The Boyfriend Rivalry by Milana Spencer

13

Curtis: Someone Else

Kennedy appears in the mirror's reflection, sliding her hands over my chest, her head resting on my shoulder. "Pampering for your date?" she asks.

"I was due for a shave anyway," I say, not letting her distract me from holding my razor steady. If I nick myself and have to spend the rest of the evening with Liam laughing at it, I'll never forgive myself.

There's still an hour until Liam and I have to leave, but it's always better to be ready sooner than later, and since Liam's downstairs cooking dinner with the cousins, the bathroom's free.

"You look handsome. I hope you enjoy yourself."

"Thank you. I wish you could come."

She smiles. "I wouldn't be the best company. Besides, I bet you and Liam will enjoy the movie more than me. That film you picked isn't my cup of tea."

I pause my shaving. "Today, Liam said that you don't like watching movies."

"What?"

I know she heard me. "You should have told me if you didn't like going to the cinema. Or if you didn't like the movie I picked."

Kennedy sighs. "It's not that I don't like movies. I just get bored easily. Besides, how often do we actually watch the movie?"

My cheeks heat, and usually, it'd be out of arousal, but now I feel embarrassed. "I watch the movie," I mumble. Most of the time. "You should have just told me," I continue. "Have you enjoyed any of the movies we've seen together?"

"Of course!" Kennedy says. "I've liked a lot of them."

I shake my head because I can tell she's exaggerating. "Why don't you like them? You pick every movie."

Kennedy lets go of me. "I don't choose every movie. Besides, you agree with my choices."

That's right — I agree. I've acquiesced to what other people want my entire life. It's not Kennedy's fault. It's mine. I don't know why the hell I'm in this weird mood.

We look at each other in the mirror before I try to distract myself from the awkward silence by focusing on shaving.

"Are you upset with me?" she asks. "I can go to the movie if you want me to."

"We can't do that, not when Liam's already coming with me," I snap, annoyed at how illogical that is.

Kennedy's lips twist.

"Sorry. I'm not upset with you."

She's not an idiot. She knows something's off — I know something's off — but she lets it go. Because I'm telling the truth — I'm not angry at Kennedy. I'm just ... I don't know.

"We'll go on a date soon," Kennedy says. "I'll organise it."

"Okay," I say because that's what I always say. "Have you spoken to your parents recently?"

"I face-timed my mum while you guys were at the beach. Let her know I wasn't dying. What about you?" Kennedy asks, and there's some lingering hesitancy in her voice, but she's trying her best to pretend this is a normal conversation.

"I called them last night. Said hello to my siblings. They said they missed me. Even Max asked me when I was coming home."

"Aw," Kennedy says.

"It's weird because only when I'm away from them do I realise how much I miss their company. I still love being here, but I kind of miss them. Although, as soon as I get home, they're going to annoy me again."

Kennedy smiles.

"Maybe I should buy them some souvenirs. Although, I don't know if stuff from Lonsdale Bay is that impressive. Harriet loves dolphins though. I could find something that."

"That's a good idea," Kennedy says, before pressing a kiss to my shoulder. "I'm going to help the others with dinner, 'kay?" I don't blame her for leaving. Hearing me talk about my family isn't very interesting.

"Okay," I say. In the mirror, Kennedy disappears through the bathroom door. I stare at my reflection for a bit, trying to stop the thoughts that are crowding my mind. I rinse my face and clean the razor before heading downstairs, pasting a pleasant smile on my lips.

*

An hour later, Liam and I should have left the house. Instead, I'm standing in the doorway of the damned ensuite yet again, and I've been standing here for the past five minutes. "Hurry up, Liam," I say. "If we don't leave soon, we're going to be late."

"I'm almost ready," Liam says, leaning in front of the bathroom sink, checking his reflection in the mirror, fiddling with his hair.

He should have gotten ready before dinner like I did. I should have told him so, though it's not as if he would have listened.

"You look fine," I say. "You looked fine before you changed outfits twice. Why are you taking so long? It's not as if you have anyone to impress," I say, entering the bathroom and standing at the sink beside him.

His eyes meet mine in the mirror. "What if my soulmate is there, but they're not interested because I look like a mess? I would have missed out on meeting the love of my life."

"I seriously doubt your soulmate is in Lonsdale Bay," I mutter. And if they were, I'd seriously doubt they'd be uninterested, no matter how your hair looks.

"Alright, I'm finished," Liam says a minute later, running a hand through his hair for the final time. He turns to face me, adjusting his oversized jacket. Underneath, he's wearing a tight navy tee, and his jeans aren't ripped for once. I look at his fingernails, seeming shinier than before under the lights of the bathroom. I swallow.

I glance at my reflection — I'm wearing jeans too, as well as a nice jumper. Do I look nice? Ugh, Liam's getting in my head, making me care about my appearance when I have no reason to.

