“I was late.”
Matthew lifts his shoulder in a half-shrug before letting his hand drop. “Comes with the job.”
“I—”
Dammit, he’s right.
I’m so used to apologizing for losing track of time or for my job taking longer than anticipated that it just comes naturally. Not that my apology ever did anything to satisfy Damien.
“Everything okay?”
“Yeah, just charting took longer than I anticipated.”
“Hey, look on the bright side; at least you don’t have a boss who corrects your reports like you’re in high school again.”
My brows quirk up at that tidbit. “He does not.”
Matthew smiles, but the amusement doesn’t reach his eyes. “Oh, yes, he does.”
“What an asshole!”
“That’s Jenkins for you.” He shakes his head. “Let’s not talk about him.”
“Okay.” I nod slowly, suddenly feeling nervous.
It’s not like this is the first time we’re doing this; the only difference—a very big difference—is that we’re alone. There is no buffer. No Mae and Nico bickering and drawing our attention from the elephant in the room. No uniforms between us. It’s just Matthew and me.
I swallow the knot in my throat, my gaze darting around. Quite a few people have showed up, but it’s not that surprising. People, old and young, love things like this. There are groups of friends huddled around on the blankets, and couples sitting together, just like us.
Only we’re not a couple.
Not really.
“What are we watching, anyway?” I ask, glancing at the screen, trying to find something to talk about, but I don’t recognize the actors. Then again, I’ve never really been interested in movies.
“I have no idea.”
My gaze snaps to Matthew, who’s leaning back on his elbows, an easy grin tugging at his lips.
“Let me get this straight. You asked me to a movie without looking up what’s playing first?” I chuckle softly.
“Pretty much.”
I shake my head, although, honestly, I’m not the least bit surprised. Still, I can’t help but ask, “Why? What if you don’t like it?”
Matthew crooks his finger at me. I lean closer as he whispers, “I never planned to watch the movie.”
“You never…Oh.”
The color rushes into my cheeks as I lean back and just stare at him while he watches me. I tuck a strand of my hair behind my ear and chastise him half-heartedly. “You really have to stop doing this.”
“And where would be fun in that?”
I open my mouth to protest, but just then my stomach decides to grumble.Loudly.
Matthew’s brows quirk up. “Hungry?”
He doesn’t wait for my answer before starting to pull out containers from a backpack. There are grapes and crackers, and even a box from Reading Nook with brownies and cinnamon rolls.
