Page 43 of Just Another Meet Cute
Ryan dug something out of his pocket. “Here. For your popcorn.”
It was a bag of peanut butter M&M’s.
My mind flashed back to our second date at the movies. The concession stand only had regular M&M’s, and I had told Ryan how my grandma loved eating peanut butter M&M’s with her popcorn. Since we were at the same theater, I didn’t check for them this time. “Where did you get this?”
“I picked it up before we got here.” With a shrug, he shyly scratched the back of his head. “I remembered how sad you were last time when they didn’t have them.”
Ian snapped his fingers. “Is that why you made us stop at Walgreens on the way?”
“I can’t let Nina be disappointed on two movie dates in a row.” Ryan held out his hand, palm side up.
Touched that he remembered something so small, I reached out to take his hand. My fingers curled around his in a tight grasp, and he gave me a bright smile that probably could have melted the M&M’s on its own.
Suddenly feeling tingles on the back of my neck that had nothing to do with Ryan’s warm hand in mine, I glanced over at Ian.
Something flickered across his face for a split second, and he pulled back. His lips twitched into a mocking smile. “I guess I’ll stop butting in on your date. Pretend I’m not even here.”
My face flushed for a moment. I had forgotten that this was a date. And I shouldnothave been grinning at my date’s brother or feeling disappointed that he moved away. Or noticing how the brief flashes of light bouncing off the giant screen only highlighted how handsome he was.
Look away, Nina, look away.
Ryan laughed and reached over to give Ian a fist bump. “Thanks, bro.” He tugged me a little closer to him. Even though the armrest was digging into my side, I leaned my head against his firm shoulder and tried to relax.
The theater was dark, but I could feel rather than see Ian’s eyes on me again. Not a constant stare. Just a few almost-burning glances here and there that I refused to return, no matter how tempting it was.
After we got out of the movie, it started to drizzle. Not enough to get wet, but enough for a light mist to cover the air. It made everything seem kind of foggy and fuzzy, like a dream.
Linh stared at the sky for a full minute or two until her face got all dewy. Finally, she turned to me. “Do you want me to drop you off at home? I assume your date with Ryan is over now, since Ian is here, too. Unless you want to keep flirting with both of them.”
“I didn’t—I wasn’t—” I glanced over at the twins as they stood a few feet away.
Ian twirled the keys around his index finger as he peered out at the parking lot. The wind rustled through his hair, making a couple of dark strands fall on his forehead. On his other side, Ryan was busy typing something on his phone. He bounced back and forth on each foot like he was anxious. His shoulders rolled a bit under his gray polo shirt. It was more fitted than Ian’s T-shirt, so I could see the lean muscles on his arms flexing as he typed. He must be typing an essay or something by the way he was going at it. Not that I minded.
“It’s okay. I don’t blame you.” Catching the light blush that crept up myface, Linh winked and called out to the guys, “I’ll drop Nina off at home. You guys can go first.”
“Are you sure?” Ian asked as he stopped twirling the keys. “I thought you had something to do.”
I shook my head as Ryan came up beside me. “It’s okay, Linh can drop me off. The house she’s babysitting at is in our neighborhood anyway.”
“If you’re sure …” At my nod, he leaned past Ian and kissed me on my cheek. “I’ll call you later.”
Ian caught my gaze behind Ryan’s back, and he looked away. Or maybe I did.
When the guys crossed the street to the parking lot, Linh motioned toward the side of the building where she parked. “Ready? I think the rain’s getting lighter.”
“Yeah, let’s go.”
Before we could take a step though, a gray SUV suddenly pulled up and parked right next to us, blocking our way. The driver rolled down the window, and I could hear a Westlife song in the background. Only one person I knew listened to the British boy band religiously.
Dad.
“Hey, girls, I was worried that I would miss you,” he called out. His arm hung out of the driver’s window as he waved us over. “Come on, I’ll drive you home.”
I squinted at him like he was a hallucination or something, since he was pretty much the last person I expected to see. Well, him and actual Tom Holland. But at least Tom would have had a better reason to be here, to watch his own movie. Lottery, slim chance, but still better than Dad being here. Something wasn’t right. “Why didn’t you call me?”
“Oh, I should have, huh? I guess I forgot.” Dad glanced away, but not before a flicker of uncertainty crossed his face.
Uh-huh. It was obvious that Dad didn’t call because he didn’t want me to escape. He was such a horrible liar. I have no idea how he was ever able to have a secret affair with Mom in the first place.
