From Dusk Till Dawn

Chapter 40: Deja Vu- Louise's Pov.

"That was a close one!" I breathe out heavily. We slid into the middle of the theatre between a collection of people. An advertisement about the war begins playing. The advertisement is certainly different from the ones that insinuate that we should buy war bonds back in the United States. I'm not entirely sure what it says, but its target point is men enlisting in the army.

"Sorry, about back there, I sort of panicked," I admit, shifting in my seat awkwardly. Joseph was about to kiss me and I was going to too. We're supposed to be friends but there we were practically breaking our promise again.

"I was already panicking before." I hear Joseph hum beside me with hesitant eyes. I don't say anything.
"Well, sorry it took me so long to get us here," Joseph whispers, observing the theatre. I smile to myself, visualizing how our first outing together would've started and more importantly, how it would've ended.
It feels like forever ago since Joseph had asked me to meet him at the theatre to see a picture.

"Deja vu."

"Yes, in a way." I sense Joseph's smile from beside me in the dark.

An hour flies by before I begin to start yawning.

I quit trying to translate the film ages ago. My head throbs from struggling to decipher the foreign words.

Every so often a pair of soft eyes loom on me and sure enough, it's Joseph. He swiftly looks back at the film as if he's been minding his own business the whole time.

"For someone who sees me as a friend, you sure do a lot of gazing," I frown in the darkness. Though I'm not truly cross at Joseph, I'm just just cross with myself and our messed up situation. Whenever he looks at me he makes me feel guilty.

"Sorry," he mumbles, looking in front of him. He gives me this puppy dog look all the time. It's been like this since I first met him. He reminds me of a innocent-looking puppy trapped behind a metal cage. It always gives me those nervous butterflies in my stomach when he looks at me that way.

I can sense him doing it again out of the corner of my eye. When my eyes catch his, Joseph's eyes flutter away.
Damnit, why is he making being friends difficult? You just need to get these remaining days over with him and then you'll be good Louise. Be strong Louise, be strong, I advise myself.

His pinky finger brushing mine suddenly whacks me out of my concentration game. Joseph's touch almost feels purposeful but I push the notation away.

Then a second later he does it again but only this time his pinky stays rested next to mine.

With my heart hammering out of my chest, I whisper, "You're such a clique."

Moving my hand away so it's rested on my crossed knees, I let go of the breath I'd been holding onto. I swear at any moment my heart is going to tear a hole in my chest and bounce away.

Thankfully, five minutes later the film comes to an end.

A small crowd of people stand up and exit the theatre in an orderly fashion. "We should go," I gnawed the inside of my cheeks feeling all sorts of nervous in Joseph's presence.

The tension had been building up so much between us lately. My emotions are already all over the place with the recent event on the train. I just needed to keep my distance until I found Beatrice and made it home. Like that was going to be the easiest thing in the world.

I stand at the foyer of the empty theatre waiting for Joseph who's taking his own sweet time.

"So what's our plan?"Joseph jams his hands into the pockets of his trousers. "We'll find Beatrice, convince her to come back with me and go back to America and take care of you and your family," I explained.

He nods as his eyes watch me with tension. "God, will you stop looking at me like that Joseph! It's making me feel a tad uncomfortable," I sigh, crossing my arms.

"Like what?" Joseph walks up beside me. "Like you're taking me in as if we'll never see each other ever again!" I raise my voice. "Well, this war and your family are like a knife cutting between us. So it could be." His eyes dissolved with sadness.

"This war will come to an end, Joseph and you'll be able to live in peace with your family once I fix all of the damage my family has done to you."

"You can't fix this Louise. No one can. It's not just your family who doesn't want me there, it's the bloody president of America. Said so himself." His eyes glisten with tears as his eyes meet everything but mine.
"There is little to no chance of me ever returning. So I think even being friends sounds a bit impossible!"
"Well you know what?" I yell with adrenaline galloping through me like a forest fire.

"What?" His eyes bore into mine. "I don't want to be friends with you Joseph Capurso!" My heart beats into my ears.

"Because I love you and in a completely clique way!" The words fall out without permission. Any words that were about to tumble out of Joseph's out slide away.

I've rendered him speechless.

His eyes are wide with utter shock. Joseph's head tilts slightly to the side, as if he isn't registering what I've just said. I can't tell by the look on his face if he's relieved or sad. Maybe both.
It was a mistake telling him how I felt.
Yet, here I am, standing in front of Joseph,unsure if I'd take back those three words if given the chance.

Just before he's about to speak, we're caught off guard by a pair of hands clapping. At first I just see one man's shadow but then I notice a second man's shadow standing close behind them.

"Swell film but not worth the money I spent to see this unfortunate ending." My eyes squint through the darkness as the two figures hike up the aisle from the first row to us.

The man who's talking is speaking in English. Not only is the language in English but sounds all too familiar. My heart begins beating and the heat I'd felt earlier returns.

"About time you two showed the hell up." The two men stop in front of us.

"Hey!" My cousin Hartley lifts a hand to us. The chatty, self righteous man who'd been talking reveals himself as Barry.

They're alive!

~ ~ ~

Chapter posted: 8/20/2021

Who thought they'd never see Barry and Hartley again?
Sorry for the short chapter next weeks will be longer. I've almost completely finished writing my book and I'm so excited for everyone to see the end!!

Until next time. . .