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CHAPTER 10
February
Maya inserted her credit card into the machine to retrieve her pre-booked cinema tickets. Saturday afternoon at Vue cinema, Cribbs Causeway, was always busy. Today was worse than usual because it was the start of February half-term. She usually preferred to take the children to the cinema after school, when it was much quieter. Or she would come midweek during the school holidays, preferably to the first showing in the morning. But this was part of Lewis’s birthday treat today. He’d had a shared LaserQuest party with Owen last weekend, but Maya wanted to take him out on his actual birthday.
Amber gave a sudden squeal, making Maya jump. She turned around. OhGod. Behind her stood Chloe and her dad.
“Hello,” she said, looking from Chloe to Sam. Chloe and Amber were extremely pleased to see each other. Maya didn’t share their enthusiasm.
“What film are you seeing?” Sam asked, his daughter’s hand slipping out of his.
Jumping up and down excitedly, Amber answered before Maya could say the name of the movie.
“So are we!” Chloe replied for Sam. He smiled and rolled his eyes.
He actually had a lovely smile, thought Maya, chiding herself for such a thought. Shameabouthisnotsolovelyattitude,though.
The machine chucked out the tickets. Lewis grabbed them and handed them to Maya. “Thank you, honey,” she said.
Maya stepped aside to let Sam insert his card to retrieve his tickets. This felt so awkward. She wanted to walk away from him, but for Amber and Chloe’s sakes she felt she couldn’t.
She caught a whiff of his aftershave. He smelt great, as well as looking good in casual jeans and a sweatshirt.She gave herself a mental shake.
Sam showed his tickets to Maya. “What seats are you in?”
Their seat numbers were the same, only it looked like his were two rows below.
“Did you want to let the girls sit together, and we can keep an eye on them from above?”
This was turning into her worst nightmare. But what would it look like if she didn’t let her daughter sit next to her best friend? “Oh, uh…” Amber and Chloe were already oblivious to their parents’ existence, talking about… Actually, Maya didn’t have the foggiest what they were talking about. “Do you mind?”
“I don’t mind, if you don’t.”
Maya did really. But she couldn’t make Lewis sit with Sam while she sat with the girls. “I suppose it would be a shame to break them up.”
“Yes, they will like sitting together,” Sam said.
They would. But it meant Maya would be sitting next to Sam. At least once the film started she wouldn’t need to make conversation.
They walked into the foyer where the refreshments were sold.
“Popcorn?” Sam asked.
“Oh, I wasn’t going to bother.” Maya chewed her lip.
“Mum, please can I have some?” Lewis said, embarrassing Maya further. She hated paying for overpriced popcorn and drinks at the cinema.
“My treat,” Sam said, as if sensing her anguish. “I’ll get a tub for the girls, and we can share one too.”
“Thank you.”
Was this the same man who’d collected his daughter from her house in October? Why was he being so nice all of a sudden?
To be fair, he had been polite collecting Chloe the other Sunday…
Once everyone had visited the toilets, and Sam had returned with two buckets of popcorn, they showed their tickets and then found their seats inside the cinema. Excited to be together, Chloe and Amber sat in the two seats by the aisle, and Sam, Maya and Lewis headed towards the seats two rows above them. Maya felt less thrilled about this prospect. The cinema was already busy, and the seats next to the three Maya had booked were already occupied. Sam went in and sat in the third seat, next to the strangers, so Maya sat down awkwardly next to Sam and Lewis had the aisle seat left.
As the film trailers played, Maya found herself relaxing slightly and telling Sam which films she liked the look of and which she didn’t. Admittedly, because they were watching a children’s movie, the trailers matched the age range the film was aimed at. Sam nodded his agreement. Maya, being in the middle, found she had the bucket of popcorn on her lap. She offered it to Lewis, then Sam.
