The Stage of Love

Chapter 5: Me, You, and the Silence of the Movie

Sometimes life gives us moments of clarity, where your feelings and perceptions light up and everything suddenly starts to make sense. Other times, things just happen bit by bit, in such small doses that you don't even notice the picture forming right in front of you. It's like one of those thousand-piece puzzles with a surprise image: you start putting it together, piece by piece, but you can't see what it's becoming in those first few moves.

Wave and Dan were in the early stages of that giant puzzle, and neither of them could quite understand what was happening. Wave, with his excitement and curiosity, was the one bringing all the pieces at once and showing them to Dan, who unknowingly fit each piece into place as if he were completing the other's game. You will understand what I'm talking about later.

Were either of them in love at that point? Of course not! I'm not dealing with easy, love-at-first-sight stories here. I'm not saying that kind of love isn't real, okay? I'm just saying I prefer to work with love that unfolds more realistically and, honestly, more beautifully. But if it wasn't love or passion yet, then what are we talking about here? Well... interest.

Wave hadn't realized it, but he was very interested in Dan: interested in his personality, his mystery, his uniqueness. And as we know, interest is one of the fundamental pieces for completing a long story. And that's why he was there, standing at the entrance of an old movie theater, smiling from ear to ear, feeling his heart beat a little faster with every step the other guy took toward him.

"You actually came!" Wave exclaimed, his eyes sparkling with excitement. He shook a bucket of popcorn and a soda in a celebratory gesture, nearly spilling the drink as he leaned forward. "I thought you might bail."

Dan didn't respond at first, and as he got closer, he noticed what Wave was holding, a look of confusion appearing on his face. That look deepened when he saw the movie theater behind them. Quickly, he pulled out his phone and started typing, making a notification sound go off in Wave's pocket.

"As you can see, there's no way I can check your message right now," Wave announced, raising the popcorn and soda. "Either you grab my phone from my back pocket or you talk." He was smiling, hoping to hear his junior's voice again.

To his disappointment, Dan just sighed and turned his phone screen toward him, showing the following message:

[Dan Zanon]
What's this?

"This? You mean... this?" Wave nodded toward the theater, and Dan nodded back. "Well... it's exactly what it looks like: a movie theater."

Dan's expression grew even more tense, and he started staring into the distance as if searching for the right words. Then, he grabbed his phone again and typed something, showing it to Wave. He read the message in a whisper to himself:

"Why did you arrange to meet me at a movie theater? Why?" He was trying to figure out why Dan seemed so uncomfortable with the location, and after a few seconds, it hit him, and a loud laugh escaped his lips. "Oh, I get it! This seems really weird, doesn't it? Like a date."

Dan's eyes widened instantly at that word, and seeing this, Wave tried to stifle his laughter and stepped closer to calm him down.

"It seems like a date, but it's not a date, got it?" He was still chuckling at his junior's reaction. "I know it feels weird, but relax, you're not my type... you're not, like... a girl." He gave a subtle wink, trying to put Dan at ease. "And more importantly, I'd never hit on someone from the theater, no matter how good-looking you are. It would be way too much trouble."

Dan still looked skeptical, so Wave continued, "Trust me, I want to show you something really important." He smiled broadly, his eyes locked on Dan's with steady certainty. "Let's watch this movie together, and I promise you won't need to audition tomorrow, okay? You won't regret it."