I'm most annoyed by cinemas. Imagine in the dark, with strangers sitting not two inches away from you. You have to pray that snack crumbs and popcorn don't launch themselves at you from sudden bursts of laughter, and that there are no little kids dancing and yelling around you. I'd rather lie on the couch at night with the lights off and watch the game, how comfortable - and what's the difference between watching a movie? You can always eat and drink whatever you want, and turn off the TV whenever you don't want to watch. But in the cinema, it's a very different story. Most people will choose to waste a few hours instead of wasting their ticket money, even though they have no interest in what is playing.
Take me, for example. I don't care what Manehattan Holiday is about "a achingly beautiful, heartfelt love story" (Rarity's words, she is obsessed with this kind of mushy stories). Even if the characters go to Manehattan to form a soccer team to win the World Cup, it does not have anything to do with me. The only thing that matters to me, and it matters the most, is that AJ is sitting next to me - her arm is on the armrest,and rubs my elbow from time to time. I feel that I can hardly breathe out.
She may not have touched me at all, but I could feel the heat of her skin constantly transferring to me. AJ could never have imagined what the girl next to her is thinking; she is concentrating on the movie, and I am secretly glad that no one would see my burning cheeks in the dark.
If there is a couple in love watching a movie together, guess how much of their mind is spent on the movie? Similarly, when sitting next to your crush, especially when she knows nothing about your mind, you will be thinking about it, and then try to pull back the thoughts, obviously do not care about the movie, but to desperately divert attention to the movie. The heroine is a princess who appears to have come to Manehattan for a vacation, but is actually sneaking out of her royal family. She happens to meet the hero, who is a journalist, and he accompanies her in order to get exclusive material, and the two are now hanging out in the street, each with their own agenda. I began to think of several days ago, Rarity regretted that she had suddenly received a big business deal and was not available to watch a movie with Applejack. My hand reacted before my brain did, faster than the Sonic Rainboom - the movie tickets were already in my hand. Rarity was dumbfounded.
I was dumbfounded, too. Rainbow Dash, Canterlot High School's sports prodigy, club queen, and the coolest girl ever - didn't live up to her rainbow-colored hair, fell in love with her best friend, and did so unrequitedly. So cool, huh?
"Rainbow Dash, my darling, you have something on your mind, I can tell. You need to relax, and there's nothing like watching a movie with your best friend to get you in the mood."
Rarity looked down and fiddled with her needle and thread and rambled, "Isn't it too fancy to use dark magenta here ... I hope Applejack will not be upset. After all, the order of Countess Coloratura is not every designer can receive, I am honored ... Sorry,I am taking this too far. I just don't understand. I was about to give you the tickets, but just as I said Applejack's name, you rushed over and snatched them away, living like a bison. You really scared me."
The moment the word “Apple” came out of her lips, I immediately sat up and my mind raced: "Ah, that, ah yes! Because we haven't seen each other for a long time, isn't it the apple tree season now? She's busy harvesting apples every day, so it's been a long time since we've seen her, right?"
Rarity's thick eyelashes flashed and her blue eyes stared straight at me from behind her presbyopic glasses, as if I had grown a beard on my face. That's a good one, I was annoyed to find out that apple tree season was centuries away. I laughed nervously and gulped.
"That's right, dear. But you're the one who's been busy with the club most of the time, actually. Applejack often tells us that you hadn't come to the Sweet Apple Acres for so long that Granny thought you'd forgotten about her. So can you get up from the top of my toffee chair?"
I didn't dare to look to the side. I pressed my chest, where it was pounding. My heart is telling me: you love Applejack, you can't lie to yourself even if you lie to Rarity. That's the way it is now. Applejack can't love me, and I can't help falling in love with her. We grew up hanging out together, she played soccer with me and raced me, I helped her with the farm work, and we stayed up all night typing cheat sheets together. We would also fight and get into fights, cursing and viciously rubbing each other's medicine afterwards. I raised one eyebrow and she knew what I wanted to do, no exaggeration at all.
We had a big fight in high school and fought a cold war for about half an year. Even though Twilight reunited us, nowadays we don't see each other nearly as much as we did when we were kids, plus I intentionally avoid her; perhaps my subconscious has long understood that by pulling back a little, those unspeakable thoughts of mine are not too early to be discovered.
God forbid, even though I kept throwing myself into the club activities, my thoughts still wandered uncontrollably to that cowgirl. I need the time spending with her, if only for a little while, even if I have to endure the secret and sweet torment. But when I stood in front of the cinema and watched her walk briskly toward me, calling out my name, all my worries seemed to have never existed again.
At the time I was cringing that Rarity had bought a specific movie ticket instead of a universal movie voucher, and I could have picked a fantastic horror movie so that AJ would have jumped on me in terror. Well, after that abandoned royal school adventure scared by Pinkie's organ, we unspokenly kept quiet about how timid we all were with each other. The most likely scenario is that we hug and wail together, but I can at least... anyway.
"I thought you didn't like these, uh, romantic movies." AJ took her hat off as a fan and said, "Rarity had to drag me to ... you know, I don't like this kind of movie either and wanted an excuse to push it off. But then Rarity apologized and said that instead of you to accompany me, I immediately agreed. We haven't played together like we did when we were kids for a long time ..."
