Page 33 of Late Fees

He shrugged. “I think they love the publicity.”

“And I think we need to agree to disagree on this one.” I took a sip of my drink, trying to keep my cool. Because the truth was, neither of us had any idea if Pamela Anderson and Tommy Lee had released that tape themselves or if they were robbed of their privacy. It was all speculation.

But still, I was disappointed he’d watched it.

Kevin cleared his throat. “Okay, you tell me one.”

“All right, um,” I said, flustered. Moments ago, I had all five of my choices on the tip of my tongue. But now, I was drawing a blank. “Ethan Hawke.”

“Reality Bites, right? The guy who didn’t wash his hair.”

“I’m sure he does in real life.”

“I doubt it.” He shook his head, looking grossed out.

Um…oooo-kay.

Another uncomfortable pause consumed our table. Kevin scratched the back of his neck. “So…number two?” I asked.

“Meg Ryan.”

“She’s adorable. I loved Prelude to a Kiss.”

Kevin pressed his lips together and shook his head. “Haven’t seen it.”

“You need to get on that. She and Alec Baldwin are just…” I pressed my fingers together and kissed them like my Italian grandmother always did when her sauce turned out just right. “Perfecto.”

Kevin chuckled and nodded.

“All right, you’ve convinced me.” He wiped his mouth with a napkin. “Maybe we could watch it together?”

“Yeah, maybe.”

A satisfied smile crossed Kevin’s face as he bit down on his lower lip. “Want to tell me your next one?”

“Oh, right,” I said, feeling a little flustered. As attracted as I was to Kevin, there was just something about our chemistry—or lack thereof—that was throwing me off. I tried to push it away and just focus on the warmth of his eyes and the dimple that formed on his cheek when he smiled.

Give him a chance, Tilly.

“Christian Slater.”

Kevin scrunched his nose. “Ugh, really?”

“What’s wrong with Christian Slater?”

“How much time you got?” he teased, and I raised my eyebrows. “You have to admit, the guy is just one big Jack Nicholson impression.”

Taking another sip of my drink, I waved him away. “Not. At. All. You’re thinking of Heathers…that was a long time ago…almost ten years. He was just figuring things out. Although, he was rather awesome in that flick.”

“He was also a psycho.”

“It was a dark comedy. Of course, he was psycho. ‘Geez, did you have a brain tumor for breakfast?’” I asked, laughing at my own movie reference. But Kevin said nothing, taking another bite of his pizza and breathing heavily as he chewed. Clearly, he wasn’t happy with how things were going between us, either.

“That was a line from the movie. You know, the evil Heather says it to Winona Ryder.”

“Yeah, I know.”

“Um…all right.”

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