“I’m glad you’re okay.”
And that was enough for now.
We took the rest of our coffees to go and wandered up to the beach, watching teenagers on skateboards whiz by a pack of yoga moms pushing around their babies in strollers. The thick, salty scent of low tide filled my nose, and I could practically taste the fresh air as a forgiving breeze blew through us. A busy flower shop was situated on the corner across from the beach walkway, and next to it was the art gallery Mom had mentioned a few times. It wasn’t until then that I realized I’d barely explored my new home, despite living here for a few weeks already.
“Okay, my turn for a question,” he said, gently nudging me in the side.
“What?”
“You can’t just ask me questions like that and then not expect me to ask one back. That’s not how this game works.”
“A game?” I echoed.
“Yes, a game.” He smirked. “What can I say, I’m overly competitive and I like winning.”
“Cute, but I’m no sore loser either.”
“That’s the second time you’ve called me cute today.” He gently nudged me again. “Maybe you’ve got a little crush on me.”
My whole body burned, and I forced myself to chalk it up to the early afternoon heat. “Stop deflecting and ask your question already.”
He looked down at his coffee, but when he looked back up at me, another smirk pulled at his lips. “So, you’ve been given an elephant. You can’t give it away or sell it. What would you do with your elephant?”
I looked at him with wide eyes, until I realized he was being serious. “Okay. Easy. Join the circus.”
My heart lurched as he ran his tongue along his bottom lip. “Clever girl.”
I laughed in response. “Please tell me you did not just quoteJurassic Park.”
“And?” he scoffed. “What if I did? For your information, I quoteJurassic Parkall the time.”
“Okay,nowI’m judging you a little.”
My cheeks were starting to hurt from smiling and laughing so much. Part of me wished I was having a bad time and could go home with no attachment and no expectations. Despite his slightly self-deprecating humor, Brooklyn reallywascharming and funny, and gave me attention I didn’t even realize I wanted. Or needed.
“Fine, then.” He sighed. “What’s your most quoted movie? And don’t sayMean Girls.”
He grinned wickedly, as if heknewhe could see right through me.
I groaned. “But what if it actuallyisMean Girls?”
“Then humor me and pick a different answer.”
“Fine.” My coffee was mostly empty now, and I rattled what was left of the ice cubes at the bottom of the cup. “Then it’s a tie betweenCluelessandStar Wars.”
“Ah, yes.” Brooklyn nodded. “Because those two movies are practically interchangeable. I get them mixed up all the time.”
“Well, I like movies.” I shrugged. “A lot of movies, actually.”
“I do too.”
“Yeah?” This time I knew I sounded eager, and I didn’t really care that I did.
Another soft breeze came in, lifting the loose locks of hair around Brooklyn’s temple, and with grace and ease he brushed them out of his face. Never in my life had I ever used the wordcoolto describe anyone unless they were actually cold to the touch, but that was all I could think of when I saw Brooklyn. So candidly, unabashedlycool.
“There’s a pretty sweet vintage movie spot around here.” Brooklyn gestured with his coffee. “They’ve got a ton of old DVDs and lots of cool shit.”
I squinted up at him. “To play old DVDs, you need a DVD player.”
