Night Like That (gxg)

4. we are alright

Now

Chastity was late. Ivy pretended she was very okay with the fact for a good five minutes. The woman was the quintessential Kenyan. Tell them seven pm and they hear eight pm. This had been the reason why she'd told her six pm. She'd hoped she was going to show by seven but it was already twenty past and Imax was obviously filling out fast.

She called her again. Just like before, she didn't pick. This then forced Ivy to start thinking up the best ways to curse at someone and leaving with the upper hand.

"IVY!" she heard a breathless shout, taking her out of her malicious inner ministrations.

When she faced said cursed sound, she was presented with a happy but out of breath Chastity who had been followed closely by Brent. He, unlike Chastity, was not out of breath and didn't look like he particularly cared about the being late situation. Ivy felt a sharp pang of annoyance at this. The least he could do in said situation was be sheepish about it and then apologize profusely whilst promising his firstborn to her wrath.

"Traffic was intense," Chastity finally said as her breathing came to an even pace. "I probably shouldn't have gone home to change. That was stupid."

Maybe she should have started with her horded curses but looking at Chastity always had a way of confusing her. "It really was stupid," Ivy said pocketing her phone, giving in. Suppose if she too had gone home to change, she would have expected her friend to have spent alittle bit of time waiting for her. Probably wouldn't have been smelling like day old coffee and the despair of the Kenyan justice system. She sighed with a weak smile. "Hurry up then, everybody wants a ticket and none of us can make it to Thika on time."

Ivy knew she was pointedly ignoring Brent. It was entirely on purpose and she could not help it. She'd met him during the day as he was touring about, eyes wide and the constant referencing to Chastity. Ugh, the referrencing.

"Chastity this," he would say then add, "Chastity that," as though to stake a claim. Thoroughly annoying. Who did he think he was with his wide eyes full of hope and appreciation for just how marvelous of a person Chastity was? Somehow though, he had been cordial. She had been a bit of a bitch and it was not all because of Chastity, honestly. She'd had lousy tea in the morning. They were, according to him anyways, going to become co-workers in about a week and he was excited about it. She hadn't cared to continue the conversation after that.

Sensing the awkward quiet that had settled, Chastity, completely out of the loop, insisted she get the snacks. Ivy thought it was ludicrous because everyone knew everything in Imax was expensive but she let her do it anyways. She wasn't going to stop her from buying over-priced crisps and soda.

"We meet again," Brent says, his very uninspired segue for a would be friendship in Ivy's mind.

"That we do," she said in a clipped tone.

Brent picked up the cold immediately. "We really are sorry for coming in late. The traffic was terrible and she wanted to be in something more comfortable. Next time we won't be."

Ivy studied him. The problem with Brent was that, he looked like was an actual decent guy. Minus the fact that he was all length just about everywhere, his lankiness gave him this outwardly unthreatening look. He was also handsome and maybe his spectacles had something to do with it. Ivy had always been impartial to the visually challenged. He was what Ivy would classify as Chastity's type so it made sense. It made so much sense that even her mother would think of setting them up together.

As Chastity came back, holding three large packets of crisps and three bottles of coke, stopping right next to him and smiling up to him. Jealousy ripped through Ivy. It made sense - the look. They really were a match made somewhere. They just looked so fucking good together and that was why it was within Ivy's prerogative to not like the guy at all. He looked like he was out to steal her best friend.

That was it. The best friend bit. Nothing else.

"Movie then?" Chastity asked.

"Sure," Brent responded, looking at her like she held the moon which was utterly ridiculous. The only thing Chastity had with her was a packet of fucking salt and vinegar crisps because she'd pushed her coke to him.

Fucking Brent.

Ivy faked a light laugh then reached out for her friend's arm, leaving Brent slightly out of their bubble. "Let's go, you Kenyan timers."

They disappeared into the theatre.

*

The tickets had them siting at the furthest corner at the back. It wasn't a bad space but Chastity knew that if a fire were to break out, they would probably not make it out alive.

They'd had all of three minutes with lights before the theatre went dramatically dark, earning a few gasps in the crowd. Something about the dark always made her feel so cosy. The trailers begun and she was soon hooked into movies she was probably going to forget about by the time the main event ended.

By the third trailer, Chastity had gotten the bug. The happy bug that affected people when good things were promised in the dark. For instance, she was promised a marvel movie, marvellous salt and vinegar crisps and the company of her best friend. She was vibrating when she turned to Ivy, who was on her left, and whispered, "What's your secret?"

It was a ritual of sorts that they'd started way too long ago. Chastity was sure it had started when they couldn't sleep during one of their sleep breaks when they were in class three and Ivy was sure they had started it when they'd lost the class crayons. None of them remembered the other person's story so they both agreed to disagree and blame it all on childhood dementia. What mattered was that they had it and somehow, after all those years, they always had secrets to share.

Ivy let a small breathy laugh pass then dipped her hand into her blouse. Chastity looked away because it was proper manners and nothing else. From it, she chucked a packet of skittles and laid it between them. Chastity laughed and someone at the front shushed them.

"I was not going to pay two hundred bob for fucking skittles," Ivy whispered as she broke the packet open and poured some into Chastity's crisps packet.

"You are heaven sent," she whispered back as she tried to grab for them, her crisps quickly shoved to the side.

Before the movie officially begun, she looked at her best friend, really looked at her. In turn, Ivy returned a look of her own and Chastity finally relaxed. They were back. They were truly really back so when her hand slightly grazed Brent's, she didn't get the all-consuming guilt she had been battling with all day.

Everything was perfect.