you that you look lovely as always, darling. I’m so thrilled you wanted to come out with me again after...all of our other dates...I wasn’t sure if you would be interested. Life has certainly become rather strange since I’ve moved into the apartment complex and I’m sorry it has filtered into our time together.”

Her eyes watched his face light up at the simple mention of the candy, which made her stomach do flip flops. The worker turned his back to retrieve the health-conscious treat, which gave them a small measure of privacy for Nathaniel’s next words. Juliet’s smile shrank, turning sympathetic, and she squeezed his hand.

“I don’t blame you for those things, Nate. It was just...strange occurrences. Hopefully this time around things will go smoothly, I mean, what could go wrong in a movie theater?” She did want this to work - it wasn’t so much her inexperience in the dating world that made her not want to lose this relationship, but something about Nathaniel himself that not only made him seem familiar, but comforting and almost an essential part of her life. Not that she would say such things aloud; they’d only known each other for a couple of months at best, had met under circumstances that were generally frowned upon, and if her mother knew how their last few dates had gone, well, she would have certainly had Juliet Fedexed back home faster than she could blink. But Juliet waved those thoughts aside, eyes turning back to the concession stand worker as he placed the popcorn and the candy on the counter before giving them the total. Pushing her purse strap up to her shoulder, she released Nathaniel’s hand so that she could grab the food with both of her own.

Nathaniel paid for the snacks and retrieved some napkins before turning to Juliet. He moved ahead of Juliet swiftly to open the theater door for her, thanking her all the while for taking the food, and letting her lead the way to the seats that she chose.

The theater was relatively empty still, only a few older couples and college students sat in clusters through the theater. Nathaniel draped his jacket over the arm of the seat beside him before settling into his own and turning his searching eyes to Juliet. They settled on her form, dim in the theater light, and he found her to be even more beautiful here wrapped in the darkness around them.

“The first time I saw The Tempest I was twelve years old and attended the show with my parents and siblings,” Nathaniel whispered into Juliet’s ear. “Ariel terrified me.” Though she stayed within hearing distance, the warm breath in her ear made her shiver with amused anxiety. She held out the popcorn and the candy for him to choose what he’d like to take, if he wanted one or the other.

“I don’t think I saw it until a school performance when I was in high school,” Juliet replied, using her thumb and forefinger to pluck some of the popcorn from the bag to her mouth. She carefully chewed before continuing. “Even though my father was a literature professor, both of my parents were very strict. But we had all the plays lying around the house, and I think we discovered them before my parents were ready for us to read them,” she continued, laughing a little. “The first thing that I actually got a hold of were the sonnets, though. I remember needling my father for explanations to the words, because they looked so odd. But they were lovely when said aloud.

“Were they as odd to you?” The question was asked with frank curiosity, not the expectation that old english was still rampant in England - but it certainly would be interesting to gain a European’s perspective. That, and she simply wanted an excuse to hear Nathaniel speak again. Putting one elbow on the armrest between them, she balanced her chin on a closed fist, watching him expectantly.

Nathaniel accepted the candy, eager to try a piece and popping one of the sour candies into his mouth. His nose wrinkled at first from the bitter flavor but then he smiled. “These are rather good,” he said with a grin. He leaned forward, his face coming close to Juliet’s waiting lips as if he was going to kiss her, but he lingered and kept his lips to himself, reminded of Julian’s advice of how she may be more shy in public.

“As after sunset fadeth in the west / Which by and by black night doth take away / Death’s second self, that seals up all the rest,” he said lowly; Juliet’s smile grew, a shiver moving down her body from the way his voice uttered the words of Shakespeare’s poetry. “I loved the sonnets, they actually made more sense to me than the plays did while I was a child, probably because they were shorter. Still, I found them odd. I knew Shakespeare lived in the same land as I did but as a child I didn’t understand why he wrote so differently.”

Reaching for the popcorn, Nathaniel tossed a few kernels into his mouth and waited until they were chewed and swallowed before continuing. “Did you know the significance of your name when you were younger? Or did your father wait to explain who Shakespeare’s Juliet was?”

