Stranger in an Empty Cinema

It was pouring in Bangalore. A thick, wet deluge from the dark monsoon clouds that coated everything it touched and made moving through it an oppressive slog. Water streamed down the sides of the pavement in long ropes of liquid before meeting the metal teeth of the roadside drains. In this wet mess was Archana, trotting uphill in her battle against the elements. She was running late. The perspiration from her brisk movements mixed with the humid, soaked air around her, making a miserable experience of her march up to the boxy-looking old indie cinema theatre in the distance. Her stylish knee-high boots angrily splashed with each step through the puddles.

Pushing through the heavy glass door, she awkwardly searched for her phone in her sodden handbag and went straight up to the ticket counter.

"I'm here for the anime movie marathon," she said, wiping heavy globules of water from her face.

Behind the counter stood a thoroughly unimpressed college student, bored both of his part-time job and of the nerdy clientele he served.

"You're ten minutes late. As per the seven-minute rule, I cannot let you in now."

Archana stared at him in disbelief. "Really? For God's sake, it's a six-hour marathon. What's ten minutes, yaar?"

The young guy, unused to a defiant cinema nerd, or more likely simply not willing to argue with a soaking wet girl, quickly conceded and let her pass. The young woman, now armed with a tub of masala popcorn and a cold drink, entered the dark and quiet screening room. The film had already started, well past the endless montage of trailers and opening logos. Archana searched for her seat, squinting for it in that odd, hazy darkness that only a cinema screen emitted. She found it well enough, only to realize it was taken, along with the seat next to it, by some sickeningly cute couple with their arms wrapped securely around one another.

Seething on the inside, she opted for a vacant seat in the far back corner. After all, I only need one, she told herself. The girl sat down and attempted to find some way to be comfortable in her soaked clothes. Her cute cosplay outfit—a short blue skirt with a white blouse and a red bow—was all soppy underneath her heavy jacket.

She took the now rather heavy jacket off, attempting to wrap it over the back of her seat while somehow trying not to move or make any noise. She had already spied some annoyed-looking faces in the rows ahead, all half-illuminated scowls directed at her belated entrance. She wanted nothing more than to just get comfortable and disappear into the colorful fantasy playing out in front of her.

This was supposed to be her treat. The highlight of her weekend. The highlight of her month, really. A marathon screening of her favorite animated films from her favorite series. She had even dressed up for it. She hadn't expected to be late. To be soaked to the bone, or to be totally alone. She settled down into her plush seat, hoping to make the best of a really bad situation.

Finally starting to dry off under the theatre's AC, she did find herself getting deeply into the film. She had seen these movies many times before, but that was half the appeal. To see something familiar, but blown up and celebrated on the big screen.

Smiling softly, Archana recalled the very first time she had stumbled on these little foreign animated films, late at night on sketchy websites in her hostel room, watching them in a miserable pixelated quality that locked them into a particular time and place now long gone. She fell in love with them back then, and here they now were, all cleaned up and ready to be fallen in love with all over again. Original film reels whirred from the projector room overhead, the imperfections of the film grain adding a wonderful, nostalgic texture to the image that she could now appreciate in an entirely new way. Her smile grew wider, and Archana sunk deeper into the plush velvet seating.

Her quiet enjoyment was soon interrupted, however, by the sound of someone approaching on her right. Another late arrival. Now she had the chance to be a half-lit scowling face. It was a young man who, from his nervous scanning of the dark cinema, had clearly also had his assigned seat poached by the crowd. It was right then that he and Archana mutually realized the only free seat left in the house was the one right next to her.

He sheepishly approached her row, silently mouthing an apology and pointing to the vacant space beside her. She nodded tightly, and he silently sat down. She didn't catch much sight of his face in the dark, and for that first screening, she tried her absolute best to pretend he wasn't there, feeling her cozy private nook had been ruined by his sudden presence.

