Page 52 of Melt With You

‘I told you before. I was no good in Trig. I never would have passed without your help.’

‘It’s not a math equation, Dori.’ He actually laughed at her, and she grinned back in spite of herself. His laugh took her back. Took her to the first time she’d heard the sound, in her freshman year. That low, infectious rumble coming from behind her, a quick turn of her head to see this cute boy looking at her and smiling. Really, didn’t she travel through time constantly? Memories pulling her backward when she least expected them to. ‘It’s from Star Trek. The Prime Directive is to not interfere with the indigenous culture. But you interfered right away. And then things got a little out of hand.’

Dori drank her coffee, feeling a variety of emotions.

‘This isn’t just about seeing you,’ Rowan said softly. ‘It’s bigger than that. You understand that, don’t you?’

‘What do you mean?’

‘We’re going to save the theater.’

Chapter Twenty-Four

‘Didn’t you love The Majestic?’

Dori nodded, eyes wide. They were back at her house now, and Rowan was continuing to explain his plan. He’d loved the old movie theater as much as Dori had, and when he’d learnt of its impending sale, he’d decided to step in.

‘Why wouldn’t you just buy it when it went up for sale?’

‘I know you’ve been doing stellar as a make-up artist, but do you happen to have sixteen million dollars hanging out in your bank account after payday?’

She shook her head.

‘Me neither. But I knew how to get it.’

Dori shook the tea can on the top shelf, and Rowan said, ‘I’ve never been a big tea drinker.’

Dori pulled the cap off the English Breakfast tin and showed him what was inside. He took the tin from her and inhaled. ‘Whose is this? Your brother’s?’

She shook her head, unable to hide her smile at his surprise. ‘My mom’s.’

He got an expression on his face that reminded Dori of the high school boy once more. Half devious, half impressed.

‘How’d you find it?’

‘I was looking for extra cash the first day. I hardly had any bills that would work. I never carry much cash, as it is, and most of mine were dated in the 90s. Some were those new tens and twenties that people would have thought were counterfeit. So I tore through all of my mom’s favorite hiding places, and along with the cash, I found grass.’

‘Will your mom notice?’

Dori shrugged. ‘I doubt it. She’s so scattered.’

That was enough for Rowan. He watched as Dori expertly rolled a joint, and when he raised his eyebrows, she said, ‘Van. He’s taught me a lot, you know?’

‘Yeah,’ Rowan said, his voice slightly colder. ‘I do know,’ and Dori remembered the scene at the theater. She wondered what had made Rowan decide to dress up like Frank-N-Furter, wondered what he’d thought about the way she and Van had acted together.

‘He’s a kid,’ she reminded him. ‘You’re not still jealous. I’m not upset about Mrs Hughes.’ He’d told her about his plan, the thought of fucking his wet dream from high school. But he’d also confessed that he hadn’t gone through with it.

‘Well, you ought to be.’

Dori had the joint lit by now, and she inhaled deeply and then started to laugh. ‘Tell me why.’

‘Why should you be jealous? Because she would have taken me on in a second, those full lips of her wrapped around my –’

She shook her head and then handed him the joint, laughing harder.

‘Why, what, Dori?’

Dori felt as if she might pee from laughing so hard, but finally she managed to speak clearly. ‘Why they all called her Yum-Yum.’

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