"You didn't have to walk me back."
She shrugged.
"I'm not five." I continued.
"You sure?"
I nudged her aside, causing her to stumble and run into the hallway wall.
She laughed lightly. "I didn't feel like letting you go back by yourself."
"It's just more distance for you to walk."
"And if you say a word about me needing that extra walking distance, I will punch you."
I raised my hands in surrender. "Easy, easy."
"You're okay, though?" She asked when we reached my door. "Tell me honestly."
I nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine."
"Let me know if you need anything."
I slid my hands into my pockets, an action that I overused.
Vying with hesitation and my new-found discovery, I rocked back and forth on the heels of my feet.
I finally gave up. "Do you wanna...watch a movie? Or something?"
A small smile crept onto her face. "Sure." She shrugged. "Why not?"
I opened the door and welcomed her inside. "Hotels don't have DVD players, so,"
"Did you even bring any DVDs with you?"
"Just, like, 'The Phantom of the Opera', 'Les Misérables', I think I have 'The Princess and the Frog',"
"Should I just go to the store to buy a DVD player?" She teased.
I laughed. "Maybe they have something good on." I pressed the remote's 'power button', and scrolled through the channels.
National Geographic, alien conspiracy theories', etc. etc.
We switched it to the section of movie channels, hoping to find better alternatives.
I heard Aiden suck in a breath at the first option.
'The Nightmare Before Christmas'.
I looked over at her, but she painted a blank expression on her face and averted her eyes, twiddling her fingers.
Rolling my eyes, I selected it.
"We don't have to watch this if you don't want to." She said quickly.
"I want to watch it."
She bit her lip, desperately trying to hold back a smile. "For real?"
I forced myself to take my eyes from her face, finding it surprisingly difficult.
"For real." I said, watching the screen.
We'd found it at the very beginning, so I'd get to watch most, if not all, of it.
"I love the first song." Aiden whispered excitedly as it began, sitting down on the ground.
I allowed myself to glance down at her, before crossing the small room and retrieving the chair from its place by the desk.
"Get up." I said, setting it down next to where she sat.
"What?" She stood to her feet.
I moved the chair over, to sit where she'd been, and pointed to it. "Sit."
She shook her head. "You can have it. I'll take the floor."
"Absolutely not."
She gave me a look. "Sky,"
I mimicked her. "Aiden,"
She groaned in irritation, crossing her arms and sitting down. "I hate you." She mumbled.
I took a seat on the floor next to the chair, and turned the TV volume up.
The music at the very beginning of the song was already creeping me out, but when the characters showed up, that's when it was over for me.
"Nope." I said, lifting the remote to change the channel.
"Suck it up, you baby." Aiden snatched the plastic device from my hands and held it out of my reach.
"Dang you." I muttered.
"We keep profanity out of this hotel room, actually." She punched me playfully.
I tried to sit still and watch the movie, but I wanted to break the window and climb down the side of the building, or anything it took to get as far away from that movie as I could.
Aiden watched it in absolute fascination, whispering the song lyrics from time to time.
The only thing I liked about that song, was the vampires' voices. They sounded like a jazz trio.
"What time do you need me to pick you up on Friday?" I asked.
We stood in the doorway of my hotel room, her making ready to leave.
"Oh, Sky, you don't have to take me to that."
I tilted my head. "I thought you wanted to go?"
She nodded. "I do, I really do, but with everything that just happened, I didn't think you'd want to go to an event like that."
"I'm fine, really."
"Sky—"
"I'm taking you." I interrupted her. "I'm taking you to the poetry cafe on Friday night, eight o'clock, and that's my final word."
"Fine." She smiled. "Then I'm buying coffee."
"Deal." I stuck my hand out.
"Deal." She spit into the palm of her hand, before offering it up as well.
I rolled my eyes and repeated the action, accepting hers in a firm handshake.
"Get some rest, I'll see you tomorrow." She said, turning to make her way down the hallway.
"I'm still not five!" I called.
"And I still hate you!" She called in response, before disappearing around the corner.