After close to two hours or thereabouts, the film ended. The plucky heroine had won the day through her magical powers and the unwavering support of her equally magical girlfriends. She had even managed to finally kiss the handsome masked boy. Very cute, Archana thought. Then the house lights went up, and the ushers informed the moviegoers of a short ten-minute break before the next screening began. Taking this time to stretch her legs and relieve herself of the debt she owed her large soft drink, Archana sought to get up.

Looking over, she made awkward eye contact with the young man next to her. The man, his face now fully lit by the warm house lights, offered a small, polite smile and stood up to let her out.

Archana had to slide closely by him, carrying what remained of her popcorn, which was now just stale pieces and inedible hard kernels. As she did, something caught her foot. Her boots were a brand-new purchase, not unrelated to the cosplay event she was currently attending. She was unused to walking in them, and a pointed end of the red leather shoe caught the metal housing of the chair, and she took a sudden tumble.

Or she would have, if she hadn't been caught firmly by the stranger next to her. Warm, safe hands held her waist, breaking her fall just enough for her to regain her footing. His hands lingered on her hips for a brief moment as she straightened up—presumptuous, yet undeniably pleasant and secure. Archana felt a deep blush creep up her neck.

"Oh, excuse me, I'm so sorry! They're new boots. I didn't step on your foot, did I?" she asked quickly, turning to face the man, her face rosy as a plum.

"No, don't worry, I'm perfectly fine. Are you alright? Haven't twisted your ankle, have you?"

He sounded genuinely sweet. He had a reserved voice that was very comfortable on the ears. It was a bit deeper than she had expected, but incredibly warm and considered.

"I'm okay. Thank you. I'll just—" Archana trailed off, pointing vaguely towards the exit out to the lobby.

Giving the man an awkward, deeply embarrassed smile, she strolled off quickly, each step filled with a desperate purpose to avoid her earlier clumsiness. After attending to her needs in the ladies' room, Archana found herself standing in the cramped and surprisingly dark cinema lobby. The carpet underfoot was sticky with untold spills of sugary drinks and sweetened popcorn, and the walls were lined with a faded selection of classic Indian and international film posters, all of which premiered long before Archana was even born. Still, the place had a grungy, old-Bangalore aesthetic that was nonetheless charming, and it was filled with characters who only added to that exact vibe.

The lobby was a chaotic mix of overdressed cinema nerds, softboys, and their reluctant partners, who packed the small space like it was some underground pub on a Saturday night.

Archana noted that she wasn't the only one who had dressed specifically for the occasion. She spotted sweet, socially oblivious girls clad in the outfits of various anime characters. Some were in full intricate gear, while others just wore a token bow or a colored wig.

In this crowded mess, Archana made her way back to the concession stand, looking to restart her binge of processed maize. In truth, she had eaten her fill already, but she desperately needed something to take her mind off the special kind of heavy solitude that accompanies being completely alone in a loud crowd. Melting through tight pods of chatty patrons, thankful for the additional height her new boots gave her so as not to drown in the sea of bodies, she joined the long queue.

The queue passed slowly. Painfully slowly. Archana began to wonder if she would even have enough time to get her snacks before the next screening started, or if she'd have to sit and watch this one raw, without any tactile or oral distraction. Thankfully, the pace did finally start to pick up.

Patrons walked past her back to their seats with decadently large buckets of fresh popcorn, each one noticeably depleting the warm stores on show behind the glass counter. Finally, Archana made it to second in the queue, standing directly behind a broad back draped in a loose fit of thin, stylish fabric. The attendant scooped up this patron's popcorn, tucking the very last of their fresh product into the stripy paper container large enough to bathe an infant. There was none left, just in time for her to reach the absolute front of the line.

Archana frowned heavily, a defeated look falling over her face as she looked on from behind the man in front of her. The attendant shrugged with some weak attempt at sympathy, which caught the attention of the customer in front. He turned around. The face was an immediately familiar one: the very man who she had been sitting next to for the last two hours. The one who she had tripped over, and who had already familiarized himself with the outline of her waist to catch her.

"Unbelievable," she muttered under her breath.

The man heard her, obviously, and immediately an awkward expression came across his handsome face.

"Oh, hello again," he stammered gently, unsure of what else he could possibly say in this situation.

