Total pages in book: 142
Estimated words: 135522 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 678(@200wpm)___ 542(@250wpm)___ 452(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 135522 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 678(@200wpm)___ 542(@250wpm)___ 452(@300wpm)
I’m starting to wish we really were friends back in the day.
I had no idea Cole was planning for us to have a night out on the town. But now that I’m out of the house, I can’t imagine what else I’d be doing. Sitting in my room thinking of him? Lounging on my patio with my work laptop, distracted by thoughts of him? Just staring at a wall daydreaming of me and Cole kissing heatedly?
“I figured after your hard day of work, you’d like to kick back and relax,” says Cole as we turn onto Main Street, “and last night, you mentioned it’s been a long time since you’ve been to a movie, and there happens to be a fantasy one that came out last weekend, so I thought, hey, maybe this would be totally your thing.”
I relish the idea of cuddling next to Cole in a movie theater.
But also: “If it’s the one about the demon sorcerer, I’m gonna want to pay attention,” I warn him. “That means we can’t be bad in the theater.”
“Bad? … Bad?” Cole laughs. “What do you think I’m gonna do? Throw popcorn at the people in the front row?”
“I meant …” Suddenly I wonder if it’s presumptuous of me to assume he plans to make out with me like a horny schoolboy in the back of the auditorium. As usual, I’m overthinking it. “Never mind,” I mumble as we pull into the movie theater parking lot.
That’s the last of my inquiries before we’re standing in front of the concession stand and he’s ordering us two sodas and a big bucket of popcorn to share. “Did you know my boss Bobby used to work here years ago?” Cole tells me as we wait on the popcorn to be scooped. “Apparently he was fired after throwing himself over this very counter to punch Anthony Myers square in the face.”
“Actually,” says the concession worker, setting the popcorn on the counter, “it was Jimmy who punched Anthony in the face. It was bad. I kept telling Bobby he shouldn’t invite his boyfriend to his workplace. Then again, they weren’t boyfriends yet.” He gives Cole a smirk. “Don’t act like you don’t know who I am, man.”
Cole gasps. “Oh, shit, sorry, Vince! I didn’t recognize you in a fancy shirt and bowtie,” he teases. “How’ve you been?”
“How cool’s this? I’m the supervisor now,” says Vince with a pinch of pride as he butters our popcorn without even looking, expertly twirling the bucket round and round under the pump. “But Mr. Lemon cut back on weekday staff, so I’m just a glorified everywhere-man in a tie. I’ll probably be the guy cleaning up your theater, too. Hey, cool article I read about you two today.”
Cole and I both appear caught by surprise. “You read it?” asks Cole with a lift of an eyebrow.
“Skimmed, if I’m being honest. Bored earlier, no customers. It was cool to read about two guys from my graduating class, though. And now one of them’s gonna be in a male pageant? That’s wild.” He slides the popcorn and sodas across the counter. Cole pulls out his wallet to pay. “Now, I can see you being one of the bachelors, but Anthony Myers …? That a joke? C’mon, who’s the real third bachelor? Tell me.” He leans across the counter. “I’ll keep it secret, because I sure as shit know it isn’t Anthony. I checked my phone three times today to make sure it wasn’t April Fools.”
Cole chuckles. “It really is him, believe it or not. Mrs. Strong’s got a soft spot for the guy.”
Vince shakes his head as he rings us up. “I just might have to attend to watch him strut his stuff on a stage in a tuxedo with a straight face. And what about you, Cole? You sure you can handle it? You always struck me as a guy who keeps to himself.”
Cole glances at me, a hint of a smile on his lips. “I think I can manage,” he decides as he observes me. I feel like I can read all the words he isn’t saying, nestled between the lines, and I smile.
“Well, here’s your practice,” says Vince as he hands Cole his card back, then peers past us. “Seems like you’ve already got some adoring fans.”
After a moment of confusion, we turn. There are two arcade crane games near the front entrance, and it’s right next to them that we spot three teenage girls staring at us. Upon being caught, two of them look away, blushing, while the third, more daring, gives Cole a flirty wave. Cole politely waves back.
“Enjoy your show,” says Vince with due irony.
Cole and I glance at each other uncertainly.
The girls at the crane machine are only the beginning. When we make our way to our movie, a neighboring auditorium lets out, and it feels as if every set of eyes is upon us. Even when we make it to our seats inside our theater, I swear there are people through the dark searching for us, even when there’s no one there.