“If I like her and I tell her I’ll drive her away.”
“You’d be surprised.”
That gives me pause. “Mike would kill me.”
“That’s what you’re worried about? Her father?” Mom laughs. “You’re too much.”
“I just . . . he’s not even completely sold on the idea of her living with me.”
“I wonder why.”
I open my mouth and shut it a few times.
“Goodbye, Maverick. I love you. I’ll pray for you.”
I laugh. “Love you, Mami.”
She hangs up and I stand there, staring at the cup of water in front of me. I love Rocky, but she’s my best friend. If I lose her friendship, what will I really be left with? I decide this is probably a better subject to talk to my brothers about. I love my mom, but what does she know about relationships? She’s been married to the same person for like thirty years. I look at the time again. Nine-thirty. Jagger’s definitely awake, but he has a game today, and I’m not going to be the reason my professional football-playing brother is distracted, so I’m definitely not calling him. Mitchell is definitely not awake yet. Not on a Sunday. It’s really the only day we sleep in. Except for me, apparently, today. I need to keep busy and not call Rocky just yet. She’s always my go-to when it comes to things. Unfortunately, I can’t really talk to her about this without disclosing my feelings and I don’t think I can do that just yet.
Chapter Sixteen
RockY
I shoot the crumpled napkin into the wastebasket and wait to make sure I made it in before turning and walking toward the theatre. I already spoke to my parents, who are also getting ready to watch Mortal Kombat. This was definitely not my first choice, but Dad was really excited about it when he saw the trailer, and Mom and I went along with it because we’re usually the ones picking the movies and Dad never complains about it. My phone buzzes just as I sit down in the top middle row. The good thing about catching a movie right when they open on a Sunday is that the only people who are there are parents with small children and me and a lot of the time it’s just me. I pull out my phone and see a text from Maverick.
Mav: What movie are you watching?
I frown, then type, Mortal Kombat. What are you doing up?
Mav: What theatre? Number 2 or 4?
Me: 2. Are you here?
I wait for a response, but it doesn’t come. Instead, I see a really tall guy wearing a backward baseball cap walk in and head up the stairs until he reaches my row.
“What are you doing here?”
“Watching Mortal Kombat.”
“You hate the movies.”
“I like popcorn.” He shrugs a shoulder and sits beside me. He has a huge bucket of popcorn in one hand and a matching soda cup.
“You don’t even drink soda.”
“It’s water in a big-ass cup.”
“Oh.” I frown. “I hope you didn’t pay for that.”
“Are drinks free?” He sets it in the cupholder opposite of me.
“When it’s water from the machine.”
“Damn.”
I shake my head because how does he not know that? The lights dim low and the previews start playing. I stretch out my legs as Maverick fiddles with his seat, setting it to recline like mine.
“Who picked Mortal Kombat?”
“Are you seriously going to talk during previews?” I glance over.
“It’s just previews. It’s not the actual movie.”
“I think I know what previews are, Mav.” I roll my eyes. “How am I supposed to know whether or not I want to watch a movie if I don’t see the previews?”
“You can watch them on YouTube.”
“Are you trying to be offensive?”
“No.” He chuckles. “I’m offending you?”
“Yes.”
“You got a problem with previews on YouTube?”
“I got a problem with you talking during the fucking previews.” I narrow my eyes. “Why are you here? You never answered.”
“To see a movie.”
“A movie.” I shake my head. “You didn’t even know what movie I was watching until you got here. How’d you know I was even here?”
“It’s one o’clock on a Sunday. Where else would you be?”
I sit back in my seat and look at the screen again. It’s interesting to me that he doesn’t even think me going home with Brian and still being at his place is a possibility and for some reason that pisses me off. He probably had Rebecca at the house and got rid of her this morning and then got bored and for some wild reason decided to come here. I swallow.
“I went home with Brian. I could’ve still been at his place,” I say and hope he doesn’t hear the massive lie in that statement.
“You stayed at the frat house?” Mav asks after a moment.
“Yep.”
“Hm.”
“How was your date?”
“It was great. We really hit it off and connected. We’re going out again soon.”
“Hm.” I cross my arms.
“Why is it that every time I bring her up you act like you don’t like her?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” I swallow, squeezing my arms just a little tighter across my chest before uncrossing them all together and setting a hand on the armrest between us.
Maverick doesn’t say anything to that and I begin breathing a little easier as I watch the rest of the previews. Maybe he’ll leave it alone. I probably shouldn’t have told him that I stayed with Brian last night. It’s not like he doesn’t have ways of finding out, considering they play on the same damn team. Dammit, Rocky. That was dumb. Oh well. The movie starts and I completely relax and let the thoughts of Brian and Rebecca and Maverick drift away as I focus on the screen in front of us.
“You think we’ll have the theatre all to ourselves?” Maverick whispers after a while. “That’s wild.”
“The fact that you’re still trying to have a conversation with me is wild.”
“Sorry.” He picks up his bucket of popcorn and starts eating, then sets the bucket in front of me. “Want some?”
“No, thank you.”
As the movie continues to play, we start laughing and Mav keeps his commentary to a minimum now that he’s invested. I’m completely engrossed in the movie when Maverick sets his hand on mine. It’s so sudden and unexpected that I jolt and sit upright.
“I . . . ” He takes his hand away and sits upright as well, the movement setting us front to front, much closer than we were before. I search his eyes. He searches mine. My heart is pounding uncontrollably.
“You what?”
“I don’t know. I just . . . I don’t know,” he says, his voice low.
He looks as nervous as I feel and he never looks nervous, which in turn makes me feel even more nervous. I swallow and lick my lips. His eyes drop to my mouth and he inches forward. There’s nothing in this world, no movie, no popcorn, no person, that can make me look away now, and as I take the initiative and get closer to him and our breath dances between us, I don’t know how I’ll find it in me to pull away from this. I don’t want to.