“My mom wouldn’t let me watch that movie,” Beau said with a sigh, as if the fact truly pained him, “Requiem for a Dream, I mean. She thought I was too sensitive for it. I asked my friend to watch it with me because I just heard it was so good, and I don’t usually like… not listening to my mom, but. It wasn’t a horror movie or anything, and it’s not like she really wouldn’t let me watch it, but -… what was I even talking about? Oh, yeah, yeah, she’s really pretty in it. The girlfriend, right? It gave me nightmares, though, honestly. Like, Jared Leto lost his arm and she became a prostitute. Really sad. I think I was too sensitive for it. Kinda sucks when you’re parents were right but you didn’t listen to them, y’know?” Smacking his lips as if suddenly realizing how dry his mouth was, Beau was about to ask for a sip of her drink when he let out a series of childish giggles, “I used to work at the bookstore, but they fired me. I fell asleep one time during a late night shift, no one was even there but… I don’t know, guess it was more frowned upon than I realized. I think I’m gonna apply to the PetCo down the street.” Once she brought up the palm reading, Beau tapped at her palm again, tracing the delicate lines he’d been inspecting during their last conversation, “That’s me, the Pisces. They’re sensitive, aren’t they? What’re you? Can I guess? You seem… I don’t know, tough. What signs are really tough? Virgo?” he rambled, smacking his lips once more. Beau was vaguely listening to Vivian, but it was a bit difficult when he was so distracted, thoughts coming in and out before snapping back into focus at the mention of a milkshake, “Oh, shit. I’d love a milkshake right now. There’s a 24 hour Denny’s downtown, we should go. It’d be fun. I’m super good at conversation, I’ll prove it to ya. Want a tab? You could totally trip out with me, too. Very 80′s aesthetic, I’d say. Diners and… doing acid. Nice.”
“How old were you?” Vivian laughed, hopping on the counter next to the kitchen sink. “I think I saw that film when I was like... fourteen? And I’d probably seen much worse at that age. Precocious teen and all. And with my background... erm, with the film industry. Dad’s very into it.” Was. She coughed a bit, taking another sip of water from her cup as a distraction and not bothering to correct herself with past tense. She was about to offer the cup to the boy, considering it seemed like his mouth was moving at speeds of 90 mph, but he continued nevertheless. “Yes, very sensitive. Kind souls. What, you think I’m tough?” she chuckled, peering down at his fingers tracing the lines of her palm. It was a bit ticklish, but mostly calming, almost lulling her the same way fingers on her scalp would feel like. “You were close with the Earth sign. I’m a Capricorn.” A beat passed with Beau simply holding Vivian’s hand and examining like a doctor as the two of them fell quiet. Once he seemed to snap out of his spell, she flashed him a quiet smile, promptly holding the back of her left hand to his left cheek and gently slapping it her right palm. “Man down! Watch your reflexes, sergeant,” she teased. “Denny’s a fucking... liminal space. I read a book once that took place in the course of a night and it started at this Denny’s. Then it was a surrealist nightmare from then on out. Let’s go.” Hopping off the counter, she fixed her hair, which had fell into the collar of her shirt. Tapping Beau’s cheek once again, she strolled over to the foyer, nudging him along. “You coming or what?” she asked. “I’m not really into conscious-altering drugs. Especially if we both were on acid. Also, I feel like I’m meeting you again for the first time. What if this is your plan to murder me all along, eh? What’s your alibi, Bojack Horseman?”
