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“Oh, we have big plans to watch a movie.” I felt positive we’d be able to escape. That I’d get some breathing room.
“We’re seeing a movie, too,” Cammie said excitedly.
Don’t suggest we watch it together, I thought as I walked toward my vehicle. Almost there.
“We should go together,” Cammie said as if she’d just thought of the best idea.
“Go where?” I stupidly asked.
“We’re going to the movie theater.” Ben pointed at the cinema at the end of the strip mall.
“Can we go, too?” Hunter asked.
He knew I couldn’t say no to him. I wasn’t his mother. I was his aunt who gave him whatever he wanted, and he knew it. “But your mother could be home at any time, and she’ll be worried if she doesn’t know where we are.”
“So text her,” Ben said, like the solution was obvious.
“I don’t know how much longer Abby will be, and she’ll want to see you when she’s done.” Abby liked to spend any time she could with Hunter.
“Mom won’t care,” Hunter said.
Abby would be jealous she missed out on a movie, but she wouldn’t care. She always said I could do whatever we wanted. It was our time.
“I don’t know.” I held my phone, debating whether I should ask Abby first.
“Come on. It will be fun.” Ben gripped my elbow lightly, guiding me toward the cinema.
Two more hours in a dark space together, but I’d keep the kids between us.
I texted Abby our plans while Ben ordered a large tub of buttered popcorn and four drinks before we made our way to the theater. Determined that we’d sit on either side of the kids to maintain distance, I wasn’t prepared when Hunter begged me if he could sit next to Ben and Cammie. Cammie was next to the aisle, leaving me next to Ben.
“Have a seat,” Ben said when I stood in the aisle, unsure of what just happened. If I didn’t know better, I’d think the kids were pushing us together. But they were only seven. There was no way they’d picked up on the tension between us.
I sat stiffly beside Ben, placing the popcorn in my lap. Too late, I realized my mistake. As the holder of the popcorn, Ben had to reach over and refill the kids’ containers routinely. Each time, his arm brushed mine, sometimes even my chest. My breathing was erratic, my heart racing. I wouldn’t survive this movie.
“Aren’t you going to put up the recliner?” Ben nodded toward my feet, which were curled underneath me.
A recliner, the dark. All of it felt intimate. Instead of waiting for my response, Ben pushed the button so my chair reclined next to his.
“And we don’t need this arm rest in the way. This way, I have easier access to the popcorn.” He winked.
“Maybe you should hold it.” I lamely tried to hand it to him, but he held his hands up. “Oh, no. I always let my date hold the popcorn. That way, you can have as much as you want.”
I’d say I hated popcorn, but I’d been stuffing it into my mouth in my effort not to blurt out how his touches affected me.
I held myself stiff, not wanting to let go. Eventually, I focused on the movie, enjoying the banter of the animated characters.
“I haven’t been to a movie in ages,” Ben whispered in my ear.
“Me either.” Being there with the kids made it feel very domestic. Like we were together.
“I’m glad you came,” he said, grabbing another handful of popcorn before moving back to his seat.
I missed his closeness, and I wanted him to whisper more things in my ear. What was wrong with me?
When I married young, I thought I’d have kids by my mid-twenties. When Levi said he wanted a divorce, I mourned the life I thought I had and the future with him I’d planned in my head. Then when I couldn’t seem to move past the betrayal, I wasn’t sure I’d ever be close enough to anyone to have kids. So, I pushed that dream away and focused on my business and my friends.
If I were going to take a chance on dating, Ben would be the worst choice. I’d need someone safe. Someone who didn’t have a child and who I wasn’t competing against.
