“The weather was nice,” Curtis says, grabbing two glasses from an overhead cabinet, his shirt riding up to expose tan skin. He takes the jug from me and fills the glasses.
“Thanks,” I say when he hands me a glass and I gulp the water down. “It was good,” I say to the girls as I pour a second glass, “though Curtis beat me.”
Curtis drinks his water just as fast as me, his Adam’s apple bobbing, and I pass him the jug so he can also pour another cup.
“I’m glad you guys had fun,” Kennedy says as she packs her wrap with vegetables.
I set my glass down, my thirst satisfied. “Also, Curtis and I have a movie date tonight.”
Curtis chokes on his water.
“Is that so?” Kennedy asks.
“Yep. We’re watching high brow cinema while you continue binging reality TV.”
“High brow cinema?” Kennedy laughs.
“Just you wait, Liam,” Bonnie says, “once you watch it, you’ll get hooked. We’ll drag you in front of the TV if that’s what it takes.”
“Sure, sure,” I say, setting down my glass and washing my hands. “Any food for me?” I ask when I take a seat at the table.
“Here,” Erin says, passing me a plain wrap laid out on a plate. “There’s extra stuff in the fridge if you want to customise it.”
Curtis, who has cleared his throat after choking, joins the kitchen table too, taking a seat beside Kennedy. He slides an arm over her seat.
She raises her head to kiss him on the lips before her nose wrinkles. “Ugh, you smell,” she says, pulling back.
Curtis looks at me, catching me staring. My stomach flips.
13
Curtis: Someone Else
Kennedy appears in the mirror's reflection, sliding her hands over my chest, her head resting on my shoulder. "Pampering for your date?" she asks.
"I was due for a shave anyway," I say, not letting her distract me from holding my razor steady. If I nick myself and have to spend the rest of the evening with Liam laughing at it, I'll never forgive myself.
There's still an hour until Liam and I have to leave, but it's always better to be ready sooner than later, and since Liam's downstairs cooking dinner with the cousins, the bathroom's free.
"You look handsome. I hope you enjoy yourself."
"Thank you. I wish you could come."
She smiles. "I wouldn't be the best company. Besides, I bet you and Liam will enjoy the movie more than me. That film you picked isn't my cup of tea."
I pause my shaving. "Today, Liam said that you don't like watching movies."
"What?"
I know she heard me. "You should have told me if you didn't like going to the cinema. Or if you didn't like the movie I picked."
Kennedy sighs. "It's not that I don't like movies. I just get bored easily. Besides, how often do we actually watch the movie?"
My cheeks heat, and usually, it'd be out of arousal, but now I feel embarrassed. "I watch the movie," I mumble. Most of the time. "You should have just told me," I continue. "Have you enjoyed any of the movies we've seen together?"
"Of course!" Kennedy says. "I've liked a lot of them."
I shake my head because I can tell she's exaggerating. "Why don't you like them? You pick every movie."
