“Ready?” Ivy asks as we meet them off to the side.
I nod, and she and Dustin turn on their heels and head toward our theater. Dustin, balancing their shared popcorn and his soda in one arm, grabs Ivy’s hand and closes his fingers around hers. It’s such a simple act, and I’m so happy for my brother that he’s found someone to share little moments like these with.
We walk by a bathroom, and two skinny, dolled-up women do a double take at Reid. They lean into each other, whisperingas they keep their eyes on him. Jealousy is an ugly thing, and that ugly thing is rearing its head. I shouldn’t be jealous that other girls are ogling him. He’s not mine after all.
Reid spares them a glance before he wraps his free arm around my shoulders and pulls me in close to his side. He presses a soft kiss to my hairline, and I don’t miss the disappointment on the two girls’ faces.
I hide my grin well when I say, “You’re being mighty bold.” I tip my head to Dustin.
“As far as he knows, I’m just being friendly.”
“Is that so?” I ask, looking up at him. God, he’s beautiful.
He curtly nods. “He told me as much before we came and got you girls.”
“Oh?”
He smiles down at me. “He wants us to be friends.”
I laugh under my breath. “He’s going to kick your ass when he finds out.”
Cringing, he replies, “Probably.”
“And yet, that doesn’t stop you.”
He kisses my hairline again as we head into the darkness of the theater. Against my skin, he says, “Nothing is going to stop me, Avery.”
I bite my bottom lip and pray to God that he means it, because, try as I might, he’s getting to me. It’s simple acts here and there that tell me he’s more serious than I give him credit for. And not once has he given up. In fact, he presses hard without forcing me. I’ve never had a guy fight for me. It doesn’t help that I also find him insanely attractive. If those women by the bathroom are anything to go by, I know I’m not the only one, and that thought frightens me a little.
The previews are already playing as we fully enter the theater and turn toward the stairs. Reid drops his arm as I follow Ivy and Dustin up the stairs, but they turn toward the middle rows, andI hesitate. Do I really want to sit next to them when I know for a fact that they’re going to make out for half the movie? I mean, this was supposed to be a girls’ thing, but…
“Let’s go up top,” Reid suggests quietly.
I bite the inside of my cheek. Sit next to a making-out couple, or sit next to the hottest guy I know? He makes that choice for me, gently nudging me to climb the steps. I go to the very top row where no one is sitting and slide into the aisle. Once I pick a seat, Reid sits next to me.
We settle in silence and take in the previews, but I’m not paying attention because the shared armrest? We’re sharing it. Do I move my arm? Do I ask him to? My heart beats rapidly when his pinky brushes my finger. Was that deliberate? Or was it a twitch?
As the movie begins to play, he does it again, and my lips part. I sneak a glance at him, and that’s when he smiles and gently moves his hand over, curling his fingers between mine. He slowly looks over at me. “Is this okay?” he asks after a moment.
I clear my throat, look at our joined hands, and nod. I might have a heart attack, but his holding my hand is something I simply cannot refuse. Because…I want it. I want that connection. I want to, just for a moment, pretend like I don’t have a million walls. For a moment, I just want to be the girl I used to be, one who’d never been hurt so badly that she can’t give easily the sweetest guy in the world a chance.
For a moment, I want to pretend. So I curl my fingers around his knuckles.
My phone buzzes in my pocket, so I pull it out with my free hand and look at the text.
Ivy
Oh my god! Oh my god! Tell me I don’t need to rescue you!
I look up and see Ivy staring at us from her seat and blush so hard that my cheeks feel like they’re on fire. Reid looks at the screen and chuckles under his breath. With the hand that’s not holding mine, he holds out his hand and I don’t know why, but I pass over the phone. He snaps a picture of our joined hands and sends it off to Ivy.
I watch as her face lights up when she gets the picture, hiding the screen from Dustin. She holds the phone to her chest and looks at me, little hearts practically dancing in her eyes.
Reid chuckles again, and I turn my attention back to him. He’s doing something on my phone, and I frown as he gets into my contacts. He starts typing something into it, and when he’s finished, he passes me back the phone.
I quickly look at what he did. He put his number into my phone.
Shocked, I glance up at him.
