“Milk Duds?! You’ve got to be kidding me.”

“What!?” Lisa laughs, “What’s wrong with Milk Duds?”

“Ugh, everything? Every other chocolate candy is far superior. Are you trying to pull your teeth out?”

“You would know all about teeth since you probably lost your baby ones a year ago?” Lisa teases back evenly.

Jaehyun scoffs, ears turning red.

“Haha, very funny. Joke about my age. It still doesn’t make up for your poor taste in movie treats.”

“Okay, then what are you getting?” Lisa asks, expectantly, pointing at the glass display of mostly neon boxes and bags containing sugars and syrups.

“Easy. Gotta go with Sour Patch Kids and peanut M&Ms. Something fruity and chewy, along with something chocolate and crunchy. I cover both bases.”

“Well, Milk Duds are both chewy and chocolate. Best of both worlds.”

“You have to be the only person keeping Milk Duds in production. And they’re so aptly named. Duds.”

“Listen. Let’s both just get our respectful choices and move on.”

“Okay, but no asking for my candy in the middle of the movie. If you’re standing by Milk Duds, be honorable.”

Lisa can’t believe him. It’s a good thing they got here 20 minutes before the trailers, otherwise they might’ve missed half the movie just arguing over snacks.

They were having a surprisingly easy good time. She’d thought she’d be nervous, not because this was a big deal or anything, just the itch of co-workers perhaps finding out. But it should be fine, right?

She did stuff with Amanda and Sue outside of work too. Maybe it was early for her and Jaehyun but eventually, they might’ve gone to the movies together anyway. Consider it a jumpstart.

She’d just have to avoid telling anyone she picked Jaehyun up from his house, where he lives with his parents, because he doesn’t have a car.

“Okay, I’ll let the candy mistake go. But please, don’t let me down when it comes to choice of pop.”

“Classic Coke, all the way.”

Jaehyun gives her a look, that just says they’re in for another disagreement.

“Sprite!”

“Coke,” she counterpoints.

“Sprite.” he says, just as firmly.

“So a Sprite and Coke?” the movie theater cashier asks, looking visibly annoyed and slamming their candy boxes on the counter.

“Yes,” Lisa clears , awkwardly. Feeling Jaehyun shake beside her as he stifles a snicker.

“Any popcorn?”

“Large, original butter, please,” Lisa hears her voice enter a nervous high pitched register.

“Okay. That’ll be $19.95.”

Jaehyun hands his card over before Lisa has time to grab hers from her wallet.

“I’ll pay you back, after the show. You have Venmo, right?”

“You don’t have to. It’s fine. Consider it a thank you.”

They start off for theater 8.

“Thank you for what?”

Jaehyun his lips, looking uncomfortable.

“I, uh, I feel like I kind of pushed myself onto you today… When I said I could watch the movie with you. I didn’t mean to be forward or anything. I just thought… well, you wanted to see it and I genuinely had nothing to do. I hope it’s not some weird misunderstanding.”

He dances around the topic. The underlying feeling that this might be a date. But clearly it’s not. Because Lisa already decided it wasn’t and looks like Jaehyun just did too.

“Oh,” she says, adding great depth to the conversation. “It’s fine! You’re fine, I’m fine. It’s-”

“Fine?” he guesses, as she grabs the door to let him and his arms of popcorn, pop, and candy in.

“Yeah. If he wanted to see it as bad as he said, he would’ve made the time.”

There's an edge to her words Jaehyun hasn’t heard before. Something that feels beyond a one time disappointment by whoever he is.

“Truthfully, I heard the book was better anyway.”

And they walk up the wide, flat, stairs to find high seats, in the middle, of course.

For a movie neither really wants to see.