Intermission interruption.

The cinema attendant scanned our tickets and waved us through into the screening area. Rebecca led the way with the confidence of someone who'd organised the entire evening, while Kat walked beside me, still looking slightly suspicious about the whole arrangement. She'd been expecting a quiet girls' night with her best friend and had somehow ended up spending her Saturday evening with the boy she'd kissed the night before and the girl who'd dressed like she was attending a much more important occasion than a trip to the movies.

We found our row and settled into our seats, with Rebecca taking the middle one exactly as she'd planned. She placed her handbag on the floor, smoothed her short skirt beneath her and turned towards me with a smile. “Comfortable?”

“Very.”

“Good.” She leaned back, crossing her legs before turning her attention towards the screen. Kat, sitting on her other side, gave her a look that suggested she wasn't entirely convinced by Rebecca's innocent act.

“You look very pleased with yourself,” Kat muttered.

Rebecca turned towards her. “I'm going to see a film with my two favourite people. Why wouldn't I be pleased?”

Kat rolled her eyes, but I caught the small smile that appeared on her face. “You're impossible.”

“That's what everyone keeps telling me.”

The lights dimmed before Kat could come up with a suitable response, and the trailers began. Rebecca settled into her seat, but she seemed determined to make the most of the opportunity to have me beside her. Whenever something funny happened in a trailer, she turned towards me to whisper a comment, occasionally bringing her face close to mine so I could hear her over the sound system. Once or twice, her shoulder brushed against mine, and each time she gave me a little smile before turning back to the screen.

Kat noticed too. At one point, Rebecca turned towards me again to comment on an upcoming film, completely absorbed in whatever she was telling me. Kat sat beside her, watching the two of us exchange amused whispers until she'd apparently had enough.

“Rebecca, I'm literally sitting right here,” Kat whispered.

Rebecca turned back towards her. “I know. What's your point?”

“My point is that you could occasionally include me in the conversation instead of acting like he's the only other person in the cinema.”

Rebecca blinked, apparently considering that possibility for the first time. “Oh. Right.”

She faced the screen again. A few seconds later, she turned towards me to whisper another comment.

Kat let out an exaggerated sigh.

I bit the inside of my cheek to stop myself laughing. Rebecca caught my expression and gave me a little wink before turning back to the screen, looking thoroughly pleased with herself.

When the film finally started, things settled down for a while. Materialists followed a matchmaker whose carefully constructed ideas about love and compatibility became complicated when her own romantic life refused to fit neatly into the boxes she'd created for other people. It was an interesting premise, and I found myself getting drawn into the story despite the company I was keeping.

Rebecca seemed equally interested, although she occasionally turned towards me to whisper her thoughts about the characters. Kat, meanwhile, was trying to enjoy the film while apparently growing increasingly frustrated with her best friend's habit of turning every romantic scene into an opportunity to make a comment.

When one character made a particularly questionable decision about a relationship, Rebecca turned towards me again. “See? That's exactly why you should never settle for someone just because they're convenient.”

I glanced at her. “Are we still talking about the film?”

She smiled in the darkness. “Of course.”

Kat turned towards her. “Rebecca, please watch the movie.”

“I am watching the movie!”

“Then watch it quietly.”

Rebecca laughed and settled back into her seat, although she couldn't quite resist giving me another little smile.

I turned my attention back to the screen, trying to concentrate on what was happening. I really did want to enjoy the evening with Kat. We'd agreed to give dating a proper chance, and I'd been looking forward to spending time with her. Yet sitting there, with Rebecca making it increasingly difficult to ignore her, I felt as though I'd walked into a situation I didn't fully understand.

Rebecca was my best friend. I'd spent years wishing she'd look at me the way I'd looked at her, and now that she knew how I felt, I couldn't simply pretend that history had disappeared. But Kat was the one who'd agreed to give dating a proper chance, and she deserved more than to spend the entire evening watching me get distracted by Rebecca.

