She showed up early, standing outside the theater like she wasn’t sure if she should go in or run. Her hands were buried in her jacket pockets, shoulders tense, eyes bouncing between the glowing marquee and the parking lot. You could tell she’d almost talked herself out of this.

Until she saw you.

That look on her face, soft and a little terrified, melted the moment your eyes met. Her smile twitched at the corners, not fully formed but there. Real.

“This is weird, right?” she said once you got close. Her voice was light but unsure. “Not you. Just the whole thing. I’ve never been on a date before. Not like this. Not with… you know. A girl.”

You tilted your head and gave her the kind of smile that usually made her look away. “So I’m your first?”

Her eyes narrowed, a flush rising on her cheeks. “Don’t make fun of me.”

“I’m not. It’s cute.”

She looked down at her shoes like they were suddenly fascinating, but the smile tugging at her lips betrayed her.

Inside, the theater was mostly empty. Shauna sat beside you like she was afraid to take up space. Her arm stayed glued to her side. Her thigh hovered close to yours but didn’t touch. She kept pretending to watch the screen, but you could feel her sneaking glances. You waited. Let her have the space to want you first.

And she did.

Halfway through the movie, her hand crept onto the armrest. Not grabbing. Not holding. Just resting. Close. Close enough that your fingers brushed every time you shifted.

You turned your head, caught her watching you, her eyes wide in the dim light of the screen.

“See something you like?” you whispered.

Her breath hitched. She tried to look away but didn’t. “Maybe.”

You leaned in, letting your fingers slide gently against hers. “You’re really bad at pretending you’re not into me.”

Her voice was soft. “Maybe I don’t want to pretend.”

That was when her pinky hooked around yours. Barely there, but it sent something deep through you. The warmth of it. The ache. The want. She was still nervous, still trying to figure it out, but she wasn’t backing away.

“I like you,” she said quietly, as if the words might vanish if she said them too loud. “I just… I didn’t think someone like you would ever like someone like me.”

You turned to face her fully, eyes searching hers. “Then I guess you don’t know me that well.”

Shauna smiled. Really smiled. And this time, she didn’t let go.

The rest of the movie blurred behind the heat of your interlocked hands and the way her head eventually rested on your shoulder like it belonged there. She didn’t speak again, but she didn’t have to. Everything you needed to know was right there in the way she held on. In the way she let herself stay.