NovelBar"Sure."
Brandon nodded and headed to the movie theater on the fifth floor of the mall with her.
The theater wasn't exactly packed on a weekday, and the counter was pretty quiet.
Together, they strolled to the counter, glanced at the showtimes on the screen, then Brandon turned to Sophia, "Which one do you
wanna catch?"
Sophia also looked up at the list of movies, which were mostly rom-coms, except for one offbeat mystery horror flick.
She pointed at the mystery horror movie, "How about that one?"
"It's starting soon," she added.
Brandon gave her a look.
He vaguely remembered that she was all about romance movies.
Back in their school days, when he took her to the movies, she'd outright nix any horror films at the counter, eventually settling for
a popular tearjerker teen romance.
He wasn't keen on those flicks, but she was so engrossed in the movie theater that he didn't interrupt her, just tagged along bored
out of his mind through what he considered a total time-waster of a teen movie.
Brandon remembered how Sophia had been bawling her eyes out back then.
Sophia obviously recalled that embarrassing moment too, and gave a sheepish laugh, "I've grown up now, I'm more into s."
Brandon just nodded, "Mhm."
He didn't remind her that she once told him she couldn't handle horror movies.
That ta horror movie DVD case had landed on her desk by accident, she freaked out just glancing at it, tossing it aside like it
was hot.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtAs a kid, she was stuck alone in the woods for days and nights, and after being brought back by Haley, no one really looked after
her, so it made sense she'd often be left alone at hand scared to watch horror movies.
He glanced at the poster's plot summary, relieved that the movie leaned more towards a deep-sea disaster film, and turned to the
staff, "Two tickets," and named the movie.
The tickets were printed quickly.
Brandon also snagged a tub of popcorn and a couple of drinks.
They walked into the screening hall just as the film started, with only a few scattered souls in the vast room.
Brandon and Sophia had snagged seats in the middle.
The movie was run-of-the-mill, but still had its share of mystery and horror elements, and halfway through, the theater echoed with
screams.
Brandon turned to look at Sophia.
She sat properly, eyes fixed intently on the big screen, calm as a cucumber, her expression unflustered by the intense scenes.
That little girl who used to be scared of horror movies had slowly becunbreakable on her solo journey to adulthood.
Feeling his gaze, the focused Sophia turned her head in confusion and looked at him.
Brandon just flashed her a small smile without a word.
Sophia smiled back a little and refocused on the silver screen.
The two-hour movie zipped by.
As the movie let out, other girls clutched their chests, still spooked, playfully complaining to their dates as they walked out.
Sophia remained composed the entire time, only frowning slightly at the untouched popcorn and drinks.
Neither of them were fans of munching in public.
Brandon looked at her, "Let's go."
Sophia nodded, and they left the theater together.
Perhaps the thrilling movie had shifted her mood, as she seemed noticeably cheerier than right after work.
She didn't skimp on expressing her gratitude to him.
"I'm feeling a lot better now, thanks."
She whispered her thanks as they left the mall.
Brandon chuckled, glancing at the residential building behind her, "It's getting late, I'll walk you home."
Sophia hesitated, but then nodded.
Brandon walked her up to her apartment on the 15th floor, the stwo-bedroom place.
He watched her unlock the door, switch on the lights, and then said, "I should head back, get srest."
Sophia nodded lightly, "Okay."
And added softly, "Be careful on your way."
"Sure."
Brandon responded lightly, his gaze fixed on her, but he didn't move.
Sophia looked at him curiously.
Their eyes met in a slightly prolonged silence, before Brandon suddenly stepped forward, spreading his arms and gently hugging
her.
Sophia stiffened a bit.
Brandon didn't let go and instead held her tighter, his cheek lightly resting on her head.
After a while, he released her amidst her bewilderment.
"Get srest."
He said, then turned and walked away.
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmSophia watched his retreating figure until it vanished into the elevator.
Exiting the elevator, Brandon immediately pulled out his phone and called Don, "Where you guys at?"
"Having drinks."
Don gave him an address.
He was chilling with Martin at a quiet bar, just lazily sipping drinks in a private booth, hardly talking.
Brandon showed up half an hour later.
Pushing the door of the booth open, he spotted Martin, half-slouched with a drink at the bar, lost in thought, and Don, bored,
fiddling with his phone.
He scanned Martin, and as he approached, grabbed his tie and yanked him up, catching Don by surprise, who quickly put down his
phone and rushed over.
"Hey, let's talk this out."
He said, trying to pull Brandon away.
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