Page 17

I was lounging around on the couch with Nina, rewatching an episode of F.R.I.E.N.D.S. , when I got a text message from Aiden.

Aiden: I’m here.

It was finally Saturday, which also meant it was the day of my date with Aiden.

He had texted me the other night, informing me that for our date, we would be catching a movie at the theatre and have dinner afterwards.

I chose a more comfortable outfit, since we would mostly be sitting all night.

After Nina annihilated my closet, she finally decided on what I would wear, which consisted of a casual dress paired with a cropped cardigan in case the theatre was cold.

Clara: Okay. I’ll be down in a bit.

I quickly texted him back before heading back to my room to grab my purse.

Taking one final look in the mirror, I slowly inhaled a deep breath, and then exhaled it just as slowly.

Once my nerves calmed down—though only slightly—I picked out my favourite sandals that had a bit of a height to them, completing the look before I headed to the front door.

‘Okay,’ I called out once I finished putting on the other shoe, ‘I’m leaving.’

Nina got up from her spot on the couch and met me at the doorway. ‘Have fun, okay? And call me if you need anything,’ she said, hugging me.

‘Will do.’ I waved her goodbye and went out the door.

Once I arrived at the lobby of the apartment building, I could see Aiden waiting on the sidewalk through the glass door. While he had offered to come up to my apartment to pick me up, I told him to just wait for me in his car, since it was a Saturday night and parking would be filled.

‘Hey,’ I said when I reached him, smiling at him.

‘Hey,’ he greeted me and gave me a hug.

Catching me off guard, I tried to conceal my surprise as quickly as possible and hugged him in return, awkwardly giving him a pat on his back.

‘My car is just right here,’ he said after pulling away, pointing to a black sedan. ‘Come on.’

Aiden opened the passenger door for me. ‘Thank you.’ I smiled at him and got in.

‘So, we have two movie options. I wasn’t sure what you would be down for, so I haven’t bought the tickets yet,’ he told me once he got into his car and started the engine. ‘Options are either a horror movie or a rom-com. Both movies start at around seven, so which one do you want to watch?’

I took both options into consideration. But ultimately, I decided I wanted a good night’s sleep tonight. ‘A rom-com sounds good.’

‘Then, the rom-com it is,’ he nodded as he took out his phone. ‘Let me just buy the tickets now.’

Looking at the time, I saw that it was only ten minutes past six and the cinema was only a quick drive away, so finding a parking spot also wouldn’t take long. ‘I think we can get the tickets once we get there,’ I suggested instead.

‘Sure, let’s get going then.’ He put down his phone and started driving, making our way to the movie theatre.

The parking lot at the movie theatre was a lot fuller than usual, courtesy of it being a Saturday, and also the end of midterms week. There were still a few more parking spots available a bit further, but we lucked out when we managed to find a spot that wasn’t too far from the entrance.

Parking the car, Aiden then killed the engine before getting out and coming over to my side to open my door.

‘Thank you,’ I said once I got down. The night air was a bit chilly, so I could only guess how cold it would be inside. I was grateful that I decided to bring my cardigan with me.

‘Let’s go,’ Aiden said, offering his arm.

I gave him a smile and hooked my arm around his.

When we got inside, it was packed. Checking the time, we still had around twenty minutes before our movie started.

‘I’ll get the tickets, and you’ll get the popcorn?’ I suggested.

‘Sure. Do you want your own popcorn or?’ he asked, leaving his question hanging. I smiled at his thoughtfulness in ensuring that I was comfortable with everything.

‘We can share the popcorn. I don’t think I’ll be able to finish one on my own. Though, I do want my own drink.’ I pointed at him, with a playful seriousness on my face.

He let out a light laugh. ‘Got it. I’ll be right back. Let’s meet up over there.’ He pointed to the Minions cardboard cut-out.

I nodded and we both went our separate ways.

The line to buy the tickets wasn’t too long, but it seemed like everyone wanted to watch the same movie at this showtime.

Looking at the screen, it was visible that the hall was more than halfway filled.

I would have preferred to sit somewhere in the middle, but all the available choices were too close to the screen for my liking.

I went ahead and chose the seats at the side, which were slightly further from the screen.

Having bought the tickets, I was about to wait for Aiden at the spot where he had pointed out, but I thought I would see how far in line he was.

I went to the food and beverages area and spotted him already at the counter, making his order. I just waited for him at the end of the row of counters.

