Summer Camp Sweethearts

Chapter 31

The mall is bustling, which I shouldn't be surprised about because it's Saturday. The sea of people comes and goes in and out of the different stores lining the building. Some families are sitting in restaurants and gulping down their food. Others walk around, looking at the different stores and just window shopping.

We arrive at the movie kiosk and stand in the ever-growing line. I must admit that I've been secretly waiting for this day since Monday. Even though I knew nothing about the new Avatar movie, I stupidly agreed to go with him, but all I could think about the entire week was spending more time with Blake.

I steal a glance in his direction, admiring his good looks and the outfit he decided to wear today. He wears black jeans with a closely matching t-shirt that hugs his torso perfectly.

"It's going to be a while," Blake says, looking at his watch. I nod and glance around the mall. I bounce on my toes, nervously looking around the place. I haven't been here yet, so seeing the atmosphere this mall makes is pumping adrenaline through my veins.

"Don't you already have our tickets? Why are we standing in line?" I ask, already getting impatient, even though we haven't stood here for two minutes.

"I bought them online. I still need them to print them out," he states. I roll my eyes and reach into my pocket, pulling out my phone. Nothing. I am still waiting for Conrad to send me more information on those messages, but honestly, I don't think he will tell me when he finds something out because he would want to handle it himself.

"Next, please!" the cashier shouts behind the desk. We step forward, and Blake hands the cashier his phone to show her our booking. She prints out the tickets and hands them to Blake.

After we got our tickets, Blake led me to the popcorn kiosk. There are thousands of options besides popcorn—different sodas, sweets, and popcorn flavors.

"Do you want anything?" Blake asks, looking at me. I nod my head and take a step closer to the popcorn machine. It's like he can read my mind because seconds later, he hands me a bag of popcorn and two candy bars.

"I thought you might want something to eat," he says with a smile. "Come, the movie is going to start soon," he grabs my hand again and guides me towards the theatre the new Avatar will be showing.

The room is dark, only lit up by the lights down on the floor by the steps and the flickering screen that is already playing the pre-ads that play before the movie starts. We find our row almost in the middle and start to make our way to our seats. We squeeze past a middle-aged couple and some more empty seats before we reach our seats and sit down. After us, some more people joined them, with some children also making themselves comfortable in the empty seats.

"Do you want the popcorn or the candy?" Blake asks, holding out a bag of popcorn to me. I take it and start to eat, not paying attention to what's happening on the screen. Blake opens it and starts to eat, but he's not paying attention to the movie. He's looking at me with those eyes of his, and I can't help but feel drawn in.

"What?" I ask him, momentarily breaking away from the movie and looking at him. "What are you looking at?" Blake takes a deep breath before answering me.

"I'm just admiring how beautiful you are," he says. A small smile starts to spread on my lips, just as all the house lights of the cinema shut off, and I'm partly grateful for it.

"Shhh. It's going to start," I say, facing forward to enjoy the movie I know nothing about.

A beautiful scene in front of me on the screen erupts to life. The serene images of the jungle and the Na'vi people capture my attention, and I can't help but feel a sense of awe.

Some movement in front catches my eyes about halfway through the movie. I can slightly hear their conversation; it's a mixture of bickering and compliments they give each other. I look over to Blake sitting next to me and see he is fully emersed in the movie.

A high-pitched laugh erupts from in front, and I see it's from the couple I've been looking at a few moments before. I can tell they enjoy themselves, but something tells me I know them. I know that laugh.

Then it hits me, and I grip Blake's forearm to get his attention, "No way," I whisper-shout so that only Blake can hear me. He turns to me with a confused expression, and I motion for him to lean closer. When he does, I point at the screen and whisper-shout again,

"That's Jayden and Cara," I state.

"Are you sure?" he asks.

"Yes, I know Cara's laugh from a mile away. I didn't think they would take this 'going-on-a date-thing' seriously," I laugh. Blake and I share a smile, and we continue to watch the movie.

Three hours later, I'm starving and tired. Even though it was finished an hour in, the popcorn did not affect my appetite. We walked out of the cinema and waited outside. I keep an eye out on the Cinema door for Cara and Jayden.

"Hey," I say as they walk past me. They both turn around and give me a surprised look.

"Melissa?" Cara asks, and I can see that she is surprised to see me here.

"What are you two doing here?" I ask the two of them. "I actually did not think you'll take my request seriously,"

"What request?" Jayden asks, and I can see the confusion in his eyes.

"You know...the one where I told the two of you to go out with one another," I state. "It looks like my matchmaking skills came in handy here,"

"I think it might have," Jayden comments and turns to smile at Cara.

"So, how's the date so far?" Blake asks.

"It's good," Cara replies. "I'm glad I decided to go out with him." Cara smiles wide. She looks happy, and Jayden looks like a different person already.

"I'm glad," I say, clutching my bag and looking around, "listen, I'm super hungry after that three-hour movie. Do you guys want to grab some pizza with us?" I ask.

"Sure," Jayden asks, "We were going to get some anyway," "I'm in," Blake says. "I haven't had pizza in a while."