Spontaneity [On Indefinite Hold]

Spontaneity: Chapter 9

~~ 8:00 pm ~~

o   Martin

We left the theater, joining the flow of people who had just watched the same movie as we had. Once we were in the ticketing and snacks area, I glanced at Ellie.

“So, was it everything you hoped for?”

She smiled somewhat thoughtfully, her shoulders rising and falling in a second. “Well, no, not everything. I didn’t like the ending.”

We reached the top of the escalator and began our descent to the first floor of the mall.

“Is it because Tony Stark blows up all his toys at the end?” I looked up at Ellie, who was one step behind me as we rode the escalator.

Her mouth opened readily to answer. “Yeah,” she replied fervently, “I mean, what about The Avengers 2? Will Iron Man be there?”

“I’m sure they’ll put him there one way or another… Is Iron Man your favorite Avenger?”

Ellie nodded enthusiastically as we reached the bottom of the escalator. I pushed open the doors that led to the outside of the mall, letting Ellie through first.

“Thanks,” she said, and I couldn’t help noticing this strange feeling of… I couldn’t quite put it into one word, but I felt even though she and I had properly met only a few hours ago, we got along pretty well – our conversations seemed fluid, her cheekiness and sense of humor only matching and encouraging my own, and the way her clear eyes appeared to beam and shine could not go by unnoticed whenever they did so.

“And yes, Iron Man is my favorite, although I won’t deny Captain America looks pretty hot,” she continued, chuckling in a slightly bashful way that fit her.

The freezing air outside swept me, sending a chill through my jacket. My cheeks started to hurt a little.

“So, um…” Ellie looked down at her wristwatch.

“You need to get home now?” I asked, clenching my hands in the pockets of my jacket.

Ellie’s gaze found mine, her smile somewhat awkward and her expression sheepish. “I, err. Yeah. I mean, I know it’s Friday evening, but my parents… They gave me this—”

“Curfew?”

“Yeah,” Ellie nodded with exhalation, not looking too thrilled about the idea of having to go home this soon.

“Your parents must be protective of you.”

“Yeah.” A shadow flickered across Ellie’s face – something that did not look as though it belonged there at all. “Yeah, I’m an only child, so… I’m nineteen, but my parents still look out for me a lot. You know, since I don’t have any big brothers and I’m a girl.”

The preoccupied voice she was using made me wonder if there was a story behind it.

“Oh okay,” I said, maintaining a relatively positive tone, “I drove here, so… If you want a ride, I can drive you to your place.”

Her eyes lit up again, banishing the darkness in her expression. “Would that be all right? I usually drive to work, but I’ve been having problems with my car, so I had to get it fixed.”

I nodded once, smiling reassuringly. “Yeah, it’s fine. I’ll be having some serious conscience attacks if I leave you to commute home, anyway.”

Ellie laughed, stroking her hair away from her face. For a split-second, something in me jumped, startling me subtly.

“Conscience attacks, huh?” Ellie took a step closer to me and appeared to lean toward me very slightly.

“Yeah, exactly,” I laughed halfheartedly, “I… don’t enjoy leaving girls out in the cold. Literally.”