Zenon's Game Chapter 254

I nodded, finding the comfort in his arms. He was so special. What did he see in me?

What in the world is keeping him from leaving me too?

"He was happiest with his vinyls," I murmured into his jacket, "I wished he would've been happy with me."

"Your dad," Zenon answered, gently touching my hair, "is a fool."

He held onto me and I cried a little more into his jacket. Then I sneakily wiped my nose, hoping he wouldn't see.

"Let's get out of here?" he suggested.

I nodded. He took my hand and led me out of the store. The hustle and bustle of the high street broke the tension and the cold wintery air soothed me.

Zenon unexpectedly laughed and apologized.

"Sorry, I really don't mean to laugh," he said, trying to stop his smile, "But I've really f*cked this date up. I took you to a police station and then I made you cry in a vinyl store."

My lips cracked into a smile and it must've looked so weird with my crying face. My eyes were still red, but he made me laugh.

I agree. This was an unusual date – but it's still better than anywhere else I could ever be.

Days like these, days where it was just Zenon and me, were ones I couldn't forget. I can't let myself forget.

"I haven't been to the movies in forever," I told him excitedly as we strode up to the ticket booth.

Finally, a part of our date that feels normal.

"Third try," Zenon joked, "Let's see how this goes."

"Was the police station really a try though?" I retorted, thinking about the first part of our date.

"Let's call it an obligation."

Zenon was determined to find the intruder. He spent so long with the officers at the station – he'd practically interrogated them.

Zenon kissed my forehead as we got our tickets and walked into the beautiful theater.

I have never been here on a date before. After my dad left, my mom put all her energy and money into keeping the house and keeping us in the neighborhood – that we stopped all these luxuries.

"This is new for me," I told him, grateful that he brought me here. "And it's incredible. Thank you."

He answered softly, "It's new for me too."

Zenon then added something else. He said, "You've got me in deep."

Those words struck me. He said them so casually, that I wondered if he even understood the impact it had on me.

He can be so direct and unexpected sometimes. Yet it still takes me by surprise.

Zenon didn't expect a response. He didn't want me to return the compliment or feel forced to say anything back. Instead, he walked up to the concession stand and ordered snacks to take into the movie.

"One large coke, water, a large salty popcorn and a pack of whatever that is," Zenon said, pulling out his wallet.

I was staring at all the candy with my eyes wide open, still recovering.

The girl working the counter tapped Zenon's order into the register and said, "That'll be 23 dollars and 9 cents."

"Why?" I asked.

Her name tag said Alice and it reminded me of Alicia for some reason. I missed those kids at camp.

"Um..." Alice said, not sure how to answer that, "Because you ordered coke, water, popcorn and candy?

"4.50, 3.00, 7.10 and 3.99," I said, reading off the menu on the board, "That's 18.59."

There was a pause while she tried to figure out if I was messing with her.

Zenon lowered his card and told her, "I'd recount if I were you."

Alice nervously stared at the register screen and double checked the order. It took a few seconds before she exclaimed, "Oh sorry! I gave you a double on the cokes. My bad."

She tapped the correction into the register.

"No worries," I said, not wanting to stress her out.

With his credit card still in his hand, Zenon looked over at me and teased, "Candy, can I pay now?"

The movie was going to start in five minutes, but I desperately needed the bathroom. I drank that coke way too quickly.

I handed the half empty cup for Zenon to hold, along with the popcorn and then the water. I was keeping the candy.

Zenon didn't look too pleased holding on to everything, especially after he warned me not to drink too quickly.

So I explained it rationally: "A straw in the cup makes it easy to drink fast."

"That's your excuse?" Zenon asked, "A straw?"

"No, that's not my excuse," I told him. "Because I don't need an excuse."

~3 minutes later~

I opened the bathroom stall and went to wash my hands. While I was squirting soap from the dispenser, another stall opened, and another girl walked out. I looked up and saw her in the reflection of the bathroom mirror.

"Candace?" she gasped.

My hands froze and all we could hear was the sound of the tap running over my soapy hands.

"Julia?"

Zenon was waiting for me outside the girls' bathroom.

He was casually eating popcorn and laughing at something his friend said. I wasn't surprised that he'd bumped into a friend here... but I really hoped he would help me get away from mine.

Well, ex- friend technically.

Julia and I very awkwardly walked out of the bathroom at the same time. We didn't say anything to each other, but we just walked.

"Kaden," Julia called out, "I bumped into Candace."

He's here?!

I looked at who she was talking to and a pit of nothingness fell into my stomach. My ex-boyfriend with my ex-friend. They were made for each other.

Kaden stared me like I was a ghost, equally surprised to see me here. I suddenly remembered the texts he'd sent me just before New Years'.