Chapter 18: The popcorn show
As Sasha was dialing 911, Eiden hurriedly grabbed her wrist, took the phone from her hand, pressed the red hang-up button, and handed it back. "I’m just saying what if, okay? It’s just a casual thought, nothing serious, really," he mumbled, trying to sound nonchalant as he avoided her gaze. Sasha looked at him disgust and pity mixing like oil and water on her face. "Don’t look at me like that," Eiden grumbled, crossing his arms.
Sasha raised an eyebrow, folding her arms as well. "So... discovering your hidden talent for singing has awakened some hidden quirky desires too?" Eiden blinked. "I’m telling you, it was just a thought. Nothing more, I swear. And besides I like girls. My age or older ones, thank you very much."
She sized him up slowly, eyes narrowing. "I’m watching you." Eiden raised both his hands. "Okay, ma’am. Calm down. Let’s just leave it at that . Sasha rolled her eyes and turned around, walking off toward the cinema entrance without another word.
Eiden followed quietly behind, stuffing his hands into his jacket pockets and sighing. Her footsteps were brisk and firm clearly still annoyed. As they neared the entrance, the glow of the theatre sign bathed them in soft neon light. Sasha stopped near the ticket counter and pointed at him. "You go get the popcorn. I’ll buy the tickets," she said, not even looking at him.
Eiden nodded and peeled off toward the concession stand. As he stood in line, he glanced around and noticed something odd. A lot of the people milling around weren’t alone. There were couples. Many couples.
"There are a lot of couples here today," he thought. "Is it because the new movie is a romance?"
The thought lingered as he made it to the counter. He ordered a large bucket of popcorn and waited, casually scanning the area again. Most people were paired up laughing, flirting, holding hands. It was almost like the cinema had turned into a dating hotspot tonight.
With popcorn finally in hand, he walked back toward the entrance of the theatre where Sasha was already waiting near the door, tickets in hand and arms folded impatiently. She wordlessly handed him his ticket, and the two of them entered together.
They found their seats second row from the front and sat down. The room was dim, lit only by the soft pre-movie ads playing on screen. The murmuring around them slowly faded as the opening credits began to roll.