Page 42 of Take It Till You Make It
“I’ll get this.”
“Thanks,” the three of us chorus.
The man hands Crispin’s card back to him along with a receipt. His gaze doubles back to him. “Wait, aren’t you somebody?”
Crispin’s smile is genuine when he answers. “We’re all somebody.”
The guy makes a funny face. “Clearly. Wait, I almost have it.”
“I’m Crispin Moore.” He turns to us. “This is Arabelle Quill and Sally Garza, both of whom you will know better by this time next year. And this fine gentleman is River. I don’t know his last name, but he’s somebody too. Just not somebody you’ll recognize.”
The guy’s eyes sparkle with interest. He looks at Sally and me before settling back on Crispin. “Thanks for coming in today. How did you find out about us?”
“I’ve been here before. It was fun. Had to bring my co-workers. Sally, in particular, is very interested in the love lives of the rich and famous.”
“I’m so excited to be here,” she confirms. Her blue eyes peer down the dark hall that leads into the museum.
“We’re happy to have you.” The man nods at each of us. “Who knows, maybe one day you two will be on our walls.”
I look at the guy and see that he’s looking between Crispin and me. I startle and shake my head. “No, we aren’t…” I step away from him like that will prove our lack of a relationship.
The guy squints at us with a quizzical look. “Really?”
For some reason, I find I can’t look at Crispin. My head is telling me to laugh it off – even to make a joke of it by winding my arm in his and calling him some endearment as I steer him away. But the thought of touching him scares the tar out of me. So instead, I shuffle away from the table, shaking my head as I go, and end up standing behind Sally, who is giving me an odd look.
“Anyway, to see the display chronologically, start in the first room on your left.” The guy waves. “Enjoy!”
Sally grabs River’s hand and pulls him down the hall, leaving Crispin and me in their wake. When he falls in step beside me, I’m again hyper aware of the difference in our height, the distance between us, how he has altered his pace to match mine, how he bends toward me slightly like he’s focused on me instead of the first display we come to.
As we make our way through the museum, my mind catalogs each movement he makes. How he makes them. I nearly jump out of my skin when his fingers rest on my back to guide me through a door before him when we enter the second room. I’m distantly aware of Sally exalting over the accuracy of the information on the placards we pass and some pictures she’s never seen before of the more elusive Hollywood couples. But mostly, my mind is occupied by Crispin. It’s like that man’s comment has made me see Crispin in a totally new way. Suddenly, I’m noticing how attentive he is to me, and it’s making me feel giddy.
When we leave the museum, we walk across the street to the restaurant that Crispin pointed out earlier. River’s eyes roll back in his head when the savory smells hit his nose, and he lets out an appreciative groan.
“Already it’s one hundred percent better than anything I’ve had since getting home,” he says.
We’re led to a small table in the back corner, and Crispin takes the chair with his back facing the restaurant. A couple people did the proverbial double-take as we walked past, but the diners are mostly older, so not his demographic. Regardless, he seems at ease, so I’m guessing he’s not too concerned about being mobbed.
“What did you think?” he asks Sally after we’re settled.
“That was amazing!”
“Did you learn anything new, or was it all the same old gossip?”
She shakes her head. “There was some of the standard gossip that you always see or read, but there was a lot of new stuff. Even things that answered some questions I’ve had about certain relationships. It was really great! I’ll have to come back just so I can read it all over again.”
River laughs. “I can see where I’m spending the rest of my summer.”
Crispin asks River about his time living on a sailboat. We discuss that until our food is served, and then we shut up and shovel the fantastic food into our mouths. River confirms it is indeed authentic and says he wishes he could send some to his sister back home. We hardly talk about the movie, which I find nice. It feels more like we are friends without the mention of it. I look from Sally to River and know it would be easy to become friends with them. When I look at Crispin, though, something extra flutters in my chest that doesn’t feel like friendship.
When my stomach pouches out from all the amazing food, we head home. We drop Sally and River at their house first, promising to find another adventure to go on soon. As we pull down the long driveway, I’m suddenly nervous to be alone with Crispin. It’s like an entirely different vibe than the drive to Sally’s earlier. Now, I’m aware how close his hand is to my leg when he rests it on the gearshift between the seats. And of how much space he occupies inside the car, yet again making me feel small in comparison. My mind whirls trying to find a harmless conversation to start.
“I’m surprised nobody recognized you today,” I say. “Except that guy at the museum.”
Crispin glances at me and shrugs. “I like hole-in-the-wall places like that because I usually go unnoticed.”
“Don’t you like your fans?”
“I love my fans! I wouldn’t have my career without them. But a quiet time out with friends is nice sometimes too. Enjoy it while you can.”
