Page 37 of Clichés & Curses

Clara: Okay. I’ll be down in a bit.

I quickly texted him back before heading back to my room to grab my purse. Taking one final look in the mirror, I slowly inhaled a deep breath, and then exhaled it just as slowly. Once my nerves calmed down—though only slightly—I picked out myfavourite sandals that had a bit of a height to them, completing the look before I headed to the front door.

‘Okay,’ I called out once I finished putting on the other shoe, ‘I’m leaving.’

Nina got up from her spot on the couch and met me at the doorway. ‘Have fun, okay? And call me if you need anything,’ she said, hugging me.

‘Will do.’ I waved her goodbye and went out the door.

Once I arrived at the lobby of the apartment building, I could see Aiden waiting on the sidewalk through the glass door. While he had offered to come up to my apartment to pick me up, I told him to just wait for me in his car, since it was a Saturday night and parking would be filled.

‘Hey,’ I said when I reached him, smiling at him.

‘Hey,’ he greeted me and gave me a hug.

Catching me off guard, I tried to conceal my surprise as quickly as possible and hugged him in return, awkwardly giving him a pat on his back.

‘My car is just right here,’ he said after pulling away, pointing to a black sedan. ‘Come on.’

Aiden opened the passenger door for me. ‘Thank you.’ I smiled at him and got in.

‘So, we have two movie options. I wasn’t sure what you would be down for, so I haven’t bought the tickets yet,’ he told me once he got into his car and started the engine. ‘Options are either a horror movie or a rom-com. Both movies start at around seven, so which one do you want to watch?’

I took both options into consideration. But ultimately, I decided I wanted a good night’s sleep tonight. ‘A rom-com sounds good.’

‘Then, the rom-com it is,’ he nodded as he took out his phone. ‘Let me just buy the tickets now.’

Looking at the time, I saw that it was only ten minutes past six and the cinema was only a quick drive away, so finding a parking spot also wouldn’t take long. ‘I think we can get the tickets once we get there,’ I suggested instead.

‘Sure, let’s get going then.’ He put down his phone and started driving, making our way to the movie theatre.

The parking lot at the movie theatre was a lot fuller than usual, courtesy of it being a Saturday, and also the end of midterms week. There were still a few more parking spots available a bit further, but we lucked out when we managed to find a spot that wasn’t too far from the entrance.

Parking the car, Aiden then killed the engine before getting out and coming over to my side to open my door.

‘Thank you,’ I said once I got down. The night air was a bit chilly, so I could only guess how cold it would be inside. I was grateful that I decided to bring my cardigan with me.

‘Let’s go,’ Aiden said, offering his arm.

I gave him a smile and hooked my arm around his.

When we got inside, it was packed. Checking the time, we still had around twenty minutes before our movie started.

‘I’ll get the tickets, and you’ll get the popcorn?’ I suggested.

‘Sure. Do you want your own popcorn or?’ he asked, leaving his question hanging. I smiled at his thoughtfulness in ensuring that I was comfortable with everything.

‘We can share the popcorn. I don’t think I’ll be able to finish one on my own. Though, I do want my own drink.’ I pointed at him, with a playful seriousness on my face.

He let out a light laugh. ‘Got it. I’ll be right back. Let’s meet up over there.’ He pointed to the Minions cardboard cut-out.

I nodded and we both went our separate ways.

The line to buy the tickets wasn’t too long, but it seemed like everyone wanted to watch the same movie at this showtime. Looking at the screen, it was visible that the hall was more than halfway filled. I would have preferred to sit somewhere in the middle, but all the available choices were too close to the screen for my liking. I went ahead and chose the seats at the side, which were slightly further from the screen.

Having bought the tickets, I was about to wait for Aiden at the spot where he had pointed out, but I thought I would see how far in line he was.

I went to the food and beverages area and spotted him already at the counter, making his order. I just waited for him at the end of the row of counters.

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