The paparazzi swarmed into a tight circle around the four of them, the name "Connie" tossed like fresh gossip in a mess hall. Jack staggered back a step.
"Levi." His throat bobbed. Sage was too wrapped up in her own little bubble-posing and blowing kisses at the paparazzi-to notice the tension. Karma's palms moistened against the rubber wheelchair handles.
Jack...Connie... She thought of the picture in her tote bag. There was a boy with a buzz cut smiling in it. Was it the same person? Why would he go by a different name?
"Levi, what's happening?" Karma said, bending her chin to his shoulder.
"Bastard's the reason I'm in this damn thing." He smacked the armrest of the wheelchair. "Yelena's gonna be pissed. We need to leave."
"But the movie-"
"We are not entertaining the idea of a Scout reunion. Period."
"Wait." Karma grabbed the handles before he wheeled off the curb. "Jack-or Connie, or whatever-he knew you were going to be here. There's no way Sage didn't mention your name. If he was willing to see you, there must be a good reason. Maybe a Scout reunion wouldn't be the end of the world."
"Even if the shithead could be civil, we want the attention to be on us. That's the whole point."
"Then we can't cancel the movie. They need to see us on a date."
Levi's jaw worked as he mulled it over. "Fine. But baldie and bimbo need to leave."
Karma fought the urge to retort. She was nervous to be alone with Levi, but he was right. She elbowed her way back through the crowd to tell Sage that their double date was canceled.
"But Karms, the cameras love me! I can't go now."
"Please, Sage."
"Jack was really eager for our double. He wanted to talk to Levi."
"Some other time. I promise."
Sage huffed but grabbed Jack's arm. A few camera flashes chased after them, but the majority stayed on Karma and Levi, capturing snapshots of them entering the theater. Their first ever date. Luckily, the paparazzi couldn't follow them inside, though they would undoubtedly be waiting for them when the film ended.
The theater wasn't anything like the ones in Old Marley with their sticky floors and buttery odor. Karma drank in the ambiance of chandeliers dripping with diamonds and white gloved hands removing cashmere shawls, her heels clicking against marble. But a chill kissed her skin when the hundred New Marleyans gossiping in the lobby quieted, piercing them with glares. Unlike her first trek through New Marley, Karma blended into the throng with her floor-length gown like a shower of sequins-they had no way of knowing she was Old Marley scum.
They hated her because she walked with him.
Levi's public image was definitively negative. She could sense it without ever having read the tabloids. People stood in pockets, whispering behind cupped hands and chancing glances. Murmurs whisked past them. Narrowed eyes followed them into the auditorium. Even the ticket attendant donned an icy glower as he directed them to their skybox seating.
Fortunately, the floating booth was private. Maybe she and Levi could enjoy the movie in peace. They took their seats, Karma smoothing her dress over her legs. But even twenty feet above the shuffling crowd, she caught snippets of gossip.
"-her?"
"Won't last-"
"-freak."
A woman flaunting seed pearls gestured up to their booth and chortled with her girlfriends. A portly man blatantly sneered at Karma, mustache twitching. A brown loafer hit their railing, followed by a ripple of laughter.
Karma ground her teeth. From this vantage point, she could hurl her own shoes or wads of spit or cigarette butts. She could dump the scalding tea Levi ordered from an attendant on those pretty heads. It's what these people deserved. They could hate her all they wanted for her origins, but how could they hate the man who risked everything to save them? Levi was a recluse, sure, but he wore the evidence of his sacrifice every day. The scar through his eye, the missing fingers, the busted leg.
Another shoe cleared the railing, landing on Levi's lap. The dirty sole left a grooved imprint on his slacks. Karma bolted for the railing, spit wads gathered behind her lips, prepared to target anyone missing a shoe.
"Ignore them." Levi pulled Karma back into her seat by the shoulder. Of course, she wasn't actually going to spit and risk Levi's public image worsening, but it felt good to imagine that she might.
"Is it always like this when you leave the penthouse?" Karma said, still scanning the crowd below for an exposed sock.
Levi dropped the shoe and swiped at the dirt mark on his pants. "Not sure. I usually do my best to evade detection."
Karma nodded, deciding that a subject change might calm her rage. "So Ja-Connie-apparently wanted to talk to you."
Levi scoffed. "Of course he did. That greedy son of a bitch."
Karma narrowed her eyes. "Those 'generous war hero stipends.' That's you?"
"When did this date turn into an interrogation?"
"Sorry-I told you I'm out of practice." She fixed herself a cup of tea and took a sip, leaving a wrinkled, ruby print on the cup. "Oh, my lipstick. Did it smudge?"
"You're a disaster." Levi pulled out his pocket square. He dabbed the corner of her mouth. "I know you have questions and I promise I'll answer them eventually. For now, just humor me and play the part."
Karma nodded, dazed by the pressure of his fingers against lower lip, just a sliver of fabric away. Was there really lipstick on her face? Or was this just an excuse to touch her?
Karma watched him tuck the cloth back in place, noting a lack of red on the fabric. She tried not to read into it. He was playing the part as much as she was. In fact, the woman wearing seed pearls now looked at them with mild curiosity. Even the mustached gentleman cocked his head.