‘Let me get that,’ I said, taking my drink from his hands, when I saw him struggle with the two drinks and a large popcorn in his hold.

‘Thanks.’ He looked up at the line of numbers that indicated which halls were already open for seating. ‘What hall are we in?’

I looked at the tickets in my hand. ‘Hall 7.’ Glancing up, I saw that number seven was lit up. ‘Our hall is open. Is there anything else you want to get, or should we head inside?’

Aiden shook his head. ‘I think I got everything, let’s head in.’

The movie turned out to be a lot of fun. A rom-com was exactly what I needed after this week.

‘What did you think of the movie?’ Aiden asked once we left the movie hall and headed back to his car.

‘Honestly, it was really good. I haven’t been to the cinema in a while, so thank you for bringing me here,’ I replied, smiling at him.

He opened my car door for me and closed it once I got inside.

‘What did you think of it?’ I asked him once he got in the car.

He didn’t say anything for a while until after he reversed the car, and we were on our way to our next stop for the night.

‘I liked it. Nothing beats a feel-good movie after midterms week. Anyway, I’m guessing you’re hungry.

We can head back to your street to get dinner or go somewhere close by. I think there’s a diner around here.’

As much as I would have loved to go and eat somewhere familiar, I did want to check out the diner he was talking about. ‘The diner is fine with me,’ I told him. ‘Nina and I need more food options, so if the food is good, I can bring her with me next time.’

Turns out the diner was barely a five-minute drive from the movie theatre. Before I knew it, Aiden was already turning on his blinker and driving the car into the diner’s parking lot. It was about nine, but the parking lot was still quite full. So, we had to wait around for a bit.

Aiden parked his car, once again opening my door, and we finally made our way inside.

We chose a booth that was at the end of the diner, and I looked around to take in the surroundings of the eating establishment.

From my observation, I could sense the theme they had been going for was the typical diner that you would go to when you’re on a road trip.

It honestly reminded me of Radiator Springs from the movie Cars .

It also occurred to me that the diner was only half-full when we got in, which I found a bit odd, since the parking lot was full.

Aiden must’ve noticed the confusion on my face when he said, ‘Most of the people park here while they go to the bar over there.’ He was pointing towards a lit-up bar across the street from us.

I nodded at him. ‘Have you ever checked it out?’

‘I haven’t actually. But from what people have told me, it’s more catered towards people in their thirties, and I heard they do karaoke on the weekends,’ he said with a slightly sour look on his face.

‘I take it karaoke isn’t your thing?’

‘Not really,’ he answered.

I just gave him a forced smile in return. Guess I had found a thing we were incompatible about. I mean, it wasn’t really a big deal, but I love going to karaoke, so it did suck he didn’t feel the same way.

Does Colton like karaoke? The thought unexpectedly popped into my head.

I quickly pushed it away.

Aiden was about to say something else when the waitress reached our table with two menus in her hand.

‘Hello there! My name’s Tracy and I’ll be serving you two tonight,’ the waitress greeted us. She looked to be in her mid-fifties, but her sweet smile and cheerfulness gave off a youthful aura that made her seem younger. ‘Here’s our menu. Can I get you something to drink while you look?’

‘Root beer for me,’ Aiden answered.

‘Just water, please,’ I told her.

‘Coming right up,’ she said as she went off.

I looked at the menu to see what was available and saw that they had a small Italian cuisine section, which included spaghetti and meatballs.

Perfect, just what I was in the mood for.

Tracy came back just in time with our drinks.

‘Here you go. Water and a root beer,’ she said, setting down our drinks. ‘Are you two ready to order?’

I nodded at her. ‘I’ll have the spaghetti and meatballs, please. What about you, Aiden?’

‘I’ll have the chicken tenders, with French fries and mashed potatoes on the sides,’ Aiden told Tracy.

She quickly jotted down our orders and left.

Time for the awkward talking of the first date part of the night.

‘The diner looks cute,’ I said, looking around the place. ‘It reminds me of Radiator Springs.’

‘Radiator Springs?’ Aiden asked, his eyebrows scrunching slightly.

‘You know. From Cars ,’ I clarified.

He just shook his head. ‘Doesn’t ring any bells.’

‘It’s okay,’ I reassured him. How does someone not know the movie Cars ? Or maybe, I just have a bigger obsession with Disney than your average person. Though I couldn’t help, but add it to the list of things we were incompatible about.