Tell Me You Love Me // Demi Lovato // 1

16. Movie (Part 2)

"I can't get it open!" Demi whispered to me. She was trying to open the Sour Patch Kids, the last box, and the plastic was giving her trouble. It was making a terrible noise, and I kept waiting for somebody to shush us. Or for an usher to come shine his flashlight, telling us to get out. That'd be just perfect. Note the sarcasm.

"Just give it to me," I whispered back, holding my hand out, but Demi refused any help. She bit the plastic, and finally ripped it open. A blue Kid spilled out, falling on her leg and she let out a tiny scream. I held back my laughter as she held it up and triumphantly ate him. Poor dude, never had a chance. Well, none of 'em did, not with us around.

"Shhh!" somebody behind us hissed.

Demi and I exchanged a look. "Sorry!" we both whispered, then devoured the Kids and watched the rest of the movie.

Near the end, I heard, "Isn't that Demi Lovato?"

If Demi noticed, she didn't respond in any way. But she was too busy laughing. I tore my eyes away from her and back to the screen.

Pretty soon, it was over, and we gathered our trash before getting up and leaving the theater. Outside, we crossed the street to find my car. Inside, I stared down at the wheel.

"Did you mean it?" I whispered. I looked to see her confused face. "That this was our first date? You weren't just... just saying that?" I kept my voice low, fearing it would crack if I spoke any louder.

Demi quickly reached over, taking my hand in both of hers. Her hands were so warm, and it made me wonder what mine felt like to her. Cold? Sweaty? Neither would surprise me.

"No, I wasn't just saying that. Maia, you're so beautiful, but it's like you don't see yourself the way I do."

"What do you see exactly?"

She smiled. "I see an amazing girl, who's a really talented makeup artist. I see strength in you."

I dipped my head, shutting my eyes. My dad killed himself when I was about twelve. I didn't even know the full story until later, and Demi knew all about it, and all of the struggles I faced afterward. I was depressed, confused as to why he would leave me like that. For years, I couldn't trust anyone. If my dad could leave me, then anybody could.

"Maia," Demi said softly and I glanced up. She looked like she was tearing up. "You made me want to be a better person. I said, if Maia can go through hell and survive, then so can I." I felt a tear fall and she quickly wiped it away. "For a while, I wondered if I made the right decision, since it had meant we couldn't talk, but now I know, I did the right thing. I wasn't doing you any favors. I knew you had to try to see who you could be without me."

Her eyes dropped to our hands. I'd used my other one to cover hers. "It was a risk, not knowing if we'd ever reconnect, but I think God knew that we would." She smiled at me, eyes shiny.

"And everything would work out the way it was supposed to," I added quietly.

She nodded. "And it did, didn't it?"

Instead of answering with words, I leaned over the center console and kissed her. She kind of gasped, but then her lips worked against mine.

Okay, okay. This was way better than any dream.