Shaking her head, she popped a few more kernels into her mouth, the house lights beginning to dim to announce the beginning of the movie. Still, she whispered a quick reply to Nathaniel’s question, leaning in close to ensure that she was keeping her voice low so as to not disturb any other movie house patrons. “No, I read the play first. It didn’t really occur to me that she was my namesake - my father told me afterward. I was nine, and instead of being amused that my father had named me after such a famous literary character, I got mad.”

“I said something about being offended that he’d think I’d end up dying because of some stupid boy!” Juliet gave a half-laugh, sinking a little into her chair as previews flickered up on the screen. Then she straightened, leaning back toward Nathaniel, feeling a bit like passing notes in a classroom while the teacher was left unaware. “Though now it’s rather romantic, I suppose, but I try not to have any foolish notions about star crossed romances. However it ends up working for me, I’d like it to last.” Then she sat back against the seat, her cheeks coloring a little from the statement that had so innocently left her mind and had become brazen through her tongue.

“I think that’s a healthy way of thinking,” Nathaniel observed. “Believing in romance is completely healthy but no person is worth dying over.” The screen darkened and the theater fell silent. Nathaniel moved his eyes to the screen and gently placed his hand over Juliet’s so that they were touching. He would allow her to make the decision to hold his hand. They would take it slow, step by step, and he would give Juliet the reins to decide what they would do next. With all of the oddities that had occurred during the short time of their dating, it had been rude of Nathaniel to try and push Juliet into kissing or to think of proceeding anywhere past that. Every one of their dates had ended strangely and yet Juliet was still willing to go on dates with Nathaniel. That should be enough, but it wasn’t; Nathaniel wanted Juliet in more ways than one. But he had to be patient; he couldn’t push the girl and scare her off, he’d feel horrible if he hurt her in that (or any) way.

The movie began with the stormy scene by the sea and the volume of the speakers turned up loud enough that every clash of thunder felt real. Slowly, Nathaniel glanced at Juliet, wondering if the vision of the stormy scene that was sure to swallow the ship whole would be triggering to her fear of water.

Juliet curled her fingers around and through Nathaniel’s, though the sound of crashing waves instantly made her eyes go wide. Her grip on his hand tightened, though she wasn’t strong enough to hurt him; it was certainly enough to translate the surprise and attempt to calm her phobia even as the scene played out over the huge screen in front of them. For a moment she stopped breathing, though quickly she realized this error and forced herself into slow, careful breaths that were timed in a rhythmic manner, something that would help to reassure her. Then again, Nathaniel’s hand in her own definitely helped, and she scooted over in her seat to press both the lengths of their arms and shoulders.

In the end, the image proved to be too much and Juliet buried her face against Nathaniel’s shoulder, scrunching her eyes tight. A curtain of curly black hair fell across the side of her vision, blocking the screen until the scene passed. “Oh, they better get to the island soon...”

“Hell is empty and all the devil’s are here,” Prince Ferdinand cried on the screen as the waves crashed into the side of the boat and it appeared that all would drown. Nathaniel pressed his cheek to the top of Juliet’s head, squeezing her hand that was in his, and with his free hand he reached to brush her hair with his fingers.

“The scene has ended,” he said quietly into her ear. Miranda reached Prospera - who was female for the movie role - and begged for the storm to be finished. The skies cleared and the sun broke through. Nathaniel turned his face, his lips brushing over Juliet’s hair and he tried hard to keep himself from kissing her. Nathaniel had stupidly chosen this movie with the idea that this was something of Juliet’s interest. He had failed to think of the ocean and shipwrecks and mentally he kicked himself for missing that important detail. Some psychologist he was.

Juliet peeked out from her hiding place, watching the screen with wary eyes; though she believed Nathaniel, she had to take things at her own pace. Relieved that the water was done with, she lifted her head and brushed hair back with slightly shaking fingers. Her free hand, once done with her hair, reached for the popcorn still sitting precariously in her lap, cinched between her knees, and popped a few kernels into her mouth, trying for all the world to put on a show of confidence, to prove that she hadn’t just hide her face in her date’s shoulder for fear of water.

