Page 54 of Late Fees

She rolled her eyes. “I don’t know. Haven’t thought about it yet.”

“Well, we both know that’s a lie,” I said with a laugh. “I bet you have a bunch; you’re just having trouble narrowing it down.”

She tried to hide it, but the tiniest sliver of a smile appeared on her lips. Clearing her throat, she shook her head as her she uncrossed her arms. “No, I can’t really think of anything.”

“What about Untamed Heart? Remember when we saw that at the drive-in?”

She nodded, and her cheeks flushed. “I’m not sure I saw enough of that one to recommend it.” The truth was, we’d only seen about two-thirds of that movie. We’d gotten a little distracted and had made out during several of the scenes.

“Oh, that’s right,” I said. “Good memories, though.”

She said nothing.

“What about Heathers? Or basically any Christian Slater movie.”

“You remember my obsession, huh?” she asked, pinching her lips together.

“‘What’s your damage, Heather?’” I asked, quoting Heathers and touching her gently on the wrist. “Of course, I do.”

Surprisingly, she didn’t pull her hand away at my touch. And for the first time since seeing each other again, I watched as her lips curled into a relaxed smile, a smile that reminded me of the year we spent together as a couple. A smile I couldn’t get enough of. I had to fight the overwhelming need inside of me to touch her again. I didn’t want to do anything to make that smile disappear.

“I really need to get back to work,” she said, looking at the counter, then back to me. Her eyes were clouded in uneasiness, and I watched the smile drift from her face. My heart sank into my stomach.

“When does your shift end?”

“Wyatt—”

“Please.”

“You’re not going to stop asking until I say yes, are you?” she asked, scratching her forehead, looking slightly amused despite the pinched expression on her lips.

“That’s right. I’ll come here every day if I have to. I’ve got a membership card, and I’m not afraid to use it.”

It was the cheesiest thing I’d said in a long time, but I didn’t care. When we were together, Tilly always liked my cheesy jokes.

“Fine. I’m off in an hour.”

“Perfect,” I said, beaming. “I’ll meet you here. We can go to Cool Beans.”

“Fine.” Her words were clipped, but her expression had remained soft, open, curious.

“See you in an hour, Tilly.”

“Yep,” she said, “You know where the door is, right?”

“I do,” I said, holding back a laugh. I always did like her dry sense of humor. Walking toward the desk, a familiar video box caught my eye. With a smile, I grabbed the tape and placed it on the counter, turning to find Tilly. She raised both eyebrows.

“You’re renting a video?”

“No, this is just to get your shelf started.”

She walked to the counter, placing one hand on the tape and looking down to read the label. “You’re impressed with yourself, aren’t you?”

“Maybe a little.”

She shook her head, holding back an amused smile. “See you in an hour. Or not, you know, if you change your mind.”

With a cocky grin, I leaned forward, placing my hand on top of hers. “Trust me, Tilly, I haven’t changed my mind in two and a half years.”

---