My Ex - Crush

Episode 35

Deepika's POV:

As the movie dragged on, I was gripping my seat handles for dear life.

Every time the creepy music started, signaling a jump scare, I tensed up like I was about to face my own doom. Why, oh why, had I agreed to come here?

The ghost in this movie was the stuff of nightmares-dark, shadowy, and moving in ways that made my skin crawl. Every time the characters on screen turned off the lights, I knew the ghost was about to make an appearance.

Here it comes again. That *damn* music. You know, the one that pretty much screams, a jump scare is coming in 3... 2...

I bent down, clamped my hands over my ears, and squeezed my eyes shut. I wasn't about to let this ghost mess with me again.

"Hey, at this rate, you'll miss the entire movie," Arjun whispered next to me, his voice dripping with amusement.

"I don't care," I hissed. "I can't watch this."

He chuckled, probably enjoying this way more than he should. "Come on, Deepika. That last part was a fake scare. The ghost hasn't even come out yet. Get up and watch-there's nothing happening."

For some reason, probably because my brain had momentarily short-circuited from fear, I believed him.

I slowly lifted my head, thinking that maybe, just maybe, Arjun was trying to be nice for once.

But nope. He wasn't.

Because as soon as I looked up, the ghost crawled out from under the bed, all twisted and creepy, and launched itself straight at the screen.

"SHITTTTTTTTTTT!" I shouted, my voice practically echoing in the theater.

And then, just as I was about to regain my composure, I felt a light tap on my shoulder.

That was it. I was done.

I screamed so loudly, I'm pretty sure the people in the next city heard me. My body went stiff, and I gripped onto the armrest for dear life.

"The ghost is gone," Arjun said, his face plastered with a grin so wide, it was obvious he was enjoying my torment.

I shot him a death glare, my heart pounding like a drum. He was the real ghost here-haunting me, driving me insane.

Meera, who was sitting on my other side, was practically in tears from laughing. She patted my shoulder, though the giggles still slipped through. "It's okay, Deepika. He got you good, though."

Arjun was gasping for breath at this point, doubled over in his seat. "Y-you should've seen your face!" he wheezed between bursts of laughter. "That was priceless."

"You're lucky I didn't pass out from a heart attack," I muttered, trying to calm my frenzied breathing.

My face was burning from embarrassment, and I wanted nothing more than to disappear.

Then, as if to add insult to injury, Arjun tilted his head and smirked. "Mind letting go of my hand now?"

I blinked, confused. "Your hand?"

I looked down... and realized, to my utter horror, that I had been holding onto his hand this entire time, thinking it was the seat's armrest. I yanked my hand away quickly and failed at making it look like I wasn't embarrassed.

Arjun's smirk deepened, and his eyes gleamed with amusement. "Comfortable?"

I shook my head, utterly mortified. He was loving every second of this.

"I'm never coming to any ghost movie again," I muttered.

"Oh, you will," he teased. "You just need a hand to hold." he said and chuckled.