I tried to concentrate on the film, but Rebecca's presence was difficult to ignore. During a quieter scene, she turned towards me and spoke softly enough that Kat couldn't quite hear her.

“You know, we used to watch movies together all the time when we were kids.”

I looked at her. “Yeah. I remember.”

“Your parents used to make us share that horrible blue blanket because we always fought over the good one.”

I laughed quietly. “You mean the one you stole every single time?”

“I did not steal it.”

“You absolutely did.”

She smiled, and for a moment the years seemed to fall away. There was something familiar and comfortable about the way she looked at me, something that reminded me why I'd fallen for her in the first place. It was easy to forget that anything had changed between us when she brought up memories like that. Then she glanced towards my hand, resting on the armrest beside me. Her smile faltered slightly. She turned back towards the screen without saying anything else.

I wasn't sure what that meant, and I didn't have time to work it out before the film moved into another scene.

Halfway through the film, during a quieter scene, after Rebecca had spent a good five minutes whispering towards me nonstop, Kat suddenly turned towards Rebecca. “Can you move your bloody head for a second?”

Rebecca looked at her in surprise. “What?”

“Nothing. Just move.”

Before either of us could work out what she intended, Kat leaned straight across Rebecca's lap towards me, caught my face between her hands and kissed me. For a moment, my brain completely stopped working as Kat completely inserted her tongue into my mouth as deep as it could go. I'd expected a smile, perhaps a whisper about Rebecca being annoying, but I certainly hadn't expected Kat to launch herself across the middle seat and practically devour me in the middle of a cinema. I barely had time to react before she pulled back, looking rather pleased with herself.

Rebecca stared at us. I stared at Kat. Kat looked between us.

“What?” she whispered. “I wanted to kiss my date. It’s romantic.”

Rebecca's mouth fell open. Then she let out a disbelieving little laugh. “Oh, for God's sake! If you wanted to sit next to him, you could have just asked!”

Kat raised an eyebrow. “You seemed pretty comfortable sitting between us.”

“Because I booked the seats!”

“Exactly.”

I was trying desperately not to laugh and failing, which probably wasn't helping matters. Rebecca looked from Kat to me, then shook her head as though she'd finally decided that fighting this particular battle wasn't worth the effort.

“Fine. Move over.”

Kat blinked. “I’m sorry. What now?”

“Move. I'll take your seat.”

Kat looked at me.

I shrugged, smiling. “Seems fair.”

Rebecca gave me an offended look. “Don't encourage her!”

But she was already gathering her handbag and carefully shuffling past Kat's knees. Kat moved into her vacated seat beside me, while Rebecca squeezed into the seat on Kat's other side, leaving herself at the end of the row.

“There,” Rebecca announced as she settled down. “Happy?”

“Very,” Kat replied.

Rebecca gave her a look that promised further complaints later, then turned back towards the screen.

Kat leaned towards me. “Sorry about that.”

I smiled. “Don't apologise.”

“Really?”

“Really.”

She grinned, then slipped her hand into mine beneath the armrest on our now-adjacent seats. This time, when I turned towards her, she met me halfway and gave me another quick, more modest kiss.

Rebecca made a loud, exaggerated sigh from the other side of Kat. “Oh, this is going to be a long film.”

Kat started laughing, and I couldn't help joining her.

For the first time all evening, we were actually able to enjoy ourselves as a couple. We shared the popcorn, whispered comments about the characters and occasionally exchanged little kisses whenever the film gave us a convenient excuse. Rebecca made a few more sarcastic remarks from the other side of Kat, but she eventually settled down and watched the rest of the film without attempting to insert herself between us again.

When the credits finally began rolling, Kat was leaning comfortably against my shoulder, and I had to admit that I was rather glad she'd taken matters into her own hands.

Rebecca stretched her arms above her head. “Well, that was interesting.”

Kat looked across at her. “You think?”

