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“So, let’s hit the concession stand,” he says, leading me to the left.
“But we’re going to eat after the movie,” I reply.
“It’s not a proper movie date if we don’t have popcorn, sodas, and maybe some M&Ms,” he retorts, grinning down at me.
“Ah, I see your plan now,” I tease. “We’ll end up getting full here so at dinner, we’ll only want the salads.”
His chuckle sends shivers through me as we step up to the counter. “Well, surprisingly enough, they have these neat inventions called to-go boxes, so if we get full, we’ll just take what’s left home, Sunday. Now, tell the nice lady what you want.”
Like me, he prefers to sit high up, in the middle, and I’m not surprised when he lifts up the divider between our seats. As we settle in with the popcorn in between his legs, he grabs my hand and laces our fingers together, smiling down at me.
I return his smile before saying, “I hope the hype about this movie is true, don’t you?”
“It doesn’t matter to me, I’m right where I want to be.”
* * *
“This has beenone of the best dates I’ve ever had,” I confess as we walk out of the restaurant, him carrying the bag with our to-go boxes. We still managed to eat real food despite our gluttony at the movie theater, but we’ve both got leftovers for later.
“For me as well,” he replies, grinning down at me. After helping me climb into his truck, the bag securely nestled at my feet, I watch as he maneuvers around the front of the truck to get inside. When his phone pings, he glances down, and I see him grimace.
“What’s the matter?” I ask.
“Seems someone hit a transformer on my side of town and the power’s out until sometime tomorrow,” he replies, starting up the truck.
“Jett, you can’t stay at home! It’s dipping into the low thirties tonight,” I protest. “Dusty’s at your sister’s overnight, right? Why don’t we run by your place so you can get whatever you need, and you can stay at my house tonight.”
“Are you sure?” he asks.
“I’m positive.”
It’s time to embrace the future, regardless of my fears.
ChapterTen
Jett
With her handheld in mine, and our fingers laced together, I drive us to my place. After parking, I turn to her and say, “If you want, you can stay out here where it’s warm. I’ll only be inside for a few minutes.”
“Okay, I’m not keen on being in a dark house,” she teases.
“Be right back,” I promise, practically vaulting from my truck. I have no expectations for tonight, other than sleeping, but my mind is racing over the fact it’ll be with her in my arms. It doesn’t take me long to get into the house, and using my flashlight app on my phone, I go into my bedroom and grab my duffel bag from my closet.
Right now, I’m glad I had laundry caught up thanks to the impromptu break we had due to the school being closed for those few days, because I’m able to put my hands on laundered clothes for the next day, as well as a pair of clean sleep pants and T-shirt. A quick trip into the bathroom garners my toothbrush, deodorant, and comb, which I put into the travel bag Dusty got me one Christmas. Actually, it holds a variety of the products I use, and while we don’t take a lot of trips, it’s come in handy on the away games because I’m able to freshen up before we hop back onto the bus and head back to the school.
Once I’m sure I have all of my essentials, I zip up the bag, then take a few minutes to turn all the faucets in the house on so they’re lightly running since frozen pipes are not something I want to deal with ever. I also unplug the computer as well as the television because even though they’re on a surge protector, I refuse to take any chances with my electronics. Confident that I’ve done everything I can to protect the house from any damage due to this outage, I grab the bag, then lock up the house before heading back out to the idling truck.
“That didn’t take long,” she observes once I’ve tossed my bag into the back seat, and jumped back into the truck.
“Would’ve been out sooner, but I went ahead and made sure the water was dripping, and everything important was unplugged,” I admit, putting the truck in gear.
The ride to her house is comfortable, but quiet, and I wonder what she’s thinking or if she’s regretting her impulsive decision to have me stay with her.
Parking in her driveway, I turn to her and state, “Sunday, I don’t have any expectations, even though Iamattracted to you and hope things progress with us.”
Even in the dim light, I can see her face flushing. “I didn’t ask for that reason, Jett. I think it’s obvious by now that I like you and am attracted to you, but I’m not going to lie, I’m nervous about anything physical.”
“How about we go in where it’s warmer? We can talk, okay?”
