“Do I look that unsteady?”
He shook his head. “You just look like a woman who is supposed to be escorted up these stairs. Is that sexist?”
I laughed. “Probably. But if I trip and rip this dress, I have to buy it.”
“You rented it?”
“It was Caroline’s idea.”
He reextended his left arm. I took it lightly and pulled the dress up with my other hand.
The orchestra seats were from a real-estate partner whose wife decided she’d rather go to a fashion designer’s holiday party.
“My mom took us toThe Nutcrackerat the Boston Ballet every year when we were kids,” he whispered as we walked through the lobby.
“You can tell me what happens then. I don’t like surprises.”
“No way. The suspense is the best part.”
We ordered two glasses of champagne, and I sipped it slowly as we watched New York’s elite bribing dolled-up children to pose for pictures.
“I don’t think I ever realized this, butThe Nutcrackeris actually not the place to be if you don’t have kids,” Charlie marveled as he handed a third iPhone back to a parent asking for a family photo.
I chuckled. “I still say this would be an incredible date night if you wanted to impress someone.”
“So you’renotimpressed.”
The bells chimed as the lights flickered.
We found our seats in the third row of the middle orchestra. There wasn’t a child in sight, but we were surrounded by much older couples.
“Think you can make it to intermission?” he asked.
I noticed Charlie’s eyes were glassy.
“Are you—high?”
He patted his pocket. “Edible. Want one?”
I shook my head. “I can’t mix champagne and edibles.”
All I’d eaten since lunch was a protein bar. The warmth of the theater was making me feel sleepy. I sighed and relaxed into the chair. A few minutes later, I looked down and felt Charlie’s knee pressed against mine.
I didn’t move. We were used to spending hours a day sitting a few feet apart in our office, but we’d never satthisclose. I looked at him from the corner of my eye to see if he noticed. I wasn’t sure if it would be more awkward to move away or just pretend like I wasn’t paralyzed by the sensation.
The stage moved in and out of focus. I studied his left hand resting on top of his knee, suddenly feeling the urge to move my right hand closer to his.
I replayed Connor’s self-satisfied words aboutWhen Harry Met Sally.
I was tipsy and he was high. It felt like the room was getting hotter.
My knee burned.
I sat completely still and reminded myself our friendship was more important than whatever tricks my body was playing on me. As soon as the curtain went down for intermission, I jumped up.
He stood up and shot me an amused look. “You kicking off an early standing ovation?”
I tried to think of something clever to say, but I was shaky. I really wished I had eaten something.
