Jerk

He lowers the cup and popcorn, worry in his eyes. “What is it?”

“I’m drawing a total blank. I can’t remember your name.”

After a moment of stunned silence, he bursts into laughter—causing someone several rows ahead of us to glance over their shoulder, even over the heavy metal. “I thought it was something worse! Like you thought I was weird or really did have a problem with my glasses!”

“Nope, no problem.”

“The last date I went on—Is that against the rules? Can I talk about a date I went on a few weeks ago?—he didn’t like my glasses. I had to take them off the whole time, and I was so blind. I felt like I was dating three of him. Oh, I had also lost my contacts then. Hmm, I lose them often,” he realizes aloud.

“Your glasses are totally cool.” He still hasn’t mentioned his name. “I think you should do whatever it is that makes you the most comfortable.”

“Are you sure? I like making others comfortable. If you told me right now that you hated my glasses, I would take them right off.” He lifts his eyebrows expectantly. “Really, you can test me. I’ll do it.”

It’s like he wants me to. “Um … I like the glasses, but if you—”

“Really, you can just tell me to get rid of them and I will. Whatever you want, goes. You could even do it for fun if you wanted, just to test me. I deserve to be punished for making you wait and missing the beginning of the movie, anyway.” He gives me a coy smile, his eyes oddly excited.

“The traffic was pretty bad,” I point out. “I can’t fault you for that. Besides—”

“You said you live nearby. Did you walk all the way here?”

Boy, this guy shifts gears fast. “I, uh, yes, I did.”

“Your feet must be sore. Oh, I have an idea! Let me give you a foot rub.”

I blink. “A f-foot rub …? In a movie theater …?”

“Sure, it’s no big deal. I’d be happy to do it. That’ll make up for my being late. And since you don’t want to test telling me to take off my glasses, I’ll do this for you instead. How’s that sound?”

I have no idea what to make of this. “You still haven’t told me your name.”

“To be fair, I did, but you forgot,” he points out teasingly. Then his face turns serious at once. “But you can call me whatever you want, sir. Call me your personal bitch if it pleases you.” He lets out a little laugh, which he quickly swallows as he sets aside the popcorn and drink, drops to his knees, and proceeds to take off my shoes.

And I stare down at him, completely dumbfounded, as he starts to rub my socked feet, digging his thumbs into the soles.

And as weird as this date has gotten, I can’t deny how good that feels. “Wow.” The word escapes my lips without my meaning it to.

He takes it for encouragement. “You like how I’m massaging them? Feel free to be as critical as you want. Tell me to do better. Or rub harder. You can even tell me to kiss them, if it isn’t going too far.”

You mean we haven’t gone too far already? “I, uh …”

“You can still tell me to take off my glasses, by the way. Seriously. Or insult my hairdo. Or anything that makes you feel good. Push me around. Call me a nerd. Roleplay as the bully or the jock, if you want. Be a total … a total jerk. I deserve it,” he adds with a smile, then rubs my feet with more vigor.

Zombies rampage a supermarket. Firearms are ringing out on the screen. A man screams and hides behind the counter while a muscled woman in a torn tank top bites the pin off a grenade and throws it into aisle six.

And in row fifteen, a guy whose name I still don’t know makes love to my feet.

I bite my lip, uncertain. With a glance at my phone, I notice a ten-minute-old text from Prisha asking me how my date’s going and whether I need a fake emergency to escape it.

Then suddenly I feel his face in my crotch.

I move my phone to find him nuzzling my junk with his nose, his eyes rocked back, looking like he’s just found heaven.

“H-Hey!” I manage to say, completely taken aback. “I didn’t—!”

“Oh.” He pulls away, alarmed. “Did I go too far? I thought you’d like it.”

What in the hell did I get myself into? “I just didn’t think we’d—”

“I really want to pull out your cock and suck it right now. While I’m down here on my knees, with your feet in my lap, my head between your legs. Please, sir, let me do this for you. I’m begging you. I want to make you feel so good. You can pull on my hair if you want. I like it.”