Emma’s mind went completely blank. Her pupils widened and her face flooded with heat until it felt like her skin might catch fire. She clutched the fabric of her dress so tightly her knuckles turned white, caught between shyness and rising panic.
A kiss?
Kiss Jason?
The simple thought made her entire body feel feverish. She had liked him for a long time~quietly, steadily~but they weren’t officially together. They were still in that fragile, undefined space between childhood friends and something more. Being asked to kiss him in public left her spinning.
Jason glanced at her, then at the staff member.
"We understand. You can help the next people. We’ll take a minute to decide which movie."
He needed the staff member gone first. Emma was already overwhelmed; the last thing she needed was an audience while she tried to process this.
The employee gave a polite nod and smile. "Of course. Enjoy your evening." He moved away.
The second they were relatively alone, Emma’s voice came out tiny and fractured.
"Jason... this... I..."
She couldn’t finish a sentence. Her head stayed bowed, as if she wanted the floor to open up and swallow her. Conflict warred across her face. Part of her~small but honest~felt a spark of anticipation. The much larger part was mortified at the idea of kissing him in front of strangers. And underneath both was the practical thought that half-price tickets would save real money.
It’s just to save money, she told herself firmly. That’s all.
Jason watched the battle play out on her face and felt a quiet flicker of amusement mixed with something warmer. He had years of experience reading women, but he wasn’t going to push her. Pressure would only make her shut down.
He chose the soft retreat.
"It’s fine, Emma. If you don’t want to, we can just buy regular tickets. No big deal."
"No~it’s not that!"
The words flew out of her mouth too fast. The second she heard how eager she sounded, her face turned an even deeper red. Her hands fluttered uselessly in the air.
"I... I don’t know how to explain it!"
She had imagined moments like this with him~private, quiet, slow. She had even dreamed about them. She had never imagined the first real kiss would be standing in a public lobby under fluorescent lights with people walking past.
She felt like a cooked shrimp, red and overheating from the inside out.
Jason kept his voice gentle. "So what are you thinking?"
A good partner didn’t corner someone. He created space and let the other person walk forward on their own.
Emma bit her lip hard, gathering scraps of courage.
"I... mainly because money’s tight right now. We should save where we can. Being careful with money is smart, right?"
She kept repeating the practical reason in her head like a shield. It’s just an event. It’s just saving money. We’re not rich. Every bit helps.
Her breathing had gone shallow. The shield wasn’t working very well. She liked him. She was a little bit~maybe more than a little bit~looking forward to the kiss. The contradiction made her feel dizzy.
Jason nodded as if her reasoning was the only thing that mattered. "You’re right. Then we can~"
"It’s fine," Emma cut in, voice barely above a whisper. "We’re only doing it to save money. It’s nothing. When we were little you used to sneak kisses all the time anyway. We’re older now, but... it should still be okay... right?"
The last words were so soft he almost missed them. Her face was burning. She immediately started second-guessing herself~Was that too forward? Is he going to think I’m easy?
The truth was simpler. She felt nothing for the guys who chased her at school. She only felt this unsteady, vulnerable heat for Jason.
Hearing her bring up the past stirred something in him. Back then he really had been sitting on a treasure without realizing it. Emma (and her sister) had always been beautiful, always surrounded by quiet admirers, yet they never gave those boys the time of day. The second they got home they would drag Jason into whatever game they were playing~house, tag, ridiculous made-up stories that sometimes included childish kisses and hugs. Victoria had been just as warm, often falling asleep with an arm around him when he was small.
His previous self had been an idiot. He had looked past all of that for someone like Olivia.
He was not going to make the same mistake twice.
Jason smiled, keeping his tone light. "That was a long time ago."
Emma stamped one foot, equal parts embarrassed and frustrated with herself for saying so much.
Jason watched the cute, flustered expression on her face and decided the moment was close enough. He offered her an easy exit so she wouldn’t feel trapped.
"How about this~we try it. If you hate it, we switch to regular tickets right away. Your call."
Emma gave the tiniest nod. Her mind had gone mostly static~nervous, expectant, overloaded.
They bought popcorn and cold drinks first, then joined the short line at the couple-ticket counter. The movie was about to start, so only a few pairs stood ahead of them.
Emma’s face stayed pink the entire time. She kept imagining the next few minutes and then immediately trying not to imagine them. Every so often she snuck a glance at Jason and then jerked her eyes away like she’d been caught. Her fingers were locked so tightly around her drink cup that the plastic creaked.
Jason noticed, of course. He took her free hand and gave it a steady squeeze.
"Hey. It’s okay. It’ll be over fast. Just think of it like a quick dare."
Emma looked up at him for half a second, then down again.
"I’m not nervous."
She was extremely nervous. She just didn’t want to lose the last scraps of her usual composed older-sister image in front of him.
The couple directly ahead of them was already locked in a long, enthusiastic kiss, completely lost in each other. Soft sounds carried. Emma’s ears burned. She turned her face away hard.
Jason couldn’t help a quiet laugh and called toward the pair, voice dry:
"You two might want to come up for air. It’s been a while. Movie’s about to start."
The couple broke apart with sheepish grins and hurried through the ticket check.
Then it was their turn. The last pair in line.
Jason turned to Emma. He moistened his lips once, eyes steady on hers.
"Emma?"