Page 9 of Only Forever

I rolled my eyes at him. “The movie isn’t supposed to be scary. I doubt I’ll need to hold anyone’s hand.”

“I’m just saying,” Jason said, wiggling his fingers at me. “These are free for your use.”

I laughed, shaking my head. “Sure. I’ll keep that in mind.”

The theater was filling up, which wasn’t surprising since it was a Friday night. We killed time waiting for the movie to start by playfully arguing about the merits of different concession foods, while eating our popcorn.

Pretty soon the movie started, and I became engrossed in the plot. It had been a while since I had seen a movie in a theater, and I forgot how immersed you could get. I held my breath at a particularly tense moment, but then had to suppress my laugh when I saw Jason wiggling his fingers next to me.

“I’m not scared,” I protested in barely a whisper to not bother others. Jason grinned and just shrugged his shoulders.

The movie was over before I knew it, and we were walking back into the fluorescent lights of the lobby.

“That was even better than I expected,” I said as we threw our popcorn bucket and drinks away. “The car chase scene was crazy. I’m so glad we saw it.”

“Yeah, I enjoyed it even more the second time.”

My eyebrows furrowed as I looked at him, confused. “What do you mean, the second time?” All of a sudden, realization dawned. “Wait! You’ve seen this before? They why did you say you wanted to see it, too!”

I had been the one to suggest the movie, saying that I had been wanting to see it. When Jason agreed, I logically assumed that he hadn’t seen it either.

“Well, I did want to see it,” Jason said. “Again.”

“Jason!” I said exasperatedly. “You know that’s not what I meant. It was a waste for you to see it in the theater again.”

“It wasn’t a waste. I enjoyed it even more the second time.”

I bit my lip, stopping myself from asking who he saw it with the first time. I decided I didn’t want to know.

“Sure,” I said unconvincingly, and Jason laughed at my disgruntled look.

“Let’s get some dinner,” he suggested. “How about some sushi?”

My eyes narrowed. “I don’t know. How do I know you haven’t eaten dinner already? Like you’ve already seen the movie?”

Jason laughed, putting his hand on my arm and guiding me outside. “C’mon. I promise I haven’t eaten dinner yet.”

I went willingly, hiding a smile as we got back in his car. Even as a kid, I had loved sushi, and I had been the one to introduce it to Jason in third grade, and he had followed suit in his love of it.

We went to a local Japanese restaurant, and was lucky to snag the last table. It was a bustling Friday night, and it felt cozy in the corner of the restaurant.

We ordered a large sushi platter to share, as well as some udon and tempura. We argued over points of the film as we ate, trying to decide whether the villain was a sympathetic figure or not. I couldn’t remember having this much fun over dinner, so I agreed to getting ice cream afterwards, even though I was stuffed. I didn’t want the night to end.

“Let’s share something,” I said, as we studied the flavors in the ice cream shop. “I’m so full, I don’t think I can eat more than a couple of bites.

We agreed on coffee mocha chip in a cup with a generous helping of whipped cream. We argued about who would pay, since Jason had gotten dinner, but I finally gave in and let him pay when it seemed like he wasn’t going to relent. The ice creamshop had no seating inside, so there were tons of people milling about outside, the outdoor tables already full. We decided to eat the ice cream in his car, since the crowd was getting loud.

“This is really good, but if I eat any more I’m going to burst,” I said after three spoonfuls, wrapping my spoon in a napkin. “The rest is all you.”

Jason didn’t answer, concentrating on the ice cream. But instead of eating it, he was just swirling his spoon around, seemingly lost in thought.

“Are you okay?” I asked, as the silence continued. I could hear the muffled conversations outside of the car, but inside there was nothing being said.

I was growing concerned when Jason still hadn’t said anything, and was about to ask again, when his gaze suddenly lifted, his blue eyes piercing into mine.

“How do you feel?” he asked, his voice low.

“What do you mean, how do I feel?” My pulse raced. I was unsure of what he was asking, but the tone of his voice made my senses tingle.

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