"Hmmm, I'm not sure if I should be flattered or not, being compared to food," I said laughing as I stepped out of his arms. "Besides, you already promised me a movie, so your meal will have to wait. I already perused the show times and have the perfect chick flick picked out for us to see," I teased, grabbing my purse and cellphone off the couch. I ran my hand over Wilma's back one last time where she was curled up asleep in a ball on my couch.
"That's fine. I can think of plenty of things I could do to you in a dark theater," he threw my way, making me stumble as pictures of what he could do also filled my head.
He laughed at my expression, linking his fingers through mine. "Kidding. I'm sure the theater will be packed today, but it is fun to think about what we could do if we did have a theater to ourselves," he added.
"Have you ever?" I asked, morbidly curious about his past experiences.
"Done it in a theater?" he asked, opening the vehicle door.
I nodded, climbing in and buckling my seatbelt.
"No, and until you, I never even had the thought," he said, closing the door on my startled expression.
The forty-mile drive to the theater passed quickly as Nathan peppered me with questions about my childhood. He steered clear of anything painful that involved my mom, and instead focused on what high school had been like for me. I skirted around my illness and filled him in on what it had been like before I'd gotten sick, back when I thought my toughest problem was trying out for the cheerleading squad. I was still answering his endless questions when he pulled into the parking lot of the theater.
"So, what chick flick did you pick?" he asked.
"The one with the horse," I said innocently, pointing to a poster where a young girl was hugging the neck of a black stallion.
"Really?" he asked.
"Sure, why does it not look good to you?" I asked, trying to not snicker and give myself away.
"Almost as good as getting a root canal," he said, studying the poster hard as if he was hoping to find a demon hiding in it or something that would at least redeem it a little.
I doubled over laughing at the expression on his face. "I was kidding," I said between my peals of laughter. "I want to see the spy movie," I said when I was finally able to talk clearly.
"You think you're funny?" he asked, wrapping his arms around me and twirling me around.
"If you would have seen your face," I said, laughing again. "It was classic."
"Funny for you. Meanwhile, I was wondering if I poked my eye out if you would still make me watch it," he said, heading for the ticket booth.
"Lucky for you, I've never been into fluffy movies like that either."
"That's a relief," he said, purchasing two tickets.
Much to my disappointment, the movie I picked was super-crowded. We found a couple of seats together, sandwiched between two elderly couples. Nathan smiled at me wryly as we took our seats; obviously he was disappointed also.
Nathan held my hand throughout the movie, stroking his fingers across the back of my hand in a seemingly innocent way, except for the fact that I couldn't help thinking about where else his fingers had stroked me. Eventually, though, I lost myself in the twists and turns in the plot of the film.
"What did you think?" he asked once the credits were rolling across the screen and the houselights had been turned on.
"Despite the lack of horses, it was good," I joked, making my way down the steps toward the exit.
He laughed. "Oh yeah, I was quite disappointed no horses needed to be saved."
"Not to mention, there was hardly any bicycle riding," I quipped as he laughed again even harder.
"True, and no trunks with boobies in them," he said loudly, earning him a glare from the older couple that had been sitting beside him. "Too loud?" he asked me as they brushed past us, obviously disgusted with our conversation.
"Maybe a bit," I laughed.
"What time is Tressa expecting us?" he asked, glancing at his watch as we stepped out of the theater.
"Around eight," I said, zipping up my jacket against the wind that had the snow from the ground swirling. "You think Wilma is okay?" I asked, already more attached to the kitten than I probably should be.
"I bet a hundred bucks she's still sleeping where we left her," he reassured me, reaching for my hand to help me step over one of the snowdrifts. "It's six now, so we have time for a bite to eat. Do you have a preference?" he asked, changing the subject.
"Pretty much anything."
"How about steak?" he asked, plugging the information into the GPS on his phone.
"That works," I said, climbing into the vehicle.
"Great. It says there's a steak restaurant right up the road."
The restaurant was busy since it was a Saturday night, so we chose to eat at one of the small round tables in the bar area.