Oh my Gosh oh my Gosh, it's nothing but Applejack values friendship and that's all, right? But in a sense, she's here for me.
The film is playing to the climax, the heroine in the Manehattan is discovered by the royal family, she must go back to fulfill the duties of the princess, with the neighboring country marriage. The hero is totally unaware of this and is still struggling to show his heart. Suddenly, I heard someone say in a not-so-little voice: "Go on, young man, what are you waiting for!" I covered my face with my hands to suppress the laughter that was about to burst out of my throat. The sound of intermittent exhalation came from my ears, I looked to the side, and AJ and I saw each other's faces that were about to hold their smiles.
Letting out a laugh when most people are wallowing in sadness is not something worth imitating, but we just couldn't help ourselves. Lots of hot stares are thrown our way to bake us two insensitive guys into apple pie. I feel like poking AJ: "Hey, knock it off, Applejack, we're compelling."
"Okay,okay, my sugar cube." She wipes her eyes, brings her head over and whispers, "I'd have to pretend this boring movie was good if I came with Rarity. I’m glad it's you, Dash."
My heart is beating wildly and I started to get dizzy, trying to keep my breathing steady. Her calling me a sugar cube in a low voice tinged with laughter isn't enough to make me dizzy, mostly-her face is too close to mine! The hot breath she exhales spills onto my face and this time I really burn all over. Her eyes glisten wetly. A strand of her blonde hair falls and brushes against my neck; and to top it off, her lips, those lovely, sexy lips were close at hand!
The urge spread with the beating of my heart, and with a little dip of my head, yes, I could ... a voice in my head growled: Now! This is the time! Rainbow Dash! What are you waiting for!!! It's like I've become the hero and I hear a million voices shouting "What are you waiting for?"
Yes, I will kiss her next...She'll open her eyes wide and then kiss me back, we'll kiss each other like no one's watching, she'll spend the night at my house, we'll lay together and talk and maybe do something else ...
I froze. Would I kiss her? I suddenly feel very powerless. Do you really think she is just like you, harboring unspeakable secrets about her best friend? Don't be silly, Rainbow. You don't even know if she's a lesbian. Of course she likes you, but it's not a liking for a lover. What will such an offensive move lead to? Let's face it, we will sit awkwardly frozen until we get to the end of the movie and each go home. Then as usual, I shuttle through clubs large and small while she busies herself with farm work. Unlike usual, we will make up more and more excuses, she avoids me and I avoid her, and eventually we will become two parallel lines that would never intersect.
If I had never known her before, I could have chased her with impunity. How bad could the worst case scenario be? People don't stay sad for long over something that never belonged to them. But we are best friends, and this relationship was extraordinary. I already had her friendship, and what I am about to do now will undoubtedly ruin it - who can talk and laugh and hook up with someone who's interested in them without a care in the world? Especially a girl like AJ, who would actively avoid me in order not to break my heart. I don't want to lose AJ's friendship, she's the most important person to me, even if it means I have to be tormented by unspeakable secrets for the rest of my life.
"Who wouldn't want to come with Rainbow Dash? I'm so cool." I put on a smug face and lean back with my hand in my mouth, the distance between us instantly widening. AJ frozes for a moment, then laughs helplessly, "Oh, Dash."
AJ turns her head and continues to concentrate on the movie, unaware that the girl next to her had just ended her love with her own hands. I don't love watching meaty things, or maybe I just don't love watching other people meaty and I'm jealous that they got happy.
The actor and actress start kissing passionately for the final parting, and I think I need some more time to not imagine those two people on the screen as me and AJ, as I always want to do, with my arm around her shoulders, and her body the fresh scent of apples, and me taking it all in. Applejack. Applejack. I love you.
My eyes are a little sore, I shouldn't have stayed up late playing games. Although my mind wander to who knows where, not to the movie anyway, the ending left an impression on me. I have to admit, it touches me. The male protagonist stared blankly at the female protagonist's once favorite cafe, my heart aches as if twisted together, and the moment is truly unforgettable. AJ didn't have any moving expression, but she pulls her hat down a bit to cover her eyes, so it seems she doesn't hate romantic movies that much.
She didn't notice anything - better not, thank goodness. When exactly would those unspoken thoughts of mine end? I try to keep everything simple. She's there for me, and I enjoy every moment with her, and that's enough.
It is already dusk when I walk out of the cinema, and while it is obviously sweltering outside, I feel cold from the inside. The neon lights are on, couples are passing us by, and the fall heat makes me feel the urge to hug Applejack. I want to make all the damn air disappear so we could hug each other tightly. But in the end, I just tentatively put my hand out and she naturally catches me. We hold hands together - like best friends. Actually, we are good friends, right?
"Your hands are so cold, Dash. Is the air conditioning too cold?"
"What? Ah no, I'm fine."
"Want something to eat?"
"Anything at all."
"How about apple pie?"
"You eat apples every day, what else do you eat besides apple pie?"
"Fried apples, apple rolls, apple crisp, apple salad, apple pudding ..."
"..."