"Levi, I think people are buying it," Karma said, leaning into him over the armrest. From the outside, this was simply a whisper of sweet nothings, not strategies for a fake romance.
"I'll be damned," Levi said almost to himself. "Beardface had the right idea."
"Can I try something?" Karma blushed at just the thought of it. Touching his lips with her own. It was sure to get the rumors spreading that Captain Levi Ackerman had a mistress-that he was desirable. It would only serve to sell the story. But Karma knew better. To her, a kiss with Levi would never be just for show. Adrenaline churned in her gut as she waited for his response.
"Your lipstick will smudge." Levi almost looked nervous. Karma wondered how long it'd been since he kissed someone. Months? Years? Of course he was nervous. It had nothing to do with her.
"It would help sell the story. People have to think we're in love for this to work."
"It's a wasted effort. There aren't even cameras around."
"New Marleyans know how to gossip-trust me, it'll make its way to the tabloids."
Levi's jaw steeled. He was terribly handsome in that dark gray tuxedo. Hair gelled back behind his ears. What she wouldn't give to have him all to herself. To be home on the living room couch where they could speak freely. Maybe even kiss freely.
But out in the open, under the spotlight of the tabloids, every action required careful consideration.
"Alright."
It was spoken so delicately that Karma almost asked him to repeat it. But then she saw him turn to face her, eyes falling to her lips as gently as a snowflake. She watched his injured hand float to the back of her neck, thumb resting on her cheek.
He didn't have to stroke her cheek so delicately. He didn't have to inspect the shape of her honey eyes with such wonder. He didn't have to pause just before their lips made contact to crack a half-smile. But he did anyway.
Only, the soft touch of his lips didn't come. Karma waited, palms dampening in her lap. Her eyes had already fluttered shut, and when she peeked one open, she watched the top of Levi's head brush her chin. Soft, warm pressure left a burning mark on her neck. Then one more on her collarbone. It took a dizzy moment to realize that burning sensation had been the touch of his lips.
Awed, Karma watched him drift away from her.
She'd been kissed a hundred times before in far more intimate places wearing far less clothing, but these two simple kisses made her forget all of that.
For a moment, she let herself believe that Levi felt it too. That the color flushing his skin wasn't from the stifling tuxedo. That his fingers weren't fidgeting from an eagerness to get this date out of the way. That these two kisses were replaying in his mind as well.
Their stunt had certainly caught the attention of the guests in the theater. Fresh gossip swirled below them like spring mist.
"-is she?"
"Not so scary-"
"-do better."
"-caretaker?"
Karma held perfectly still, chin angled slightly upward, afraid any movement might erase the memory of Levi's lips on her skin.
She could still see that half-smile. Could still smell the gel in his hair.
"Karma?" He must have said her name three times. He looked concerned with knitted brows and a tilt to his head. Like she hadn't reacted the way he'd expected.
Karma finally lowered her chin, hoping the action didn't look as jerky as it felt. "You missed."
Levi scoffed through his nose. "Well it's working. We won't have to kiss again for a while."
Karma nodded numbly.
Neither could find the courage to say more on the matter. Every time Karma tried to, her tongue slackened to putty against her teeth.
Mercifully, the wall sconces dimmed. Gloved hands politely applauded.
Karma watched a man in a black tux bow and sit at the piano bench. Heavy red curtains parted above the stage, revealing a screen that spanned the entire wall.
The pianist began a cheerful melody as the grainy title screen appeared: The Rose and the Thorn. Karma tried to focus on the silent black and white scenes interrupted by blocks of text. But her thoughts were so loud, she could barely hear the piano music.
She knew the story though. It was a classic. Her eyes followed the gorgeous waitress on the screen, Rose, who spilled coffee on a business man. The man was angry, cartoonishly flailing until the manager swooped in and fired her. The music turned chaotic-the coffee tumbling out of her hands, the rage in the man's voice.
Then Rose found a new job as a maid. However, she was unknowingly working at the same office building as the grumpy Mr. Thorne, the man she spilled coffee on.
The audience chuckled as the dramatic irony played out with light-hearted melodies-Thorne lifted a newspaper to his face the moment Rose entered his cubicle with a vacuum. He even lifted his feet for her. As soon as she left, he put the paper down and took a sip of coffee.
Karma glanced to her side. Levi was about as interested in the film as she was. She wondered if his mind was preoccupied with those kisses too. If he was watching the film and drawing the connections between the characters and themselves.
Were things always going to be this tense between them? Karma hated the idea of losing her midnight snack buddy. Her cat's favorite playmate. The man who often watched her over the brim of his teacup. The man who had held her face like it was crystal and imprinted his lips on her neck and collarbone. The man she was slowly falling in love with.
The realization of her own feelings made Karma's head feel heavy. It drooped toward her lap. She resigned to keep her head down until the movie ended. She mapped out the fastest route back to the penthouse. Tonight, she would curl up in her bed, call Sage, and cry until her tears ran dry. She could last until then.
Rose and Thorne argued in the rain. The pianist's fingers fluttered up and down the keyboard like hummingbird wings. The argument swelled-back and forth, black and white hands blurred, the rapid text screens stamped in all caps-until Rose and Thorne threw themselves into a sudden kiss.