"What can I get you to drink?" a short-skirted waitress asked.
"Can I get a rum and Coke?" I asked.
"ID?" she asked, not looking up from her pad.
Ignoring Nathan's grin, I reached in my purse and pulled out my wallet. She glanced at it briefly before handing it back. "You?" she asked, turning to Nathan.
"Vodka on the rocks."
"ID," she said again, making me chuckle.
"Seriously?" Nathan asked.
"Don't take it personally. I card anyone who looks younger than fifty," she said, smiling at us for the first time.
"Don't mind him. He thinks he exudes maturity and wisdom," I said dryly.
"Compared to the immature idiots I've dated, that's not a bad thing. I'd hold on to this one if I were you. He sounds like a keeper to me."
"Why do I suddenly feel like livestock?" Nathan asked as the waitress headed toward the bar to put in our drink order.
"Well…" I started to say as my phone chirped, letting me know I had a text. It was from Tressa, checking to see if we were still coming. Her nerves were obviously getting the best of her. See you soon, I typed back before stowing my phone in my bag.
"Your friend?"
"Yeah. She was just checking to make sure we were still coming," I said as the waitress returned with our drinks and took our dinner order.
"Whatever happened to your other friend? The one who was at the bar with you the night we met?""Brittni? She's at a teaching conference in Seattle until Monday."
"Really? I wouldn't have pegged her for a teacher."
"I said the same thing when I first found out, but supposedly, she's like the kid whisperer or something. Personally, I think she scares them into listening," I joked. "She's definitely different. I think she was burned by some guy a few years back. Ironically, it was when she was in school in Seattle. Tressa did tell me she wound up transferring here at the end of her sophomore year. She's a bit intense, but still awesome," I said, suddenly feeling awkward at the way he was studying me. "Do I have something on my face?"
"No, nothing like that. I just like how your face lights up when you talk about your friends. You obviously like them a lot," he answered as our waitress returned to the table with our dinner.
"I do. They both welcomed me with open arms," I said, digging into my dinner while he continued to study me. "Aren't you hungry?" I asked.
"I have something I need to tell you first," he said, looking more serious than I had ever seen him.
"Okay? Should I be worried?"
"First, I need to tell you what this week has meant to me," he said just as my phone rang.
Talk about saved by the bell. I wasn't sure if I wanted to hear what he had to say. I answered my phone without taking my eyes from Nathan's. I had to swallow a sudden lump in my throat before I could speak.
"Hello," I finally managed.
"I need you to come now," Tressa whispered in the receiver.
"What?" I asked, not sure I heard her right.
"You have to come now. The date is a complete disaster. I need you to come smooth it over," she pleaded.
"Seriously? What have you done to my confident friend who's not afraid of anything?" I asked her as Nathan's lips quirked at my question.
"She's gone," she hissed into the receiver. "Hurry, please," she demanded before abruptly hanging up on me.
"What was that about?" Nathan asked.
"Tressa. She's totally freaking out. She wants us to come now. Do you mind?" I asked, trying to ignore where our conversation had been going before my phone had interrupted it.
"Nah. I still owe her for the other night," he said, signaling our waitress for the check.
The waitress brought us to-go boxes with the check, not commenting on the sudden departure. Whatever Nathan had been about to say was forgotten as we headed to the small club where we were supposed to meet Tressa and her date. I certainly wasn't going to bring it up. I just wanted to put it out of my mind as we made our way through the smoky room looking for Tressa.
"Ashton, over here," a voice called out to our left as we were halfway to the bar.
"I'm so glad you made it," she said, giving me an exuberant hug that seemed a little too forced.
"You okay?" I whispered in her ear.
"No. I'm a complete wreck. I'm sure he thinks I'm a total assface," she whispered before releasing me. "Ashton, I'd like you to meet Travis. Travis goes to school with me. Travis, this is my friend, Ashton and her friend, Nathan," Tressa said in a rush, trying to get all the introductions out in one breath.
"Nice to meet you, man," Nathan said, reaching past me to shake Travis's hand.