He looked genuinely concerned. The poor girl looked like she was about ready to cry over a bucket of popcorn. Even with a cursory glance, he could tell she was here by herself, yet clearly, she had no intention to be, dressed beautifully in full cosplay as she was.

"Hey. So, we're sitting right next to each other, right? You want to share this? I'll never finish it by myself anyway."

Then why did you buy so much in the first place? Archana thought to herself irritably.

"I can get my own," she said curtly.

He looked back at the empty, glowing counter, the mopey college attendant having already wandered to the back room. "I don't think you can, I'm afraid."

"Well, what makes you think I'd want to eat yours?"

"You don't have to take it, but I'd really like to offer. You just look like you need it. I'll reach across the counter, get you an empty bag so we don't have to share germs."

Archana looked up at him properly. He was of a type of man quite outside what she had seen of the other guys here. He wasn't crusty like the aging metalheads, nor was he a dorky nerd in an oversized video game tee, and neither was he some creepy alt-boy with inappropriately touchy fingers. Well, he had touched her, yet she didn't register that touch as inappropriate at all. It had felt supportive, protective even. No, he just looked good. Stylish. Nice. Very, very nice.

"No. It's okay, you don't have to do that; I don't have cooties. Thank you. You're more right than you think about me needing it."

"I'm Karthik," he smiled.

"Archana."

They went back into the dark hall, the last of the crowd to do so.

Thankfully, as they were seated at the very end of the back row, they had no need to awkwardly shuffle through narrow rows of seats, apologizing at every step to annoyed strangers. Instead, they comfortably sat down just as the opening credits started to roll on screen. True to his word, Karthik put the obscenely sized bucket of popcorn right between them, resting it awkwardly on top of his thigh where Archana's seat met his armrest. It was an agreeable mix of salted butter and caramel popcorn, the combination of flavors giving a deliciously addictive quality that kept the two snacking together through the entire feature.

When watched back-to-back, the formulaic nature of the anime films became very apparent, dinging their quality somewhat. Still, it was good fun. The Bangalore crowd was as familiar as they could ever be with the plot, and they would chuckle at old flubs in animation or at lines hilariously lost in translation in the English dub.

Archana was actually enjoying herself. This specific movie was her absolute favorite of the series.

It brought up in her a deep, profound feeling of comfort. Warm, but also highly melancholy. Though the film stayed exactly the same with every viewing since her first back in her childhood, she felt she had changed every time. People had come and gone since then, relationships had been made, and ended, all punctuated by periodic nostalgic viewings of this particular film.

Now here was Archana again at this pit stop of her life. Where was she right now? Alone, again. Another explosive end to a relationship not even four hours prior. He had said he wanted to wait until after the movie marathon, knowing how much she was looking forward to it, but apparently, the thought of sitting and watching them all in a row was too much for him to stomach, and so he called it off just as she had put on the finishing touches to her cute cosplay outfit.

He always used to say he loved these films. What else had he lied about? Loving her? Wanting to live together? She knew he definitely wasn't lying when he complained about her collectibles.

It didn't matter now; it was all over, and Archana was at the very start of the highly unpleasant process of reflection following all bad breakups. A time where one thinks a great deal, but never has much to say. A miserable, drawn-out endeavor that she had experienced enough times before to never want to do again.

She reached into the bucket for some more popcorn. Hoping for the mindless distraction of food, she instead found Karthik's dexterous digits, their warmth and soft texture betraying their identity in the dark field of tacky, sticky corn. Instantly they both recoiled, as if they had inadvertently touched a wandering spider late at night. They looked at one another, their eyes shining brightly with a milky light reflected from the cinema screen.

"Sorry. You go on," he whispered softly, fully retracting his hand.

Archana reached in and took a handful. She liked looking at him. His handsome face brought something comforting out of her, a pleasantness that rapidly drove away the sapping cold of her damp clothes and her broken heart.

