"You are going where?!" Noah shouted in disbelief, and Kai cringed, tensing when a loud voice hit his ear, not expecting this type of reaction from him.

"Cinema with Leo. I just said it... He mentioned some movie that no one wanted to go to with him. You said to yourself that I should be more social." Kai repeated himself, annoyed.

"I am not saying that is wrong, but I am just genuinely surprised. Surely, Leo is a good guy. I know you will be safe with him, but if you need anything, please call me, okay?" Noah turned from shocked to concerned. "What kind of movie? Leo didn't ask me out these days, but I wouldn't go, either way, so probably it doesn't matter anyway."

"Really? Maybe he knew that you are gone for the weekend?" Kai was getting ready in the meantime, as he needed to leave in less than an hour. But he needed to ease the stress first, and conversation with Noah always worked for him.

"Maybe." Noah sighed. "Will you be okay in the crowded cinema?"

"Don't be overprotective. You are my friend, not my mother, and I will be just fine." Kai rolled his eyes.

"I didn't mean it this way. I'm worried and would rather be with you there." Noah said. "You are jumping from not leaving your house to going out regularly. Of course, I will be worried."

"I know, thank you. You are a better mother to me than anyone else." He chuckled. "Okay, I need finally get ready. Thanks for the call." Kai headed to the bathroom to take a quick shower.

"Call me if you need me! And have fun." Noah quickly added while Kai theatrically shook his head.

Kai wore a black turtle neck and pair of black trousers. It was getting chilly outside for the evening, and he went back to his bedroom to find a winter jacket. While leaving the room, Kai received the message.

He quickly took out the phone from the pocket as he assumed it was Leo who texted. In disappointment, he realised that it was from his mother. 

*Are you coming?* Kai wasn't sure what she meant by that. He recalled the wedding invitation he received a week ago and assumed it could be the case that she sent him that message. She didn't miss him. There was no doubt about it. Excited about the cinema, he decided to give her a call when he would be back home or another following day.

He was still bustling around the apartment for a little while before he finally grabbed the keys and left, locking the door behind. It was getting chilly, and the sky was clear without any clouds in a dark blue losing the light of settling down the sun.

The cinema wasn't that far from his apartment, but far enough to don't want to walk there. On the way to the bus stop, his mind wandered to the crowded lines full of people travelling from one place to another. Thankfully it wasn't one of the main lines, where people were fighting only to get inside squished like sausages.

Kai has chosen the seat in the second row, close to the exit door. The atmosphere was peaceful, and he could truly enjoy the ride with no passengers around him. Almost three weeks ago, Kai would be anxious at the thought of going to the cinema, alone getting there by bus. He smiled to himself, listening to the song on his playlist and thinking how little steps can make a significant change.

After he got off at the stop by the cinema, he started slowly walking to meet Leo. As he approached the front door, his heart speeded up at the sight of the auburn-haired man standing against the wall near the entrance. He looked amazing, wearing a mustard jacket and jeans. His eyes were focused on the phone when Kai approached him. Saying a bit too enthusiastic 'hello', he greeted Leo to get his attention. Whatever it was that he focused on consumed him enough to be surprised to see Kai.

"Oh, hi!" A bright smile has grown on Leo's face the moment he acknowledged Kai's presence.

"Can you tell me which movie we are going to see? I'm curious." Kai stopped in front of him.

"Not yet. Let's keep it as a tiny surprise." Leo smiled widely and pulled him by his arm to follow him. They walked to the cinema, and Leo guided him to the till counters.

"I don't like surprises." He complained.

"You will love mine." Kai didn't comment on that, but he gave the most judging glare he could bring up.

"I bet," he murmured.

The movie almost bored him to sleep. It was one of those alternative, weird ones you can't understand. However, Kai didn't regret watching it, munching on popcorn, quietly enjoying the time in a different place than his four walls.

"Can't believe you didn't like it. It was great!" Leo announced enthusiastically as soon as they left.

"I would reconsider what you call a good movie," Kai stated, and Leo stared at him as if his words somehow insulted him. "It's not the worst I have seen, but... Oh, honestly, it was just boring."

