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Asa leaned forward a bit and lifted his chin at André. André returned the gesture.
He was both self-conscious and excited. Out of place and anchored.
“I meant to ask earlier,” he said, shifting in his seat more her direction. “What’s your shirt about?”
She glanced down at her shirt as if to remind herself what she was wearing. Asa leaned over to look too.
“Oh.” She finished the mouthful of popcorn. “It was my and Asa’s first band in high school. “We were terrible.”
Asa chuckled as he nodded in agreement. “We just really liked the name we’d come up with.”
“You guys have been friends a long time, yeah?” André asked.
Asa’s dark eyes cut to him. “Since childhood. Besties for life.”
His answer sounded more like a hidden warning than a casual answer to a simple question.
André eased back in his seat and faced forward. If he was going to be friends with Nikki, he was going to have to make peace with Asa somehow.
The movie started and he allowed himself to be pulled into the story instead of worrying about what Asa thought of him.
He’d never had an experience like this at the movies; the loud banter from the audience, the lightsaber duels in front of the screen and in the aisle. It was ridiculous and amazing, and he was filled with gratitude.
Nikki had always invited him into parts of living that he never would have discovered without her. From music, to movies, to people, she opened doors to worlds that he didn’t know he needed.
He spent so much of his life talking about the past. Moments forever frozen and unchanged.
Growing up had been unstable and high stress. He’d gravitated to things that didn’t change on him. Like history and fossils and broken pots he hadn’t broken himself.
And then he’d met Nikki and she introduced him to a living world. One where it was okay to show up and be yourself.
He could be the professor with the bowtie and also enjoy loud music and not knowing what came next.
All he had to do was open his eyes and show up for it.
She’d saved him.
And she had no idea.
The movie ended all too soon, if only because he liked being near her. He liked being around her friends that lived with such freedom.
As the crowd around them filtered out of the theater and into the night, he lingered.
They walked down the street, side by side, Asa and Allison a few meters in front of them. The hot day had cooled into a tolerable night, but the humidity still clung to the air.
As they approached Asa’s car parked along the street, Nikki slowed.
She stopped and faced him.
He waited because it felt like she wanted to say something.
“I’m gonna be gone for a few days.”
“Where are you going?” he asked, curious. He reached out and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.
The action felt so natural he didn’t even realize he’d done it until his eyes drifted to hers. He dropped his hand back to his side.
“Uh.” She swallowed. “Malibu.” She rolled her eyes. “An actor set up a studio in his house and I’m installing the soundboard. I’ll be back late Monday.”
