Page 18 of 518 Hope Ave
Movie tonite?The text says, and I can't stop myself from smiling.
Sarah stops her gossiping and kicks my leg playfully. "Oooh, is that yoursecretlover?" she asks before giggling.
"You know very well who it is, Sarah Gale," I tease, my smile still firmly planted on my face.
She chuckles. "You know, I haven't seen you happy like this since…I don't even know!"
I grin. "Yeah, I know what you mean. It really does feel...right, this time," I say and I mean it.
Thinking back, I feel like I've always feltsomethingtowards Ezra. But now, as adults, all that stuff that was previously in the way doesn't matter anymore. I don't know what you want to call it, fate, destiny, whatever. AllIknow is that I want Ezra, and I want to be his for the rest of my life.
"So…when am I gonna meet him?" Sarah prods. “And meet as in boyfriend/best friend official meet up. Because we allknowhim. Small town and all. We just don’t know him as your man. In fact, I don’t think anyone besides me even knows he’s your man.”
She's right...again. I've not been able to introduce him to my friends since we started dating. Don't get me wrong, I definitely have been enjoying the late-night romantic rendezvous, and the sex has been absolutely incredible. I mean, thethingsthat man has learned to do with this mouth!
But…I can't deny that it would seem like we’re hiding our relationship. Most of our time spent together has been in the evenings or even at night. He's not visited me at work since that time he apologized in front of everyone. And I haven’t really been to the diner either…
“Wait. Do you think he’s…embarrassed by me?” I ask suddenly, my worries bubbling to the surface and right out of my mouth.
Sarah stares at me blankly. “Embarrassed? Why on earth would he be?”
“Well, because I’m…” I gesture to the entirety of me. “I’m big.”
“Oh, honey,” Sarah says, shaking her head as she places a comforting hand on my arm. “I don’t thinkanyonecould ever be embarrassed by you. But if you’re worried then I think you should just talk to him about it. I’m sure he’ll put your mind at ease because he’s a sweetheart. I’ll never forget the way he brought all those flowers here for you. I thought that was adorable.”
"You're right. I’m sure I’m just overthinking it, but I'll bring it up after our date tonight. Just to be sure," I say as I take my phone out of my pocket.
“Good idea. Time to DTR this thing.”
I pause and look at her, my head cocked to the side. “DTR?”
“Define the relationship. It’s what the cool kids call it,” she says, causing me to frown because I don’t think anyone calls it that.
Opening my phone, I tap out a reply to Ezra’s message instead of trying to figure that one out.
Love to. What time do you want me?I message back.
All the time,he sends, adding a devil emoji on the end. Then it’s quickly followed by another text telling me to get there after nine when the kids are in bed.
We’re avoiding people again…
I sigh, and Sarah laughs, nudging me lightly with her shoulder. "Don't worry, it'll be fine," she says. "He just likes having you all to himself right now. You’ll see. I believe in you guys!"
16
Ezra
"Tickets please," the attendant drones, holding out his hand and looking like he doesn't really want to be there.
"Here you go." I hand him our tickets with a smile. He manages a small, tired smile in return, and I feel that same tiredness in my bones. Pulling extra shifts, running around after the kids, and squeezing in as much Quinn time as possible is taking its toll. I’ve been running on the endorphins being with Quinn creates, but this burning the candle at both ends is starting to catch up with me. But there isn’t a single thing I want to or am willing to cut out.
The attendant promptly checks our tickets, looks between the two of us, then hands them back to us. "Enjoy the show," he says, slightly more alive.
Quinn and I make our way to our seats at the back of the theatre, and the lights dim. I lift the armrest between us so she can snuggle in against me, then her hand slides inside mine, and she squeezes as the adverts start to play. I turn to look at her profile, an otherworldly silhouette against the light of the cinema projection and my heart skips a beat.
Damn, you're so fucking gorgeous.
As if hearing my thoughts, she turns to me and smiles. I lean in and plant a kiss on her juicy lips, then quickly steal some of her popcorn. She gasps in surprise and smacks my hand, but then we both fall into a state of silent chuckles, our shoulders bouncing up and down as we try not to burst out laughing.
