Me: Yeah.
I unlock my door. My shoulders literally decompress the stress of the day as soon as I enter my apartment. It’s so good to be home. I shut the door behind me, toss my purse on the chair, and throw my whole body on my bed and read my text.
Christian: Do you want to go somewhere with me tonight?
Me: Tonight? Are you back in town?
Christian: I will be there in about an hour. I’ll open the store tomorrow, so you can have the day off and not have to worry about being tired.
Me: Where?
Christian: Secret.
Me: Sure. Just text me when you get here, and I’ll come down.
I pin my lips together, suppressing a squeal. Bubbles of excitement rush to my gut, and I feel the jitters all the way to my fingers. One more text bleeps on my phone.
Christian: BTW – I never replied to your question about my perfect match.
Christian: It's you.
thirty-two
Christian
“You’re taking me to work?” Portia’s brows rocket north as she stares forward while I park. “I worked sixty hours last week, pulling all the shifts myself. There’s no way I’m going back in there.” She grabs the dashboard with one hand and secures the door handle in her other, ready to fight for an exit from my car.
“Relax.” I shut off the engine and open my door, calling back while I meander to my trunk and yank out a heavy duffle bag. “You aren’t working. Since it’s too late to go anywhere, and El’s currently sacked out snoring in our hotel room, I thought we could hang out here.”
I honestly don’t care where we go. I’d camp in this parking lot in the freezing cold if it meant I got to see her. Her presence offers a balance I desperately need.
“As long as I don’t have to make our drinks, I’ll come.” She drags her feet out of the car, but I have a hunch she’s pretending. It’s her sarcastic sense of humor I enjoy so much. I’m alreadyfighting back a laugh as I unlock the door and turn on only one set of lights, keeping the place dim.
I set my bag on a nearby table and unzip it. “We don’t even need to have coffee. I thought we could make popcorn and watch a movie.”
“For real?”
I lift out a projector I’d confiscated from my grandma’s basement. It’s old and clucky, but it comes with an air of nostalgia. I stack several old black and white film strips next to it. “This should work well if we set it here and aim it at that wall.” I position it perfectly, sliding it almost to the edge of a table. “We can either sit in one of these back booths, or I can move them out of the way to sit on the floor.” I pause, checking her expression, praying she’ll accept this offering. “Unless you hate this idea, we can go back on the dating app to chat.”
“Stop it.” She playfully punches my arm. “No more dating apps.” Her gaze drifts to the row of tables and back to the floor. “This is perfect. I love this idea.” She plops down on the floor, stretching her legs out in front of her.
“I hoped you would.” I plug in the projector and place a reel on. It’s been years since I had a peek at any of these movies. “It’s not a romcom,” I warn, as I feed the strip through the projector. “It’s romance without words. These were my grandma’s favorite.” I thread the film, flip the switch on the projector, and light flashes on the wall. “And really, the dialogue in romance movies is too cheesy, anyway. They are better without words.”
She tips her head back and laughs, showing me her best smile. I pause, watching her. It’s funny how this seems so normal. Even though this is technically a first date for us, neither of us seems nervous. “Okay.” I clamp my hands together. “I’m going to throw some popcorn in the microwave. What would you like to drink? If you say French press coffee, you die.”
She chuckles another full laugh. “I’m telling you; you need to try it. It’s superior.”
“I have no intention of ever betraying my franchise like that.”
“Water is fine.”
“Deal.” I run back behind the bar to make our snacks all the while I can’t stop smiling. “Can I have my question now?” I ask on my return.
“I forgot it.” She locks her gaze forward, avoiding me.
“You seriously are a bad liar.” I hand her a bowl of fresh popcorn and her drink and then plop down beside her.
“It’s lame, and not worth all this hype.” She grabs a few kernels out of her bowl and drops them into her mouth one by one.
