Chris could see why everyone deemed Moulin Rouge! a work of art. Even so, he found himself asking, Why couldn’t JC have picked a comedy for tonight?

Watching the ill-fated love between the charming Christian and the sparkling Satine roused too many disturbing emotions; Justin hadn’t been kidding about bringing a truckload of tissues to the theater. More than once, Chris felt his throat jump and he wiped his eyes furiously on his jacket. He was glad he sat at the external end of the row, so that only Lance noticed him, and when Lance asked in a whisper if he was okay, Chris muttered, “Got a little salt from the popcorn in my eyes.”

A little more than halfway through the movie, Chris announced to everyone, “Soda’s almost gone and getting too watery. I’m going for a refill.”

As he stood up, Joey told him, “Hey, while you’re at it, get some more popcorn, will you? Nothing under jumbo-sized.”

“And more frozen M&M’s, please,” said Justin with a wave of his empty box.

JC added, “And those little ice cream bites, too; they’re fantastic!”

“Your stomachs’ wishes are my commands,” Chris answered with a mock bow.

First, he made a quick trip to the men’s room, where he washed his hands and rinsed his face thoroughly with cold water. Even after he’d dried off, his reflection’s eyes still looked visibly red.

What’s the big deal, man? It’s just a movie, for crying out loud! No need to get all blubbery over some mawkish story with a bunch of fancy effects.

All the same, his heart felt unexplainably heavy and his stomach made him feel like he’d just swallowed a rock.

Maybe I shouldn’t have eaten so many tacos at dinner. Or at least not put on so much Lava Sauce.

Shaking his head, he turned away from the mirror and jerked the door aside. As he breezed into the foyer, he almost collided with a girl coming out of the other restroom; they both jumped a mile and yelled out at the same time.

“Oh!” the girl gasped when she’d recovered her composure. “Oh, excuse me!”

“I’m sorry,” Chris never hesitated to say while he waited for his heart to resume its normal rate. “I didn’t see you.”

“I wasn’t watching where I was going, either.” The girl smiled, and Chris found himself smiling back. “Say, you look familiar,” she remarked at length.

Chris’s breath stuck in his throat. His already tight stomach tightened even more. Was this girl one of those nutty fans he and the guys were almost constantly dodging, at almost every place they went?

Couldn’t he go anywhere these days without being recognized and stirring up a scene?

“Didn’t we meet before?” the girl asked.

Holding his gaze steady, striving to keep his cool, Chris answered very slowly, “Not that I can recall.”

To his immense relief, she never pressed for further details about him or got ape-crazy on him, and she asked as casually as ever, “So, you’ve got a date with the movies, too, huh?”

“Yeah,” he said with a bit more enthusiasm. “Looks like half the town decided to invade this theater tonight. I was lucky to get through the crowds alive, to say nothing of finding a decent seat.”

The girl rolled her eyes at the ceiling and made a half-laugh. “Oh, boy, tell me about it! Which movie are you watching this evening?”

“‘Moulin Rouge.’”

The girl’s eyes lit up. “No kidding? That’s my movie, too! How are you liking it so far?”

He shrugged. “It’s all right, I guess. I’ve seen worse.”

“Well, I’m loving it, and I’d better grab some more popcorn and get back there before I miss much more of it.”

“Guess I’d better do the same.” To his own surprise, Chris felt some reluctance at cutting this conversation short. He could have easily stayed there and engaged in small talk with this girl for the remainder of the evening.

They walked to the concession stand together, both taking care to give the other plenty of elbow room. They placed their orders at adjacent registers, and while they waited, Chris couldn’t resist giving this girl a quick but thorough survey. Something about her perked his interest, though he couldn’t say what it was.

She wasn’t much to look at—not unattractive, of course, but he couldn’t very well envision her on a fashion billboard or magazine cover. Her shoulders were too square, their bones a little too pronounced. Her chest and hips were well-packed, her nose broad and somewhat squashed, her face an almost perfect circle and almost colorless. Her hair was a nice shade of brown, though he doubted she did much with it aside from washing and brushing. She had a nice smile, too, and her hazel eyes contained a genuine spark. Chris also couldn’t help noticing her small stature, and in his case, that was something noteworthy; while he had always been on the short side himself, this girl’s head barely reached his shoulder.

On the whole, she was about as much the opposite of Allie as it was possible for a girl to get. For all that, Chris was truly intrigued.

When the girl’s gaze tangled with his, he felt his face and neck redden, and he discreetly looked the other way.

Her order, being the smallest, was completed first. “That’ll be seven-seventy-eight,” her cashier said.

When the girl rummaged through her pockets, she only produced six dollars and fifty-two cents. “Oh, great!” she groaned, catching Chris’s attention again. “I was sure I had enough!”

“Too bad, honey,” said the cashier, not sounding too sympathetic. “Your popcorn and soda are all ready to go.”

Almost before he realized what he was doing, Chris whipped out ten dollars from his own wallet and placed them on the counter.

“Here,” he said.

The girl gaped at him in disbelief while the cashier just shrugged, snatched up the money, and muttered, “Works for me.”

“Thank you,” the girl told Chris in a soft voice.

He nodded amiably. “No problem.”

The girl continued to regard Chris with wonder as she took up her snacks and backed away from the counter. Just as she was turning to the aisle leading to the subdivisions, another man came up briskly from the other end and plowed straight into her. Chris jumped off the floor at the noise and immediately spun about, but the girl was already sprawled on the checkered tiles with her soda in a fast-spreading puddle and her popcorn scattered in every direction.

Rather than help her up or even apologize, the other man kept going, though he snapped over his shoulder, “Watch where you’re going, Shorty!”

Chris wanted to chase that guy down and customize his face; instead, he hurried to the girl’s side as fast as he could. Dropping to one knee beside her, he asked anxiously, “Are you all right?”

The girl’s face was ketchup-red, her eyes glistened, and her voice was almost a squeak when she answered, “I think so.”

With a murderous glare over his shoulder, Chris said under his breath, “Jerk!” Then he took the girl’s shaky hand in his and pulled her very gently to her feet. He was glad to see she wasn’t hurt, but he could tell how embarrassed she was. At the very least, only a handful of other people were there to see it.

Someone in uniform was already on his way with a broom and dustbin. As the girl stood with her head bent to her chest and her hands brushing futilely at her eyes, Chris fetched his own popcorn bucket, which had just been set down. He brought it to her with his own replenished drink, saying softly, “Here, take these.” As the girl stared at him and his liberal offering, he added with an encouraging smile, “It’s okay. I can easily afford another jumbo-sized popcorn. And I hope you don’t mind Sprite.”

The girl hesitated at first, then tentatively accepted both from him. “Thank you,” she whispered again. “Thank you so much. That’s so nice of you.”

“You’re very welcome. It’s my pleasure.” He patted her shoulder and kept his eye on her until she had safely turned the corner before he went back to the concession stand.

This meant Chris had to wait another ten minutes until he could finally go back to the guys with the loot, and he knew he had missed a fair chunk of the movie by now. But he didn’t mind. He even walked down the aisle with his head higher than usual and a bit more spring in his step.

Whoever that girl is, I’m glad to have met her, if only for a little while. Wonder if I’ll be able to catch her again after the movie. If not, I just hope she’ll be okay.