Emerald Tulip

Chapter 4 the theatre

Chapter4--the theatre

Piper drove and met us outside Crystal Theatre which is the cinema but it's old and has old technology. We waited outside for a few minutes waiting on the owner with the key, when he came, he unlocked the doors and all the volunteers went into the kitchen, mum introduced Piper which I had introduced to her and I showed Piper how to do the inventory, pretty simple stuff, while I made the ice creams because the old woman who usually makes them was away. Everything took an hour or so for everything to get sorted out so as everything was ready for when the movie starts showing and the crowd comes in.

"Right, everyone meets back here in an hour, alright?" The owner announced and everyone said their little agreements, but as Quizzy, the owner, stepped out I raced after him and quickly asked.

"May Piper and I stay here for the hour?" I asked it quickly so my nerves wouldn't get to me.

He looked at me for second, "why?" He asked curiously.

"Because I just don't want to have to go home and then come back here," I answered his question calmly enough with the truth.

He fixed me with a questioning gaze, "what about lunch?" He inquired.

And I thought for a moment and then answered, "if we quickly run down to the corner store and get something to eat and come back here, could we stay?" I fidgeted with my hands behind my back, not knowing what to do with them.

He had a slight frown between his brows as he stared at me wandering if I was crazy, probably. "I can't leave two teenagers here unsupervised with my theatre unlocked, can I? I mean, you I trust, but I just met this kid; I don't know him!" he stated.

"I do. And what if mum stays here if she wants? She knows him," I asked, I didn't think I was getting anywhere and I didn't think mum would stay. Surprisingly enough he said, "alright, but if I find anything amiss he's to blame, okay?" I nodded and was practically jumping up and down excited.

I ran back into the kitchen and told mum.

"I'll stay in the kitchen," she said. This was my lucky day.

I then told Piper and he simply answered ,"sure." After everyone left it was just Piper, mum and I and as mum stayed back, we quickly walked down the road and bought an egg and bacon roll each, we walked back up, eating our rolls as we did.

"So, have you um... You know, lately?" He said and chucked his rubbish from his roll in the bin, when I was still half way through mine, he gestured his hand vaguely toward my arm.

"A little," I replied; I knew what he meant, he was asking if I had cut the night before.

"May I see?" He said and then looked hastily away as if he was ashamed, "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked. You don't have to." By then we had stopped and I was on my last bite. I chewed it and swallowed, chucked the rubbish in the bin and looked down at my feet.

I looked up and I took his hand and he turned his head and looked into my eyes. I placed his hand gently on my arm, "it's alright," I assured him and he stepped closer to me and slipped my sleeve cautiously up my arm, making sure he didn't hurt me.

He brushed the lines of cuts and scars, then gently slipped my sleeve back down my forearm.

He narrowed his eyes at me and then looked away and started walking back to the cinema.

I stood there momentarily and then when I didn't move he turned back around and put on a big grin.

"Are you coming?" He asked, laughing.

I ran up to his side and we stepped through the doors of the cinema with a rush of warm air that smelt like popcorn.

Mum looked at us and smiled with amusement and raising her brows with curiosity.

I led him upstairs, where the little projector room was at the top.

He followed obligingly and looked over the balcony, he smiled and followed me into the room. There were old machines that date from WW2 and I said so.

"That's cool" he responded.

"You know? The light that is projected from this is from a little flame," I said, walking around it and running my hand over it, I walked to the front, where the screen was, opened the little door to the all the mechanisms inside it, where the old tapes run through. "The old, big tape wheels sit up there," I pointed on top of the machine and dropped my finger slowly as if I was tracing the tape's reel as it runs through the machine. "The tape runs down through this," I pointed to the opening on top, "and it spins fast down this," I explained further, running my fingers down inside the machine, flicking the little floppy thing. "There are 20 pictures that run through it in a second," I said.

I felt a hand clasp over my hand that touched the inside of the big machine, and I looked up to find that he wasn't watching the machine, his eyes were intently fixed on me.

I shut the door and he pulled me carefully over cords and off the mini platform the machine rest on.

He stepped backwards in the dark room, trusting his instincts and me trusting him.

"You're beautiful, you know?" He stated with a matter-of-fact tone.

"Not really," I said. We stood there for what felt like a lifetime, but what was only a couple minutes. This will sound silly, but after just a couple days, I think I may very well like him. I think he likes me, too, for he leaned down to my face and held his own face inches from mine. We were both breathing steadily and then it felt like I skipped a breath and I let out a quiet gasp.

He put his free hand on my waist and I felt sparks fly through the air like an electrical current surging through our skin, but because I'm an idiot, I stepped back.

"Sorry, we just met a couple days ago," I said hurriedly, I could feel the heat rising in my cheeks as I spoke, "I don't even know you that well," I pointed out, his eyes were still fixed on me, and god, I've never been looked at like that before.

"I know. But I know you," he said in an equal tone to mine.

"Sorry, can we be friends and just talk for a while first?" I asked lamely, voice shaking.

He looked like he understood but he just said, "yeah, I guess."

I looked down at my feet and then up, but I avoided his eye contact. I think I just blew whatever chance I ever had. I sat down on one of the two chairs that were just behind the little wall, but you could still see the screen.

He sat in the other one. "Look, that was rude of me, I always move too fast and then I'm always the one to screw things up," he apologised and I was mildly shocked.

"I had a boyfriend when I was 13..." I laughed and added "puppy love couldn't suffice to the relationships people have at my age."

He laughed, too. "So you're a virgin?" He asked.

I narrowed my eyes at him angrily, "if you hadn't guessed."

"I guess you aren't the unvirgin type," he said.

"I guess not" I said as equally.

"Sorry, I'm a rude arse hole," he declared.

I let out a laugh. "Don't worry, I've met arse holes that are worse," I laughed again.

We sat there for the next hour, talking and laughing. We talked about the things we have in common again, music, books (I have not met much guys that likes books as much as me), movies, art. When the crowd started to arrive we served next to each other, making little jokes and comments in between customers and giggling while people stared at us in astonishment and gave us dirty looks, we got to sit up stairs to watch the movie.

"This is my favourite place," I whispered. Feeling as though spending time here with Piper is the best thing on earth.