Karma grimaced. The audience gasped and cheered. The melody shimmered with romance and triumph. A final chord. The pianist bowed. A standing ovation. The rolling credits.
The auditorium below them emptied, stirred with quiet murmurs about the film and the occasional comment about the war hero and his new lover.
Karma made no motion to leave. She just glowered at the closing curtains. Levi leaned over the armrest.
"What are you waiting for?"
"You can go ahead without me."
"You know I can't-the press is waiting. Just tell me what's wrong."
She finally looked at him. The sconces were dim, but she could make out his features just fine. It infuriated her that he looked so handsome in this low lighting. She could imagine how breathtaking he would look in candlelight. "You missed my lips. The hell is that about? Is my mouth so repulsive?"
The crease between his brows softened.
"Then you were all too eager to jump on the idea of not kissing me for a while. It hurt my feelings."
"I thought you'd be relieved. I didn't know you felt that way."
"I feel a lot of things, Levi." Karma scrunched her fingernails into her scalp. With all the hairspray the stylist used, her hair was probably jutting at odd angles. "Day one and this fake romance thing is already driving me crazy. I don't think I'm cut out for this."
Levi considered this for a long moment. His lips parted to speak twice before he finally decided on what he wanted to say. "Those 'generous war hero stipends' are me. Like you said." He rested his forearms on his lap, leaning forward. "After paying my employees and any overhead costs, the rest...goes to the Scouts."
Karma blinked at the sudden change of topic, but she was curious about Levi's point. "The Scouts have to know their stipends come from you. They can't honestly think the government is that generous."
"But they don't know it's making me bankrupt."
Karma's lips parted. "That's why your card declined. AE has money, but not you."
Levi nodded. "I've never told anyone that. Not even Yelena." He fidgeted with his fingers again, a gesture Karma had never seen him do until tonight. "That's also why I donated the piano-I just didn't have enough money to make any kind of respectable donation. I also thought it might make you quit."
"Wh-" She blinked. "Why would you want me to quit?"
"The same reason I didn't kiss you properly."
Karma raised an expectant brow.
Levi sucked a deep breath through his nose. "Forget it. We need to leave."
He transferred into the wheelchair, careful not to put weight on his right leg, then turned to leave without waiting to see if Karma was following. Like he was desperate to escape the conversation.
Just when he was getting vulnerable, he barricaded his heart. Just when she was on the verge of uncovering his true feelings, he buried them in the dirt. Why didn't he kiss her "properly?" Why had he tried to get her to quit? Was it out of distaste? Was he trying to suppress his own desires? The entire walk home, these questions threaded together in Karma's head like a complicated web.
An end table lamp lit the penthouse living room when they crossed the threshold. It was already past ten. Levi would probably spend the rest of the night alone in his room reading a novel. Karma would shower off the makeup and hairspray then cuddle Jean until she fell asleep.
But neither one of them moved.
Karma wet her dry lips. "Did you enjoy the movie?"
"No." Levi made a show of unfastening the cufflinks at his wrists.
"It's a bit cheesy, but it's a classic." Karma unlatched her high heels. "I liked it."
Levi didn't respond. He shifted his focus to removing the tuxedo jacket and straightening the creases.
"But if I'm being honest, I didn't really pay attention." Karma pinched the end of a blonde curl between her fingers, rolling it from side to side. She listed her head. "Is it always going to be this tense when you stage kiss me?"
"I wouldn't know. I haven't stage kissed you yet."
"I'm counting the kiss before the movie, even if it wasn't on the lips."
"I'm aware."
"Then why are you saying you haven't stage kissed me yet?"
Levi groaned, raking a hand through his hair. "God, it's like talking to a brick wall."
Karma's voice softened. "What? You kissed me for real?"
"I didn't want our first kiss to be staged. That's why I went for the neck. When that wasn't enough, I went lower. But I had to stop myself there."
But I had to stop myself there.
Almost in a daze, Karma walked toward him. She sank to her knees in front of the foot rests. He couldn't ignore her now. He met her eyes with a slight grimace, like the words he'd spoken had physically hurt him. The words that would never circulate in New Marleyan gossip.
Karma rose off her heels, an invisible string pulling from the center of her chest. As she neared, Levi's grimace dissolved, replaced with something wistful. Whispering her name, he cupped a hand on her neck like before.
Karma I like you.
It still didn't seem real-that he could reciprocate her feelings.
Karma's lips tipped closer. She wondered how close he would let her get before chiding her for taking the fake romance too literally. Before he deflected her advances with some cheap insult. But Levi wasn't stopping her. His hand on her neck drew her closer. She wondered how the scar on his lip would feel. The taste he would leave in the back of her throat.
Just shy of her lips, his thumb brushed her cheek once.
"Goodnight, Karma."
He wheeled away in her blurry peripheral, but she was too transfixed to process it. Somewhere far away, a door closed. Then, like cloth draped over a puddle of wine, the world seeped back into her consciousness.
She was alone. With nothing but the ghost of his kiss.
But I had to stop myself there.