Up in the Air

Chapter 17

Someone cleared their throat – loudly. It was like a cold bucket of water over my head, reminding me of where I was.

Anderson's living room, my mind registered. With four other people watching, it added embarrassingly.

I pulled back and almost laughed when I saw Daniel leaning forward. It was as if he too didn't want the kiss to stop just yet. "Later," I promised him with a small smile. With a pained smile, he nodded.

"Sara? Movie?" Nate reminded me in a small voice. He looked like he was somewhere between wanting to laugh and and wanting to shove his head under a rock. It looked like Amanda was had on a small smile – though I wasn't so sure about it since she'd buried her head into the crook of Nate's neck. Angelie rolled her eyes while Julian had his jaw clenched so tightly it even I was starting to feel sympathy pains for him.

"Right," I murmured, thoughts still slightly muddled.

Nate nodded and pressed play on the remote control. The Walt Disney castle popped up on the flat screen TV almost immediately.

Just to be safe, I moved three inches away from Daniel. Though we were still connected by the arm he had around me, I doubt my dignity could take another embarrassing hit if we somehow managed to start making out in front of everyone again.

I finished my bowl of ice cream as quickly as I could in the first few minutes of the movie, discretely hiding the bits of marshmallow I spotted underneath the melted chocolate ice cream. Once I was done, I placed the bowl back on the coffee table.

Daniel wrapped both his arms around me and whispered a question in my ear. "Just so we're clear, cupcakes and ice cream make you smile?"

I nodded. "Pretty much anything with sugar does the trick," I wrinkled my nose as I giggled lightly. I picked up the plate of food I abandoned earlier. "Food in general, actually, does the trick," I said smugly and bit into the slice of pizza that didn't fall on my shirt.

Daniel laughed, the vibrations of his chest seeping into my backand I leaned back to rest against his lean frame for the rest of the movie.

Two slices of pizza, nine cupcakes – I did say I loved cupcakes, didn't I? – and two glasses of soda later, I smirked at Nate as the end credits of the movie started to roll. "Monsters Inc. will always be one of the best movies ever."

"Of course it's the best – it's the first one we ever saw together!" Nate flashed me a wide grin.

"Remember how Adam was so irritated that he had to take us to watch it?"

When Nate and I started to smirk like a pair supervillains, Amanda looked at her boyfriend curiously. "Adam?"

"Sara and I saw her brother nearly crash his truck – well, now her truck – into the tree in front of their house," Nate smirked at me. "He just got that truck the week before and their parents warned him that if anything happened to it – meaning if he even got the smallest dent on it – they were taking the car away."

"Both our parents were busy on the opening weekend and we really wanted to watch the movie. So I ... persuaded my brother into taking us," I shrugged.

"Persuaded?" Daniel asked with a very amused smile.

"Blackmailed," I clarified.

Daniel looked impressed. "And here I thought you lived life on the straight and narrow."

"Oh, I do -"

"Not entirely," Nate interrupted. "Remember Old Man Ulysses from down the street and that apple tree of his?"