Page 28 of Always My Love

In her youth, she’d never once dreamed of a boy making romantic gestures for her. Since the moment she’d turned thirteen, the only thing she had thought about boys or men was to fear them.

She held in a shiver but apparently not too well because Nick reached over and turned the heater up a couple notches.

“Better?” he asked.

“Yes, thanks.” She tried to keep her mind free of her past.

“Why did you become a cop after you got out of the military?” she asked. He’d told her all about the boy he used to be. Now she wanted to know more about the man he was.

He glanced sideways at her as he turned on the main highway that led towards the next biggest town.

“Well, two years after I joined the army, I became an MP. Military police,” he clarified.

“The military have their own police?” she asked, feeling stupid.

He nodded and continued to talk as if her question wasn’t stupid. He told her all about how he’d become an MP. What his job entailed while he was in the military.

Everything except the darkness that haunted him. The thing that had caused him to leave the military and return to Pride.

Since she was keeping her own secrets, she figured he was due his.

When they parked at the mall in Edgeview, she felt a rush of nerves race through her as they headed inside.

She’d been to the mall once or twice in the time she’d lived in Pride. Normally she’d just run inside to get an item or two. She didn’t like to be around so many people.

“We can head inside and get our movie tickets and snacks or shop first. There’s a showing at noon and another one at one.”

“Let’s go to the earlier show,” she suggested. “Then we can do some shopping after.”

“Sounds perfect.” He took her hand and they started walking towards the theater together.

Everything was so new to her. She watched Nick purchase the tickets and felt a rush as they handed them over. They headed towards the snack counter.

Theater popcorn smelled and tasted so much better than any of those bags she’d made in the microwave. Even the soda they shared tasted better.

They took their snacks and headed down a long hallway lined with large cutouts and posters for other movies. Nick held the door open for her and followed her into the darkness.

“Where do you normally sit?” he asked as they stood at the base of the rows of chairs.

“I… haven’t been to a movie before,” she admitted, too in awe at the entire experience to remember to lie.

“What?” Nick frowned. “Ever?”

She glanced over at him and shook her head. “Nope.” She figured she’d already told him too much so why lie about this. “First timer here.” She smiled.

“Damn, maybe I should have taken you to a better movie?”

“This is perfect. Where is the best place to sit? At the top?”

“No, actually, you want the center of the screen to be at eye level. We’ll sit just up there.”

She followed him up a few rows and then to the middle of the seating row.

“This is perfect.” She set her drink in the hole of the armrest. “The chairs even rock.” She smiled as she rocked back and forth.

He chuckled. “One of these theaters serves you dinner while you watch the movie. We should have gone to that one.”

“This is perfect.” She touched his arm. “How do they get this popcorn to taste so good?”