"Same here," Travis answered, pumping Nathan's hand before releasing it and reaching for mine. "Ashton, I've heard all about you," Travis said, sliding back in the booth next to Tressa after running his eyes down my frame before settling on my breasts. I rolled my eyes.
"Really?" I asked, sliding in across from Tressa.
"Yeah, I was telling him about your bucket list," Tressa said, biting back a yelp when I kicked her under the table. She clammed up immediately. Travis, unfortunately, who was oblivious to my silent insistence, took up where she'd left off.
"It's seems pretty fucked up to me," he said, taking a drink. I resisted the urge to kick him also. "I expected you to be all decked out in black, all morbid-like. Don't get me wrong, some Goth chicks are hot," he added.
"Your list is a bucket list?" Nathan asked, looking confused.
"It's for a paper I plan on writing," I lied, wishing the floor would open up and swallow me.
"Yeah, some kind of thesis thing," Tressa interjected, trying to be helpful, knowing she'd put her foot in her mouth. "So, what movie did you guys see?" she asked as Nathan continued to study me.
Keeping my eyes averted from his, I went into a lengthy discussion about the movie, hoping to keep the conversation from returning to my list. I doubted he would figure out the true nature of the significance of the list, but a nagging voice in my head kept taunting me, reminding me he was a reporter. If he tried hard enough, he'd be able to connect all the dots. I would have to tell him the truth before he figured it out.
"Shit, I guess we don't need to go see it," Travis quipped after I finished describing the movie.
"Oops, sorry. I guess I went a little overboard," I apologized, even though I really wasn't sorry. As long as the conversation was far from my list, I was happy.
"It's all good. We probably wouldn't have seen it anyway. It sounds boring. More of an older people flick. No offense," he said, turning toward Nathan.
"None taken," Nathan said dryly, signaling the waitress for a drink as I stifled a laugh.
"So, Travis, what's your major?" I asked, changing the subject.
"I'm a psych major. My dad's been a shrink forever, and that's where the bucks are. The money almost makes up for having to hear people whine all day long," he answered, downing the rest of his beer. "Hey babe, can I get another brewski?" he interrupted the waitress as she was taking Nathan's drink order.
"No problem," she said, shooting him a "you're a total douchebag" look. I couldn't have agreed with her more. I couldn't believe that Tressa had somehow managed to find a bigger asshole than Jackson.
As the evening dragged on, it became clear my instincts about Travis were dead on. He was the typical loudmouth, thinking everything he said was either witty or insightful words of wisdom. He was way off target on both. He was like the thing that wouldn't shut up. By the time we were on our third drink, I had decided that a Brazilian bikini wax while I had electric shock treatments to the eyes would have been less painful.
"I need to go to the bathroom," I told Nathan, shooting Tressa a meaningful look.
"Oh, me too," she said, catching my hint.
Travis said something derogatory under his breath as he slid out of the booth so Tressa could get out.
We weaved our way through the crowd, around a bunch a frat boys who were already past the toasted stage. Several of them called after us, but we ignored them as we made our way to the bathroom.
"What the hell?" I whirled around on Tressa who looked a faint shade of green. "I thought when you called we were rushing over to make sure your date was running smoothly. What a complete dick."
"I know," she wailed. "Seriously, he's never been an asshole like this in class. I swear, I must have a welcome mat for jerk offs tattooed on my forehead. I only seem to attract these kinds of guys. Maybe this is the best I'll ever do," she said, sounding close to tears.
"Are you kidding? You can do way better. Okay, I'm not going to lie. You seem to have a way of finding guys who don't match your personality, but we just need to change that. First things first: Your date with Captain Jackass out there is over."
She looked at me incredulously.
"What?" I asked, wondering if I'd stepped over the invisible friendship line and pissed her off.
"Nothing. I've just never seen you like this. Usually you seem so even-tempered. You're almost a badass."
"When it comes to my friends, you should know, I can be a complete bitch. It was all I could do to bite my tongue when you were with Jackson, but I knew there was a history there. You don't owe this monkey-ball-licker out there anything. I—"