Leaning close to Nathaniel again (and keeping herself pressed against him), she whispered into his ear. “I love how they changed Prospero to Prospera - it completely changes the dynamic between him and Miranda. And, of course, Helen Mirren is an amazing actress, so I’m sure she’ll do splendidly.” For the most part, she kept her voice down, doing her best to leave the other viewers of the film - which, somewhat sadly to Juliet’s eyes, were few and far between - from feeling as though their hard earned dollars were misspent because of a chatty Cathy in their vicinity.

Gripping Juliet’s hand, Nathaniel moved his thumb back and forth over her smooth skin and leaned into her shoulder to speak quietly into her ear. “She is quite a powerful actress,” Nathaniel murmured, continuing on with the date as if Juliet’s spike of fear hadn’t occurred. “I’m thrilled to see Alan Cummings in this. I’m not so sure about Russell Brand though. I don’t particularly enjoy his form of comedy. Then again, I’m not very into comedians in general.”

He kept his voice low, following the example of Juliet, as his blue eyes shifted to the other movie patrons to ensure they weren’t being disturbed. Then his eyes returned to Juliet’s face and he wanted to lean forward and kiss her. With a small sigh of frustration he chose to lean back instead. He had to be patient with her. She wasn’t doing anything wrong and it was within her right to decide how fast they moved.

“Really? I think he’s funny...very different from other stand up, though I have to admit I don’t have a lot to compare him to...” She reached for a few more kernels of popcorn, before resituating her arm to allow her elbow next to his side, the interiors of their arms resting alongside one another while their fingers were tangled. Certain that he wouldn’t mind, Juliet put her head back onto his shoulder, lightly, trying to express that she was perfectly fine with a little touching. In the back of her mind she was still kicking herself for running off from him after the party, for having essentially rejecting him upon his chaste kiss. Her free hand swept back her hair around her ear, her cheek pressed to the fabric of his jacket.

Onscreen, Miranda compelled Prospera to explain where they’d come from - the exchange took up all of Juliet’s attention, as she’d never seen a medium that could so well show as well as tell the descriptions of Prospera’s escape from her treacherous brother. The young actress playing Miranda was full of spirit and verve, and delivered her lines so well that it was a pleasure to watch her and Mirren interact.

“Oh, this is absolutely lovely.”

“It is,” Nathaniel replied quietly as he dropped his cheek to the top of Juliet’s head. He breathed her in and closed his eyes briefly with a small smile playing on his lips. The relief Nathaniel felt that this date was going well was huge and he only hoped it continued going in this fashion.

Ariel’s entrance onto the screen brought on an unexpected laugh. “I was so disturbed by Ariel as a child,” Nathaniel said. Without much thought he continued on, forgetting completely that he was formerly Juliet’s therapist and opting to share his history, “I saw shadow people when I was a child. I always played with them, these creatures made of shadow, and my parents sent me to a psychiatrist because of it. At one point I fancied myself a magician. That I could make these little shadows on my own. But my psychiatrist reasoned it was an overactive imagination and as I grew older; stress related. I think it was a scare tactic my father used, telling me that if I continued to play with the shadow people one of them could be a spirit like Ariel. This was after we saw a showing of The Tempest where Ariel was quite terrifying. This actor, fortunately, isn’t quite as frightening and I think it helps that I am no longer a child.”

Nathaniel pressed his lips together and kept his cheek pressed to her head, falling silent and hoping Juliet wouldn’t find him that strange. It wasn’t something that Nathaniel normally did, admitting his darkest secret, even Elinor hadn’t known about the shadow people but he felt compelled to tell Juliet. She simply had to know. And if she asked for more details, Nathaniel knew he would give them to her.

Her eyes rolled in his direction, but she couldn’t move her head (nor did she want to) from his cheek weighing so lightly on it. But she listened without judgment, instead feeling glad that Nathaniel felt so comfortable with her to reveal these bits and pieces of his past - that he had issues as she did from a young age was a bonding point, a similarity that made her lips curve.

