“We saw each other last night,” I reminded him, even though I’d missed him too.
The scruff on his chin tickled my neck as he leaned in closer, placing his hands on the table, bracketing in my hips. “You think I could cash in that rain check tonight?”
“I’ll have to check the terms and conditions and confirm that tonight isn’t a blackout date.”
He chuckled and took my hand, pulling me toward the row of seats directly in the middle of the room. The Starlight Palms movie room rivaled most local theaters except that it was smaller and completely handicap accessible. To the delight of many residents, the decor honored the mid-century modern aesthetic carried through the rest of the property in the teal theater seats and deep orange drapes along the walls. The curtains framing the screen were magenta with gold tassels and starbursts embroidered into the fabric. It was probably one of my favorite places on the whole property.
Eli led me to the center of the row and immediately pulled up the armrest between us. The Universal opening logo glowed from the screen, where I’d paused the movie until the residents arrived.
“I’ve never actually made out with someone in a movie theater before,” I told him as I closed the distance between us and let my fingers trace up his biceps.
“I would really love to help you check that off your list, but can we talk first?”
My head dropped back against the headrest. “Am I in trouble?”
“No.” He laughed. “Why would you think that?”
I shrugged. “I don’t know. Hearing someone needs to talk to you is like getting sent to the principal’s office, even when it’s not for a bad thing. Or when someone texts and asks if you have time to talk, but then they disappear on you for hours.”
He traced a finger over the planes of my face. “You are not in trouble, Vera Stein.”
I swallowed, my mouth dry despite his assurances.
“I stopped by my house yesterday to check on Brigid.”
“Is she okay?” I asked.
“Oh, she’s fine. I think she’s in love with both her best friendandher best friend’s boyfriend, but that’s a story for another day.”
I nodded slowly. “That sounds like a great bedtime story.”
His finger brushed over the tip of my nose. “Noted.”
“Okay, so your house. Brigid.”
“Right, well, Selene found a new place, which means I’ll be getting my house back... soon.”
My stomach did a little flip-flop. “That’s great.” But it came out a little half-hearted. “You must be really excited to get your place back.”
He nodded as he studied our joined hands, his thumb running over my knuckles and then his fingers spinning the gold band. I’d moved it back to my right hand after the wedding, but I’d noticed him glancing at it a few times since we’d been home, like he found its presence amusing or reassuring, even.
“You can have the apartment, of course,” he said. “I don’t want you to worry about that. There’s a waitlist for apartments, but I’ll keep it in my name so you don’t have to deal with any of that.”
“Oh. Okay.” A sudden and deep disappointment began to burrow in my chest, but I didn’t know what else I expected from him. In fact, he was going above and beyond by securing a place for me to live. Whatever this was between us hadn’t even taken shape into something that could be properly labeled. “That’s really thoughtful of you. I’ll obviously pay the rent in full.”
His eyes found mine, and I was struck by how beautiful he was in the bluish wash from the movie screen: his dark blond hair, manicured beard, the green of his eyes reflecting in the light.
This felt like the beginning of the end somehow. The end of something very short-lived. I hadn’t yet found a reason to regret anything that had happened other than the thought of it being over simply making me sad.
“Or,” he continued, breaking my circuitous thoughts of doom, “you could make the move with me.”
It took a moment for his words to formulate into meaning. But when it finally did hit me, my heart sped up as I searched for the proper reaction.
His mouth was moving before I could formulate a response. “Y-you could still have your own room. Nothing has to be much different than it is now. This invitation is not dependent on us being romantically involved.” His head bobbed to the side, so that I had no choice but to look him in the eyes. “I need you to know that.”
I nodded. “Okay.” I didn’t have any other words to say just then. He’d taken me by such surprise.
“But if it did turn into more... over time, maybe that could be okay too. I just like spending time with you, Vera. I like knowing you’ll be home. At my home. I like watching movies with you even though you have to read multiple detailed reviews before you’ll commit to something you haven’t seen.”
