“Because I’m a straight-A student and all-around good guy,” Nate stated, “and you’re you.”
“Is it weird I’m starting to find it cute when you insult me?”
His brow furrowed. “Yeah. Yeah, it is.”
Neve clapped her hands loudly and cleared her throat for good measure. “Okay, well, I guess since you’re here, the four of us should head in and find our seats.” It seemed to occur to her that since Nate hadn’t selected tickets with them, they wouldn’t be together and she pouted.
“Don’t worry about it,” Nate ruffled her hair again, grinning when she cursed at him. “It just means we’ll have plenty to talk about over dinner after, right?”
“Did I miss something?” Kaz asked.
“You get used to it,” Verga replied with another smile, this one seeming a bit more genuine. “The two of them sometimes read each other's minds.”
“Not actually,” Nate corrected, in case he got the wrong idea since there were, in fact, people in the universe who could read minds. “We get just each other, that’s all.”
“Years of living with a person will do that,” Neve laughed, then stuck her tongue out. “Anyway, I was bummed that we won’t be sitting together, that’s all. Since you bought both of your tickets without checking where we were first.”
Kaz cocked his head. “Was I meant to do that?”
“You weren’t meant to be here at all,” Nate reminded, then sighed. There was no point in being mad at him for something small like that. They’d have to talk about how the younger guy had located him, but now that he was here, Neve’s approach made the best sense.
To just roll with it.
“How about I buy more snacks,” Kaz surprised him by suggesting to the group, “To make up for it.” He motioned toward the popcorn tub in Verga’s free hand. “You’re almost out already.”
Neve grew sheepish when Nate turned to her. “We really weren’t waiting for you that long. I was just super hungry.”
“Let’s skip the movie,” he said. “We can go eat now instead.”
“No way,” she objected. “I’ve been looking forward to seeing this for months. We’re staying. Besides, your boyfriend just offered to feed us.” She turned to Kaz. “I hear you’re loaded.”
“Neve.” Nate set his hands on his hips.
“It was a joke.” She rolled her eyes. “Relax, big brother. It’s not like I’m going to ask him to buy me one of everything.”
“Would you like one of everything?” Kaz took a single step back toward the concessions, stopping only when Nate grabbed a fistful of the material of his shirt around his waist.
“Don’t even think about it,” he warned him, then to his sister, “She’ll have one large popcorn and one drink. That’s all.”
“What about candy?” Kazimir grinned when that earned him another scowl. “Come on. Movies aren’t the same without candy. I’m going to buy some.” He walked off before Nate had the chance to stop him again.
“I’ll go with him,” he muttered to his sister before following. The line was still fairly long, with them seven people behind, and Nate checked the time on his multi-slate again. “The movie starts soon.”
“You don’t have to do that,” Kaz said lightly.
“Do what?”
“Your sister is standing too far away to overhear. You don’t have to act like everything’s cool. Talk about what you really want to talk about, Pretty Boy. We’ve got time.”
“First of all,” he stated, not liking the odd rush those words brought him or how easy it was for the tension to slip out of his shoulders as he turned to give Kaz a piece of his mind, “No, we do not. The movie is going to start soon, and if I miss any of it, I’m going to be pissed. Neve likes talking about the previews. Second of all, what the hell are you actually doing here, and how did you even know where I was?”
“Do you like it?” A couple grabbed their items, and the line moved forward. Kaz casually slipped his hands into his pockets while they waited, his eyes scanning the large holographic menu hovering behind the workstation.
“Being stalked? No.”
“Not that,” he corrected. “You said your sister likes to discuss the previews. Do you?”
He frowned. “Sure, I guess.”