The film drew on, and Archana found herself sinking much deeper into a bittersweet comfort. The film, and Karthik's unexpected, quiet company, was steadily softening the heavy blow of the rawness of her preceding breakup. She reclined deeply into her seat, and found herself unconsciously leaning inwards, drawing herself closer to the radiating warmth of the man beside her. She wanted desperately to put her heavy head on his generous shoulder and just forget about the outside world.

With a sudden burst of courage, she did exactly that, gently planting a soft cheek on the thin fabric of his shirt. At first, Karthik flinched in surprise, though as he had demonstrated earlier, he had the emotional intelligence enough to intuit what the sad girl needed, and he relaxed, letting her stay.

All too soon, the film ended, much in the same way of the first. Archana really didn't want it to, though. She wanted to stay right here, wrapped in this dark embrace, far away from the harsh realities waiting outside in the Bangalore rain. The crushing weight of the breakup. Of going home alone to an empty flat.

Still, the choice was made for her as Karthik sat up straight, getting ready to stand, naturally withdrawing his shoulder from her.

"Hey, you wanna stretch your legs outside? You can buy the big bucket this time," he joked warmly, the house lights coming up and illuminating his friendly face.

They went out again to the lobby. There seemed to be significantly fewer people now, it being quiet enough to finally have a real conversation without yelling over the din.

"So, what happened?" Karthik asked gently, his sudden boldness taking Archana completely off guard.

"What?"

"You're clearly one half of a set. The magical hero needs her masked lover. So, where is he?"

Archana inhaled deeply. Her ex had absolutely no intention of joining her in dressing up today, or ever.

"I think you can probably guess."

"Thought so. That's awful. There's nothing worse than being left alone for special occasions like this."

"Yeah. It's my birthday too, you know."

"Oh, what an ass! On your birthday? Good lord, what a jerk," Karthik said, his voice trying its absolute best to sound genuinely outraged for her.

Archana could usually tell when men hammed up their responses to get close to her, but she actively chose not to check if Karthik was doing it in this instance. She was just happy to feel seen and heard, caring not for its level of artificiality. She looked up into his eyes, sharing a long, wordless look; his dark eyes called out to her, beckoning her closer. She wanted to lean in, to melt into his chest right there and wrap herself tightly in his embrace. Perhaps it was the intoxicating one-two punch of romantic loss and bittersweet nostalgia driving it, but she had never wanted someone more in that specific moment.

Unfortunately, that tender moment was cut short by the loud intrusion of the theatre usher.

"You guys going in? Everyone else has left, so if you're not, I can just cancel the screening and start clearing up early."

Archana and Karthik looked around. The hall was completely deserted. Not from patrons heading back in for the final viewing, but left empty as some strange protest of its quality. Karthik laughed out loud.

"No way, this one is my favorite!" he bellowed, any ambiguity at the outrage in his voice completely dispelled.

The tired usher rolled his eyes heavily, all hope of finishing his shift early quickly doused. "Fine, suit yourself... Philistines," he muttered.

Archana had a wicked grin on her face, and a deep excitement began brewing in her stomach. It would just be them. No other annoying popcorn munchers, tall heads blocking the screen, or desperate slurps at empty drinks. In truth, she could have easily skipped this movie too, but the sheer novelty of a totally empty cinema, the wild opportunity of it, was too much to pass up.

They went back in, immediately searching for the very best seats in the house, the ones right in the middle that could recline fully and came with extra legroom. Overhead, the light painted bright pictures on the screen as they located the optimal viewing position.

They got extremely comfy. Stretching out and leaning far back, they invaded as much space as they could get away with. Once the film started in proper, their familiarity with the source material led to shared jokes and loud heckles, acting like if they could just yell loud enough, someone might actually take note and improve the film right before their eyes. After a while, they settled down, content to make small comments here and there. Archana felt giddy, almost intoxicated. Instinctively, she reached for some invisible popcorn but instead, her hand met Karthik's robust, muscular thigh, her palm gliding across his jeans for far longer than was proper.

"Did we finish it all already?" she asked through a breathy giggle.

