Page 65 of Lovesick
“D’artagnan,” I said, stressing the word to draw his attention back to what was most important—imminent romance, “is the only guide who really helps her through all the light and dark moments, because no one else believes in her. Partly because she’s female. Except Elody and D’artagnan hate each other from the beginning, and she doesn’t know if she can trust him.”
“That sounds bleak.”
“I know!” I squealed. “I love it. It’s called the enemies-to-lovers plotline, and it’s my favorite. There’s drama and tension built in. I mean, you can’t ask for any better challenge than dragging two people who hate each other into the depths of love, right?”
“Disagree.”
“Then what’s your favorite challenge?”
“Free-climbing El Capitan.”
I laughed as the movie started. “Fair enough.”
“You know they get together in the end, though,” he whispered as the lights dimmed. He’d leaned in closer, the sweet and salty smell of kettle corn on his breath. “How can you really enjoy it if you already know the ending?”
“It’s preciselywhyI love it. I know it’ll happen, but I don’t know how. I don’t know what moments will bring them together. What tension will build? It’s really all abouthowthey connect, notifthey connect. The enjoyment is in the imagining.”
He made a noise in his throat as the camera panned over a view of a castle, and I silenced another internal squeal. I’d been waitingforeverto watch this movie. Having him, of all people, right next to me couldn’t have been any better.
Or so I hoped.
If he tried to ruin this for me, I’d throw popcorn on him and take the Zombie Mobile so he could hitchhike home.
Thankfully, he fell into it as quickly as I did. The biggest challenge was focusing on the screen, and not on the way his arm pressed against mine because neither of us lifted the armrest. Or on the occasional hint of forest that lingered in the air when he shifted. Halfway through the movie, an old man behind us coughed.
I leaned closer to JJ. “We should invite him to sit with us.”
He sent me a confused look.
“He’s all by himself,” I whispered.
“Yeah, probably because he wants to be.”
“Maybe not?”
“It’ll distract from the movie.”
I’d mostly been teasing, so I sent him a rueful smile and turned my attention back to the screen, but he remained leaning closer to me than ever. I almost missed the epic first-kiss scene inside a waterfall.
“It’s soLast of the Mohicans,” I whispered in delight. “Well done, screenwriter.”
JJ outright laughed.
When the movie ended and I blinked back tears from an utterly perfect proposal, JJ let out a long breath. The lights slowly brightened, flooding the room. Behind us, the old man trundled to the end of his row to quietly head down the stairs. I didn’t want to leave.
“Well?” I asked. “You had so little to say.”
“Surprisingly.” JJ blinked. “It’s ... interesting. I see why you like it.”
Then why did he look so confused?
I’d already given up hope that JJ would see romance the way I did. Now, I just wanted his acknowledgment that romance was real. I better earn a point of concession out of this date,I thought.
“Rate it out of ten,” I said. “Withonebeing you hated it and will never give romance another chance andtenbeing it’s the best movie you’ve ever seen.”
“A five.”
“Respectable!” I cried. “And far better than I thought.”
