My lips went wild for just a cheek kiss pressed against Sean’s stubble. What would it be like if our mouths came together too? Would it be as intense as the Elders say scaling is, tails literally bonding together in order to be as connected as possible, your nerves on overdrive until it feels like there are jellyfish in your soul, zapping every inch of your body in pure, hot release? The Elders also said we should explore these bodies, but it never really occurred to me that mine would be so sensitive. And Sean is right here, and he is supposed to be my boyfriend. Go with the flow, right?

But Sean’s leaning back in his seat. What I read as ready to kiss is now totally out of the question. It’s like he wants to be as far away from me as he can get. Yet he’s still holding my hand.

Mixed signals much?

I can’t stop peeking over at Sean, hoping he might lean forward again. I try not to be too obvious about it, because honestly, who wants someone who’s attaching themself to you like a barnacle?

He glances at me once, and gives me a sheepish grin. It’s amazing how expressive people can be with their faces. I’m used to flushing and stuff like that, but it’s all in our tails, a wave of heat turning my orange scales redder, or nervousness sending tingles to my tail fin. We’re a little more deadpan with our faces. So unlike Sean.

The rest of the movie is peeks and blushes and hand squeezes. Well, except for the part at the very end where Allie has lost her memory and I scream, “We sat through that only for her to forget everything?!” It’s heartbreaking. And it pisses me off. But in a good way. And it’s surprising to feel so much, especially knowing it’s all fake. Allie and Noah are actors, this whole scenario never happened, yet here I am crying because of kisses, yelling because I want these fake people to be together forever. Maybe humans aren’t as magicless as I thought. There’s definitely some kind of power in movies.

After the movie and a lingering stare from Dominic following us out, we make our way back to the bungalow. Sean tells me stories about everything he and Dominic used to do together. The studio tours they’d go on over and over, imagining what it’d be like to work in Hollywood someday; the way Dominic would pair movie starlet eras with old political figures to remember history dates better on tests; how he’d always pack an extra lunch for Sean with leftovers from his mom’s catering company.