Out of the Closet
by Victor Thomas
Chapter 6
Hannah
I nestled against Kenny's side when the lights dimmed. The string of previews before the movie were showing, and from our seats in the back of the theater, we had a perfect view of the screen. I didn't care. The only thing I was interested in was my boyfriend sitting next to me.
This can't get any better, I tried to convince myself, and I rested my head on his shoulder.
As always, he had let me choose the movie. He had seemed so silent and tired the whole day, so I had picked an action film to cheer him up. He liked my choice, but he always did.
I kissed him on the cheek, as he didn't turn his head. In the darkness of the theater, I couldn't see any reaction on his face. There was an invisible barrier between us, which pushed us farther and farther from each other. I leaned against him again but couldn't get close enough.
Is it because we haven't done it yet, I pondered. I felt ready now, not right here in the movie theater, but the idea didn't frighten me as much as when it had come up the first time he had proposed it last month, and blushed immediately from neck to forehead, and after that, he had never mentioned it again.
To my delight, he put his arm around me. Then the movie began, and he pulled it away to get popcorn from his box. Yes, we had bought two boxes, because according to him, it was more convenient to have his own popcorn than to share a bigger box. I wanted to believe it even though it sounded like and excuse.
We're on a date, I thought. I stretched to kiss him again. This time, he turned his face toward me and our mouths touched. His lips were soft, and the kiss was tender. Had he looked at me, it would have been a perfect kiss on a romantic date. His eyes were on the screen, however, which was a major turnoff.
"Is everything okay?" I whispered.
He looked at me for a second like he didn't understand the question.
"Sure. I've been waiting to see this for a long time."
He looked back at the movie screen, ate more popcorn, and took a better position in his seat. I let out a heavy sigh, drowned out by the loud music from the movie. I tried to pay attention to the movie, but something kept nagging in the back of my mind. We were on a date, so why didn't it feel like one? I was already leaning against his side, but I feared there wouldn't be much more snuggling than that anytime soon.
Wishing that he would make a little more effort, half because he was warm and half because it would set me at ease, I put on my sweater and hugged it tight around my body. The movie had lost it's appeal now, and I grew more and more upset.
At some point closer to the end of the film, the hero saved a girl from a group of gangsters. The screenwriter had included a short romantic moment there, and they were on the verge of a kiss. I was engrossed by the story, and watched their lips touching in the most perfect way. It reminded me of the first kiss Kenny and I had shared. Butterflies started to flutter around in my stomach.
I looked up at Kenny and took his face in my hands.
"I love you," I whispered, kissing him softly.
He gave me a small smile but didn't respond. Instead, he looked back at the screen.
I froze. A sensation of shock overcame me as I sat there, still close beside his body, but we might as well have been sitting on opposite sides of the theater. An emptiness filled my heart, and I felt a flood of tears threatening to spill from my eyes. Doesn't he love me anymore?
Without a word, I stood up and rushed out of the room. By the time I got to the bathroom across the hallway, I could hardly see anything.
Luckily, there was no one else in the bathroom. My emotions were about to explode from my chest. I stood in front of the mirror and let the tears flow out. What's wrong with me? I cried, wiping the tears away with a paper towel and looking at myself in the mirror. My makeup was running down my cheeks, and I forced myself not to allow anymore tears to fall.
What's going on with Kenny, I wondered, and leaned against the wall. The fluorescent lights enhanced every imperfection on my face, especially my eyes, which were puffy from crying. I wiped my cheeks again. Most of my eyeliner and mascara were now on the paper towel.
Then it hit me. I knew I shouldn't let my thoughts go in this direction, but I couldn't help it. There are so many other girls at school, no doubt more beautiful than me. He could date any of them.
The idea of him wanting to be with someone else was unbearable. We had been together for six months, and for sure I would know if he planned something behind my back. Besides, he was the sweetest person I knew. He would never do such a thing to me. Or would he?
The more I entertained the terrible idea, the more upset I became. Finally, I was so frustrated that I let out a loud groan. The sound echoed off the tile walls of bathroom. Then I came up with a conclusion that gave me new hope.
We need to have sex! That's what he wants.
Authors deserve your feedback. It's the only payment they get. If you go to the top of the page you will find the author's name. Click that and you can email the author easily.* Please take a few moments, if you liked the story, to say so.
[For those who use webmail, or whose regular email client opens when they want to use webmail instead: Please right click the author's name. A menu will open in which you can copy the email address (it goes directly to your clipboard without having the courtesy of mentioning that to you) to paste into your webmail system (Hotmail, Gmail, Yahoo etc). Each browser is subtly different, each Webmail system is different, or we'd give fuller instructions here. We trust you to know how to use your own system. Note: If the email address pastes or arrives with %40 in the middle, replace that weird set of characters with an @ sign.]
* Some browsers may require a right click instead
