Empty Me Out (The Liquid Series, #1)

Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Mark took me to see a romantic comedy, which was ironic since I usually hated chick flicks. Horror films were more my speed, but I couldn't fault him for not knowing I didn't fit the stereotype of the average female moviegoer.

Meandering up and down the crowded theater aisles, we eventually scouted out two empty seats in the very last row. As the lights dimmed to signal the start of the coming attractions, we sat down, and I placed the bucket of popcorn Mark insisted on buying between my legs. Despite feeling completely stuffed from our Beefy Burger gorge-fest, I dug into the popcorn, more to occupy my nervous hands than anything. I tended to fidget.

When the coming attractions ended and the movie began, the theater grew completely dark, the only source of illumination the glow of the screen. Sitting in the blackened space in such close proximity to Mark, I experienced a heightened awareness of the senses. He reached over to grab a fistful of popcorn from the bucket between my thighs, and it made me a little crazy.

My body now felt tingly, like electricity connecting me to Mark in a current. I raised my hands from my lap, eager to touch Mark in some small way, but I couldn't find the nerve. Realizing how awkward I must have looked with my hands in the air, I began anxiously rubbing them together—the friction warming them almost to the point of sweating.

Breaking me free from my panic-driven tendency, Mark took one of my hands in his and held onto it gently. My eyes remained fixed ahead on the movie, but I didn't see any of it. I could concentrate on nothing other than the feel of his hand as it touched mine—how he rested my left palm on his right thigh while rubbing back and forth over my knuckles with his thumb. I could have been watching a cinematic masterpiece or a blank screen—I wouldn't have known the difference.

When the movie ended, we remained in our seats until the last of the moviegoers headed for the exits. Mark held my hand the entire time—and was still holding it. I never wanted to leave this theater.

Turning to face me, he asked, "So, what did you think?" Finally, he let go of my hand to reach for more popcorn in the bucket I was still straddling.

I answered quickly and truthfully, needing to distract myself from Mark's hand and its location between my legs. "Well...it's not really my type of movie, to be honest," I replied with a sheepish grin—not that I'd been able to pay enough attention to actually know if the movie was any good or not.

"What?!" he cried out in mock anger. "Why didn't you say something?!" With good humor, he tossed a piece of popcorn at me.

With a laugh, I caught the kernel and popped it into my mouth. "Sorry! I didn't have the heart to tell you."

"And I thought all girls liked romantic movies," Mark shrugged. "Well, just so I know for future reference, what kind of movies do you like?" he asked with a raised brow.

"Horror movies are my favorite," I replied enthusiastically. "I have a love-hate relationship with them, really. I love to watch them, but hate the nightmares they give me. Silly, huh?"

"Nah. Not silly at all. I'm definitely going to have to watch one with you sometime," he winked.

Feeling bold, I asked, "Oh yeah? Is that a promise?"

With wide eyes, he answered, "Most definitely."

After we finally left the theater, Mark drove me back to my home in Quincy. When I told him where I lived, he happily informed me that he resided only one town over in Braintree. Knowing we were so close to each other was a pleasant surprise, and everything about the day seemed to be falling into perfect place. I couldn't remember the last time I enjoyed myself or anyone's company so much.