Beyond The Stars (UNDER REVISION)

Memories

I take a deep breath. It's been exactly two years since I've lost Loki. I pull the small box from under my bed. With a smile, I open it slowly. I pull out the row of photo booth photos.

"Since this is your first true, free day on Earth, I'm going to show you one of the many wonders of Earth." 

'Which is?"

"The cinema. Let's go." I walk out of our house with my arm looped through Loki's and we begin our walk. We soon reach the cinema. I look up at the screen projecting the titles of the movies playing. I turn to Loki. "So, any name catch your eye? Any posters?" I point to the walls of posters. 

The children in front of us are talking about Toy Story. "What is Toy Story?" 

The little girl turns to us. "Are you dumb or something? It's only the best movie ever, you mummy." 

I start laughing softly. "Amber!" The mother scolds. 

Loki looks at me, unsure of what to do. I just keep laughing. He chuckles, understanding the situation. "It's quite alright." 

My phone starts ringing in my purse. "Excuse me," I answer the call and step away from the line. "Stay there," I point to Loki. 

LOKI'S POV

I press my lips together, looking around at all of the people. Some kid has his finger in his nose while another loudly complains. A baby begins crying. I start feeling very uncomfortable. There's laughing behind me and suddenly I'm bumped into. I steady myself. "I'm sorry," A girls voice laughs from behind me. I turn to the group of three young girls. I nod and turn back to the front of the line. "Oh my God. Did you see him?!" I roll my eyes and look over to Dri. She looks frustrated. With a heavy sigh, she shoves her hand in her back pocket and shakes her head. I watch as her hair flows across her back gently. I catch myself trailing my gaze up and down her body. With a sharp inhale, I turn away. 

I find myself in front of the large glass window. I just stare at the young man behind the glass. "Sir?"  My eyes go wide. "What movie?" 

I hear rushed foot prints. "Oh, sorry. Excuse him. Two to The Woman." She slides money under the hole in the glass. 

"What's wrong with your friend here?" 

"Nothing." She says, making eye contact with the man. It's silent while our tickets print. He slides our cash back and our tickets. Dri grabs my hand and pulls me into the building. She stops and turns to me. 

"Is everything alright?" 

She opens her mouth and then closes it again. "Yeah, everything's fine." She smiles at me. I can tell something is wrong, but I push it aside. "So, popcorn, drinks. Do you want any sweets?" She turns and begins walking up the large counter. "I'm thinking nachos."

"Hi, what can I get for you?" The lady behind the counter asks with a big smile. "Well, don't you two look nice." 

DRI'S POV

During the final scene, I reach down to grab my drink from the cup holder, but feel something else instead. The realization hits me when I feel fingers loop in mine. I feel my face get hot as I blush. When the credits start rolling, I pull my hand away and stand up. I chuckle softly, trying to hide my embarrassment as I lean down to gather my things. As we leave the auditorium, huddled in the crowd, Loki looks very uncomfortable. "Not a fan of crowds, huh?" I tease.

"Not really, no..." He says, kind of disconnected. I want to ask him what's wrong, but I decide not to push. We discard our trash in the bin as we leave. When we step out into the parking lot, he looks at the building next door. "What is that?" He asks, the neon lights relfecting in his eyes.