Karthik looked back at her in the dim light, catching glimpses of her outfit in the black light of the room. A short blue skirt, a blouse so white it was essentially see-through under the projector's glare, giving away Archana's tight physique that he had sampled earlier when he caught her fall. There was nothing else for it; he leaned in, taking his chance to plant a soft, confident kiss on her full lips.

Her lips were adorned with a lustful red lipstick as part of her cosplay. Archana saw him come in, and immediately felt herself activate. Her stomach filled with a million butterflies, and between her legs, she felt a highly welcome spark shoot through her.

Their tongues met greedily, Karthik leading the gentle, wet dance between their mouths. Archana felt goosebumps race rapidly across her body, her damp skin coming completely alive, all too aware of every pleasing sensation as Karthik put his warm hands on her. He touched her neck. Her exposed leg. Her cheek, all lit up by his electric touch as he leaned over from his chair into hers.

She wanted desperately to reciprocate, to explore him herself. Reaching out in the dark, she found him, taking her delicate fingers to his broad chest, feeling how it spread out firmly in all directions until meeting a reassuringly strong shoulder. Unsatisfied with just this, she stretched her arms further, looking for anything she could grab.

She didn't make it far, only to his upper torso before her awkward positioning in the big chair made it impossible to reach anywhere else comfortably. Karthik didn't seem bothered at all, perfectly content to direct all his attention to her body as he was.

He took a hand on a slow journey up and across her inner thigh, slipping neatly under her short blue skirt as if he were sinking his hand under warm water. He found her panties, slipping beneath the fabric easily. She was all warm and dripping wet, aching with excitement. Her little pleasure bell was all puffed up and ready to ring out for him.

He moved his expert fingers across her engorged clit, drawing sweet, slow circles around her, the incredible feeling rippling out and across Archana's tense body. "Ah... Mmm..." she gasped softly. Almost on pure instinct, she widened her legs further and abandoned her clumsy attempt to reach over and touch Karthik, instead reclining further back into her chair and inviting him deeper into her.

The soft pads of his fingertips pressed against her clit in a pleasingly firm way, the sensation climbing higher with every one of his deliberate little movements. She stretched out, her back arching and falling with the rising rhythm of her heavy breath as the intense sensation began building in her core. She desperately wanted to do something with her hands, and with Karthik slightly too far out of reach, she settled for touching herself. With both hands, she cupped her own breasts, first from above her clothes, though quickly she worked to get under them; the white blouse adorned with a red bow being too much of an obstacle for her growing lust.

She tugged hard at her own nipples, all perked up and hard, contributing directly to the chorus of feeling running fiercely across her body. She could hear her own heavy breathing echoing in the empty hall. A lustful, breathy moan began to fill the air, meeting with the loud sound of the anime film, which was now filtered by the couple into mere background noise.

She could hear Karthik too, close enough to hear his own distinctly changed breathing. Not one of receiving pleasure, but of the primal excitement of giving it. He cradled her head gently with one hand as he continued to work skillfully on her dripping slit with the other. He moved down from her clit, now that she was sufficiently turned on, and effortlessly slid two fingers deep inside her.

"Oh god, haan..." she whimpered.

He beckoned her from the inside, rhythmically curling his fingers up and massaging the textured, wet walls of her vagina. Archana scrunched her face in ecstasy, and dug her polished nails deep into the plush arms of the seat. It felt unimaginably good, and her heart thumped with intense excitement as she felt her body heat up all over. Karthik felt her writhe in pleasure against his hand, the wet sound of her squirming in her seat filling his ears, absolute confirmation that his filthy efforts were very well received.

Archana felt the heat in her belly build to a boiling point. Working her nipples wasn't enough anymore.

She wanted to chase the sensations rapidly growing in her, build them as high as they could possibly go. Reaching up to where Karthik rested his hand on her head, she directed him aggressively down to her now fully exposed breasts, her blouse open and her lacy bralette pulled down to reveal her perky round pair. Karthik cupped them eagerly, his large hands happily taking each heavy breast into a warm, firm embrace, but it was awkward. The bulky armrest got in the way, and besides, he had other, dirtier ideas.

