Lightning Strikes Thrice [REWRITE]

"You avoid movies? Do you watch any at home?"

"Nope!" she said.

"Right, uhm… Yeah, I guess we can see the superhero one."

"Great choice! You'll be handsomely rewarded for your—"

Haruko stopped abruptly in the middle of her sentence and in the middle of a large open walkway. I nearly bumped into her and some guy walking behind did bump into me. Sorry, guy.

"Where's the theatre?" she asked.

"We're going to the one in Sunny City, didn't I already tell you?" If you owned a phone this wouldn't be a problem. Actually, did this mean it was my job to do all the navigating?

"Oh! I know where that is, follow my footsteps!"

You're just going to stick to the signage, aren't you?

After a short walk, we entered the Sunny City Mall and fled from the sun. (Kind of ironic, right?) On top of that, the crowd of people had only gotten busier. I guess everyone was here for cheap Tuesday movie tickets too.

Speaking of tickets, Haruko and I came up to the counter at the movie theatre. I took my wallet out to pay when, instead, she snatched it from my hand and threatened to throw it in the trash. Got it, you're paying. I thought she'd only cover the food, but it seemed her version of a date was all-inclusive.

As for the movie, well, I can't tell you a single thing about it. Why's that? Right before it started, I caught a case of "Oh God, I can't breathe" and rushed out to the bathroom. It took a while to calm down through the meditative experience of splashing water on my face and getting strange looks from guys fuddling with their hair. But as soon as I composed myself, I recognized the feeling as the same fear from earlier in the day.

When I came out, I found Haruko waiting for me by the door and my breath ceased to cooperate once again.

"I told you salty popcorn would make you sick," she said.

"Aren't you missing the movie?"

"You're right, so come on." She trotted over to the theatre entrance. The thought of returning to the flickering projector had my head spinning.

"God, no," I muttered under my breath.

Haruko stopped when she realized I wouldn't be going back inside. With a healthy amount of curiosity, she prodded for answers before eventually letting me off the hook. It wasn't until we'd exited the mall that I made any attempts to rationalize what had happened. One thought kept popping back into my head: Not a single movie since junior high.

Something about the movie must have brought up some unpleasant memories. The one piece of the puzzle I hadn't totally worked out was what caused the feeling to resurface specifically when Haruko was around. It had to be related to junior high. Junior high. Junior high. But what about Haruko? The pieces didn't quite fit.

We ended up getting something to eat and, as I'd guessed, it was my job to find and direct us towards the nearest gyukatsu restaurant. Though Haruko was not shy in assuring me she'd have found one just as easily without a phone.

We both ordered the standard set, except Haruko added another steak to hers. As much as I had looked forward to the meal, it was way more expensive than what I'd normally be willing to pay. Were Haruko's parents secretly rolling in it?

As soon as our food arrived, it went dead silent. That meal was delicious. And while my mouth and stomach were left preoccupied, my brain had plenty of time to spare. I thought back to the incident at the theatre. There must've been some piece of the puzzle I was forgetting since I hadn't a single solid suspect to place my blame.

I considered dismissing my inexplicable actions as a result of trauma, which would be simple enough, if not for the subtle distinction that I hadn't the slightest idea what could have traumatized me. The fickle fear popped up as it pleased, though often in new or high-intensity situations. Honestly, I had been one step away from considering myself a coward when it came to girls, assuming it had been Haruko's fault I felt the feeling at all.

But that damn film caught me clueless. Whether Haruko was there or not, I only wanted to puke up this fine meal at the thought of a flickering projector looming overhead. So, why was the idea of watching a movie so repulsive to me? I hadn't ever been repulsed before, and I certainly still held a soft spot for movies, at least the ones for which I held heavy opinions, as Takamoto had already teased out.

Safe to say my passion hadn't died down despite the digital drought. Or filmic famine, whatever fits your fancy. So, if not a phase I'd faced and concurred, what kind of blockage kept me scared? And then, I made a subtle connection. I remembered one such conversation with my parents where the phrase "going through a phase" had fallen on my ears. It was my mother.

She'd told me Haruko was a phase, like when I'd flirted with movies in junior high. And then, the puzzle pieces fell into place, revealing to me the part they played in painting a perfect picture. A quiet realization. The fear came from my parents. I wasn't sure what kind of cow we were eating, but I guessed whatever was in the meat that night had blessed me with the fitful power of insight.

I came out of my deep state of mind to consider something else I had noticed throughout the day: Haruko was casual. Super casual. Too casual? Wouldn't a girl on a date act differently? This felt more akin to hanging out with a friend than it did with someone who held romantic interests. On top of that, she had kept most of her eccentricities at bay.

Maybe I was worrying too much. I might do better to consider her a normal girl taking me out on a normal friendly encounter. If that were the case, I wouldn't have to worry about anything. Not what Haruko thought of me or whether she would qualify as someone my parents would allow me to talk to. Hmm, I guess I am worrying too much.

After finishing up our meals, we promptly vacated our seats for a couple hungry customers. I guess the dinner rush had started. Heading to the cash register near the front, I couldn't help but wonder how Haruko had finished both of her steaks. I seriously expected her to need help with the second one.

As confident as could be, Haruko slid a card into the payment terminal.

"You know, you'd better be pretty grateful for today! This stuff wasn't cheap, I'm blowing my whole account on this meal."

Guess that narrows out the rich theory.

"Yeah. Well, I'd probably never eat here if I had to pay, so you have my gratitude."

"Good!" Haruko jiggled her card in the machine. "Gah, what's with this thing?"

Furrowing her eyebrows and pulling the card out, she looked at it for a moment. Then, inserting it a second time and typing her pin again. The staff member behind the cash register perked up.

"Oh, I'm terribly sorry. It seems your card has been declined," he said.

Haruko stopped for a moment, looking back in her wallet, and then darting her eyes over to me. You don't have any cash, do you? She both shook and nodded her head at the same time.