“I wish I could have done that,” she replied quietly. “Make little shadows. It would have been much more fun than my sleep problems.” Shifting in her seat, she moved her head from beneath his and used her free hand to place the bag of popcorn on the floor. Then she returned to cuddling against his side, this time wrapping her left hand around his bicep, the cool fabric of his jacket rubbed against by her thumb. “And it’s sad to hear that your parents wanted to stifle what was probably a very creative imagination.” The thought that he intentionally was able to make the shadows never crossed her mind - of course it was all just some aspect of his brain creating those little playmates, just as hers was intent on scaring her to death.

“What else did you do as a child?” It was rude to continue their conversation as such in the theater, but Juliet was too eager to know more, too glad to have this date uninterrupted as the other two before. Her head turned in his direction, eyes on his face rather than the screen, where Prince Ferdinand was being introduced to Miranda by Prospera’s doing - the intention of setting her young daughter back upon the path of nobility that was always meant to be hers. The two young people were instantly smitten, perhaps much in the same way Juliet felt about Nathaniel. Pressed to his side, her eyes tracing over the outline of his jaw, her mouth smiled, pleased simply with the sight.

“I thought it was a lot of fun,” Nathaniel said with a smile. “My siblings were older than me and for the main part had little interest in playing with me so I always played by myself.” His smile grew as Juliet shifted and drew herself toward him. He silently cursed the existence of the arm rest between them but still was able to snuggle closer. With his free hand crossing over, he brushed at her hair and then gently ran his hand up and down her arm. He leaned his head forward to look at her eyes, their faces only a short distance from one another, and he thought of giving her a kiss again until the vision of her awkward reaction flitted through his mind’s eye. Instead, he rubbed his lips together, his tongue darting over them and he looked back at the screen for a moment before replying to her.

“I loved books and playing in the garden. We had a maze of hedges and one had died and been taken out. It caused a little cave of sorts in the rows of hedges and I would crawl under there. I would bring my books and play with the shadow people. It was my little home of sorts while my older siblings were busy playing. Otherwise, I suppose I was very normal.” He looked down at Juliet again, the distance once more short between their lips and his eyes sparkled from the light of the screen, making their blue color seem to shine. “Pretty boring stuff, huh?”

She shook her head in reply, a smile on her face put there from the image of imaging him hiding in his own secret garden, making sure to keep her voice low. “No, that sounds adorable. And certainly like aristocracy - not everyone has a hedge maze in their backyard.” The movement of tongue across lips drew her eye for a moment, but she pushed herself to look back at him, moving to prop her chin on his shoulder gently. “We will have to compare libraries; if you have something I haven’t read, I shall have to steal it from you.” Her voice, though still quiet, made a passing attempt at teasing, enjoying the closeness of their bodies. It was certainly more than they’d done in previous dates, what with the missed opportunities and her own poor reaction to his attempts. Juliet had little experience in these matters, but she believed that he would continue being a gentleman until she gave him reason to act otherwise.

“But there’s something else I’d like to steal, first,” she continued, her voice growing a little shaky, hoping to whatever might be listening that she wasn’t making a poor move on her part. Her face started forward, gaze darting to look at his mouth, then back to his eyes as she leaned forward as far as the arm rest would allow. Onscreen, Prince Ferdinand began to croon the words to ‘O Mistress Mine’ to Miranda, as though the movie itself were encouraging her actions.

What was happening on screen was completely failing at grabbing Nathaniel’s attention. He was wholly focused on his lovely date and grinned as he began to reply. “I have plenty of books, you’re more than welcome to go through them and borrow what you would like.” He looked at Juliet, catching her final, soft sentence and he held in a breath as he saw her slowly move forward.