Karthik smoothly moved from his seat and came down to occupy the cramped space right between Archana's spread legs. Thankfully, the premium row they were in had legroom just enough for him to come to a kneel on the carpet right in front of her. He gave some token kisses up her bare thigh before promptly coming face-to-face with her warm, wet, and undeniably inviting pussy.

He met her with his mouth, playfully exploring her slick lower lips on the short journey up to her swollen clit. He enveloped it with his warm mouth.

His wet tongue danced over her pearl in delicious, rapid streaks and tight circles. Archana arched her head far back against the seat, yelping loudly in absolute delight. Her toes curled inside her boots, and her breathing labored heavily with intense pleasure. The sheer intensity of it radiated across her body from its origin between her spread legs. A white-hot ball of tension ready to burst. She moved her legs, going from being limply outstretched beside Karthik's broad shoulders to propping them up onto the back of the cinema chair in front of her. She reached her arms down, taking a firm hold of Karthik's dark hair, pulling his face closer and harder against her, while pushing her boots hard into the upholstery of the chair in front.

Her shameless moans became louder, louder than the explosions in the film still playing loudly. Rhythmically they built in volume. "Ah! Aaaah! Don't stop, please!" she cried out. She couldn't hold it any longer. She felt completely ready to explode.

With a final filthy, echoing cry, she did exactly that, giving in totally to the overwhelming sensation that erupted violently from between her legs and spilled out across her entire nervous system. Her whole body reflexively contracted hard, squeezing Karthik's head tightly between her thighs and lifting her lower half high into the air while her bare shoulders pressed deep into the chair. Her orgasm radiated out in violent waves, intense and deeply fulfilling, before finally ebbing into a generally enjoyable, buzzing feeling of well-being that washed across her.

Archana relaxed, exhaling a deep, cathartic sigh. Her dark eyes were half closed, lazily taking in bright images of the anime film that still played on screen, all blurry from her complete inability to focus her vision. Then the bright light was eclipsed by Karthik, his tall body cutting a highly pleasing silhouette framed by the projector light behind him. He wasn't finished, and nor, apparently, was she.

He quickly undid his fly, freeing his completely hard and impressive-looking cock, all eager and bouncing in the cool AC air.

Wordlessly, he again slid his hands across Archana's bare thighs, this time going right past them to her plump behind and taking a very firm hold of her cheeks. He lifted her easily, supporting her lower half to rise while her upper body extended back deeply into the outrageously reclined cinema chair. He tilted her slightly, her petite form being very easy for him to handle, and brought his thick cock right up to her soaking wet entrance.

He pushed forward, sinking deep inside her in one smooth motion. Archana gasped loudly. "Ooh god..." She thought she was spent considering the extreme intensity of her previous orgasm, yet as Karthik's hard cock pressed heavily on the tight sides of her inner walls, stretching her out, she knew she still had so much more lust in her.

Karthik began moving. At first with slow, deliberate, grinding thrusts that brought their pubic bones to meet with a wet slap, drawing deep, primal vocals from Archana's throat.

He had angled her, and himself, to caress the sensitive top of her vagina with every single deep stroke. It activated that small and very special part of her that drove Archana absolutely crazy. He had found it easily enough with his fingers earlier, but now their more intimate anatomy had harmonized in a thrilling, filling way that she had as yet never experienced before.

Karthik was moving significantly faster now. No less deep and deliberate than earlier, but now at a punishing speed. Karthik felt her heat all around him. She was incredibly tight, her internal muscles giving his shaft a squeeze and milking him on his journey in and out of her dripping cunt. Each stroke made him want to ravage her more, and before long, he was going at her with a ferocious, animalistic pace, slamming into her repeatedly and losing himself totally in the raw passion of it all.

Archana felt him perfectly. Felt the exact shape of him, every thick inch of him. How he filled her up so completely.

His grasp on her behind was punishingly firm, and now he leveraged that manly strength to move her back and forth as he fucked her relentlessly. She called out shameless, echoing moans with each hard thrust, and Karthik kept gliding perfectly over the top wall of her pussy. It elevated her, a delightful, maddening pressure building in her core once again. Similar, yet entirely different to her earlier oral orgasm. A heavy pressure that she knew would have a far more explosive release than the last.