"Let's go!" Liam says, walking past me through the bathroom. He pauses for a second and looks at me over his shoulder. "Wow, you smell nice."

I freeze, and something passes over Liam's face — regret? Embarrassment? — because he looks away.

We're quiet as we walk to the cinema, taking the path through the park, overlooking the ocean.

"So, do you see movies with Kennedy frequently?" Liam asks, breaking the silence.

"Half of our dates are movies," I say in a tired voice. I know Liam already thinks I'm a clueless boyfriend, given how Kennedy feels about movies.

"You know, the cinema is a bad idea for all dates, not just you two," Liam says, oblivious to my weariness. "I read this in a magazine, that you should never go to the cinema for a first date. Because you don't get to talk, you just sit there in silence and watch a movie."

"It's a good idea for socially awkward people," I say. "Besides, for many people cinemas aren't about getting to know each other, or watching the movie, but…"

"But?" Liam prompts.

I look at my feet. "You know. Fooling around."

Liam doesn't reply, and I regret speaking. I've just made the whole conversation awkward. Quick, think of something to say.

"What are people meant to talk about on dates, anyway?" I blurt out.

"I wouldn't know. I've never been on one," Liam says.

We're quiet for the rest of the walk, leaving the park and trekking into town, past the surf shops and expensive clothing stores, past a brick post-office and quaint library. We arrive at the small cinema which is attached to the local shire. It's a stone building, with sharp peaks and windows that remind me of a vampire's castle. Inside the lobby, though, the air is warm with walls covered in colourful movie posters.

"There are a lot of couples here," Liam comments, looking around at the overwhelming number of couples holding hands. "Weird for a thriller."

"It's not that weird," I protest. "Girlfriends get to be scared and hide in their boyfriend's arms. Or in their girlfriend's arms," I say, catching sight of a lesbian couple holding hands.

"Or in their boyfriend's arms," Liam says, grinning at me.

"What?"

"I bet you're the one that hides in Kennedy's arms," Liam says.

I roll my eyes. He's wrong, of course. Even if we're watching a scary movie, Kennedy and I are oftentimes too distracted to get scared because we're focused on the hands underneath our clothing.

The back of my neck prickles when I think of my conversation with Kennedy in the ensuite. I watch the movies, I'd argued like a five-year-old. Well, yeah, sometimes I'm distracted, but sometimes I pay attention, and I wouldn't mind watching movies with Kennedy, doing nothing more than holding hands.

"I pre-bought snacks when I bought the tickets online," I say, leading Liam over to the only counter in the lobby. Two teenage staffers alternate between selling tickets and food from the display behind them.

"Let me pay you back," Liam says.

"That's not necessary."

Liam bores his chocolate eyes into mine. I return the stare. I only break away when we arrive at the front of the line and Liam lets out an amused huff.

"Good evening. How can I help you?" A worker asks. He looks to be around our age, with a nose smattered with freckles. Probably a side effect of living in a beach town.

"Hi," I say, "I booked tickets and snacks online, under the name Curtis Claridge."

The worker nods and looks at a computer screen tucked under the counter in front of him. "Yep, found it. Couples package for Curtis and Kennedy. "Kennedy, it says here that for your snacks, you prefer vegan options…" The worker looks up and his eyes drift to Liam before doing a double-take.

I bite back a sigh. "This isn't a date," I say.

The worker looks up at me, then at Liam, who's wearing an amused smile. The worker looks away, appearing a little flustered. "Pardon?"

I'm feeling a little flustered too. "This isn't Kennedy. Kennedy's my girlfriend. This is Liam. He's with me because —"

Liam takes a small step closer to the counter. "It doesn't matter. The main thing is that I'm not vegan, so I can just have whatever."

The worker blinks. "Okay. So the combo includes one large box of popcorn, one large bag of sweets, and a soft drink each."

"I'll have a water please," I say, wanting this whole interaction to be over.

"Could I have a lemonade? And…" Liam looks at the display of the packets of sweets, each bag hanging from a hook on the back wall. "Liquorice all-sorts please."

The worker nods and leaves the counter to grab everything, including filling up a box with warm and buttery popcorn. He passes everything over the counter with two printed tickets.

"There you go. Enjoy your night."

"Thank you so much," Liam says, pulling out one of his perfect smiles. "I hope we didn't cause you any convenience."

"No, not at all," the worker says. I swear his cheeks are a little pink.

We walk towards Cinema 1 and I show the tickets to the usher. Inside the theatre, the lights are a dim yellow. I think this room used to be a hall in the olden days because the floor is wooden and there are exposed rafters.

When we haven't spoken for a minute, Liam glances sideways at me. "Kennedy is a unisex name," he says.

"I know."

"Then what are you so ruffled about?"

"Nothing. I'm not ruffled." We find our seats and sit down. I chose seats closer to the back so Kennedy and I would have privacy if we wanted to make out. But now that I'm here with Liam, it just means we're further away from the screen with an uncomfortable number of lovey-dovey couples nearby.

