“True, but one doesn’t have anything to do with the other. Just because the story was set in Montana, it doesn’t mean that it’s Montana’s fault.”
“I can see that, though the movie did not make me want to go there.”
“Did you like it, the movie?” I asked.
“Yeah, it held my interest, and I didn’t see the twist at the end. Did you?”
I couldn’t have said what the twist was at all, so I could honestly answer her, “No. I had no clue. Do you usually figure out plot twists?”
“Sometimes. Depends on the story. I thought it was going to be the daughter who did it, and the mother was protecting her. I never thought it would have been the dad.”
“They did a good job keeping us guessing,” I said and slid out of the cab as we got to her apartment.
Every time we did this, I felt the same. I both dreaded it and was nervous. I knew how I wanted the evening to end, but every night she didn’t give me any indication that she wanted me to kiss her. It probably didn’t help matters that I didn’t try to, but I didn't push her; I didn’t want her to think that she should feel obligated to let me kiss her.
I didn’t want her to feel anything but happy when she was around me. I didn't want to ruin what we had by pushing her into something she didn’t want. As much as I hated to end the night by walking away from her yet again, it was better than the alternative of her telling me she never wanted to see me again.
“Thanks for a great night,” I said as we got to her door.
“You say that every night.”
“I mean it every night. We’ll have to go and get that pizza again soon. Maybe try one of their combinations.”
“Are they as good as what we had?” she asked.
“Better. Or at least I think they are,” I admitted.
“I don’t think it could have gotten better, so we’ll have to go again soon.”
“It’s a date,” I said and looked at her as I said it. I needed to see her reaction. All she did was look at me as if I hadn’t said anything unusual. Clearing my throat, I added, “We could go check out the High Line. The weather should be nice on Sunday to do that.”
“I would like that.”
“Wonderful. Maybe we could do brunch beforehand. I can see if there are some restaurants near where we can go?” I suggested.
“I can look them up, maybe see what I can find.”
“Really? Sure, if you want to,” I said.
“You keep coming up with the places and ideas to go. I can try it. If you don’t know a place specifically, then I can look something up as easily as you can. I can see if any of my coworkers know of a place. I think Angie lives near there.”
“That would be great.”
“Okay. I’ll let you know,” she said.
We fell into an awkward silence. I didn’t really have anything else to say, but I didn’t want to leave her either. After a few more seconds of awkwardness, I took a step back and said, “I should let you get up to your apartment. Let me know what you find for the restaurant, and we can make our plans from there,” I said.
“Oh, okay,” Zoey stammered. She seemed confused by my statement.
“Did you not want to go?” I asked.
“No. Yes. I mean, yes, I want to go.”
“Okay, was there something else?” I asked.
“No. nothing. Um, have a good night,” she said.
I didn’t move for a second. There had been a look in her eyes when she spoke that made me think she wanted to say something more, but she hadn’t. I hoped she would say whatever she wanted to; I hoped she would tell me to come back, but after a moment, she didn’t, and I nodded and turned towards the street. I had only gotten a few steps when Zoey called my name.