Page 3 of Christmas at the Movies
‘James,’ he said, shaking it and not wanting to let it go.
They stood in the foyer for a moment, putting on their gloves and hats.
Sarah dropped one of her gloves on the ground. James stooped to pick it up and when he handed it to her, there was zap of static electricity as their hands touched again.
‘Guess we’ve got a spark too,’ she said, laughing.
‘Actually, that’s just electrons colliding.’
You idiot!Why couldn’t he flirt like a normal person. He’d spent way too much time with only other engineering nerds for company.
‘I’ll take your word for it,’ said Sarah, smiling as she put on her gloves. ‘I’m not a scientist, I’m reading English.’
James pointed to a poster for Ang Lee’sSense and Sensibilityhanging outside of the cinema. ‘I bet you’ve seen that then.’
‘I loved it so much I saw it twice.’ Sarah beamed. ‘Have you seen hisEat Drink Man Woman?’
James was impressed. This girl clearly knew a lot about cinema. ‘Yeah, it’s great – I’m not surprised it won an Oscar.’
‘All that delicious food …’ said Sarah. James watched, transfixed, as she pulled a lip balm out of her coat pocket and applied some to her lips. They were full, but slightly chapped. ‘I feel hungry right now just thinking about it.’
God, he felt hungry too. He wondered how her lips would taste.
‘Want some?’ Sarah said, mistaking his reason for staring and offering him the tube of lip balm.
James shook his head and felt himself starting to blush again, the curse of his pale, Celtic complexion. He glanced down the street. The Prince Charles was right on the edge of Chinatown, where restaurants would be open late. Would it be weird to suggest going for a bite to eat? They had only just met, but sharing a movie together on Christmas Eve, in a nearly empty cinema, had felt oddly intimate. He wasn’t sure he could tear himself away from her, even if he wanted to.
‘Do you fancy getting some noodles?’ he said.
He was rewarded with a dazzling smile. ‘That sounds amazing. I can’t face going back to halls. I’m just about the only person sticking around over the holidays.’
‘Great,’ remarked James, unable to stop a huge grin spreading across his face.
Be cool,James, he told himself. This girl was way out of his league. It wasn’t a proper date. She just didn’t want to be alone on Christmas Eve.
James took her to a nearby restaurant called Wong Kei, popular with students. The food was famously cheap and the waiters were notoriously rude. The only nod towardsthe festive season was some tired tinsel decorations hanging from the ceiling. James and Sarah climbed the stairs and took a table by the window, looking out onto the red lanterns of Wardour Street that swayed in the wind.
‘What do you want to eat?’ barked a waiter, looking fed up despite the fact that the restaurant was practically empty.
They ordered and then smiled at each other awkwardly across the table. Sarah slipped her chopsticks out of their wrapper and folded the paper into a concertina.
‘So … why are you spending Christmas in halls?’ James asked her.
‘Well, I was supposed to spend it with my boyfriend’s family …’ said Sarah.
James forced himself to hold back a sigh. She had a boyfriend. Of course she did.
‘But then I found out he was cheating on me with someone in his hall.’ With a wry smile, she snapped her wooden chopsticks apart.
‘Oh, no,’ said James, inwardly rejoicing. ‘I’m sorry to hear that.’
‘Don’t be,’ replied Sarah with a shrug. ‘We’d been together since sixth form. He’s studying in Leeds, and the whole long-distance thing wasn’t really working. Anyway, it was too late to make other plans. My parents are on sabbatical in the US – they’re professors.’
The waiter brought their beers, plonking them unceremoniously on the table.
‘To new … friends,’ said James, raising his bottle.
Sarah blushed, clinked her bottle against his and took a sip.
