Page 40 of Adam's Rising

Beside him, a woman asked, “Are you sure the speaker’s on?”

“It was just on,” replied the man next to her. “It wouldn’t just stop.”

Multiple “Shhhs…”came from all directions.

Adam stared at the scene, watching as the camera panned out. He’d never seen so many buildings. Yeah, he’d seen big cities in TV shows, but not like this. Not on the big screen.

Like the forest coming to life after a storm, shrill urban sounds echoed from the hundreds of tinny speakers clipped on car doors.

Adam’s world in Alaska, he realized, was quiet. How did people live in places like that?

Engines. Horns. Screeching trains.

If he hadn’t been carrying popcorn and sodas, he might have clapped his hands over his ears.

Thump-thump-thump-thump. The unmistakable beat ofStayin’ Alivefilled the lot.

Adam watched Travolta strut down the busy sidewalk like he owned it, hips cocked, head high.

Without thinking, Adam matched the actor’s pace, strutting across the gravel like he belonged on that screen. A few people hooted from nearby trucks. Claire turned and caught him mid-stride, her eyes lighting up.

By the time he reached her, she’d moved both chairs even closer to the screen. The tailgate was down. Claire had made room — for something else.

He handed her the popcorn. “You like front-row seats, huh?”

“I want the whole experience.”

The next track kicked in —Night Fever. Travolta was picturing the club — the moves Claire had been doing — as he prepped to go out. Adam’s fingers tapped against the soda cup. His feet shifted with the tempo. The rhythm was too strong to ignore.

He stood up.

Claire laughed. “Knew you couldn’t resist long.”

“I didn’t think I’d —” He stopped. Didn’t matter. She already knew.

Somehow, deep down, he knew there was no way Claire had forgotten his name. Or confused him for Thomas… even though he’d certainly tried to secure the lie.

She lifted her hands to him. “Dance with me?”

He reached for both, pulling her to her feet. Right there, behind the tailgate, the two of them moved together. Not rehearsed, not flashy — just in sync. When the club scene started on the screen andDisco Infernohit, other couples drifted forward to join them. By the timeMore Than a Womanplayed, the entire section beneath the screen had filled with people swaying to the music. Some couples tried the Hustle; others just held each other. A group of older teens had pretty much nailed the line dance.

Adam and Claire froze, inches apart.

Their eyes locked.

Her breath caught.

He leaned in —

A loud cheer cut through the air. Bigger than life, Travolta twirled a new woman who wasn’t his partner across the floor. Seemed pretty obvious that, like Claire, many of these movie-goers had seen the flick more than once.

Claire looked toward the screen, her smile inching up slightly. She looked expectant, like when she’d called him from the stall earlier using herStableboyremark. Off her lips, the word that should have been a slur was an endearment. Her way of accepting him he realized. No doubt, she’d heard her father call him Muckboy, but still, she’d always gone out of her way to stand near him. During class activities… that fateful night at The Pitts when he’d looked down from the truck and saw her…really saw her.

Adam felt a shift. A sudden tension in her spine. She stared at the scene, waiting, even as Travolta was speaking about as rudely to a woman as he’d ever heard. Actually, he’d never heard any guy talk to a girl like that. Not even Jeff, and he was one of the roughest guys he knew.

Adam didn’t ask. Didn’t press. Still, he wondered… What was Claire waiting for?

What about this scene had captured her undivided attention?

---