"Which one do you want to watch?"
Melanie diverted her gaze to the several movie posters displayed in front of her. She weighed her options carefully, then pointed her finger at the second poster from the right.
"Alright, let me buy–" his words halted as his eyes lifted to the poster Melanie had pointed at. It was the latest release, a continuation of a series that had already garnered much media attention and acclaim from film enthusiasts. "You really doubt me, Pumpkin? Did you seriously think of me as a scaredy cat who cannot watch horror?"
Without a second thought, Melanie nodded, which made the man beside her shake his head with restrained laughter. Rolling her eyes, Melanie stepped ahead to join the ticket purchasing line.
"Which seat do you prefer?"
Melanie glanced at the person who had just approached her. "In the middle."
"Oh ... yes. I totally agree." She looked at him who was folding his arms across his chest, staring straight ahead. "From the very center point. And with the gigantic screen, it feels like the scenes are really happening, not just an act, right in front of my eyes."
Melanie thought that this guy was just talking nonsense when he claimed to enjoy watching movies. However, given his way of commenting solely from the perspective of seating, she reconsidered. Maybe he was a true film enthusiast who always took the time to cinema when his favorite movies were released.
In silence, Melanie watched him as he ordered two tickets along with some snacks. After everything was in hand, he led Melanie to one of the still-closed doors, then sat in one of the waiting chairs.
"Uh ... what is it?" he asks when he realize Melanie just stood in front of him instead sitting on the chair. "Do you want your popcorn with larger size instead of the medium one I just bought?"
Melanie shook her head, standing with her hands on her hips in front of him so she could look down at him. Seeing her silence, he took her fingers carefully to guide her to the empty seat beside him.
"We still have a couple of minutes until the doors open. Here, eats the popcorn," he said while handing the popcorn to Melanie. However, she merely sighed, prompting the man beside her to mumble, "Okay, I get it. I will buy you the larger one."
"Sit down, Mr. Easy-to-get-cold."
His movement came to an abrupt halt. He filled the empty space beside Melanie again, then turned to her. "Do not make me confuse, Melanie. What is it?"
"You ...." Her voice sounded calm, but that only made the man beside her tighten his grip on his thigh. "I saw you roll your mask down a bit when you spoke to the clerk."
The theater doors in front of them opened, causing other visitors to rush inside. However, the two of them remained still in place, completely oblivious to the activities and noise around them.
"What is wrong with that?"
"What is wrong?!" Melanie stood up in seconds, making the man reflexively stand as well. "That's so unfair, don't you think?! You easily show your mouth to the clerk while you highly guard yourself in front of me! Oh, wait! Is that a clue for me to just ask them what you look like? Great. I'll ask them now."
Unfortunately, before Melanie could do anything she intended, a cold hand grasped her wrist. It wasn't a strong grip that caused her pain fortunately, but it was enough to prevent Melanie moving from where she stood. Exhaling in annoyance, she turned around. However, the person in front of her merely tilted his chin toward the open theater door.
"Are you jealous?"
He asked when they had both sat in the theater seats, and that question clearly made Melanie's anger rise to the surface again.
"Ha?!" Melanie didn't even care that she was not alone in this theater. She took a deep breath, then turned to the man beside her with arms folded in front of her chest. "Hey, have you ever heard people call you, ugh ... let's say, 'so full of yourself'? Like ... like the entire world is only rotating around you. Like the planets revolving around the sun?"
"Yeah, some friends of mine said that. I remember it clearly. Although he said that behind my back," he said so casually. "So, you think of me as a sun? How romantic ...."
Melanie gritted her teeth, "Whatever! I feel like I'm talking to an idiot."
He chuckled, slightly shifting his position to face Melanie fully, then whispers, "I am your idiot."
When the film started, Melanie clicked her tongue and began to focus all her senses on the large screen in front of her. After all, this was a film she genuinely wanted to watch. She didn't want to miss this moment just because of one annoying distraction from the man sitting beside her.
