Chapter 5

The air inside the private screening room was thick, heavy with the scent of old leather, stale popcorn, and the electric hum of the vintage projector somewhere in the booth above. It was a secluded alcove carved out of the back wall of the main theater, separated by heavy velvet curtains that had seen better decades. Outside, the giant screen glowed with the soft, flickering light of a black-and-white romance, but we didn’t care about the movie. We didn’t care about the rows of cars parked in the gravel lot beyond the curtains, their engines idling like restless beasts waiting for their owners. We were alone, in our own private world, surrounded by shadows and the low murmur of the crowd outside. I sat on the edge of the plush, worn velvet chaise lounge, my heart hammering against my ribs like a trapped bird. You stood before me, towering in your dark suit, the jacket already discarded on a nearby armchair, your white dress shirt unbuttoned at the collar to reveal the hint of your chest. The neon sign from the main entrance buzzed faintly, casting a pinkish-purple hue across your skin, making you look like a statue brought to