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“It’s more…” He tried to search for words as far away from “romantic” and “intimate” as possible. “It’s more fun, I guess. Less stuffy than a movie theater, we can talk if we want to, and we got to take a baby road trip.”
“Oh, it was definitely worth it. I just feel like everyone here is either a family of five or a couple.”
Walker made a show of looking around at the darkening area. “You mean you don’t think there are any other bingo buddies who have had wildly good sex exactly one time in the back seat of a Honda Civic around here?”
“Somehow, I doubt it.” Aja’s chuckle was tight. “That particular level of ridiculousness can only exist in two people at a time, I bet.”
“I don’t know.… All things considered, it’s not that ridiculous. A buddy of mine slept with a woman who also turned out to be the person his older brother was having an affair with.”
“Damn.…”
“Yep, that next-level Jerry Springer shit is way worse than our situation.”
“That’s true.” Aja’s voice lightened up. “I can pretty much guarantee that I’m a one-sibling kind of girl. Plus, my brother would never sleep with a Braves fan.”
Even in the large, grassy lot, with plenty of space between them and the nearest car, Walker’s laugh was loud. “And I’d never debase myself with a Nationals fan, so yes, you can be sure of that.”
“It’s a good thing I don’t care about baseball then, huh?”
“Absolutely.”
For the next half hour, they were relatively quiet as they got situated, both making a point of taking in their unfamiliar surroundings as showtime moved closer. Walker wasn’t sure when or if he’d ever make it back to the drive-in, and he wanted to soak in the experience as much as possible. The low hum of voices, the engines of cars driving in, even the slight breeze making the tree limbs shake and shiver. There was movement everywhere, something to see at every turn. Instead of making him anxious, it almost soothed him.
It felt like they were in the center of it all, watching without being watched. There, but still apart. It was only made better by Aja being there with him. Even when they weren’t speaking, her presence made him happy. Her scent, her knee touching his, the knowledge that she wanted to be there just as much as he did. She surrounded him in a way that probably should have been more concerning than it was.
When the movie started, they had settled their backs against where the truck bed met the cabin. Unlike at a traditional movie theater, there were no previews first. A hush fell over the large field when Lucy Liu appeared on-screen clad in a pair of yellow leather pants with brass knuckles on her fingers. The man on-screen was tied to a chair, struggling and spitting in her direction. The second she brought the knuckles down on his face, sending him reeling backwards and onto the floor, Walker was hooked.
About a quarter of the way into the movie, there was a lull when the obviously shoehorned-in romantic subplot began to take hold. Walker turned to Aja, noticing that she’d made her way through half of her box of Hot Tamales.
“You hungry?” he whispered.
“Uhm…” She tore her eyes away from the movie reluctantly. “Yes, actually.”
“Me too. I’m goin’ to get us somethin’. Did you have anything specific in mind?”
“I could go for a hot dog. Ketchup, mustard, and relish. Oh, and some fries if they have them. Oh, and some water.”
She was all but licking her chops when he got back with her hot dog and his nachos. He could barely get comfortable in the truck bed before he was watching her devour her hot dog. There was no room for talking while they stuffed their faces. When they were finished, only the bare remnants of their meal were scattered around them. Condiment stains on cardboard, a couple of particularly mushy fries. All evidence they’d been sufficiently satisfied.
Afterwards, Aja scooted closer to him, her legs crossed at the ankle as she laid her head on his shoulder. Her braids smelled sweet as they pressed into the skin of his neck.
“Tired?” His voice was soft.
“No, just getting comfortable.”
He threw an arm around her shoulder, allowing her to cuddle up even closer.
“Feel free to use me as your human body pillow, then.” Insincere sarcasm dripped from his tongue.
“Stop being so damned comfortable and I will.”
“Nah, it’s all right. I happen to like your cuddles, Peaches.”
Aja groaned. “You and that damned nickname.”
“What? You don’t like it?”
“I like it a little too much, honestly.”
