The Entanglement [Charlie Barber]

Chapter 2: Fire on Fire

It was two days before opening night and everyone was running through a full dress rehearsal. Charlie seemed pleased with how things were going and only had a few adjustments to make before dismissing the cast for the night. Ben was scheduled to work at the pub until closing once rehearsal was finished so you decided to take yourself out on a movie date.

There was a small, old fashioned theatre in your neighborhood that you would occasionally drop in to enjoy some old classics. When you walked up to the ticket booth, you scanned the listings of shows. They were playing a silent film in black and white that you hadn't seen before so you figured why not and bought the ticket.

You made yourself comfortable in an aisle seat of the theatre, taking note that only one other couple was present in the whole place. They were older and seemed very sweet to one another which made you smile to yourself. As you snuggled down in your chair and brought a handful of popcorn up to your mouth you heard a familiar voice.

"May I join you?"

You looked up, mouth wide open as popcorn fell from your hand. It was Charlie.

You sat up straight and put the popcorn back into the bucket. "Hi. Uh, yeah. Sure." You said as you tried clearing your throat. He looked so statuesque as he shuffled himself past you to the seat next to yours.

He removed his jacket and laid it across the back of his chair before sitting down next to you. He looked over at you and smiled. "Thank you."

You felt his broad shoulder pressed against yours as he rested his elbow on the armrest and it sent chills up your spine. Being this close to him like this was so arousing but you needed to keep your composure.

Trying to come up with something to say, you tilted the bucket of popcorn towards him. "Help yourself." You said offering up a friendly snack. His eyes looked at the popcorn then at you as his hand reached over and dipped into the bucket.

"Thank you, again.' He smiled as you felt the vibration of his hand shuffling through the bucket to grab a handful. "Have you seen this one?" He gestured to the screen.

"Nope. Have you?" You asked as you watched him place a couple of popcorn kernels into his mouth and lick the butter from his lips. Charlie had the best lips, they were full and supple, and you couldn't stop imagining what they would feel like pressed against your lips... among other places.

"Yeah. It's a good one. I think you'll enjoy it."

You thought it must be good if Charlie was taking the time to watch it again. He was a brilliant director and you looked up to him as a sort of mentor in the industry. You trusted his ideas and direction on the stage. He would bring you out of your comfort zone to challenge you which was always a welcomed approach.

The two of you remained quiet during the film as Charlie would occasionally grab popcorn from your lap. Once in a while either of you would shift in your seat causing yourselves to be even closer at times. His knee was touching your knee, his hand was dangerous close to yours on the armrest and your shoulders remained pressed against each other.

There was a point in the film that caused you to tear up. You felt almost embarrassed to be crying in front of Charlie so you held your hand up over your mouth as the tears started to trail down your cheeks. Charlie leaned forward and grabbed something from his back pocket. He gazed back at you as he handed you a handkerchief.

You took the piece of cloth from him and smiled. You noticed it was embroidered with "C.B." in the corner. "Thanks." You said sheepishly as you used the cloth to wipe your eyes. You handed it back to him and noticed he also used it to wipe a stray tear from his face.