This was enough of a go ahead for Nathaniel, he had been barely keeping control beforehand but now with this little green flag he seized the opportunity. He leaned forward, his hand lifting to gently cup her cheek as he pressed his lips to hers. It was like it had been before, as if previous exchanges of affection had only been practice for this which felt like the perfect fit. Juliet had been kissed by perhaps a handful of people in her life - her parents, siblings, and then the odd boy or two growing up. But she was going to do her best to not botch this attempt, especially not as a hot flush ran through her body, brightening her cheeks, the heat felt by the palms of his hands. She wanted to be sure she wasn’t too eager, nor appeared too inexperienced; Nathaniel seemed like a cultured man, and since he was ten years her senior, obviously he would have expectations crafted from other women. The idea that she might be over-thinking it swam through her mind, and instead Juliet let herself smile and just sink into the kiss that lasted for a few moments.

She gazed at him a little dizzily for a few moments, grinning almost like an idiot. “Well, that was much better than the first one, don’t you think?” Then she immediately backpedaled, worried that she might have offended him.

“Not that there was anything wrong, I mean, in the club, I was just a little surprised, that one was fine, it really was...”

Nathaniel smirked and ran his hand down the side of her head, fingers tangling in her hair, and leaned forward to press his forehead to hers. “I know,” he said simply before his smile grew even more. “That could be our practice kiss. This could be our first real one, if you would like.”

Quickly, he pecked her lips again, a surprising kiss that hopefully wouldn’t startle her; but now that he had had a small taste of her, he wanted more. Much more. Juliet jumped, a little, though his action didn’t cause her any harm; it only served to preserve the smile on her face. But still, he held back and only allowed his hands to touch her hair, her arms, her hands; she was the one with the control of how fast they could go. He wouldn’t push even though he wanted to, badly. Still, he couldn’t help his eyes from wandering about her face and the smile from remaining. “I know that we have been dating but I was wondering if we could place a more sincere label to things,” Nathaniel said quietly then made a small laugh mentally kicking himself. What choice of words was that? “That sounds so serious. I’m sorry, I’m somewhat nervous. I was just wondering, Juliet, if you would be interested in being my girlfriend?” His smile was nearly amused, he felt much younger than he was by asking this question.

It was like having the prom king or the captain of the football team ask her to go steady; for a moment, Juliet stared at him like he was asking her if the sky was blue, to which there was only one answer. Far from it for her to feel like a badly written romance novel, but for lack of a better word, it was all playing out too perfectly.

“Of course!” Her whisper was a little too loud, pulling a shhhh from a nearby movie patron. Juliet slapped a hand over her mouth gently, glancing in the direction from whence the silencing had come; then she turned back to Nathaniel, slowly lowering her hand. “Yes, I mean, why wouldn’t I? We’re having a lovely time together,” she finished, feeling at ease entirely, almost as though a weight had been lifted from her shoulders. Then her mouth quirked, almost sad. “I haven’t had a chance to tell you - I’ll be going to my parents’ in Henderson for Thanksgiving. I’ll be gone from Monday through until the weekend. I’m sorry to be leaving you all alone on our floor...” She stopped herself there, realizing that she’d been about to suggest bringing him home to meet her parents. Parents who would certainly frown not only on her dating a man older than her, not only a man who had previously been her doctor, but also that she was bringing him home after only three dates. Tybalt was engaged, Olivia dating, but Juliet had always been the special case due to her condition. She had no belief that her parents would let any man she dated slip past without a thorough scrutiny, and at the present moment, things weren’t stacked in Nathaniel’s favor.

“I promise to cook you a nice Thanksgiving dinner when I get back, though. Show you what the fuss is all about, since I’m sure you’re confused about it,” she continued, ending her statement with a small laugh that showed the sarcasm she implied it with.

Despite the prospect of spending a week alone on his floor, Nathaniel’s smile didn’t dim. He reached for his now-girlfriend’s hand and gave it a squeeze before he leaned forward to continue their conversation without bothering the movie goers. “Honestly, I don’t understand what the entire holiday is about other than food. I would love to have dinner with you though. But I’ll help if you’d like, you shouldn’t have to do it all, although I only just conquered making toast. I’m not sure I would be much help.”

He leaned back, his eyes returning to the screen temporarily and moving over the audience. Aside from the one movie goer who had hushed Juliet, everyone seemed to be too involved in the play to notice them. So much had happened in the film that they had missed but Nathaniel was sure that both he and Juliet knew the ending. His eyes moved back to take in her lovely form and he gave her hand another squeeze. “I’ll miss you though. I’m quite fond of knowing you are just next door and hearing you come and go. The floor will be very quiet.”

