I headed straight to the kitchen and dropped the pizza and bag of drinks on the table.
“I thought, with it being your first time here since your mom’s passing, you might like some company,” I said, turning to face her.
The panicked look on her face subsided, and she smiled.
“Thanks. That was kind of you to think about me. How did you know I was moving in today?” she asked, opening the box and taking a slice of cheese pizza.
“You told me...” My brow furrowed. “Earlier today, when I texted?”
Her eyes widened. “Oh, right! I forgot.”
“I hope it wasn’t too forward to stop by. I just knew the address.” I cringed inwardly.
Was this a mistake?
“No, it’s fine.” She waved off my concerns with her hand, blowing air through her lips. “Dante said we should probably spend more time together... It’s just been a crazy day.”
“Right.” I grinned and started unpacking my bag, pulling out beer, a couple of Red Bulls, and water. I grabbed two beers from the six-pack, handing one to her. “Congrats, Final Girl. I knew you’d land it.”
She rolled her eyes, and I fell in love.
“Yeah, like you didn’t bomb your test with Skye to make sure she wasn’t even an option.”She set her beer down and turned toward the cabinets, opening them one by one, finding them empty.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” I grinned, opening both bottles and a Red Bull for myself. I wasn’t ready to admit that the reason I’d bombed so badly was because I couldn’t stop thinking about her.
“They must have packed away all the dishes. All I have down here are bottles and bottles of cleaner.”
I glanced past her, seeing a few random soaps but no dishes.
She shut the doors and reached for the beer in my hand. “I’ll have to ask about them tomorrow.”
“You want to watch a movie or something? Is your internet set up?”
“It sure is. Grab the food.” She started toward the den. “But just one movie. I still have unpacking to do.”
“I can help. I don’t have any plans tonight,” I offered.
She didn’t say anything. Instead, she led me through the house.
“Did you intentionally keep it as it was, or have you just not decorated yet?” I asked.
“I didn’t bring a whole lot with me. This is just temporary. Once the movie is over—the press tour and stuff, all of it—I think I’ll finally sell it. For now, it feels nice to see my mom everywhere.” She picked up the remote and turned on the mini movie-theater-sized TV on the wall. This room, other than Evie’s bedroom—for obvious reasons—had always been my favorite in the house. Lita had decorated this room like a real movie theater. Movie posters were framed on the walls. There were candy shelves, a mini fridge for drinks and ice cream, a hot dog cooker, and a popcorn machine. They were all empty now, but she used to keep them stocked for Evie and me. Along the walls sat real theater seats, purely for aesthetic. The center of the room held a ridiculously long red couch and two coffee tables in front of them and two smaller end tables on each side. You could easily fit ten people on the furniture to watch a show.
“I know, it’s weird with nothing stocked.” She saw me looking at the snack area. “I’ll grab some stuff and maybe host a movie night or something soon—with the whole cast.”
“Right. The whole cast...”I furrowed my brow. She was really making me work for her attention. I was practically throwing myself at a brick wall.
I set the food on an end table and plopped down on the couch.
“Is this your way of telling me I’m not special?” I teased.
She sat on the other side, far away from me, and huffed at the screen as she tried to log into her streaming service accounts.
“This is always the annoying part. What?” She glanced my way, clearly having not heard me.
“Nothing.” I sipped my beer then set it down, trading it for my Red Bull. She paused and looked at me with a raised eyebrow.
“Do you ever go without those?”
