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Lucia pulled her phone from her pocket and checked the time.  She could still grab a bucket of popcorn before the movie began.  She stepped into line behind a handsome young man.  She couldn’t help but study his beautiful profile as he turned to look out the window.  

The first thing she noticed were his lovely, dark eyes.  They were the same color as his hair, a very dark brown bordering on black.  His nearly midnight fringe fell in soft waves over his forehead, almost descending far enough to touch those lovely eyes.  They seemed to be safe for the moment.  Though, if he put off a haircut much longer, an eye or two might suffer from a slight stabbing.  

Her eyes traveled the length of his nose.  It was straight and elegant, perfectly rounded on the tip.  Her gaze fell to the shallow divot separating his nose from his mouth.  She saw herself placing the tip of her forefinger in that little hollow.  It seemed to her to be a perfect fit.  His lips were lovely too, each a pale pink.  Each a perfect complement to the remainder of his soft face.  Something hidden in his countenance promised an unusual tenderness in the heart beneath.

His eyes met hers for a moment, and she was shocked to recognize sadness in them.  Then he blinked, and his gaze shifted away from her.  But hers lingered on his captivating countenance.  What was it that she saw hidden there that drew her gaze with such persistence?  Perhaps, the sorrow in his eyes.  She felt as though she could happily drown in those depths, an answering echo her only comfort.

He moved forward as the line shortened.  Lucia followed suit.  He ordered a soda.  She watched as he pulled out a credit card to pay, received his drink and his receipt, and turned towards the theatre.  She ordered her popcorn and headed for the movie theater showing 1917 in a few minutes.  She walked into the dimly lit auditorium and found a seat near the middle.  She sat down almost directly behind a man with dark hair.  He was just one seat to her left.  She set her bin of popcorn on the ground as she removed her coat.  This theater was just a tad stuffy.  As she moved her foot, she accidentally knocked her popcorn tub over.

“Oh, no!” she exclaimed as she leaned forward to right it before all of the popcorn fell to the floor.  “Oh, well.  I couldn’t have eaten it all anyway.”

The man with the gorgeous, dark eyes turned around.  “What’s wrong?” he asked.

She glanced up into those sweet, sad eyes.  “I spilled my popcorn.  No big deal.  I’ve still got plenty.”

His eyes lingered on her face.  She glanced at the floor.  “But there’s a mess at my feet now.”

“Come sit next to me.  There’s plenty of room in this row.”

She caught his gaze, and her heart turned over.  It had been a long time since she’d made a new friend.  And she still felt drawn to this sympathetic stranger.  She nodded at him and reached for her coat.  She tossed it over the seat in front of her and handed him her popcorn tub.  “Help yourself,” she murmured before she walked down her row and entered his to finally find the seat next to him.