"Alright, everybody ready?" Olivia asked, excitement radiating off her now that you were all parked outside the theater.
Somehow both you and Mackenzie managed to give convincing but completely insincere cheers. Neither of you were looking forward to the next two hours. The movie Liv had picked was "Small Heart" a new romantic comedy about a regular-sized woman and tiny man trying to overcome the relationship hurdles that came from the difference in their sizes. Normally you wouldn't mind seeing a movie like that with your girlfriend... except your own personal relationship hurdle was currently sitting in the passenger seat and had been starring daggers at you throughout the ride over.
"Yep! Now get a move on, dingus! This place looks packed and the movie's starting soon! We gotta go now, now, now!" Mackenzie said quickly, hoping that Olivia would forget about you in her haste and leave you in the car.
"Slow down, Mack," Olivia said giggling. "I'm eager to see the movie too but we've got plenty of time. Let me grab Andy, wouldn't want to forget him."
Mackenzie rolled her eyes. "Oh, who could ever forget Andy?"
You gave her a smug smile as your girlfriend plucked you from the cupholder where you'd been riding and, held gently in her palm, the three of you made your way to the theater. Mackenzie spied a lone tiny man on the sidewalk as they neared the theater and hung back a little from Liv to purposefully step on him. She imagined it was you that she left flattened into the pavement and smirked at the thought. It was lucky Liv already bought the tickets online because it was so crowded that the line for the concession stand took fifteen minutes. Liv ordered a jumbo popcorn for her and Mackenzie to share and a mini bag for you. "Mini" in this case being the largest of the bags they provided for tinies, and the popcorn inside was just two regular-sized kernels that had been pulverized between someone's fingers and sprinkled into a bag like salt. She also ordered two diet sodas and a Big Gulp for you... which was just a drop. By the time the three of you made it into the theater, every seat seemed to be filled.
"Oh no, Mack," Olivia groaned looking over a sea of occupied chairs. "You were right. This place is packed. I can't find two seats together."
"Guess we should've ran after all," Mackenzie said, shooting you a look like it was your fault.
What boded poorly for Mackenzie, only meant good things for you. If there weren't any seats, then maybe you and Olivia could spend some alone time together after all.
"Ah man, this is a shame," you said trying your hardest to sound disappointment. "Well babe, I guess you and I will just sit together, and Mack will have to sit by hersel--"
"There! Three seats! Right there!" Mackenzie said, pointing to them. She took half a second to smile triumphantly at you then led Olivia roughly by the arm. "Let's go! Move that fat ass of yours, move, move, move!"
At Mackenzie's urging, the two practically sprinted to the seats and claimed them before anyone else could. So much for a romantic movie for the two of us, you thought as Liv set you into the cupholder between her and Mackenzie. "There's a free seat left if you want it, squirt," Mackenzie said, nodding at the empty chair to her left.
"No thank you, Mackenzie," you grumbled, even if you were positive at one point that either her or Olivia would end up putting their drink on you. At least in Liv's case it would be an accident. The lights dimmed and the previews began. You silently fumed in your cupholder as Mackenzie whispered something into Olivia's ear, causing her to giggle. Great, you knew Mackenzie would be monopolizing Olivia's attention throughout the whole movie. That should be you whispering in Liv's ear and making her laugh. You had half a mind to try to climb the armrest so you could sit on Olivia's shoulder... but you knew the second Mackenzie saw you scurrying up Liv, she would flatten you under the pretense of swatting a bug. Just like she'd done before.
Could this get any more annoying? you wondered.
Then the next preview played and you audibly groaned. It was a new Toby Carmichael comedy. He was a tiny actor whose comedies played to the lowest common denominator. Every one of his films revolved around "slapstick" which involved him getting squashed repeatedly. In the early days of the shrinking epidemic, he was famous for his critically panned but box-office breaking trilogy: "What Did I Step In?", "What Did I Sit On?" and "What Was In That Egg Salad Sandwich?" Needless to say, having lived through each of those "punchlines" you didn't think highly of him.
"I think my mom's a fan of his movies."
You practically leapt out of your cupholder as Olivia's voice washed over you. Her head was only a few inches from you. She saw your reaction and giggled. "Sorry," she whispered. "Didn't mean to scare you."
"Oh, um, me? Scared? No. You know me. Heart of a lion, baby!"
"Lion? I dunno. I always considered you a tiger," she whispered, her expression playful. Something about the way her whispers filled your ears set you neurons afire. It was like ASMR.
"You know," you said, "instead of this cupholder, maybe I could watch this on your shoul--"
"Hey doofus, you were going to tell me what this movie was about."
You gritted your teeth as Mackenzie butted her way into your conversation.
"Oh right," Olivia said, her attention ripped away from you again and back on her friend. "Sorry, Mack. Just wanted Andy to know I haven't forgot about him. Anyway, this movie's set right after the shrinking epidemic. It's about a man who shrunk and lost everything, so he decides to prove himself to those who look down on him for his stature by regaining his lost status. He becomes a successful businessman, but also cold and cutthroat and lonely. When he reunites with his childhood friend, he finds out he can be loved despite his size and together... Big love grows from a small heart... at least that's what the online synopsis says."
"So... best friends become lovers?" Mackenzie said, trying to sound casual.
"Pretty much," Olivia said.
"That's... interesting... don't you think?"
"Sounds pretty unbelievable to me," you said casually before Olivia could respond.
Mackenzie narrowed her eyes. "I wasn't talking to you, twerp."
"Guys, c'mon, now's not the time for one of your fights," Olivia pleaded. "We're new roomies. Here to celebrate, remember?"
"Excuse me," a new voice said, causing the three of you to look up. The voice belonged to a large, curvy woman with a sizable ass of her own standing at the edge of the aisle, holding a jumbo bucket of popcorn and large soda. "Is that seat taken?" she asked indicating the empty chair next to Mackenzie.
"No," Olivia said pleasantly. "Please, take it."
Olivia and Mackenzie got up, allowing the woman to scoot past them. As Olivia settled back into her seat, Mackenzie seized on her moment of distraction. Her hand came down upon you and...