Enjoying the movie.

Joseph sat down between Beth and James. He and James bumped arms over the armrest, but James let him have it. As the lights dimmed and the previews came on, Joseph relaxed into his seat.

They made the usual snickering comments about the trailers. To his surprise, the group could barely suppress their giggles at his lame jokes. He wasn't usually the funny one, but today they all seemed to love his jokes. The odd one out was Marcus, who looked as confused as he was by the response.

As the movie opened on a long shot of a museum with a cheesy voiceover, he felt Beth slowly move her arm next to his. They were touching just a little bit. Assuming she wanted the armrest, he dutifully moved his arm to his lap. She didn't take more of the armrest, though - she just moved her arm into her lap too.

After an intense espionage scene at the end of the first act, the group released its tension. During a steamy scene where the hero's shared a hot tub with his love interest, Joseph was shocked to feel Beth slowly rest her head on his shoulder. He tensed up, not knowing what to do. She cleared her throat and adjusted her head. He risked a glance down and saw her intently watching the screen, deliberately avoiding eye contact.

Joseph swiveled to face the rest of the group. James glanced over out of the corner of his eye and gave a knowing smile, and Kat was grinning on the other side of Beth too. Marcus, meanwhile, was so focused on the movie he wasn't even paying attention. Joseph swallowed hard and tried to pay attention to the movie.

He couldn't, of course. He could feel Beth slowly leaning further into him over the course of the second act. By the time the action had reached its climax, she was practically draped over him. As the movie slowed and shifted into a love scene, Beth grabbed his arm and put it around her shoulders. At this point Joseph was debating whether to say something. He refrained and they watched the scene play out in awkward silence.

By the time the movie was over, he had completely lost track of the plot. He was equal parts thrilled, terrified, and confused by what he had just experienced. As the lights came back on Beth shifted back into her seat as though nothing had happened. She turned to Kat and asked her opinion of the movie. They chatted about the performances idly. He turned to James, who fixed him with a sly smile. "So, how'd you like the movie?" James actually winked at him.

"Dude!" Joseph whispered. "What the fuck was that? Did you know she was gonna do that? What's going on?"

James laughed. "Don't act like you didn't like it, man. Maybe you're finally getting what you want."

"What are you talking about?" Marcus asked from behind James, obviously puzzled. James turned and smiled. "I think Beth is finally giving Joseph his shot."

"What?" Marcus whispered incredulously. "What the fuck are you talking about?"

The girls had gotten up to leave and Joseph stood to follow them. He wanted to get Beth somewhere private where they could talk, but more than that he wanted to get out of the theater. This conversation was getting too weird for him.

As they strode through the lobby, Beth turned to him. "Hey, I'm still kinda amped up from the movie. Wanna grab a drink?"

He turned to the rest of the group. "What do you guys think? Should we head over to Clancy's?"

Kat and James immediately turned the offer down, saying they were too tired. Marcus looked the group over with bewilderment. Clearly picking up the subtext, he coughed and said he couldn't make it either. Kat smirked knowingly. "Looks like it'll just be the two of you."

Beth grabbed Joseph's arm. "Come on man, you look like you could use a drink."