“I know - I can’t believe no one’s moved in on our floor, but I do like that it’s our floor...” She moved her hand to thread between Nathaniel’s fingers, enjoying the warmth she found therein. Her eyes glanced back at the film for a moment, torn between the excitement about their decision and her desire to watch the rest of the film. They’d already missed a good portion of it, and though she was quite well-versed in the characters and their actions, she was enjoying the flamboyant choice in visuals. “And I would absolutely love your help! You could always do simple things, like cutting or setting the oven temperature. It really isn’t that hard.” She pressed her voice down, turning to put her head back on his shoulder, then suddenly sat up again. Loosening her fingers from his, she pushed at the armrest until it folded up into the seats, allowing her to scoot closer to Nathaniel.

“Is this OK?” She inquired just before she scooted closer to him, pressing their hips and legs flush against one another before laying her head on his shoulder once more, smiling widely as she tried to attune herself to where they were in the film.

His eyebrows quirked up a little and he made a small, muffled laugh so as not to disturb the other patrons. “Of course it’s okay, darling,” Nathaniel replied before giving her a kiss on the forehead. “But here, let me make us more comfortable.” He pulled his arm from between them and wrapped it around her shoulders. His hand ran down her arm and his thumb began to make small circles. “Darling, whatever you’re comfortable with, I’m comfortable with,” he whispered into her ear, implying all of the different things that they could do. “I mean it.”

He sighed, nestling his cheek on the top of her head again as he ran his fingers up and down her arm. It wasn’t the same as when he touched her as that wispy thing he had become at the Halloween party but it still felt wonderful. “Setting the oven and cutting stuff I can do. I’ll be your go-to kitchen boy. Maybe you can teach me how to make some foods after you return from your trip home.”

“I’ll bring home recipes,” she agreed, enjoying the mental picture of the two of them bustling about in the kitchen. It was horribly domestic, but it was also what she had pictured for herself growing up. Settling against Nathaniel’s side, she couldn’t begin to wipe the smile from her face if she tried.

* * *

“I think my favorite parts were definitely Ariel - all those costumes! I suppose that computer stuff really does make a difference,” Juliet happily commented as they left the theater. The nearly two hour long film had held them in its thrall for the remainder of the production, despite their earlier talking. Keeping her hand neatly entwined with his, she dropped the remnants of their popcorn bag and the empty candy box into a nearby waste receptacle as they made their way out of the theater. Though the standing between them had changed, she noted that she didn’t really feel any different; the assumption that there would be trumpets and maybe angels from heaven had been a fantasy of hers growing up, but looking to Nathaniel for his opinion on the film, she realized she was simply happy, which was good enough for her.

“You know? I agree. Ariel was most definitely not as terrifying now as he was when I was a child,” Nathaniel said with a smile as he swung Juliet’s hand back and forth lightly. “It was wonderful to watch. Thank you so much for going with me.”

He paused in his stride and gave a quick kiss to Juliet before pulling open the passenger door and letting her in; carefully she hopped into the passenger seat, putting her purse on the floor. Nathaniel walked around the car and got in as well, slamming the door shut to give them a faux sense of privacy. Turning in his seat he reached for Juliet’s cheek, cupping it lightly and smiling at her. They were official and that was a comfort to Nathaniel. He felt that he had made a great deal of progress from moving past his ex and the level of excitement he felt to be with Juliet was something he had never really had with Elinor. Pushing thoughts away of his ex, he focused on his lovely girlfriend, with her innocence, intelligence, and her beautiful eyes.

Shifting closer to Juliet and leaving the car off, Nathaniel brought his face close to Juliet’s once more and smiled, not stealing the other kiss but waiting to see if she was willing. He would stand by his stance of being patient as much as he could. She was a little startled by the sudden attention, but by no means unwelcoming; the initial lean back was reversed, and her body pushed forward, sliding over a little in the seat. Her own hand lifted to settle on his, and she closed the distance between their mouths gently, pressing her lips to his with no amount of force. Rather, the kiss was a little clumsy, and though she’d put one hand on his, she’d no clue where to put the other. For the moment, it rested on the little hidey-hole between the seats, giving her stability in leaning over to Nathaniel. Juliet puckered her lips, eyes shut; surely there was more to it than this, but without experience she would just have to go by trial and error.

