“Really? That’sthe question you came up with?” she asked, hollering in amusement.
“Dawg, that’s one of the most important questions a man needs to know! That can establish a lot out the gate. Two people who like totally different movies can lead to a lifetime of miserable-ass movie dates,” he reasoned.
She nodded.
“True, true,” she agreed, tickled.“Okayyy, so I got a few. Can I give you top three?”
“The fact that you need to pick three is a plus,” he shot back as he spun her on beat to the music and then pulled her right back to safety.
“The Devil Wears Prada…” she answered, looking to the sky as she thought of the other two.
“A chick flick, but Meryl Streep can never be a wrong answer,” he commented.
“Hmm, let’s see…Titanic,” she continued.
“I’m seeing a painful pattern here,” he said, gritting his teeth.
“What?” she exclaimed.“Titanicis a classic!”
“Long-ass romance where my boy got the short end of the stick at the end. She could have shared the damn door,” Harlow criticized.
Courtney hadn’t smiled this much in her entire life.
“Okay, okay, my final choice,” she said, thinking hard.“Denzel;Remember the Titans.”
“There she go,” he said in approval.“You saved it with that one. We might be able to catch a movie or two.”
“Yeah, maybe,” she said, whimsically as she stared up at him.
Courtney blushed as he bent down to whisper in her ear.“I’d really like the opportunity to take you out. I think you’re beautiful. Way too beautiful to be waiting on anyone to show up. If there is a ring, I’d like to throw my hat in, even if it’s just casual, like friends enjoying a bad romance.”
Courtney inhaled sharply, and before she could answer, she felt a tap on her shoulder. She turned to find Shy standing there.
“I’m sorry to interrupt,” she said. Shy stepped closer to her and whispered,“Bitch, James is here. He’s by the bar.”
Courtney’s body stiffened and she came back to reality as she took a step back from Harlow.
“Thanks for the dance, Harlow,” she said.
“Anytime,” he said, nodding as he placed a hand over his heart.
Courtney walked away and there was a sense of urgency pushing her high heels across the dance floor. She felt like she had been caught cheating, and from the look on James’face, he felt like she had, too.
“Hey,” she greeted.“I didn’t think you were coming.”
She hated how nervous she felt, how sour her stomach was. Her entire nervous system activated at the anticipation of his reaction.
“Yeah, I can see that,” James replied dryly as he swallowed the stiff drink he had in his hand.“Who the fuck is that nigga?”
“He’s nobody. I just met him. He just asked me to dance, that’s all,” Courtney said.
James didn’t rush to respond, and she knew his silence was purposeful. He always weaponized his engagement with her, and it always worked. Her worry over what he might be thinking sent her body into overdrive. He was angry.
“James?” she whispered.
“You lucky Iain’t slapped the shit out you yet,” James said, without looking at her.
“Why are you mad? You were late. It was innocent,” she defended. She was in distress, so she was naturally louder than she intended to be.
