Credits roll.

The music builds to it's crescendo and suddenly the lights come on. Your hands' fly to their respective laps and the two of you look at each other from the corner of your eyes. Your eyes meet and dart away. "That, that was, um...that was a good movie," you cough, fixing your collar.

"Yeah, yeah," Terri blushes, fanning her face. "Especially the part with the thing and the, the other thing." The crowd starts to clear as the two of you sit in weird silence, trying not to sneak peeks at each other's crotches.

You try to break the silence. "Um... was, uh, was that your roommate's idea too?" Terri's face turns red again and she nods furiously. "Right, right. So...uh... steak or pizza?" You don't catch what she mumbles, so you decide to go for the artisan burger place for something decent between the two. She doesn't object to it, so you're in the clear for that.

Dinner goes a lot smoother than the movie, until Terri brings up her roommate. "She's a bit more...active with the dating thing," she says, wiping sauce off her lip. "This is her like, sixth boyfriend in three months. I don't know how she does it. And she's always on my case about it. She's like 'So when are you gonna get a date, Terri? You gonna meet someone, Terri? Want me to introduce you to some guys, Terri? Did you ask that guy from work out yet, Terri?' And I'm like 'Um... you can't hold on to a guy for more than a couple of weeks, so you're not the best example of a good relationship, Charlie.'"

The feelings of annoyance is not unfamiliar to you, even more so now. "She sounds like fun," you groan, slurping soda through your straw. "Wait. 'Guy from work?' Were you talking about me?"

Terri swallows the fries she's had in her mouth. "Kind of. This was a while back, but she was complaining about some boyfriend that had just dumped her and she was bitching about the lack of decent guys. Then she got out the booze. We started drinking and she was grilling me about the guys I meet. I start telling her about my coworkers and customers, but she just kept digging and digging and then you came up." A prideful blush comes to her cheek. "She asked if I knew you were single, and uh...I let her know that I was into you, and then she was like 'About time. All yours. Let me know if you need help and if he's got friends.' And every week for a couple of months, it was 'You ask that guy out yet? He ask you out yet?' It was a whole thing." She sighs and shakes her head. "So, how's Sarah settling in?"

As you process everything you've just heard, still sucking on your straw, Selas appears suddenly at the window by your table, knocking and waving excitedly. She must be visible again because Terri waves back and calls her in. "Hey Sarah. We were just talking about you. What are you doing here?"

"Hi Terri! I was just out doing some shopping," she says, smiling broadly before turning to you. "So listen, my friend Emily, you remember Emily right? No you don't. You've never met her, never mind. Anyway, she's in town for the next couple of nights and we are going to go dancing later. Now I know we haven't made my set of house keys yet, and yes, you are the best cousin in the world for the offer you've just made to wait up for me, but fear not cousin! I will bunk with Emily tonight and be back home tomorrow after lunch. And, as the other best cousin in the world, I will bring you something back for lunch too. Oh, I gotta go. See you tomorrow, love you, bye!"

You blink in her general direction as she disappears into the mass of people in the mall, before turning to Terri, and asking her what just happened. She tells you, but you can see the seeds that have just been planted take root. Selas has just told Terri that your house will be empty tonight. And you remember that she told you, that Terri's house is empty too.