Page 59 of The Now in Forever
“Whoa. Like you’d live there.”
I laugh. “Sadly, most teaching jobs are in person.”
“Right. Do youwantto live there?”
I bite my lip. The honest answer is that I don’t know. It could be good. “I’m not sure.”
“I’m never moving back. It was not for me.”
“Why?”
“Too small, not enough to do.”
I nod and wonder if he’s right. Would I be bored there? Myhobbies are running, reading, and writing—I can do that anywhere and be happy. I’d be close to Grandma.
He reaches out and grabs my hand as we round the corner to the little theater with a large awning over it,Cinemaspelled out in red neon cursive. There’s a line of gold frames on the brick wall of the building, each with a different movie poster. There’s one blockbuster,one art house film, and I do a double take at the last poster. Staring at me with the exact haircut I sported post breakup is Gwyneth Paltrow starring inSliding Doors.
I cover my mouth, my eyes wide, and point to it.
Ed laughs. “It starts in ten minutes if you want to see it.”
“I can’t believeyouwant to see it.”
Ed shrugs. “Let’s get some popcorn.”
He buys us tickets, a large popcorn, a large drink, and Reese’s Pieces. The auditorium is dark, ads flashing on the screen, and the theater is half empty. We find two seats toward the back and settle in.
“How did you find this?” I ask.
Ed chews the popcorn in his mouth. “I was GooglingSliding Doorsand saw it was playing here.”
“You were Googling it?”
“I wanted to see the haircut. I still can’t believe I didn’t recognize you that day.”
I put my hand in his. “It was a rough tour.”
The theater gets a notch darker. Nineties pop music blares out, telling us to have fun living in the city, with bright cityscapes to match on the screen.
As I reach for some popcorn, Ed puts a hand on my leg. I haven’t seen this movie in quite a few years, but I watched it so many times the summer Chad left, I practically have every line memorized. I felt so seen by Gwyneth catching her boyfriend cheating on her. I didn’t catch Chad, but I sometimes wish I had. Would I have been as dry and funny as Gwyneth? Probably not.
Ed opens the candy mid movie and places them one by one on my leg, each time brushing my bare thigh, sending goose bumps all the way up my legs.
Once there’s a row of five, I whisper, “What are you doing?”
“Eating snacks and watching the movie.” He puts his finger to his lips. “Shhh.”
I roll my eyes. He places a few more, going higher and higher on my thigh each time. Ed casually eats the candy off my leg one at a time. Each skim of his fingers sending shivers down my spine. Once he gets to the last piece, he turns his face to mine. I put my hand where his jaw meets his neck and pull him into a soft kiss. His lips are sweet and a little salty from the popcorn. Our kiss is light and playful, a perfect matinee movie kiss, but it quickly turns more passionate.
His lips find the spot right behind my ear he knows I like.
“You’re making me wet,” I breathe out without thinking.
He sits back in his chair, his hand still on my thigh. “Can I?” he asks as his hand moves inch by inch up my denim skirt.
My breath catches in my throat. I sit back in my seat, placing a hand on either arm rest, looking around. There are two other couples both closer to the screen, and no one is paying attention to us. I nod, biting my lip as his hand moves up.
He moves my panties to the side and runs the long finger of his hand lightly along my wetness.