Gently, she pushed his hand from her face down to her neck, though wasn’t necessarily encouraging him to paw at her chest; the light warmth of his palm felt good on her neck, his thumb lingering on her jawline. After a moment of indecision, she moved her second hand from its supportive position to his shoulder, her fingers grasping and feeling the cords of muscle underneath his clothes and skin. It might have squeezed a little too hard, but that was mostly to keep her from falling into him.

Nathaniel parted his lips and darted his tongue into Juliet’s mouth, a brief exploration and brush over her tongue before he pulled his tongue back, waiting to see if she followed his example. It wasn’t until they were kissing in the car that Nathaniel realize how truly inexperienced she must be. She seemed awkward in her movements, but maybe she was just nervous.

His hand gently touched her neck and then grazed over the front of her chest until he gently touched her hip and pulled her a little closer, just enough for her to lean against him and find some balance. She followed his motions, bringing her body to rest nearly against his except for the divider between them. After a moment of simply lip lock, she tried to emulate his motions by sending her tongue into his mouth, slowly moving it around his front teeth and a brief touch of his own before it retreated back into her mouth. So much for being named after a character who starred in a romance - Juliet felt bumbling and unsure, but since Nathaniel was making no comments she merely plowed forward. The hand on his shoulder made its way to his face, pressing gently against his cheek while her thumb traced the outline of the bone under the skin; then it slid backward, into his hair, carefully and gently so as to not pull it.

Juliet pressed her mouth to his again, liking the feel of his hands on her hip, though she’d liked it more on her neck; the pass over her chest was still undecided. In lieu of deciding where she wanted his hands to be, she focused on the kiss, trying to not bite his lips.

Nathaniel make no movement to move her hands and he wasn’t quite sure how to urge her on. He kept his one hand on her hip and the other slipped to the back of her head in a mirror movement. He pressed his tongue into her mouth again and tried to urge her to make the same movements at the same time. Upon reflection he would surely realize that he was very much ending up to be the experienced one of the pair. But at the moment he was so thrilled to be kissing her, pulling her close, touching her and realizing that they had a status between them that he found it hard to care how experienced she was.

Breaking away from her lips, he left light kisses on her cheek and then the soft spot beneath her ear, followed by a kiss (with a slight suck) to her neck; the action made Juliet gasp in surprise. He didn’t linger, not wanting to push her too far nor leave a mark on her skin, but he paused and let out a breath. “I’ve wanted to kiss you for so long,” he breathed with his eyes squeezed shut as he tried to calm down.

She giggled, half immaturely and half simply from being so dizzy over his attention. Her cheeks were blazing with red, and Juliet tried to calm herself despite her heart beating a thousand miles a minute due to excitement.

“You really know how to flatter a girl. Is that a British thing?” The teasing helped her regain her footing, unwilling to completely allow him an edge. Nathaniel made a small laugh but made no comment; he had only been speaking with honesty. Glancing out to the parking lot, at least the car was facing away from the exit of the theater so that no lingering patrons would have gotten a free show.

“Not that I’m not, um, enjoying myself - but do you mind continuing this back at the apartment?” The thought of being entirely alone with him with no excuse to put between them sent a small spike of fear through her, followed by adrenaline. So far he’d been so gentlemanly, and certainly that would continue if she were to say no to something. It simply felt immodest, pawing at each other like two teenagers in a car on Lover’s Lane.

Nathaniel pulled his face away from her neck and cupped her face in his hands. “Yes, of course, darling,” he replied before giving her a chaste kiss. He broke away from her, sitting properly in his seat and starting his car. He looked to Juliet, smiling and entwining his fingers with hers. “An evening at home with my girlfriend. I can’t think of a better way to spend my time.”