Forget to Love

Chapter 4 - The theater

Yuuki had insisted they all see a certain romance movie in theaters she had been waiting for all year. They met on a Sunday in the theaters near the neon concession stand sign and bought snacks. Yuuki lightly bounced up and down on her heels, clutching at the neck of her turtleneck sweater in excitement. Nozoka loaded up with sweets and popcorn, which Kibou jokingly complained about helping to carry until she offered to share if he 'behaved like a good boy.'

"Is Sabishi not coming?" Mitsuka asked when he arrived. She was dressed in leggings and a blouse. Her long auburn hair flowed over her shoulders. "I thought you would be together."

Hitori tried in vain to hide his disappointment as he made the same realization. "I guess maybe she's busy again," he answered dejectedly, weakly kicking at the carpeted floor with his sneakers.

"She has been acting differently..." She stared at Hitori for an answer, who remained quiet. "That's really a shame, the movie's starting in a few minutes."

"You all go in, I'm just gonna wait a few minutes." He picked a piece of lint off of his dark striped shirt. They seemed apprehensive, but Mitsuka silently motioned to them, and they all left. Hitori let out a quiet sigh, checking his phone for any text messages. She hadn't responded to his last message, asking if she was coming. That was a day ago. He impatiently scrolled through the message history as if something new would appear. A few minutes passed.

Hitori drummed his fingers against the side of his leg. The neon concession sign glowed in the corner of his vision as he stared at the door. The air was warm and smelled like popcorn and candy. Sabishi loved food. She would have jumped up and down with excitement if she saw the selection of sweets. He was considering buying something when he suddenly remembered the time Sabishi had paid for his meal at the café. Now was his chance to buy her something sweet.

He approached the counter, eyeing the sign on the wall that was covered in cartoonish pictures of the available foods. He racked his brain for something she would love, but there were just too many options. She would have loved it all. The young man at the counter watched him, seemingly bored but patient.

"Is there anything you're looking for in particular?" he asked. There were faintly dark circles under his eyes.

"Not really," Hitori forced a polite smile. "I'm just trying to decide. Thank you."

There were a lot of selections of candy. Sabishi loved sweets. But what was her favorite?

"Girls like chocolate, you know," the young man mentioned casually with a smirk.

Hitori pursed his lips. "How did you know?"

The young man shrugged. "You seem nervous because she's late, and you have no idea what she'll like. Don't worry little dude, the date will go fine. Trust me."

The man placed a small chocolate bar on the counter. Hitori eyed it. Come to think of it, she did love chocolate. He paid for the candy and thanked the man, trying to restrain himself from explaining he wasn't on a date. Hitori stuffed the chocolate bar into his pocket, making a mental note to not forget it. If she didn't show up, he would give the chocolate to her once he got home. It would definitely cheer her up, considering she was so busy she missed another get-together.

He paced for another minute, even considering just giving up and leaving to watch the movie with the others. But it just wouldn't feel right. He checked his phone again. No new messages. From behind, the main door opened. He turned hopefully. His deep brown eyes lit up like a firework.