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.
The film started. From the very first scene, the movie was surprisingly engaging. Eiden found himself genuinely interested as he munched on popcorn, his eyes glued to the screen. It was well-paced, with likable characters and sharp dialogue. And the visual direction honestly? Not bad at all.
Somewhere around the halfway point, the lighting shifted, the music slowed, and an erotic scene started playing.
Eiden nearly choked on his popcorn.
"Damn... this is quite intense," he thought, blinking at the screen. Then, from the corner of his eye, he noticed a couple sitting directly in front of them. They were... kissing. Frantically.
He leaned forward slightly, squinting in the dim light to confirm.Yep they were kissing no doubt and it wasn’t just any kiss but a rough intimidate french kiss as their tongue twisted around each other’s. "Whoa." He leaned back, only for his ears to catch a faint moan from behind him. His spine stiffened. Slowly cautiously he turned around. His eyes widened.
The couple behind them wasn’t just kissing.
"They’re touching each other’s private parts?" Eiden’s mind screamed. "Damn, they sure are bold!" He glanced around more carefully now. It wasn’t just one or two pairs. Many couples around them were leaning into each other, whispering, touching, giggling some already full-on making out. Eiden suddenly thought, Wait. Sasha. His head whipped to the side, heart skipping a beat. There she was, sitting beside him. Frozen.
Her eyes were aimed at the screen, but something was off. Her ears exposed beneath her tucked hair were beet red. Her cheeks were flushed. Her lips slightly parted, and her face betrayed a kind of stunned mortification. Is she... immersed in the movie? he wondered at first. But no. He looked closer. Her eyes weren’t even looking at the screen. They were slightly above it. That wasn’t immersion. That was mental escape. "She’s in the dead zone," Eiden realized. "She can’t look up, can’t look down, and definitely can’t look to the sides..."
To the front was the intense scene on screen. Behind her he turned slightly to check were the same bold couple doing things no innocent cinema-goer ever wanted to witness. The sound of shuffling, the occasional light kick against her seat, the breathy moans...
Sasha had noticed it too. Her whole body stiffened again.
Eiden’s was losing composure. Oh no! Poor Sasha! Don’t suffer more than you already are! Part of him wanted to laugh. The situation was so absurd. But another part felt genuinely bad. She was trying so hard to ignore it all. He could almost see the mental gears in her head screaming to shut down. Her attempts at escape were pitiful but sincere.
She tilted her chin downward another desperate measure. But right then, something fluttered in the dim light and landed near her shoe. A panty.Eiden’s soul briefly exited his body.
It had flown from behind and landed delicately right at her feet. She flinched violently and jerked her head away from the floor, choosing to fix her gaze on the only safe thing within reach: The popcorn bucket. She stared at it with an intensity people usually reserved for staring down wild bears to scare it off .
Eiden watched the entire tragedy unfold beside him. "Ahhh... she can’t even look up anymore. That screen is tainted. Her only refuge now is the popcorn." He pitied her. "Just yesterday was her birthday," he thought, lips twitching. "Her moment. And now she’s being tormented ."
He almost raised his fist to curse the heavens. Her fate is too miserable! She was just a newborn yesterday, damn it! Sasha was now hunched lower, sinking toward the popcorn as if it could swallow her whole and end the nightmare. But her chair kept shaking slightly courtesy of the couple behind her whose activities had reached new audio levels.
Eiden began questioning reality. "How long is this scene? Shouldn’t it have ended by now?"
He dared to look at the screen again. Nope. It was getting more intense.
He peeked back at Sasha. Her shoulders were trembling. Her head drooped lower and lower. And her eyes oh no!!, her eyes! They were glazing over, losing focus, like her soul was slowly leaving her physical shell. Eiden stared in disbelief. It was like watching a spirit ascend. "Ahhh!! Don’t die!! Hang in there, Sasha!!" he screamed internally, gripping the popcorn bucket like it was a life preserver.
And yet, as all this chaos continued around them moans in the air, soft pants echoing from the corners, and the theater now functioning more like a brothel than a movie hall Eiden just kept munching. Crunch. Crunch. Crunch.
Popcorn never tasted so meaningful and enjoyable.