ari, be mine

v

[ chapter 5 ]

august 8, 2020
5:00 p.m
manhattan, new york

- - - - -

save your tears for another day (oh)
save your tears for another day (oh)
save your tears for another day

I stopped the track and we cheered, sharing a tight celebration hug. I pecked her forehead and she kissed my cheek.

"This song is so fucking amazing. I'm so proud of you." She stood up on her tippy toes to whisper into my ear. I smiled and hugged her tighter.

"I'm proud of you too, Ari." I whispered back and we slowly separated. We walked out of the booth and I 'worked my magic' in her words. When I finished, it'd been like 45 minutes later. I pressed play from the beginning.

We were quiet, sharing looks of impression throughout the song. When it ended, she clapped her hands excitedly.

"So good. So good." She shook her head, but in a good way.

"I agree. We're definitely collaborating on my next album." I smiled widely, nodding. "I'm down." She cheesed at my answer.

I checked the time on my phone, widening my eyes.

"Shit, let's go before we're late for the movie."

~~~~~

Midway through the movie, the popcorn was just about gone and I was munching on some Sour Patch Kids. I could tell a jump scare was coming up, so I discreetly stared at Ariana to gage her reaction.

As the part came up, the Italian jumped, shrieked, and lunged at me for cover. I died laughing, hearing some other people in the theater laughing at their friends/significant others as well.

I took my right arm and wrapped it around her shoulder. She sighed, pulled the arm rest up, and further snuggled into my chest. I chuckled and gave her a little squeeze.

"I hate this shit." She grumbled, hiding her face into my shirt.

Click, click.

"Fuck." I whispered, looking around to see if I can catch whoever just took pictures of us. Unluckily, I had no clue.

"Someone's playing paparazzi in here. Wanna get out?" Ariana snapped her head up and smirked, nodding. I smirked back, stuffing my Sour Patch Kids in my pocket. We quickly finished the popcorn, Ariana grabbing our drinks.

"3," I began.

"2," She continued, smirking.

"1." I matched her smirk, gently gripping her hips and running down the row and down the stairs. We rounded the corner in a flash and I quickly slammed the doors open.

Ariana was laughing like a maniac and I couldn't help but do the same. She tossed our drinks into the trash and took my hand off her hip, interlacing our fingers instead.

Click, click, flash.

Ariana's giggles grew louder as we sprinted out of the building. I looked behind me to see her fast on my trail, smiling brightly. The wind in her hair made her look so carefree. The sight alone warmed my heart and swarmed my stomach with butterflies.