Fortunately, he also focused on the movie and did not cause any disturbances while the film played. However, Melanie noticed something different about him. She froze in place. She squinted her eyes as she saw him lower the hood of his jacket. Indeed, she could finally see more of his fitures, like his sideline face and his hair. Unfortunately, due to the dark theater room, combined with the film reflecting a scene set in a dark forest at night, Melanie could only see the silhouette of his hair that was carelessly unkempt. That's all. Melanie couldn't even guess his hair color or even see a glint of his eyes which were either deliberately or unintentionally obscured by some of his messy hair.
As she was still trying to squint her eyes to get a clearer view of the new sight in front of her, a hand suddenly pulled her closer, causing her to lean against the sturdy shoulder of the question-filled man next to her. Startled by what he had done, Melanie struggled, but the arm that wrapped around her shoulder was too strong. At that moment, she thought about tilting her head back. But again, he acted faster than she anticipated. With one hand, he gently patted the top of her head, preventing Melanie from looking up. Then, with his warm breath brushing against one side of her face, Melanie frowned as she heard a whisper that greeted her ear.
"Like what you see, Pumpkin?"
"What can I see besides the darkness and silhouette, you fox?!" Melanie hissed.
"Oh, I like what you just called me. Did you think a fox would eat some kind of fruit, like ... a pumpkin maybe?"
"You! Stop circling around the topic!"
"Yes, Ma'am." A gentle pat landed on the top of her head. Again. "Hence, I dedicate my thanks to you for picking this dark-themed movie so you cannot see me clearly even if I lower my guard right now."
With her head lowered, Melanie remained silent for a moment before growling again, "Are you using me?!"
"How? When? I let you choose what you wanted to watch, remember? There were many options, various genres. How could I manipulate you or use you to pick a certain one?"
"Yesterday," Melanie murmured. "You strongly commented on what I was watching while I was eating. It made me think that you really have something against horror. And today, you let me choose it myself, with the doubt still in my head. You ... planned it thoroughly!"
"Did I really do that?" Hearing this, Melanie swatted his hand from the top of her head. However, he quickly replaced his hand with his head, letting his chin rest on it instead. "Whatever it is, I appreciate your deduction. That was awesome. You would make a great detective if you wanted."
"Yes, I will! And I'll be the one who catches and brings you to jail." Melanie pushed her body away from his grasp, then sat up straight with her legs crossed. "Now, let me focus on the movie, or you could just get out of here."
He withdrew his hand from behind her chair. Glancing for a moment at the young woman beside him, he then crossed his legs as Melanie had done and finally turning his focus to the screen with a smirk on his covered face.
When the film ended, the other visitors immediately stood from their seats and exited through the doors they had entered. Melanie stood while patting the ends of her jacket, while the other hand held the empty popcorn container and drink. As she turned around, someone beside her snatched the trash from her hand and mixed it with his own trash. Melanie glanced for a moment at him who had perfectly covered his face again.
"Let's go. It is already late."
Melanie stared at the broad back of his jacket as he walked ahead of her. With his tall and sturdy frame, he could easily do something that would make Melanie forget her identity as a strong woman who was never afraid of any type of man. If he were to harm her by any means, she even doubted her ability to survive his fierce grip. But who knows. He had never done anything that showed signs of physically harming Melanie. Or not yet. He had only threatened to install surveillance cameras in her dorm room. That's all. He had even repeatedly stated that he would not kill Melanie. The question is, is he serious about that? Could he be trusted?
"Melanie? Are you tired? Want me to hold you until you reach your bed?"
Melanie blinked, not realizing he had safely escorted her back to the dorm. She sighed, glancing to the side, then shook her head and opened the door beside her. "Stop exaggerating. I'm not a baby."
"You are ..." Melanie turned and shot a sharp look at the man, but he only responded with a chuckle. "... my baby."
Melanie rolled her eyes and continued walking away from him. "Ugh, so cheesy. I'm getting goosebumps."
Before Melanie stepped onto the first stair leading to the entrance of her dorm, he called her again, waving both arms above his head, "Rest well, Pumpkin! Love you!"