I gave myself a final once over before I went downstairs to leave with Zelo. After much debate and a few outfit changes I had finally settled on a outfit: a black off the shoulder choker top with dark wash jeans and a pair of comfortable pair of black wedges. Casual yet a little dressy at the same time. I grabbed my purse from my room and headed downstairs. Phone, lipstick, wallet. Check, check, check. Making the list helped me calm down a little. I didn’t know why I was so nervous. I had hung out with Zelo plenty of times before. He’s even seen me walk around with sweatpants and my old glasses plenty of times.

“Sorry I took so long. I tried to hurry up and get ready.”, I apologized once I got to the living room where Zelo was sitting on the couch with Mochii.

“It’s all good. There’s still plenty of time before the movie.”, he replied as he put Mochii on the floor. I couldn't help but stare as he got up. Apparently he was going for the boyfriend look today, one of my weaknesses. He was wearing a thin black cardigan over a cream turtleneck with blue jeans and sneakers. He stared at me for a minute.

“Is something wrong?”, I asked.  Did my makeup smear? Is my fly open?

“You just look really..nice. I was trying to decide whether or not I should ask you to change.”

“If I look nice why would I change?”

“Other guys might look at you too long.” I laughed.

“So what would you suggest I change into?”

“Sweatpants and an oversized tshirt.”, he replied without missing a beat.

“Well that’s not happening. I spent a long time figuring out what to wear tonight.”

“Alright, alright. I was kidding anyway. Kind of. But are you not wearing a jacket? What if you get cold? It’s September.”

“I’ll be fine. Come on. Let’s head out.”

“Okay, okay. Take care of the house Mochii.”, he called out behind him. I heard Mochii bark in response before Zelo closed the door.

We made it to the movie with a few minutes to spare. The theater wasn’t too crowded so it was easy to find good seats.

“So what kind of movie is this? The title doesn’t give me any hints.”, I said as I grabbed a handful of popcorn from the bag on Zelo’s lap.

“It’s sci-fi. I’ve been wanting to watch it for a while.”

“Oh really? I don’t watch sci-fi stuff that often. What’s it about?”

“It’s kind of complicated. It’s one of those things where you just have to watch it.”

“Ok then. Oh! It’s starting.” The movie was pretty interesting. The characters were well-developed and the plot wasn’t too obvious. At some point the bag of popcorn, ended up in my lap. I guess Zelo got tired of me reaching over for the popcorn. When I reached for the drink in between us, I noticed Zelo had his arm on the armrest with his palm face up. Does he want to hold hands? I put my hand in his and peeked at his face. He didn’t take his eyes off the screen but I saw the corners of his lips turn up in a smile. I turned my attention back to the movie but a part of me was always aware of the feeling of his hand in mine.

After the movie, we headed to a curry place that wasn’t too far from the movie theater. I walked with my arms crossed in front of me. It was a little colder than I expected, but it wasn’t anything I couldn’t handle. I felt something on my shoulders. I looked over and saw Zelo draping his cardigan over my shoulders.

“I’m fine. You don’t need to lend me your cardigan.”, I protested.

“You look cold. What kind of boyfriend lets his girlfriend freeze?” At the word boyfriend, the butterflies in my stomach started fluttering again.

“Thanks.”, I said as I put my arms through the cardigan’s sleeves.

“And besides it’s much easier to do this.”, he said as he casually took my hand in his.

“Do you know how long I waited for you to notice my hand in the theater?”, he said.

“In my defense, I was too focused on the movie. I liked it a lot better than I thought I would.”

“I told you it was good. Don’t doubt my movie reviewing skills.” I rolled my eyes.

“I didn’t expect you to be into sci-fi movies.”, I said.

“Really? I’ve actually always been interested in aliens.”

“You believe in aliens?” He shrugged.

“Why not? We can’t be the only intelligent beings in the universe. There has to be more out there.”

“Hmm yeah I guess you’re right. I’ve never thought too much about it.”, I said as we headed into the restaurant. We were seated and the waitress went to get our drinks. I stared intently at the menu.

“Do you know what you’re getting?”, I asked Zelo.

“I’m stuck between the omelet curry and the classic beef and vegetable curry.”

“Me too! They both sound so good.”

“How about we order one of each and we can eat half of each plate and switch?”

“I like the way you think.” We spent the rest of the evening chatting about the movie and random topics while enjoying our curry.

Eventually we made it back home and we both headed upstairs to our respective rooms. I paused at my door.

“Oh, I almost forgot. Zelo, can you come here?”, I said ,calling him over. He walked back to me with a curious look on his face.

“What is it?”

“Come closer.”

“Why?”

“Don’t question me. Just trust me.” He gave me a look but complied anyway and when he was close enough I quickly kissed him on the cheek.

“Thanks for tonight. I almost forgot the goodnight kiss.” I quickly hurried into my room. I could feel that my entire face turning pink.

Meanwhile Zelo was still outside. Once he got over the initial shock, he couldn’t help but to let out a soft chuckle. She got me good this time. But I’ll get her next time. He thought to himself as he headed to his room.