ROMANCE KNOT

*Please note I wrote this draft a while back and that the events depicted are also from that time.

Butterflies, the sensation of flying butterflies, was something Xenia thought would never happen to her again.

Now she felt them flapping their wings; she looked forward to the dawning of a new day because she would see him. Just as Gregory couldn't get over the prick incident, Xenia still didn't understand how they got to this stage.

Mark came at 9 AM to pick up Sia for a day trip out of Paris, so Xenia was up and ready to face her Saturday ritual, but another idea crept into her mind.

Gregory looked at his watch when he heard the doorbell; who could it be on a Saturday morning? The man thought as he got out of bed.

"Xenia."

"Gregory," she stepped inside his apartment.

"Is there something wrong?" the man asked.

"Mark just picked up Sia. I don't want to be alone, so let's go on a date."

"What at 9:30 AM?"

"Thor Ragnarok is coming out today, and there's a session at 10:50 AM. The theater is almost empty in the mornings. We can have the whole thing to ourselves."

"Wait a minute, Xenia; you want us to go to the cinema on a date at 10:50 AM to see two men with too much muscle running about to save a comic strip world."

Xenia frowned while reflecting on Gregory's words before saying, "yeah, they're sexy."

The man's eyes widened at the remark, "pardon?"

Xenia glared back, "what? It's not because I'm with you that I'm suddenly blind to beauty."

Gregory knew Xenia teased him, but he still took the bait, "It's no."

"Fine, I'll just go and download it and get arrested because of the Hadopi law. Is that what you want? My bae to be an orphan because ofㅡ."

"No, Xenia, don't download it. Think a minute if everyone does something like you, how will theyㅡ."

"Well, you don't want to accompany me, and I want to see it now," Xenia stamped her feet and made duck lips.

"Okay, give me a sec."

Xenia threw herself on Gregory's couch while he showered and got dressed. Thirty minutes, later he stood ready with his blue shirt, dark-washed jeans, and glasses.

"Are you keeping the glasses?

"Yes."

Xenia got up and grabbed his hand, "cool, let's go."

Tagging along and holding on to Xenia's hand, the action seemed surreal; Gregory liked it. Her hands were soft and just manicured without any artifice.

Gregory looked at Xenia's outfit once in the lift. She opted for dark, rinsed slim pants, a white t-shirt, and a black G-Star teddy jacket and sandals.

It was a warm spring in Paris, but the mornings were a little chilly.

She likes teddy jackets, Gregory thought as he wondered how many she had.

They weren't going far; they lived five minutes away from the nearest theater.

Gregory got the tickets while Xenia bought snacks; finishing first, Gregory had time to see a scene, which made his heart skip a beat.

The cashier at the snack bar wasn't indifferent to Xenia's charms. Of course, she wasn't flirting, but still, something in Gregory made him want to unleash a comment to interrupt the young man who probably thought Xenia was a young adult his age.

A strong desire to say "Cherie" hung on his lips, but he held it. Instead, he went and grabbed Xenia by the waist, "so what did you get?"

"Oh, salt popcorn, Maltesers, and Saint Pellegrino for me and sugared popcorn for you."

"Do you really think I'll eat that at ten in the morning?"

Xenia cocked an eyebrow, "you're English, you eat beans for breakfast, and you can't eat this?"

The cashier watched the scene with a resigning stare and turned away to pursue his work.

Gregory already experienced this sensation when Xenia met Andrew Woo in Astoria. The incident with the cashier revived the feeling.

A hint of jealousy claimed him a little more every day. The sensation rented more space in his mind as their relationship developed.

Being jealous was the worst confirmation Gregory could have, as he too acknowledged he walked into that warzone, which only left casualties.

"Gregory, where should we sit?" Xenia said.

"Middle back."

"Okay, Oh, I'm so excited to see Loki."

Even the enthusiasm in Xenia's voice made Gregory loath the actor who played the villain.

"I thought you came for Goldilocks."

Xenia shook her head in denial, "Chris Hemsworth is cute, but Loki is my bae."

"But he's a bad guy," Gregory protested as he took a seat.

"But he's still sexy as hell."

"Xenia, don't you feel like you should be holding in your infatuation a little in front of me?"

"Why? Are you jealous of Tom?"

"How can I be jealous of a man wearing a hairpiece and leather pants?"

Xenia looked at him with an amused stare.

"I'm not jealous, okay."

"I believe you, Gregory."

"No, you don't. Your eyes say the contㅡ."

Xenia popped popcorn in his mouth, which she followed with a kiss," don't break a sweat, Gregory, you are the ultimate, bae."

It wasn't much but enough to shut Gregory's mouth as the lights dimmed.

Xenia emptied her Malteasers in her salt popcorn; this was one of the odd things she did with food. Gregory noticed how she had a habit of mixing salt and sugar or the bitter and the sweet. It was also one of the things he found cute, and it was even more adorable now as she fed him popcorn.

Neither one had the memory of the last time they went to watch a movie. The man realized it was the first time they went out without Sia and that he and Xenia had never been on a date.

They hadn't done anything much. No restaurant or gifts, nothing apart from snacks from Astoria's vending machines, and Xenia didn't complain. Not once did the woman bring up the fact Gregory didn't roll out the red carpet on the relationship. Instead, she was the one who asked him out.

Gregory, where's your gallantry? He thought as he observed the face of the woman who munched gleefully next to him.

Xenia laughed, rumbled, and rooted for the heroes. Thank goodness, we're alone, the man thought, but he too found himself drawn by the action-packed movie. As they left the theater, he was quite glad to have come.

Xenia then dragged him to Zing, the boutique already had the goodies from the movie, and they also had Loki's helmet.

"Gregory."

"Yes."

"Try this on," Xenia popped the helmet on his head, "gosh, has anyone ever told you looked like Tom."

"No, it's a first."

"We should buy it, so you'll cosplay for me."

"What?" Gregory said, taken aback, "I will not wear this in the bedroom."

"Come on, Gregory; it will be fun. I'll cosplay whoever you want."

"The answer is no, Xenia," Gregory replied, thinking Xenia didn't need to cosplay anyone as she already was his favorite person.

"Pff, you are such a spoilsport. I'll just get the pop figurines of Thor and Loki and wait a minute, don't take off the helmet," Xenia approached, took out her phone, and stuck her face to Gregory's.

"What are you doing?"

"It's our first date; a little photo won't hurt."

Xenia took five photos in which they made faces and laughed. It was juvenile, but like Gregory told Wendon, it was the simple things that made his heart skip, and at this instant, it was bursting for the woman who paid for the Pop figurines.