"Is the thought of dating me so horrifying?" Liam asks.

I whip my head around to face him. Liam's self-deprecating yet light smile fades when he sees my expression. He turns away to lean back in his chair, running a hand through the back of his hair. "Or is it the thought of something thinking you were dating a guy?"

I think of my dream from yesterday morning. And all the dreams before that. "Of course not," I say, then swallow because my mouth is dry.

Liam glances at me then looks away.

We busy ourselves with opening the snacks and arranging them on our laps. I hope he's not mad at me, for whatever reason. In my periphery, Liam takes a swing from his lemonade can, tilting his jaw upward. I can see the curve of his bicep. His eyes flick my way, but neither of us turn to each other.

I feel restless. I want to talk to Liam, even if we end up bickering. Talking to Liam is like going to the gym. Sometimes it's painful, but it's almost always cathartic. And after a while, I decided I liked the gym.

*

Two hours later, Liam and I leave the cinema, throwing our rubbish in the bin on the way out. The lingering awkwardness from before disappears as Liam talks. "I don't think I've seen such a good movie in a year. I'm impressed. I thought Hollywood was only making remakes and sequels these days."

"Right?" I say. Outside, the sky has darkened, but the town is full of streetlights. We walk towards the ocean, surrounded by couples also walking home or heading towards their cars.

"I tried to guess the plot twists, but every time I thought I knew what was going to happen, it was something else."

"It was the same for me," I say.

"The soundtrack was good too…" Liam continues talking about the movie while I nod and make appropriate sounds.

I wonder if going to the movies with Kennedy has messed up all future experiences in the cinema because I couldn't help getting distracted while watching the movie. Maybe I have a Pavlovian response to cinemas because energy ran through my body the whole time and my heart was pounding. I didn't feel aroused — of course not, I was with Liam Ford, after all — but I felt something.

"Hey, I have a question," I say, interrupting Liam's analysis of the protagonist. He's been talking about the movie for the past ten minutes, and we've now reached the park with fewer lights and fewer people around. I'm not worried about my safety though — Lonsdale Bay is safe and besides, Liam and I are two guys. We'll be okay.

"What?"

"Why are you single?"

Liam is silent for a moment, and he looks out to the ocean, which roars loudly compared to the quiet town.

I realise that sounded like I was interrogating him, and soften my voice. "Sorry. I know it's a weird question, but I promise I'm not asking for the hell of it." I have a reason. Something that's been bugging me for ages, without me realising it.

"It's not like being single is the end of the world," Liam says.

"Of course. I'm not saying it is. But I've heard you explain your singleness as if it's out of your control. As if no one's interested in you."

"And?"

"And that's a blatant lie. People are interested."

Liam laughs sarcastically as if I'm speaking nonsense. But I'm not. I don't draw conclusions without looking at the evidence.

"Liam, you're charming and you're h — you're not bad looking."

That gets him to shut up. He stares at me, eyes big.

"And even if your personality was atrocious, people would be interested," I continue. "Therefore, you're single because you choose to be, right?"

When he responds, his voice is low. "I don't know whether I'm insulted or flattered."

"The question I'm trying to ask," I say, speaking loudly to disguise my awkwardness, "is why do you choose to be single?"

The streetlight that illuminates us fades as we walk away, casting Liam's face in silver light. I can't read his expression.

"Maybe I haven't found the right person," he answers. "What's it to you?"

I think of Kennedy. "If I tell you, I'll probably piss you off."

"Just tell me."

"Actually, I'll almost certainly piss you off."

"Curtis," he growls, and the sound shoots through my body.

Don't think about that, Curtis. Focus.

"For the longest time," I say, "I thought perhaps the reason you acted the way you did to me was because you were jealous."

"Jealous?" He stops walking.

"Because you were secretly in love with Kennedy," I say, stopping too. I face him, and he takes a small step back as if he's scared of me touching him.

"Are you asking me… whether I'm in love with Kennedy?" he asks.

"I know you're not," I say, but my voice isn't certain.

Liam's expression shutters. "No, I'm not. If you asked Kennedy, she would have told you the same thing."

"I did ask Kennedy." She said over and over that Liam wasn't in love with her. I thought she was being naive because surely Liam must have had a crush on her at least once during their lifetimes.

Now, I hate how Liam's expression has changed. I want him to smile and talk about the movie with glittering eyes again. "I just… I wondered… whether you were single because you liked a certain person." Someone you couldn't have, like Kennedy. Someone you would wait for.

After a second, Liam walks again, and I join him. His shoulders are as stiff as mine. I wish I could reach out and push them down into a relaxed position. "I don't like Kennedy."

I know, I believe you. I regret bringing this up. Before I can respond, he continues.

"Actually…" he glances at me, then quickly looks away. "I like someone else."