POPSTAR (BEING REVAMPED)

Chapter 33

My breathing increases but as soon as Jayden notices, he places his hand on my thigh and we both look at each other. His eyes caught mine and the brown on them completely mesmerized me and I felt at peace instantly.

Does he make all girls feel this way?

"I didn't want to put a lot of pressure on tonight," he finally speaks and when he stops the car, I'm thankful. The area is dark, quiet, and private somehow. 

How did he do that? avoid paparazzi so well?

"We don't have long." Nevermind.

I glance around to see a large building in front of us, neon signs and all kinds of lights hanging on it.

I'm glad I didn't go over the top and rather focused on something that I was able to find, but this outfit wasn't meant to go to the movies even though Jayden probably expects his dates to dress this well to even a movie.

He grabs my hand and before I know it somehow we're outside and I'm still deep inside of my mind, listening to every word my conscious is saying to me. and it's making me feel like I don't belong here. In fact, I've always known that this lifestyle doesn't belong to me, I've always felt it but with a music career, this life is something I knew I'd never be able to completely avoid. And so I've tried to keep my deepest thoughts quiet.

when we enter the inside, the smell of popcorn overwhelms me, and even though there is no one there except for a few cashiers who are clearly eyeing the both of us, mesmerized by the fact that they're the first to see who Jayden's mystery girl really is.

Jayden keeps holding my hand and I can't help but feel my cheeks turning hot, in front of someone who will clearly tell the tabloids everything he saw, he seems so calm, so charming and so collected.

"Two tickets," he says and the blonde cashier nods before handing us our tickets and telling us to have fun, while not taking her eyes off Jayden who doesn't seem to see her despite speaking directly to her.

"Thank you so much," he says politely before giving her a smile and it's clear that she's a few seconds away from fainting.

I can't imagine how many girls have crushes on Jayden and how many of them don't know they do until they see him smile directly at them.

Jayden's hand is warm against mine as we travel up the escalator, the smell of popcorn and anticipation apparent in the air.

I've never felt so alone with someone; so myself and yet terrified to speak and to be myself.

"Over here," his hand lightly tugs me as we allow someone to scan our tickets, and then we quickly make our way to the candy and snack section. I'm surprised there's no one here but them I quickly remember that that was by design. Jayden rented this place out for us.

My mind jumps to how much that would have cost and then I instantly start to compare that to how much my mother earns in a month, not to mention how little both of our lives are worth.

And yet somehow with all this power and money, I'm not influenced, it doesn't make me any more attracted to him and in fact, I'd much rather prefer him being unknown and just a regular guy who went to Iowa high.

"Take anything you like," he speaks and those words stop me for a second. I've never been once told that in my life. 

My mother and my father even when they were together struggled, and now that my dad is single he's slightly better off with his Alaska job that was one of the reasons my mother became so stuck up and had to divorce him.

At the corner of my eye I spot Jayden getting us a large coke and what I can assume is that we'll share it which somehow makes my heart flutter but then I go back to staring at the candy aisle in front of me. All of these choices and yet, I don't want anything, I don't want to use him and I don't want him to think I'm using him.

I quickly grab a bag of trail mix with chocolate m and m's and turn to Jayden who's holding the large soda I saw him order earlier, a huge bag of movie popcorn and a tray of nachos and cheese.

"Want to add some melted butter on the popcorn?" he raises a brow and I nod.

"Don't we have to pay for this first?" I show him my trail mix and he shakes his loose hair, it isn't gelled or sleek like most guys would prefer it, instead, it's loose and messy and it makes him look that much more perfect.

"I'll get a check, I don't want paying for everything to take away time with you," his lips form a perfect circle and I can't help but feel giddy from everything he says.

I smile at him and then before I know it, he hands me the coke while he holds everything else for us as we enter the dim movie theatre.

I spot some upcoming movies on the walls as we slowly make our way to the main seating area.

"Wow, this is huge," I tell him and he nods.

"Yeah, it's my favorite place to come to," he speaks and my mind immediately jumps to whether or not he's ever brought anyone else here.

The ads start to run as Jayden and I find a seat in the very middle of the movie theatre, I've never ever been alone in a movie theater before.

I've always gone with Caroline and sometimes if we'd catch a movie right before it stopped showing we'd manage to have it half empty, but this is something else. This is something I could have only dreamed of in the bedroom of my mother's house.

As our eyes are plastered to the screen seeming as though we're both watching whatever is on the screen and to any other stranger walking past, it would look so simple, so normal, but inside I'm not able to withhold all of the new feelings arising in me and I feel as though all of the perfume, deodorant isn't going to withstand the heat in here, in fact, I can't stop thinking about if I'm sweating or not and then, the movie begins, and I can only hope I'll manage to be distracted from my thoughts somehow.

Jayden's POV

I don't know what movie we're watching but it doesn't matter because there's nothing that I can focus on other than her.

I feel thrown off my game completely and all the while she seems to calm, so concentrated, so cool. 

I slowly stretch my arm over to her and wrap it around her, letting her lean in closer and slowly, I start to notice the redness appear on her cheeks, and yet again I'm convinced that maybe deep down, she doesn't care about how much I'm thrown off my game, just that it's me. That's all I can hope for; that all she wants is me. Not the fame, not the money, and not the gifts.