Filed To Story: Returning to Her Not-So-Poor Family
“Head to the cinema and find out which auditorium they’re in. Choose the seats at the very back, right at the edge.”
“Got it.”
Arriving at the cinema, Romeo grabbed some popcorn and candy and even rented out the entire theater. He told the staff that later two guys would show up, demanding to come in, and instructed the staff to let them in. The latter nodded in agreement.
Romeo took Mirabella by the hand and led her to Auditorium 1, where it was just the two of them for the time being.
Romeo pulled Mirabella into the seats right in the middle and, once seated, offered her a sip of soda.
Steward, crouching and sneaking in, turned his head to see Sean walking in with swagger. He quickly pulled him aside and slid into the seats at the far edge.
As soon as Sean sat down, he caught sight of Romeo sharing a soda with his sister and couldn’t help but let out an expletive.
“Son of a bitch.”
So stingy, sharing a single drink. Was this guy so broke in his past life?? Now he won’t even spare a girl her own soda??
“Man, Mr. McMillian’s really pinching pennies, buying just one of everything. I mean, some couples share, sure, but that’s when they’re all lovey-dovey. Mr. McMillian, on his first date with Ms. Collins, should at least spring for one each.”The real kicker was that Ms. Collins didn’t seem to mind his backwash, which was a real shocker.
The movie started playing soon after. Steward saw the title and nearly lost it.
“Sean, the movie’s called ‘A Haunted House’ – it’s a horror flick.”
He had stumbled across it online a few days back; it was all the rage, with people specifically choosing evening showings for the extra scare factor. Rumor had it the imagery could be heart-stopping.
“Romeo’s taking my sister to a horror movie? What’s he scheming?”
Was he hoping she’d get scared at the creepy scenes and snuggle up to him? He could almost hear Romeo’s smug calculations from his seat! Damn it!!
The opening theme was sinister and chilling, and suddenly, a gruesome, eyeless face splattered with blood appeared, causing Steward to scream out loud.
Since the whole theater was practically empty except for him, Sean, Mirabella, and Romeo, Mirabella and Romeo instinctively turned to look in their direction.
Sean immediately pulled his hoodie over his face, while at the same time pinching Steward’s thigh fiercely. Steward wanted to scream but held it in, burying his face into Sean’s shoulder.
To an outsider, they might have looked like a couple of close buddies.
Mirabella and Romeo turned back around, exchanging amused glances, finding it funny that Steward of all people was scared of the genre.
“Why’s it so empty around this time?” Mirabella whispered to Romeo.
Romeo leaned in to hear her, whispering back, “Made a block booking.”Since Bella wanted to watch a horror movie, he didn’t want others’ screams to ruin her viewing experience, so he’d booked the whole place in advance.
“Move over,” Sean shoved Steward away as he noticed his sister seemed oblivious to the commotion.
Steward didn’t want to seem like a coward, but he was scared. Ever since he was a kid, the one thing he couldn’t handle was horror movies.
The movie was about a couple’s wedding on a ship that hit a reef, sending them and a couple dozen of their closest family and friends crashing onto a deserted island. A creepy, abandoned house awaited them there, and from the moment they took shelter, strange things began happening daily.
As the plot thickened, the scenes grew increasingly eerie.
Steward clamped his eyes shut, his heart nearly stopping, “Sean, a hand, there’s a hand.”
A relative had just stepped onto the third-floor balcony when suddenly, a ghastly pale hand shoved her over the edge.
She fell so horrifically that Steward could barely watch, the chilling sound effects in the movie nearly sending him over the edge.
Sean’s face was stony cold; he had indeed noticed a hand!
Out of nowhere, while he wasn’t paying attention, it had touched his sister’s shoulder!
His sister, someone others could just touch whenever they felt like it?
Who did this guy think he was, having such nerve?
Romeo could feel a deathly aura behind him. Was it the movie’s sinister vibe that was engulfing him?
Watching Romeo offer a soda to Mirabella, then take a sip himself, and even feed her popcorn, Sean’s face darkened further.
Had he washed his hands?
Just feeding his sister like that?”This isn’t even a tenth as scary as what you went through in the triangular zone.” Romeo murmured to Mirabella.
“Is this what passes for a horror movie these days?”
Mirabella hadn’t watched a movie in ages, let alone a horror flick. She didn’t expect the latest hit to be so run-of-the-mill, even dull.
They just don’t make them like they used to.
But the guy behind her, eyes shut, gripping the armrest, biting his hand to stay silent, for him, this movie was practically life-threatening.
“Sean, should I just wait outside for you?” Steward’s legs were trembling with fear.
Sean shot him a look that said, “You dare?”
“This is too much, man. I bet all the relatives get offed one by one before it’s the main couple’s turn.”
And the leads were the main event of this movie, with who knew how many more creepy scenes in store.
Sean didn’t respond. There was clearly no room for discussion.
He couldn’t let Mirabella realize he was watching alone. It would seem like he was spying on her and Romeo’s date.
But if he showed up with Steward, he could claim they planned to watch the movie together.
Back on screen.The old house grew more sinister, and the newlyweds who had just celebrated their nuptials on the ship had yet to consummate their marriage.
That night, the bride, terrified by another bizarre death of a relative, was a sight of pure misery, her eyes red and puffy.
When the groom comforted her with a kiss, passion ignited, and they quickly became entangled in bed.
The bedroom curtains billowed with the wind.
Romeo held Mirabella’s hand the entire time, turning to gaze at her beautiful face.
Gradually, his heartbeat quickened, his face drawing closer to hers, about to seal their lips.
“Damn it.” Sean couldn’t hold back any longer, bursting out, “Romeo, back off from my sister!”
Romeo turned to see Sean storming towards him, fists clenched and ready to swing.
In a flash, Mirabella pulled Romeo behind her and coolly faced Sean, “Sean?”
“Step aside, Bella. I need to teach this son of a gun a lesson!” Sean was beyond explaining his sudden appearance; his fists were ready for a fight.
“Sean, you want to teach my fiancé a lesson? At least tell me what’s going on!”
Was Romeo being a jerk just now? But that surely couldn’t be enough to steam Sean up like this?
“Is this the guy you’re engaged to?” Sean looked incredulously at his sister. “He’s so stingy, so disrespectful, and he takes advantage of you. How can you even consider marrying him?”
Mirabella’s gaze shifted towards Romeo. Stingy? Disrespectful? Taking advantage?
“Sean, you’ve got it all wrong.”
Before Romeo could even begin to explain, Sean cut in, “Have the guts to step out from behind my sister and face me.”
“You wanted to see some real progress, didn’t you?” Romeo finally spoke up.
“I was talking about the kind of progress that happens slowly, with feelings warming gradually. I didn’t say you should get all handsy and cozy that fast!”
So this was what had ticked Sean off?
“Come here.” Sean looked like he wanted to punch Romeo. “What, you chicken? You scared?”
“Bella, I’ll talk to Sean.”
“Talk, yes, but no fighting,” Mirabella stepped aside, her beautiful eyes watching them intently.
Her words forced Sean to unclench his fists, darn it. That Romeo, he’d find a way to give him a piece of his mind one of these days.
Steward, standing to the side, wasn’t quite sure how to intervene, especially since Mr. McMillian was being so outrageous, so over the top.It was normal for Sean to be protective of his sister.
As Sean stormed off, he gave a chair a vicious kick. “Can someone kill the damn sound effects already?”
The theater was still playing some creepy horror movie soundtrack.
Steward immediately got in touch with the staff to turn it off.
The lights came on too.
The whole theater finally lit up.