Page 43 of The Dollhouse

“I don’t think you have a good opinion of yourself,” she cut in. “I think you’re perfect, Lake.” Just like that, she’d spoken something so seriously, so quietly and sincerely that I could do nothing but swallow and fight the heat creeping up my cheeks.

If anyone else would’ve said that, I wouldn’t have believed them, but hearing it from Zoey’s mouth… I wanted to believe her. I wanted her to think I was perfect. After all, if she thought I was perfect, why would she ever let me go? I sure as hell didn’t want to let her go, and this was only our first date. Who knew where life would take us after this, what would happen a week from now, a month from now, a year from now—but I didn’t care. I wanted Zoey.

I wanted her more than I’d ever wanted anyone else before, so badly it was like no other girl existed in my life.

When we finished up at the ice cream shop, I went to hold her hand as we walked to the car. Zoey let me, which I took as a good sign. We even held hands in the car on the way to the movie theater. Her small, warm hand felt so snug, so soft, like it fit perfectly with mine, and if I had my way, I’d never let it go all night.

But, you know, once I bought us our tickets, she had to go to the restroom, so I had to let go of her hand for that.

I decided to order us some popcorn and a ridiculously oversized drink while I waited for her to come out. She’d chosen a horror movie that had been out for a few weeks, so I was hoping the movie theater room wouldn’t be jam-packed with other people.

Not that I was hoping for an empty theater… I knew what people sometimes did in empty theaters, and I would not want Zoey to get the wrong idea.

I mean, not that Iwouldn’twant to do things with her if given the chance…

Oh, God. I need to stop that train of thought right now, before she comes back, I told myself. Suddenly getting a grip had never been harder. Zoey really did make me go nuts, rambling on and on about the stupidest of things. No one else ever had that power before; I hoped she’d use it for good and not for evil.

Zoey returned from the restroom, looking as stunning as ever, giving me a wide smile when she saw the popcorn in my hand. We found our theater room and chose seats in the highest back row. There were a few other small groups already in the room, but it was nowhere near as packed as the room holding the newest superhero movie was.

Well, if Zoey liked horror, surely I could learn to love it too, right?

The previews were already playing, and Zoey reached over to grab some popcorn. She gave me a thumbs-up and a wink when she tossed the popcorn into her mouth, grinning wickedly. “Super buttery. It’s good.”

I did my best not to watch her, not to stare at her like a man seeing the love of his life for the first time in years, but it was hard. While I tried to keep my mind occupied with something else, I wondered if she often went to the movies before, if she’d gone with her cheater of an ex. Did rich people go to the movies?

She seemed to be having fun, so I was going to take that as a win. Plus, you know, she was the one who chose what we were doing on the date, so it wasn’t like I was the one making the decisions here. It was all Zoey, and I was just along for the ride, happy to finally spend more time with her.

For a while there, I thought she’d decided I didn’t exist, which hurt. And then that guy, who kept coming over—what was his name? Baxter? Carter? Whatever. An agent of her parents or something, trying to get her to come back home. I hoped I was enough for her.

The movie started, and let’s just say I didn’t know whether I’d ever be a fan of horror. The blood. The guts. The torture. Even though I knew it was all fake, that the blood onscreen was nothing more than starch and red food coloring, it still made me a little sick in the stomach. Zoey, though, was rapt, her attention never wavering from the giant screen in front of us.

Never would’ve guessed she liked horror this much, but I guess everyone was different. That’s what made the world a fun place.

We were the last ones in the theater when the movie finished rolling. Everyone else got up the moment the credits began to roll, but Zoey didn’t. She remained in her seat, and so I stayed in mine, turning my head toward her, smiling as I watched her. For the first time ever, I think, she looked happy. Truly happy, content here, with me, and that’s all I ever wanted. To help her adjust, to help her forget all the crap she’d run from.

Zoey was slow to look at me, meeting my smile with one of her own. “I kind of wish we could watch it again. Did you like it?”

Did I enjoy watching a family get lost in the hills of the Appalachian Mountains, losing their lives and their limbs—not exactly in that order—to a family of inbred hillbillies? “It was definitely something else,” I said, not quite able to say I loved the movie. What I did love was spending time with her. I didn’t care what the heck we did, as long as I could be with her.

Man, listen to me. Our first date, and it already sounded like I was in love with her, didn’t it?

I mean, I’d thought about her a lot, tried to go out of my way often to see her or talk to her, but that was going a little too far, too fast. I couldn’t let myself get caught up in her; I didn’t want to scare her off.

She sighed as she got up. “You hated it.”

I followed her down the steps, tossing the mostly empty popcorn bag and cup in the trash bin before leaving the theater room. “No, I didn’t.” I didn’t sound very believable, though.

Her hand found mine, her fingers weaving through mine as we walked out. “Next time, I’ll let you pick the movie,” Zoey said, shooting me a smile. “How about that?”

My feet abruptly stopped, and I whipped my head in her direction, unable to hide how stunned I was at her suggestion. “You… you want to go out again?” I couldn’t say why, but that seemed like such a far-fetched scenario, I could scarcely believe my own ears.

A giggle escaped her, and she gave me a quizzical look. “Yes?” Zoey paused, letting her laughter die down as her hand squeezed mine. “Do you not want to? Was it really that bad of a date? I know it’s been a while since I’ve gone on one, but—”

“No,” I quickly said. “No, that’s not… that’s not it. Of course, I want to see you again, and not just as my neighbor.” Now it was my turn to squeeze her hand, to reassure her that this was not, in fact, a horrible date I never wanted to repeat again. “I really like spending time with you, Zoey.”

The look she gave me right then and there made me feel something else, like, something deep within me told me I’d found a girl I had to fight to keep. I felt great, standing there with her, her hand in mine, no worries at all.

The look she gave me made me bend my head down toward her and press my lips on hers, right in the middle of the theater’s lobby.

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