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“How good can a slasher movie really be? Especially one so old,” Lukas interjected, as he brushed past Blaire and stepped up to the counter to pay for their tickets.

Riley pouted and handed Lukas the money for hers. “Really good if they’re doing a special feature on a busy night like tonight, thank you very much.” She crossed her arms over her chest and stomped like a petulant child.

Lukas turned back with tickets in hand and rolled his eyes. “Right. Let’s go.”

Blaire tugged at the ends of her long hair as she followed them into the theater lobby as Aiden came back from the concession counter. Blaire hesitantly reached out and pulled on the sleeve of Lukas’s leather jacket. He stopped and turned toward her, raising an eyebrow.

“You didn’t have to do that.”

“I know.” He shrugged.

Blaire bit her lip. “Well… thanks.”

Before Lukas could respond, Riley spoke up.

“I want to get some candy.”

Lukas turned from Blaire. “Yeah, I want to grab a drink, too. Let’s go.” Lukas passed Aiden two tickets. “Here, we’ll meet you both in the theater.”

“Sure, man. We’ll save your seats. C’mon.” Aiden tipped his head toward the hallway leading to all the different theater rooms.

Blaire followed Aiden into the theater. The lights were turned down low, so it was difficult to see where to go, but she managed for the most part. Aiden found an empty row midway up and walked to the middle, sat down, and put his drink in the holder. Blaire took the seat beside him as she glanced around the theater, her nerves getting the better of her again now that she was away from Lukas. It wasn’t very crowded, but she still wasn’t going to risk separating herself from someone who could protect her.

“So, how terrible do you think this movie is going to be?” Aiden smiled at Blaire, oblivious to her apprehension.

Blaire rolled her eyes. “Come on… give it a chance, at least for Riley. Not big on horror movies?”

“Actually, I love them. I’m just not into hack-and-slash, gory murder fests. That’s not real horror. The real horror is psychological stuff. You know, it’s what you can’t see in the shadows. That’s the real terror. The creepy sounds. The implied monster, so you’re left to imagine it.”

Blaire sat back and thought for a moment. “Yeah, maybe.”

“What? What’s your favorite kind of movie?”

“I don’t think I have a favorite. Never had the opportunity to see a lot of movies over the last couple of years, so I’m just happy to watch anything.”

Aiden fell silent and clenched his jaw as the previews started to play. Blaire didn’t know what she had said wrong. Before she got the chance to ask, Riley came up the aisle, rambling on and on about the nuances of how they got blood to look realistic in old cinema.

Riley plopped down in the seat next to Blaire before Lukas shook his head at her.

“Move.”

“Oh, come on.”

Lukas crossed his arms over his chest and stared down at her.

“Fiiiine. Grumpy pants.” Riley got up and pushed past Lukas to take the next seat over.

Lukas sat next to Blaire and glanced over at her before putting his feet up on the back of the empty seat in front of him, lowering into his seat further, and said nothing as the previews continued.

Blaire clasped her hands together, annoyed at Lukas and grateful at the same time. She would have liked to sit by Riley and felt weird being next to Aiden now that Riley pointed out her attraction. But once Lukas claimed the seat next to her, she had stopped looking over her shoulder for Caleb’s spies. At last, the lights went down further and plunged the theater into darkness.

Aiden leaned over and whispered, “Hey, if you decide you want something to drink, you can have some of mine. You don’t have to ask.”

Blaire nodded before relaxing back into her seat as the movie started.

The movie didn’t hold Blaire’s interest as much as she hoped, and she shifted restlessly. Maybe Riley didn’t have the best choices in film, she thought to herself as the sound of squelching blood and breaking bones filled the theater. When one of the girls on screen got her leg crushed by the killer’s trap, Blaire cringed and reached to grab Aiden’s drink.

After taking a sip, she looked over to place the cup back and caught Aiden watching her lick the wetness from her lips, his face only half-lit by the screen. He visibly swallowed and the look on his face in the high contrast made Blaire nervous. He shifted in his seat and sat with his leg pressed against her thigh.