using the prompt of ‘W is for Waiting room’

As in a lot of these writing strategies, the purpose is to observe people in various non-domestic settings. You could find a waiting room to sit in for this exercise, or do it next time you’re waiting to see a doctor, a dentist, or the headmaster. Waiting rooms can be mind-numbing places – waiting in general is a suspended state – so invent stories to liven up your wait. Tell the story of a romance initiated in a waiting room. Start with the words: “This is how they met . . .” Be as schmaltzy or as catastrophic as you can.

This wasn’t how he expected to meet the love of his life.

He didn’t think that he would fall in love with the boy next to him in the movie theater, opening night of ‘Infinity War’.

He had come alone to the movie, just wanting peace and quiet to enjoy the piece of cinema mastery that had been in the works for over a decade. He grew up with the characters, watching them fight bad guy after bad guy. He knew every one of their names and wasn’t afraid to fight anyone who threatened to spoil anything for him. It had happened before, waiting in the theater to watch ‘The Avengers’. The person sitting in front of him talked about the end of the movie while waiting to see it a second time.

The person in front of him ended up with a bloody nose.

No, he didn’t think that by going alone to see this movie that he’d fall in love.

It wasn’t until the boy sitting in the darkness beside him grabbed his hand that he knew he was in for it.

Glancing to the side, he couldn’t help but laugh. The boy’s eyes were widened and filled with tears. The first scene had just started and he was ready to cry. Turning his gaze back to the movie he had been desperately waiting for, he tried to slide his hand out of the boys grasp. It didn’t work. Feeling his face heat up, he realized that he was going to have to hold hands. with a stranger. until he let go.

This was going to be a long movie.

Hand holding turned into the boy slapping his arm whenever his favourite character showed up on the screen, which turned into him awkwardly rubbing the boys back as he cried.

The rollercoaster of emotions continued on its path throughout the two hour long series of events, all leading up to the lights going up and both boys turning to face each other.

He couldn’t help but curse. He had been comforting one of the most attractive guys he had ever seen.

Well, as attractive as one can be with heaving sobs, snot mixing with tears and running down their face, all completed by the extreme muttering that was slipping out of his lips about how he was going to punch something.

The two waited together for the end-credit scene before they left the movie theater filled with crying and angered fans. Walking the boy to the bathroom, he studied his facial features: the sharpness of his jaw. The shape of his eyes crinkled with tears.

Little did he know that most of the tears that the boy shed was all an elaborate plan to get to know the guy sitting next to him.

Pausing outside of the door to the washrooms, the boy turned to him with an excessively bright smile, eyes dancing with something he couldn’t make out.

“Sorry for putting you through this,” his voice was like honey as he laughed, “I probably just should’ve asked what your name was instead of crying into your shoulder.”

Watching his confused response, the boy laughed again before sticking out his hand. “My name’s Noah.”

Blinking, he finally shook himself back to reality. “Sebastian.”

“Well, Sebastian,” Noah began.

“Do you want to get dinner with me?”

 

Featured Image:

‘Night in the city’, Worldoro, Tumblr.com