“…and that’s why the original is superior.” I conclude my passionate monologue, heart racing as the movie plays in my head—lines of dialogue and line delivery, especially anything Stu Macher said.
I await Maxwell’s opinion with bated breath. I feel a little vulnerable after sharing my interests so openly like that.
He takes a final sip of his drink. I watch his throat bob and his tongue swipe his lip.
Down girl.
“You know what?” he begins, and I sit up, hoping for a contrary perspective so I can delve deeper into my points or hear him out on his opinion. I doubt I’d change my mind, but it’s still worth hearing something new.
“I agree,” Maxwell says instead. “I’ll have to rewatch it when I get home, or we could watch it together sometime,” he adds, leaning in.
As soon as the words leave his lips, I deflate. Luckily, the light on his phone flashes, allowing me to not respond.
“Shit,” he mutters, “we gotta get walking. The drive-in is about ten minutes away.” He reaches into his pockets and brings out a leather wallet.
“Walking? We’re leaving our cars here?”
“Oh, yeah. I called earlier, and whoever was on the phone, now I’m guessing Jan, mentioned that some moviegoers park here and then walk to the screening.”
“That doesn’t answer how we’re gonna hear the sound of the movie,” I point out, confused.
Maxwell sits back down. “Sorry, I didn’t explain that well enough. My car is already parked there, the entry fee and everything settled. I also have blankets and pillows for maximum comfort,” he says with a wide grin. “You can leave your car here and pick it up after the movie. Does that make sense?”
I bite my inner lip a little. “Yeah, that’s okay,” I say quietly. He runs to the counter to pay for our dinner.
I spend most of the walk to the drive-in parking lot staring at my white sneakers, wishing I had chosen either a longer coat or longer pants as the wind nips at my ankles, while Maxwell admires the starry night.
“Do you do any stargazing?” he asks, stopping to admire a planet in the clear sky.
“Umm…honestly? Not really. Occasionally I look at the moon, but nothing deep.”
“You’re a Cancer rising, right?” he asks, and I nod. He remembers that? “Seeing the moon makes sense, but you can see something else right now.” The marvel in his voice forces me to look up. The navy-blue sky is populated with bright dots I can barely make out.
“If you look over there…” He points to the left. I try to follow his lead, but I’m met with only a dark, starless sky. Maxwell places a cool hand on my shoulder, inching me slightly to the right. His other hand rests on my waist, the contact sending a thrum of energy through me.
Moving his hand from my shoulder, Maxwell points toward a bright dot larger than the rest. His breath lingers by my ear as he whispers, “You can see Saturn.”
I’m so distracted by the goosebumps and Maxwell’s deep voice that it takes me a moment to realize he mentioned Saturn—the planet that kick-started this entire journey withCupid’s Bow…and Niyi.
I need to stop thinking about him.
“How did you get into stargazing?” I turn and focus on my date.
“It started before the astrology bit,” Maxwell says, brushing the side of his thick coils with his palm. “Astronomy has always been an interest, hence the aerospace engineer day job.” My mouth falls open. I can’t believe I forgot that. Shit.
Maxwell, the gentleman, laughs it off and continues. “Yeah, I decided to look more into the planets and found it quite interesting, which was surprising.”
“Why was it surprising?”
“I didn’t expect it to make sense, but it somehow does. And I think it’s a fun little thing you can share at parties or when you meet new people.” He nudges my shoulder gently. “So when I found this dating app, I wanted to try it out.”
“How’s it going?”
Before he can answer, an attendant’s voice rings out, informing the large crowd of the movie’s imminent start. I follow Maxwell into the field of cars, towards his Volkswagen Atlas. As mentioned, the car is filled with blankets and various pillows, ranging from down to memory foam to throw pillows. There are also different candy brands in the glove compartment. I grab one of the mini fruit snacks once I’m in the passenger seat.
“Comfy enough?” Maxwell asks.
“Oh, of course. This is all fantastic, and beautifully decorated, I might add.”
