Chapter 4 The Movie Night

THYE CAFÉ

It's night and Alex watched Sophia packed up. He offered to help but she declined politely since there wasn't much to do. She went into the dressing room and changed out of her work clothes. When she was done, she came out dressed in her normal clothes.

"All done" She remarked and carried her bag from the counter.

"Let's go" She told Alex who was lost staring at her.

"Okay" He replied absent-mindedly.

He stood up and they both walked out. Sophia changed the placard outside to closed and Alex assisted her in locking the door.

"Thank you" Sophia flashed him an appreciative smile.

"How about we do something different?" Alex asked cautiously.

It had been two weeks that they'd been seeing each other and he was more sure of his feelings for her than never before. He planned to ask her to be his girlfriend tonight but he couldn't seem to find the right words for it. He has never been this tense in his life.

"Something like what?" Sophia responded while looking into her small mirror.

She had grown comfortable with him these past few days and her admiration for him waxed stronger. She wasn't sure if he felt the same way or if he just wanted to remain friends. So, she kept her feelings at bay and played along, afraid that showcasing her feelings might jeopardize their friendship.

"I bought movie tickets and it's showing by 8 pm. Shall we go see it?" He offered and brought out the tickets.

"OMG, it's the latest trending movie. Of course, I'd love to" Sophia grinned ecstatically.

"It's 7:30 pm already. Let's get a cab" Alex said.

They walked to the main road and Alex saw a cab approaching, he flagged it down and they boarded it. The driver drove off.

They got to the front of the cinema and it was empty. Sophia was concerned.

"Are you sure the movie is scheduled for today?" She asked to be sure.

"Yes, check the date" Alex held out the ticket and she checked the date.

"But why is it so empty? It's just 8 pm" Sophia muttered.

"Let's go in. The movie might have started already" Alex said and held her hand.

Sophia stared at Alex's hold on her hand and felt the butterflies in her tummy again. She followed him meekly as he led the way to the food vendor area. He bought a large cup of popcorn and two drinks.

The cinema attendant smiled at them broadly as soon as he saw them. He checked their ticket briefly and ushered them in.

"The cinema is empty" Sophia exclaimed.

"Oh" Alex muttered and scratched his head.

He had rented the cinema for the whole night and he didn't think it would look suspicious. He just wanted to do things especially.

"Why will they miss an interesting movie like this? It's starting" Sophia was elated.

She rushed to the middle of the cinema and found a comfortable place to sit. Alex followed suit and sat next to her. He put the popcorn in between them and handed one of the drinks to her.

"Thank you" She muttered, not taking her gaze off the projector screen.

Alex watched Sophia's every move and reaction. He wanted to say something but the words got cut in his throat and he ended up watching her throughout the movie. Sophia was more invested in the movie. She watched it excitedly and reacted avidly.

The movie ended and Sophia clapped.

"A happily ever after movie" She gushed.

"Did you enjoy the movie?" Sophia faced him.

"Yes yes. I did. It was an interesting movie" Alex said hurriedly.

Even though he hadn't watched the movie but watched Sophia instead. He laughed at his silliness.

"I feel so refreshed" Sophia stretched and Alex laughed.

They're now at the front of the cinema.

"I'm hungry. Should we go to the nearest restaurant?" He asked again.

He was using up all his chances to confess his feelings but he just couldn't bring himself to do so. He wondered when he became so shy and tongue-tied.

"Sure but I have to make a call first" Sophia excused herself and took some steps away from him.

She dialed Clio's number and she picked up on the first Ring.

"Where are you?" Clio yelled on the phone.

"Hey easy. I will be home soon. Have you eaten?" Sophia asked.

"Yes, I cooked" She said enthusiastically and Sophia rolled her eyes.

"Make sure you do your school assignment" Sophia reminded.

"I've done it already" Clio snapped.

"Don't wait for me. Go to sleep, okay? I will be home soon. I love you" Sophia said into the phone and hung up.

Sophia walked to Alex who was waiting patiently.

"I'm done" She voiced out.

"Oh, let's go then" He lead the way.

Alex was finding it hard to get a small restaurant. The only restaurants he knew were five-star restaurants and expensive ones. He knew going to such a restaurant would only blow up his cover because how would someone who claimed to be unemployed and only engaged in menial jobs pay such exorbitant fees?

He sighted a small restaurant at the front and he mumbled a thank goodness under his breath.

They entered the restaurant and the menu was brought to them. When Alex saw the menu, his eyes widened.

"How come everything here is so cheap" Alex wondered.

"Does that mean it will be unhealthy?" He panicked inwardly.

"What do you want to have?" Sophia interrupted his panicky session.

"Me? I will have anything" He covered his tense mode with a smile.

"I'm having Spaghetti Bolognese. Will you have the same?" Sophia proposed when she noticed his difficulty in choosing what to eat.

"Yes, I will have spaghetti Bolognese" Alex repeated and nodded.

The waiter took their order and came back with two steamy bowls of spaghetti.

"Enjoy" The waiter spoke perfunctorily and left.

"It looks yummy" Sophia gushed and picked up her spoon.

"Yummy or disgusting?" Alex yelled in his head.

He looked at the food, unsure of whether to eat it. He looked at Sophia eating and proceeded to scoop some quantity in his mouth.

"Don't you like it?" Sophia was concerned.

"No, I love it" He responded.

"It doesn't taste bad" He reasoned and ate slowly while taking a peek at Sophia.

.....................

"Thank you for the movie and food. I really enjoyed myself" Sophia appreciated.

They were in front of her house and they were facing each other.

"I'm glad I get to spend time with you" Alex grinned.

Sophia blushed and nodded. They both stared at each other again. Alex was thinking of the best way to say what he wanted to say. He rehearsed a whole speech but now that he was standing before her, the speech flew away and his mind went blank.

Sophia's heart was beating against her rib cage and threatening to burst out of her chest. She was finding it hard to stabilize her heart rate.

"Will you be my girlfriend?" Alex blurted out courageously.

Sophia's eyes widened in perplexity. She covered her mouth and instinctively moved backward. Although she saw the love and affection in his words and actions but she kept convincing herself that it was an illusion. Alex saw her actions and thought it was a sign of rejection. He looked downcast and face palmed himself.

"Yes, I will be your girlfriend" Sophia responded.

She was done thinking. She knew she wanted this. They both wanted this and she's ready to go on this love journey with him.

It was Alex's turn to be stunned. He walked quickly towards her and swept her off her feet in an affectionate hug.

"I love you" He uttered.