“Oh, absolutely,” Sutton says.
“You didn’t know that?” Everly asks.
My heart is now beating double-time.
Could I just go to a fancy hotel with Alex?
Could I just go toanybedroom with Alex?
Why not?
Suddenly, I can’t think of a good reason.
I can feel heat sliding through my veins like I’ve just taken a shot of my great-uncle Leo’s moonshine. It’s sharp at first and makes me suck in a breath, but then the warmth spreads and I feel a relaxedooh, this is nicerolling along behind it.
“You all are bad influences,” I tell my three friends.
“I think you mispronounced ‘thank you very much’,” Andi says, lifting her drink in a toast.
CHAPTER 16
ALEX
I do preferto pick up my dates, but when the woman I’m spending the evening with is in charge of the event, I have to agree to meet her there.
The park in Rebel is half a block wide and six blocks long. It’s bordered on one side by Main Street and on the other by Otter Avenue. Magnolia trees line the sidewalks along the edges, and one end of the park has a huge gazebo, while the other end has a small amphitheater.
The soft grass is broken up by park benches and flower beds and crisscrossed with cement paths.
Movie night is set up near the amphitheater end of the park, and I shouldn’t be surprised to see it is colorful and over-the-top. I immediately notice the purple, blue, and lime-green balloon frame around the gigantic sheet stretched between two wooden poles, which will act as the screen. Then I take in the twenty-foot-long table that is draped in a purple plastic tablecloth and covered with treats, including the multitude of popcorn toppings and add-ins at the end of the table near the popcorn machine.
The lawn in front of the screen is dotted with lawn chairs and blankets, and there are already easily thirty people sittingand standing around chatting and snacking. But there are just as many people still walking toward the area with me.
It takes me ten seconds to figure out what movie we’re watching tonight.
I smile, pleasantly surprised. I love this movie.
Not that anyone here knows that. In any interview where I am ever asked, I say my favorite movie isThe Dark Knight, the Batman movie. And I do like that one a lot. It also seems like the kind of tough, adult-guy movie I should claim as my favorite.
If I’m completely honest, however,Monsters, Inc. is absolutely my favorite, and I find myself smiling even more widely as I search for Nora in the crowd.
As soon as I spot her, laughing at something someone has said as she ties a character balloon to the framed area where people can get their photos taken next to full-size cutouts of the monsters, I realize that I have been anticipating seeing her all day.
I head straight for her.
“Oh my gosh, hi, “she greets, her smile brightening when she sees me.
I don’t give her any warning or ask for permission. I wrap my arms around her in a big hug and kiss the top of her head. I’m her fucking boyfriend. She’s lucky that that’s all I do to her in front of all these people.
She looks up at me, surprise in her eyes.
“Hey, Wildflower. This is impressive.”
Her surprise disappears and excitement replaces it. “Do you like it?”
“Of course. I was expecting a simple movie projector and a few lawn chairs. This is a whole production.” I give her a little eye roll. “But of course it is. You don’t do anything small.”
“It’s some balloons and snacks,” she laughs. “It’s not like it’s a red-carpet premiere in Hollywood.”
