Realizing I don’t think he’s funny, he says, “I guess we should go then.” We head out through the garage.
Dad drops me off at the theater around 1:15 p.m. “I’ll pick you up around four.” He smiles. “Have fun, sweetie.”
I get out of the car and wave. “Thanks, Dad.” I make my way into the theater and find Melissa is already here. To my total dismay, so is Jake. They are sitting on one of the benches just chatting away. Suddenly, I am disappointed because they appear to be so into each other. I don’t know what I was thinking about anything other than friendship with Jake. Looking at the two of them, I realize I don’t stand a chance.
I walk toward them. “Hey.”
They both look up and say hi. Jake stands and hands me a ticket. “I got you a ticket.”
I smile. “Thank you,” I say, reaching into my purse for my wallet. “Let me pay you for it.”
Melissa chimes in. “No, he bought my ticket too. It’s like a date, with both of us.” She suddenly blushes when she realizes what she said, and we all burst out laughing.
He puts his arms around both of us, laughing, and says, “Come on, ladies. This could get interesting.”
We giggle and make our way to the theater.
We walk in and look around for three open seats. I prefer sitting as close to the front as possible or the first row in the upper section, the row with the bar so I have a place to put my feet. It’s my absolute favorite seating choice in a movie theater. I’m not tall, and it never fails I get stuck with a tall dude in front of me and I can never see the screen. Tall dudes don’t sit in the front rows, and frankly, most people in general don’t sit in the front rows ever—unless the theater is completely full. To my surprise, without even asking Melissa or me, Jake beelines for the bottom row of the upper level. I’m beaming, and I squeal a little inside.
We walk through the row and come to three empty seats right in the middle of the theater. Jake, me, and then Melissa. Okay, this is awkward. I thought for sure Jake would want to sit next to Melissa, but he doesn’t seem to care.
While the previews of upcoming features are shown on the screen, I become keenly aware of Jake’s right hand, the one closest to me. At first, he rests it on his leg. He doesn’t look very comfortable. He then tries to rest his arm on the armrest with his hand dangling down, but that’s not working for him either. He’s fidgeting. I also take notice of his left hand, which is resting on the armrest and doesn’t move.Interesting.
I decide not to worry about it and enjoy the movie. He seems to settle down as well when the movie starts.
After the movie, Jake insists on staying seated until all the credits have played. It’s another thing I always like to do and usually annoys anyone I am with.Another thing we have in common.Once the credits have played and we are the last three people in the theater, Jake gets up and we walk toward the exit.
Once we get into the hallway, Jake asks, “What did you all think of the movie?”
I love that he wants to talk about it. I hate going to a movie where the person you’ve gone with has nothing to say. I love to discuss what I saw and even figure out things I might have not understood. “I have always been a Beatles fan, but after seeing the movie, my love for them is at a totally new level.”
“I know exactly what you mean. This movie was such a surprise for me. I thought it was gonna be stupid and found myself toe-tapping to all the songs, which were actually sang by the Beatles!”
I can feel the excitement in his voice, and I know we can probably talk for hours about the movie we saw. Melissa has not said a word though, and I don’t want to exclude her.
“What did you think, Melissa?” I ask to keep her included in the conversation.
She smiles, and I can see she is glad to be included, but instead of answering the question to me, she looks directly at Jake and says, “I loved it and really enjoyed the music too.” Now I am sure it’s Melissa who likes Jake. I’m just not sure Jake likes her. She must have only wanted him to come along because she likes him. I have to say I am disappointed, because now that it is clear, I need to take a step back. She is my only friend, and I don’t want to do anything to screw that up.
I decide to add to the conversation. “Yeah, it really gave a good view of the energy and excitement of Beatlemania and helped me understand firsthand exactly what it was like. We were babies during that crazy time.”
“I totally agree,” Jake says. He gets between us and puts his arms around our shoulders. “Let’s go get something to eat.”
I look at my watch. It’s almost four thirty, and I know Mom or Dad will be waiting outside for me. “I can’t, guys, sorry. I’m sure my ride is waiting. Dad said he or Mom would be here around four.”
Before Jake can respond, Melissa chimes in. “I’m supposed to call when I’m ready to be picked up. I can go get something to eat with you.”
And that’s it. We say our good-byes. Jake and Melissa walk toward the food court, and I turn toward the main entrance and my ride home, wishing I could stay. While I am walking to the exit, I think about calling Mom and Dad and asking if I can stay, but I realize again, they are most likely already here. Talk about missed opportunities.
I am right. As soon as I open the door, Dad is out front, waiting for me.
When I get home, Mom is putting dinner on the table. “Did you have a good time today, Jayden?”
“Yeah, I did. The movie was really good,” I say as I sit at the table. Ever since I can remember, we’ve always had dinner together, sitting at the kitchen table as a family since the time I was little. It’s always been my favorite part of my day, partly because Mom’s cooking is amazing but also because it’s nice having their undivided attention for an hour.
I tell them all about the movie, leaving out the parts about Jake and Melissa. The last thing I want to do is let them think I am sad over a boy. Dad talks about work and how he is finally starting to settle in his new job. He says he probably won’t need to work Saturdays anymore, which makes Mom happy. She doesn’t really say much but listens to the both of us. When dinner is over, I clean up, allowing my mom and dad to relax in front of the TV.
When I am done, I peek in the family room and say, “If you guys need anything, I’ll be in my room.”
