Take my heart

Chapter XVII

A week later, Adryan forces them to go watch a movie of his choice to make up for 'ruining' his night last Friday. Connor knows it's gonna be bad before Adryan even tells them what the movie will be. Still, he shows up with a big smile and more optimism any of the others feel.

He was right.

It's one of those silly action movies with car chases and gun fights and a very buff, very unlikable main character whose love interest, due to some plothole, is a slim lady in her twenties. Adryan and Darren used to watch movies like this all the damn time, which didn't help at all with Adryan's driving habits.

Fifteen minutes into the movie, Connor's bored out of his mind. He glances around—Darren is at his left and Adryan at his right—and slumps on the cushioned seat. With Caesar on Adryan's other side, by some terrible planning mistake, he can't bother him to pass time. His optimism slips further away from him by the second.

He's surreptitiously scrolling through social media when a silent notification pops up.

Caesar:

why are you so far?

Protected by the darkness of the room, Connor doesn't try to hide the smile that pulls at his mouth.

Connor:

I'm right here

not next to me

didn't you say we're diatomic something?

We can still be a seat apart

I don't like it.

Why not?

The second car chase of the movie causes an explosion of light and sound in the room. Waiting for Caesar's answer, Connor glances at the big screen, finds himself unable to decipher who are the good and the bad guys, and takes a bit of popcorn from Darren.

it's just better when you're next to me

Connor stares at the text for a second, with the sound of sirens in the background. Is that a weird thing to say? He can't tell.

Clingy

shut up

it's not that

and you know I'm right

A car explodes in the middle of a street in what might be Los Angeles, though Connor didn't pay enough attention to the beginning of the movie to be sure. He taps a finger on the side of his phone and settles for a shrugging emoji.

for convenience, I mean

Convenience?

yeah

if you were next to me you could hold my hand when you get scared

This is not a horror movie

you could still hold my hand

A breath gets stuck in Connor's throat. He blinks at his phone screen, wondering if he's reading right. He is. That is a weird thing to say, isn't it? In the dimly lit room, having a secret conversation while their friends watch the movie, protected by the dark and the noise, they're stumbling around the uncharted territory of talk about holding hands.

Maybe he should stop it there. It feels like he's suddenly come to a stop at the edge of a tightrope. He can change the topic and go back, or he can step forward and trail this very shaky, very unfamiliar path. Is there a safety net beneath?