#160: Hero

Neither of them were watching the film. In the corner of their eyes, they both kept the other in view. As far as they could tell, the other was intently watching the film.

Peter reached for his cup and offered it to Grace. It gave them both an opportunity to sever their gaze from the screen and look their date in the eyes.

Grace reached for the large plastic cup, making sure she wrapped her fingers around his. They held the cup together as she guided the straw to her lips.

Peter watched the red and white striped straw do something he was desperate to do: touch her delicate lips.

This was their first date when they either weren’t talking or touching. And was proving to be painful.

Peter placed the cup back down by his feet, and Grace clasped her fingers between his. Their palms were cold from the iced drink.

An enormous explosion occurred on the screen, scaring them both. After the initial shock rippled through them, they laughed at their own fragility.

Peter leant in and they kissed in the darkness.

They weren’t watching as the hero climbed from the rubble with blood and dust smeared over his face. He was battered, but still alive. The movie was just beginning, when the hero was catapulted into an unknown world.

Grace and Peter were the protagonists of this story and they were entering their own futures, unsure how to be one half of a creature in love.