Karthik was loud too. Deep, pleasant, masculine grunts came from him as he skirted his own point of no return. "Fuck, you feel so good..." he rasped.

He looked down at his eager partner, beautifully illuminated by the colorful light of the screen. Her round tits bounced themselves around in wild circles with the heavy momentum he gave her, while her body curved in and out from her cute navel to her smooth abdomen, his fingers sinking deep into her soft flesh as he held her up.

The incredible sight of her, the wet slapping sounds, the feeling of her gripping him all around, was all at once overwhelming, yet made him yearn to push even deeper. It made him go faster, harder. The deliberateness of his earlier movements faded completely as pure lust took over his mind and body.

The two of them careened wildly towards a mutual climax. Karthik's boisterous, uninhibited movements again proved far too overwhelming for Archana to hold back. The balloon popped, and she came screaming. A sharp, earth-shattering orgasm that ruptured her body and shot out of her, her inner walls clamping down hard on his shaft in rhythm to her jolting contractions.

"Ahhh! I'm coming!" she wailed.

Karthik called out loudly in total ecstasy at the sight of his partner in such rapture, and he erupted deep inside her, his pent-up lust flooding her insides with thick ropes of cum until it felt like absolutely no more could fit inside her tight walls.

They slowly began to wind down, and eventually, a breathless Karthik set Archana gently back onto the velvet seat. He let her down softly, taking the time to ensure her cosplay skirt wasn't totally bunched up underneath her. His legs felt shaky and weak. He felt pleasantly worked, and leaned back heavily on the chair in front of him, shifting the weight off his tired feet somewhat. Archana was staring blankly at the dark ceiling. Absentmindedly she watched the projector light above them catch the floating dust in the air. Her ears were ringing loudly, and she felt extremely lightheaded.

Still, she felt better than she had been in months. She felt more cared for, more desired by this handsome stranger than she had by her partner of several years. She felt so happy she could cry, though if any more fluid left her body at this point she would seriously worry she'd dehydrate herself completely.

It was here, gazing up happily at the ceiling, that she realized the background noise of the film had ceased.

All at once, the bright light of the projector cut out, instantly replaced by the harsh, fluorescent house lights. The two of them were revealed in all their glory as a mess of disheveled clothes, flushed skin, and a set of highly suspicious wet stains on the premium seating. Then came a noise. The heavy lobby door creaking open. The tired usher was coming in to sweep up.

Archana and Karthik locked eyes, and on their flushed faces was a huge grin they couldn't help but make, the sudden fear of being caught mixing perfectly with their incredible feelings of well-being. They excitedly rushed to zip up, fix their clothes, and scuttle quickly out the opposite fire exit door to where the usher came in.

After marching up aged concrete stairs, laughing under their breath and avoiding any and all eye contact with the remaining staff, they made it out of the old cinema and onto the busy Bangalore street. Their dignity appeared intact, only bruised in their minds at the thought of the poor usher finding what a mess they made.

"So, what did you think?" Karthik asked, adjusting his jacket as they hit the pavement.

"What?"

"The 'movie marathon', what else?" he winked.

"I don't know what it is, but this time around I really, really enjoyed that third one. I used to think that it was the weakest of the series, but this time I guess it really connected with me deeply."

Karthik had a delightfully wicked look on him. "I'm sure it did. You know, I'm seeing something here again next week, but right now I'm the only one who booked a ticket. Not sure if I enjoy coming on my own. You interested?"

Archana thought for a token moment, absolutely sure of her answer the exact moment the question was asked.

"Does it have a happy ending?" she asked playfully.

"It might. And if it doesn't, I'm absolutely sure we can make it one."

Archana smiled broadly, her body fit to burst with pure joy. She planted a happy little kiss on his warm cheek, and the two walked off together. The heavy Bangalore rain had finally cleared, replaced with a bright, welcoming sunshine, amplified by the freshly watered pavement into a beautiful medley of yellow, blue, and orange of the late afternoon.