Rebecca laughed. “Oh, don't be like that. At least you got to sit next to him in the end.”

“After you spent half the film making sure I couldn't.”

“Details.”

We collected our things and made our way towards the exit, joining the crowds filtering out of the cinema. Rebecca checked her phone while Kat slipped her hand through mine, and I was just beginning to think the evening had ended on a reasonably positive note when Rebecca looked up.

“I'm starving. We should get something to eat.”

Kat glanced at me. “I could eat.”

“Same,” I said.

Rebecca smiled and slipped her phone into her handbag. “This new Korean barbecue place has just opened in the city. Apparently, it's incredible, and I've been wanting to try it all week.”

I looked at Rebecca. “The new Korean barbecue place?”

She smiled. “Yes. It's meant to be really fancy. Table grills, premium meat, the whole thing. I managed to get a booking for later.”

Kat glanced down at her outfit. “Tonight?”

Rebecca nodded. “Yeah. Why?”

Kat looked distinctly uncomfortable. “Because I'm wearing track pants and a disgusting jumper.”

Rebecca looked at her as though she'd only just noticed. “So?”

Kat stared at her. “Rebecca, it's a fancy restaurant!”

“It's a restaurant, Kat. Nobody's going to arrest you for wearing comfortable clothes.”

“That's easy for you to say.” Kat gestured towards Rebecca's short skirt and tightly fitted top. “You look like you're going to some exclusive rooftop bar. I look like I've spent the afternoon binge watching television.”

Rebecca glanced down at herself, then back at Kat. “Well, I can't help being dressed nicely.”

There was something in the way she said it that made me look at her a little more carefully. Rebecca smiled, but it wasn't quite the same carefree smile she'd worn during the film. She seemed to be waiting for something.

I looked at Kat, who was already looking increasingly reluctant. “Actually,” I said, “I'm not really dressed for a fancy restaurant either.”

Rebecca turned towards me. “You look fine.”

“Thanks, but I'd much rather get a burger somewhere. Something casual where we don't have to worry about how we're dressed.”

Kat looked at me. “A burger?”

I nodded. “There's that place a couple of streets over. We could grab something there.”

Her expression brightened immediately. “Really?”

“Yeah. We could sit down, get some food and actually talk without Rebecca trying to monopolise the conversation every five minutes.”

Kat burst out laughing.

Rebecca looked offended. “I did not monopolise anything!”

“You practically turned the film into a private commentary track.”

“That is an outrageous exaggeration.”

Kat was laughing so hard that she had to hold onto my arm. “Oh, my God. You should have seen your face when I kissed him!”

Rebecca folded her arms. “I was perfectly composed.”

I grinned. “That's not entirely accurate.”

Rebecca stared at the two of us. “Fine! Go and get your burgers. I'll go to the Korean place.”

I raised an eyebrow. “By yourself?”

She hesitated for a moment. “I'll find someone. Carla might be free, or I could ask someone else.”

The idea of leaving her alone after she'd organised the whole evening made me feel a little guilty, but Kat was looking at me with an expression that suggested she was genuinely hoping I'd stick to the plan I'd just suggested.

I squeezed her hand. “I'm sure you'll find someone, Becca. And we'll catch up later.”

Rebecca looked at our joined hands. Then she looked at me.

For a moment, I thought she was going to argue. Instead, she gave me a small smile that didn't quite reach her eyes.

“Sure. Have fun.”

“Thanks.”

She leaned over and gave me a quick hug before stepping back. “Don't let her eat all your chips.”

“I make no promises.”

Rebecca laughed, although it sounded a little forced, then turned and headed towards the car park.

Kat watched her go. When Rebecca was out of earshot, she turned towards me. “Did we just ditch our best friend?”

I laughed. “I think she ditched us first, and she kind of had it coming.”

Kat grinned. “Fair point.”

We started walking towards the burger place, still holding hands, as it finally started to feel like we were on a date.