Chapter 14: Watching a Movie

After the rehearsal, Monica politely declined the invitation to dinner, went to do a quick change and walked out of the door where Steven had been just moments ago.
Sure enough, he was standing at the doorstep, looking at the nearby street lamp, lost in thought.
Monica didn’t notice this and walk straight over, patted his shoulder and when he turned around, she held out her hand to him and demanded. "Give it to me."
Steven lowered his head to look at her palm, then raised his head to look at her, subtly raising his eyebrows.
"Hurry up, we have dinner tonight and they're all waiting for me," Monica lied without changing her expression. "Give me what you took from me, I have to go." She rushed him.
He hesitated for a rare moment. "Dinner?"
Monica noticed a slight change in his expression and felt an extra sense of accomplishment from her successful teasing. She made an effort to suppress the smile that was about to appear on her face and urged him, still without any expression, "Yes, don't waste my time, I-"
Coincidentally, a group of people walked out from another door and someone spotted Monica from afar, calling out, "Senior, we're leaving first. We'll meet next time, bye."
And just like that, Monica's lie was exposed before even lasting a minute.
"Oh, so you were lying to me," Steven curled his fingers and lightly tapped her palm.
Monica snorted. "SoSo, what if I was lying to you?"
"Of course, it doesn't matter," he withdrew his hand and put it in his coat pocket. "I just hold grudges."
Steven was always cunning, and there was no telling when he would strike back. This statement seemed like a blatant threat. Monica found his tone irritating and couldn't help but ask, "What exactly do you want to do today?"
"Invite you for dinner, then watch a movie." Steven said it more as a decided thing instead of a request.
"Huh?" She doubted her own ears, "Are you okay?"
"Of course," Steven leisurely replied, "I just feel like our relationship has always been too tense and it's time to relax it a bit."
He said it convincingly, but Monica couldn't help but feel that there was little sincerity in his tone.
She was skeptical, "Are you serious?"
Steven's tone was calm, "Of course."
Monica stood still, hesitating greatly. Steven suddenly taking on such a low attitude made it seem like he had ulterior motives, but his expression was also very confusing, leaving her uncertain for a moment.
Seeing her wavering, Steven motioned to the side and shattered her last trace of hesitation, "Isn't it cold standing here in the wind? Get in the car first."
Although she was still uneasy in her heart, Steven was unusually gentle tonight, gradually making Monica let down her guard. The two took the elevator to the top floor of the mall, and Steven went to the front desk to get the tickets.
Monica looked down and glanced at them, "Did you pick up the wrong ones? Why are they couple ticketstickets (special tickets offer for lovers)?"
Steven calmly replied, "For the Discount."
Monica was shocked, "Steven, are you broke? You're willing to save this little money?"
As she spoke, she took out her phone and curiously asked, "I'm curious to see what movie we're watching."
"Look at how huge the discount is for this couple's ticket, even you can be tempted."
Steven covered her phone screen with his hand, blocking her view. "We'll look later, they're checking tickets, let's enter first."
The lights in the theater were dim. Monica was sitting in a couple's seat for the first time and curiously looked around.
Their seats were at the back center of the entire theater, a double sofa. There were other sofas around, with some distance between them, probably to provide some privacy for couples.
After sitting for a while, she checked the time. "It's starting in one minute, why is there no one else in this theater?"
It was only the two of them in the whole theater, which made it feel quite creepy. Monica thought.
"Maybe it's because it's Monday night, so fewer people are watching movies." The air conditioning was on in the theater. Steven took off his coat and put it aside, then took Monica's jacket and placed it there as well. "The cinema sells couple's tickets so cheaply to promote sales."
Monica bit her straw and looked at him sideways. "You've done thorough research. You're not really going bankrupt, are you?"
"This is basic market knowledge." Steven said with a hint of authority.
She choked, afraid that the topic was going to delve into his area of expertise. In order to avoid embarrassing herself, she decided to stop discussing this issue with him.
After a while, the lights around them suddenly went out, the big screen lit up, and the movie began.
Monica had only paid attention to the seats before and hadn't noticed the movie's content. She realized that the movie they were watching today was actually a love story.
The story told the tale of two innocent childhood friends who went through war and separation, but always had a place in their hearts for each other, and finally met again in a foreign land.
Monica was always serious when watching movies. She stared at the screen intently, her fingers reaching over to grab some popcorn, accidentally touching his fingers.
She quickly pulled back. "Sorry, I didn't notice."
"It's okay." Steven forgave her considerately.
Monica suddenly remembered that she had asked Steven to buy two buckets of popcorn, one for each of them, but he only bought one.
Could he really be in financial trouble? He's being so stingy today. Monica’s mind wondered.
After a while, the movie began to show romantic scenes, with the main characters embracing and kissing. The sound of their kisses echoed through the spacious theater with the help of the surround sound system, making Monicapeople blush.
After all, Steven was sitting next to her, so Monica felt a bit embarrassed. She looked away and wanted to take a sip of her drink.
But just at that moment, Steven leaned over, and the refreshing scent of wood instantly enveloped her.
The distance between them felt similar to when he had fastened her seatbelt in the parking lot last time.
The two silently locked eyes, an ambiguous atmosphere filling the air.
But this time, he didn't look away, instead he lowered his gaze and gently caressed the back of her neck with his fingertips, sparking a tingling sensation like electricity. He whispered, "Do you want a kiss?"
In the darkness, only the big screen in front flashed with a pale silver light. The restless sound of her heartbeat prevented her from thinking calmly.
The warm air continued to fill the theater, making her body and even her brain feel hot and dizzy, unable to make rational decisions.
Dim lighting, stuffy air, silence, and no one else in the theater...
Around her, a handsome face, flirtatious words, intense hormones.
The perfect ambiguous atmosphere made Monica feel tempted. After all, apart from her personal emotions, Steven was indeed a charming man.
She didn't know where to look with her eyes and finally managed to squeeze out a sentence: "Are you crazy? There are surveillance cameras here!"
Without waiting for her refusal, he lowered his head, his lips pressed against hers, and his other hand wrapped around her waist, gently tightening. In the moment their breaths intertwined, Monica heard him chuckle:
"I rented out the whole place, the surveillance cameras have long been turned off since we entered, don't worry, baby."
She kissed him back in a daze, feeling like something was not quite right. Her brain started to analyze the events so far.
Wasn't it supposed to be empty on a Monday night, which is why heshe bought discounted couple tickets?!
**Chapter 15: The Minister Under the Skirt**