Page 7 of If This Was a Movie

His smile turns to a grin, taking over his entire face.

“It does. Okay, tell me about yourself,” Nate says.

Relief that I won’t have to find a way to break the ice myself floods me right before the panic of having to talk about myself kicks in.

“Tell you about myself?” I ask with a stutter. He nods. “Well, uh, what do you want to know?”

“Whatever you want to share,” he says, but he must see the anxiety on my face because he chuckles before adding, “Okay, how about what do you do for fun?” he asks, and I contemplate how to answer.

I used to dance for fun, and I guess I still do, but it’s a job now, as all good hobbies become. I used to do crafts, but I don’t have the time or mental capacity anymore, so that feels disingenuous. Despite how often Ava recommends books, I never find the will, time, or energy to pick up one.

“I watch movies.” The answer clearly takes him aback because he lets out a laugh, something deep and comforting that slides through me and settles in my bones like that’s where he’s meant to be, meant to stay. I smile back at him and shrug before he speaks.

“You watch movies? What kind, like the classics?”

“I mean, they’re classics to me. I love romantic comedies.”

“All right, so you watch romantic comedies for fun and you’re sitting in a bar alone on New Year’s Eve—am I safe to assume you’re single?”

“Woooow,” I say with a laugh. “God, that one hurt.”

“Fuck, shit. I didn’t mean it that way, I just?—”

My laugh builds, and I touch his arm. The sleeve of his sweater is pushed up so my fingertips graze his arm, bare skin sending a bolt of recognition through me as I do.

“I’m just messing with you. Yeah, I’m single. Kind of obvious, unfortunately.” I pause, trying to decide if I’m brave enough to ask, then do it anyway. “You?”

“Same,” he says with a smile that goes wider. “Okay, now it’s your turn.”

“My turn?”

“That’s how this game works, isn’t it? You ask a question, I ask another. Get to know each other.” I smile and nod in agreement, trying not to squeal as I remember Ava telling meshe and Jaime did this when they were stuck in long car rides together before they were together. “So it’s your turn,” he says with a tip of his head and moving to take a sip of his beer.

I try and think of what to ask, what I need to know, before landing on the easiest one.

“What do you do for a living?”

“I own a contracting business. I renovate homes and businesses, do new builds, the whole nine.” So he does work with his hands.

“That’s interesting. Did you go to school for that?”

He shakes his head. “No, wasn’t for me. I did a bunch of apprenticeships out of high school, and my dad’s a carpenter. Learned about a lot, then started my own business.”

“That’s admirable,” I say.

“And that was two questions,” he says, and I blush.

“Oh, I didn’t mean—” His hand reaches out, grabbing mine as he smiles at me.

“I’m just fucking with you, Jules. But I get two now. What do you do?”

“I own a dance studio downtown.”

“Are you a dancer?”

I nod. “I danced as a kid and through college, but I always knew it wasn’t going to be a forever thing. I danced because I loved it, not because I was phenomenal or I wanted to make it my life’s career.”

“I’m sure you’re amazing,” he says.

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