59 Picnic In The Car

Emily agreed to go to the movies with Justin's friends partly because she could use some unwinding after midterms and partly because she was curious who his friends were. It was terrible but she thought he didn't have any other than her before that.

The moment she saw Alexa, all thoughts of unwinding left her. Finding out that the whole thing was her idea annoyed Emily even more.

Of course. Justin probably invited her because he didn't know any of these people and didn't want to come but couldn't say no to his precious Alexa.

When he said that he knew half of the large group Emily was surprised. Were these people all from the computer science department? Where else would he have met them?

To her knowledge, he did things pertaining to both school and work in the comfort of his own home. They couldn't be coworkers.

She was even more surprised when Justin paid for her ticket before she could say a word. What was with this guy lately?

He had been buying things for her left and right. Did he recently receive a windfall or was he taking pity on her after her complaints about ramen and crackers?

She was still trying to think of a way to thank him when she saw Alexa force him to buy her snacks. He went cheerfully enough, even promising to bring something back for Emily, but she knew he must be upset when he came back to see the girl he liked surrounded by guys with him stuck sitting far away.

Alexa's flirty laughter grated on Emily's ears throughout the previews but she nearly lost her cool once the stupid girl started feeding popcorn to one of the guys next to her. How could she do something like that when Justin, who was completely devoted to her, was right there?!

She didn't realize she had pulverized a handful of popcorn in anger until Justin asked if she was okay. He didn't look upset at all. Was he hiding his feelings again so he wouldn't upset anyone? She took a few deep, calming breaths before smiling sweetly at him and saying she was fine. If Justin, the truly wronged one here, could stay calm she could too.

The movie passed uneventfully enough. Everyone was too engrossed in the story to talk though there were plenty of gasps and cheers during particularly exciting fight scenes, sprinkled with laughs during the lighter parts of the story. At one point, Emily's hand brushed Justin's in the popcorn bucket and she whispered an apology. She couldn't see in the dark theater but Justin became a human tomato the moment their buttery hands touched.

At the end of the movie everyone filed out slowly, chattering excitedly about the plot. Alexa completely ignored Justin, opting to talk to her small flock of men instead. They laughed at the things she said about the movie. To distract him from this unsightly scene, Emily initiated a discussion about the movie with him.

"What did you think about that final fight scene? I think they chose the music really well."

Like earlier, Justin remained unperturbed. "Yeah, that was pretty cool. The entire soundtrack was really well thought out. I've told you before that I like movie scores, right? I'd definitely listen to this one as I worked on coding homework."

"Justin!" Alexa called out of the blue as they reached the lobby. "What did you think of the show?"

Emily wondered at her odd word choice. Why show, not movie?

"Excellent, as expected," he said flatly. "Can't wait to see what happens next."

What happens next? Emily supposed that the ending was ambiguous enough that there could be a sequel even though the studio hadn't announced one yet. Why did she get the feeling she was missing something in this conversation?

Alexa winked at him. "Don't worry, I'm sure it won't disappoint. Anyway, I haven't had dinner yet. Who wants Chinese?"

A rumble of disagreements rolled throughout the group. Some of them couldn't afford it. Others were hungry but wanted tacos instead.

Emily had an idea. To keep Justin from having to see Alexa continue to be fawned over by her adoring fans, she told him she didn't have the money to eat out and wanted to go home. She was giving him an out. It was up to him to take it or not.

"Sure, I'm tired anyway. It was good seeing you guys!"

A chorus of goodbyes echoed after them as they headed to the car.

"That rowdy bunch may have worn me out but I still want Chinese food," Justin said sheepishly. "Is it cool if I stop for takeout on the way back?"

Emily smiled at him. She was right, he did want an out. Maybe she understood him better than she thought.

"That's fine."

He pulled up at a drive thru for a place that had knock-off Americanized Chinese food and turned to her expectantly. "What do you want?"

She was taken aback. Justin had already paid way too much for her today! Now he wanted to buy her dinner?!

"Justin, you've already bought my ticket and shared your snacks. I don't need anything else."

He shook his head at her. "I'd feel like a jerk for making you sit in the car with the food smell without giving you any. That's rude. Pick something or I will."

She couldn't help but smile at his logic. This guy! He really was too nice for his own good. Who else would worry about the smell of food making someone else hungry?

"Alright, if you're sure…I could go for some sweet and sour chicken."

"Done," he said happily and rolled down the window to order her chicken and lo mein for himself.

After paying at the window he parked in the restaurant's parking lot and handed her the container of sweet and sour chicken and a fork. "Here, we can have a picnic in the car. I'm feeling lazy."

"A picnic in the car?" she asked dubiously.

What was the point of going through the drive thru if he was going to eat in the parking lot? Wouldn't it have been easier to go inside?

"You've never done this? It's a hack for the socially awkward. You get your food quickly and don't have to deal with other people as much. I do it all the time."

Emily burst out laughing. It fit his personality so well.

"Aren't you afraid of messing up your car? I spill ketchup every time I eat a burger. I'd never be able to do that."

"The seats are leather. Super easy to clean, unlike fabric," he said simply before slurping more noodles off his chopsticks.

She hadn't noticed he was using those before. "You know how to use chopsticks?"

He nodded. "I eat a LOT of Asian food. You get it down with enough practice though I do sometimes cave and go back to a good old fork."

Eating a lot of Asian takeout…that reminded Emily of RoboCat, who she hadn't talked to since before the semester started. She thought things would go back to normal between them after he answered her question about Justin and Alexa but he'd barely responded to her 'Merry Christmas' message. He clearly didn't want to talk to her so she hadn't bothered him since.

Actually, she wasn't as hurt by his absence as she had been over Thanksgiving. Spending more time with Justin had filled a void of sorts that RoboCat left behind.

She still missed him sometimes but over time she was less inclined to shoot him a message about her day and more likely to think of texting Justin first. Justin was a really good friend. She wished she had gotten to know him better before the whole Brandon mess.