"What is the point of watching another Marvel or action movie. They are so predictable." Leo responded. They slowly walked towards the centre.

"I didn't understand half of it. It was just a monologue after monologue in the scenery- not matching the topic of the conversation." Kai said.

"It's better when you know the context. I should maybe explain it to you before we came." Leo concluded. "In those types of movies, you need to take your own conclusions and thoughts. Not many likes alternative cinematography."

"That explains the half-empty room. I must say that the atmosphere felt more intimate in comparison to popular cinema." Kai glanced around, looking at the closed stores around them. "Where are we going?"

"Not sure. Are you hungry? Personally, I'm starving." Leo moved his head to the side, looking at Kai, who responded with a nod.

"There is a nice place down the road. Italian, Maybe we could have dinner there?" Leo suggested.

"Italian sounds good." Kai smiled, and they ran across the road, heading to the restaurant nearby. Kai nervously rubbed his hands as they walked, getting closer to the restaurant.

"Are you okay? You look nervous. If you are afraid that the place would be very crowded, we don't have to go there. Usually, it's pretty empty at this time during the week." Leo pointed to the small restaurant on the corner, with few tables outside. The paint on the door surface was faded blue, which matched nicely with the yellow tables. It wasn't a fancy place, but cosy and warm, like most cafes and restaurants in that area. Despite the intense colours, it was surprisingly calming.

"I'm not that fragile. I can handle some people. You don't have to worry about me on all the occasions." Kai tried to reassure him. They followed the waitress to the table in the centre.

After placing the order, Kai looked out of the window. He could feel the stare on him.

"What are you thinking about?" Leo asked.

"Nothing. It's a nice evening." Kai moved his head and stopped his gaze on Leo's green eyes. They were darker and deeper now with dull light. 

Mostly confused and unsure of the future, but Kai only knew one thing he was sure of - he wouldn't go back to his old life.

"It is. I enjoyed it." Leo smiled shyly and took a sip of water they ordered together with their meals. "It's a shame you didn't like the movie."

"Don't worry about that. I can watch anything. I will enjoy the big screen as long as I have popcorn. You can bribe me using it the next time you would need a companion." Leo cheered up when he heard what Kai said.

"Can I ask you something?" Leo waited for a blond lady to leave their plates of pasta before he continued. "Why are you so afraid of crowds?"

"I don't know. I guess at some point, it happened, and I didn't have a great experience discovering that." Kai looked down at his plate, playing with the mushrooms. "It was easier to hide at my place than to try and fix it."

Kai recalled memories of him and Noah in the shopping centre right before Christmas. That was after his bad experiences left him crushed, and Noah wanted to cheer him up. Kai felt suffocated by so many people walking around. Sefl conscious and vulnerable. He felt like everyone knew about how big of a failure he was. From there, it took a short time to start panicking and crying for a long time in a car. After he came back to his flat, he barely left anywhere, hiding in its safety.

"It's brave of you to break a comfort zone, and you should be proud of yourself for that." Leo smiled, catching Kai's sad gaze. "You are doing well."

The evening passed by quickly, and it was the time they needed to go back. After Leo walked Kai to the bus station, he checked the time to notice that it was too late to call his mother. Not giving too much thought to it, he replied to the messages Noah left him and continued texting for the rest of his ride.

After getting back to the apartment, Kai sat in front of the computer. He looked at the websites where he could potentially sell his works. Since Maya mentioned it, he couldn't get that thought out of his mind.

Kai opened the drawers with his old compositions and tried to pick some for the first attempt. Some of them were very good, and he could earn a lot by selling them. A few held great sentiment and would prefer to keep those. 

In the end, he picked the canvas showing the view of the forest. Mainly were painted only detailed trees surrounded by beautiful shading. 

The colours were intense, but at the same time, they were gentle enough to attract regular people. It was a beautiful landscape. Kai painted this together with Nolan in their apartment. He smiled as he remembered him complaining about how much time is taking to capture all details. Nolan got tired and decided to help him to stop him from whining. They spend hours painting every other evening after classes, talking and laughing.