The cinema had always been Tony's escape. It had started with his mum. She'd taken him there when he was young, and movies had been something special that they had shared, just the two of them. It was where his love of movies had begun. And he still took comfort from them. As an adult, the cinema was the place he went to feel good. Not the kind of good he got from his numerous dates, but for those days when he needed some time alone with his own thoughts, away from the real world.
And if there was ever a time he needed to be away from the real world, it was now. He wanted to think that this was real. That he was back. That he'd been rescued. But was this just another trick? Martha was there, again. But he still didn't know if at any moment it would all be taken away from him again. How could he be sure? When something happened so many times it was hard to expect anything different. This time there had been one difference, and it had thrown him enough that he hoped it turned out to be true. Had left him thinking that just maybe, this time it was. She'd told him she loved him. How long had it been since someone had told him that? And how long had it been since he'd said it, besides in friendhsip?
He wasn't completely focused on the movie. It was one he'd seen endless times before. That was why he liked this place. Open all hours, and always playing the classics he loved. But right now his focus was largely on the room around him. He might have taken comfort from being in the cinema, but that didn't mean he felt safe, or sure, in his surroundings yet. He was still waiting for everything to turn around. And until he was sure that wasn't going to happen, he would be on edge.
Martha sitting beside him wasn't totally unexpected, so outwardly he didn't react too much. Mentally, he counted to three and waited to see if she, or anything else, changed before he replied. "No," he shook his head, reaching for her hand as a physical assurance she was there. Which again, wasn't assurance enough after what he'd been through. But it would be a start. "Thanks for coming."