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“Duh,” I echoed. “Let me guess… It’s because of Tom Holland and not the character, right?”
She held up a finger then wrote in her notebook.Umbrella lip-sync dance.
I groaned and rolled my eyes, but we both laughed.
Don’t hate me but I haven’t seen and of the Marvel movies,she wrote.
I gasped dramatically and covered my heart with my hand. Sparrow’s shoulders shook and I knew we were off to a good start.
“Next date or the one after that,” I said. “Marvel marathon at my house. Sound good.”
Sounds good,she signed. And I took that as a good sign that I’d get to see her again after tonight.
Five
Sparrow
I couldn’t stop smiling…and yawning. It was after two in the morning as Hudson drove back to my place after the movies at the drive-in. It might seem strange, but I’d never had a date when I’d had more fun. Hudson seemed to fully accept my handicap and dove in with a determination not to let it get in the way.
My hand was firmly clasped in his. That had happened sometime midway through the first movie and our hands had rarely been apart since then, except when I we’d been talking and I’d signed to him.
“So, tomorrow…” he started. One thing we’d talked about was that it was a rare Saturday off for him since he usually had Sunday to Tuesday off and worked Wednesday to Saturday. Once every three months, he had a free Saturday. “Can I pick you up around two?”
What are we going to do?I signed.
“Bowling then catch dinner.”
That surprised me, but sounded like fun.
“I’m terrible at it, but it’s fun. Um…my cousins might be there.”
“Might?” I mouthed when he glanced over.
“Probably. It’s a Sunday thing. And whoever shows, shows. There could be just you and me or there could be a dozen of us.”
That sounded…terrifying. I took a breath and told myself to suck it up. If I wanted to get to know Hudson, I had to meet his family. But on the second date?
“Or we can do something else,” he offered with slightly less enthusiasm.
We pulled in front of my place before I could answer. He squeezed my hand when I went to open the door. “Hang on. I’ll come around and walk you inside.”
I wanted to tell him he didn’t need to, but I really appreciate it. Nodding, I waited then took his hand when he opened the door and reached out to me. At the security door, I unlocked it. I looked up at him, thinking he’d leave me now that I was there, but he indicated inside. His fingers clasped around mine while we took the flight of stairs to the second floor.
Near my door, he sucked in a breath and pulled me back, putting me behind him as he backed us away.
“Does someone else have a key to your place?”
I shook my head.
“I watched you do both your locks when we left. Now your door is slightly ajar.”
Instant terror sliced through me, taking me right back to the last time someone had broken into my home and the horror that person had wreaked on my life. I tugged at his arm, pulling him back toward the stairs.
“Hudson,” I whispered, the sound a ragged rasp that startled us both.
His brows furrowed, his eyes narrowing as he pulled out his phone and called the police.
“We’re outside on the sidewalk,” he told the dispatcher after he identified himself and explained the problem. “No. We won’t go in. We’ll wait.”
