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planet.”
    “I…”
    “It’s also slightly more soothing than
screaming German.”
    She smiled then caught her lip beneath her
teeth. Her eyes traveled down to their hands then over the carpet
and up to the screen before settling back on his face. Her pained
expression gradually morphed to a nervous smile. Her nod was almost
imperceptible and then everything changed.
    Whipping her hand free, she stepped away from
him. Her eyebrows were bunched together, her expression
tormented.
    “What’s wrong?”
    “I have to go.”
    “What?”
    Running up the stairs, she collected her bag
and threw it over her shoulder.
    “Wait a second. What did I do?”
    “Nothing. It’s not you.”
    She fumbled her water bottle and banged into
one of the seats as she stumbled out to the aisle. He strode up the
stairs and grabbed her arm as she tried to sail past him. With
lightning moves she threw him back into the seats.
    Her eyes were so anguished he felt his breath
catch.
    “I’m sorry,” she whispered before dashing
down the stairs.
    “So am I.” He knew she didn’t hear him, she
was long gone. Rubbing his hands together, he tried to extinguish
the fire. It no longer felt warm and inviting.
    Stomping down the stairs, he collected his
jacket and headed for the exit. He pushed open the door to the
strains of final music and turned to glimpse the heroine, dressed
in black, sobbing over a gravestone.
     
    Harrison wandered back to the main foyer, his
brain a mix of confused disappointment and anger. He was more
annoyed with himself than anything. Hadn’t he specifically said no
girlfriends? Wasn’t he the one that had gone on about keeping
everything casual?
    You’re such an idiot.
    He never should have asked her to the beach.
Pulling on his jacket with a sneer, he shoved his hands in his
pockets and made for the escalators.
    “Harrison!”
    He spun at the sound of his name. Hiding his
disappointment when he saw Dana and her posse running towards him
was hard work. Darren trailed along behind them, obviously
surprised.
    “Where were you man? I texted like three
times.”
    “Sorry, I got the time wrong. I thought we
were going to the late session.” The lie came easy, which wasn’t
something he was proud of. “Was the movie good?”
    “The ending sucked, but the effects were
pretty cool.”
    “Wish I hadn’t missed it.” Another easy lie.
He crossed his arms and forced a smile.
    “We’ll just have to go again sometime.” Dana
squeezed his forearm.
    Harrison pushed out a halfhearted laugh and
uncrossed his arms. Stepping out of reach, he looked over at
Darren. “Well, you guys want to do something now?”
    “We’re going to Dairy Queen. It’s blizzard
time.” Darren’s eyebrows wiggled.
    “I’m in.” Harrison turned towards the exit
once more, ignoring the thought that the beach and Gemma would have
been a thousand times better.
    Dana skipped over to him and threaded her
arms through his. “Can I ride with you?” Her smile was sultry. “I
just love your car.”
    “Sure.” He coughed and forced another grin.
He really wanted to drop his arm and step out of Dana’s clutches,
but he knew that would be rude. He didn’t want to make his evening
worse by pissing her off. He people watched to distract himself
from the feel of Dana’s little fingers fiddling with his jacket
sleeve.
    Gemma came into view and he nearly stopped in
his tracks. A stern frown crossed his face, but it fled. She looked
tired. She rubbed her forehead and smoothed back her ponytail,
which was no longer braided. Her clothes looked as though they’d
been hastily pulled on, but that was probably his imagination. She
just looked out of sorts.
    Maybe she felt guilty about ditching him. He
hoped so, then instantly regretted the feeling. Stepping onto the
escalator, he stood five stairs above her. Dana was prattling on
about something, but her words were fuzz. All he could think about
was how much he wanted to chase the mysterious Hart girl