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The entire time he was getting ready, he kept telling himself that he needed to calm down. They were going out as friends. It wasn’t a date.
That was true enough. He also knew that if the outing didn’t go well this afternoon, then the chances of him ever getting her to agree to go out on an actual date with him were slim to none. Talk about pressure.
Drew threw on a nice pair of faded jeans and a T-shirt. He had thought about stepping it up a little, maybe nice khakis instead of jeans, but decided that might not be the best idea. He couldn’t do anything that would suggest they were on a date.
After swiping his keys, he made the short drive to the movie theater. Getting out of his car, he saw her already waiting on a bench not far from the main entrance. She was beautiful, but she always was. Her hair was down, and for the first time he saw how it looked as it framed her face. He wanted to run his fingers through it and see if it felt as soft as it appeared.
He made it halfway to where she was before she saw him. Drew picked up his pace and crossed the parking lot. “Sorry I wasn’t here sooner. Did you have to wait long?”
She smiled, but it seemed off somehow. “No. I got here a few minutes ago.”
They stood in awkward silence for a moment.
“Should we go inside?” he asked.
“Yes. I mean, no. I mean . . .” She shook her head and huffed. “I hate feeling so out of sorts.”
Disappointment began to take hold. “Did you change your mind?”
“No. I agreed to see a movie with you, and that’s what I’m going to do. But we’ve agreed this isn’t a date, correct?”
“Correct. It’s just two friends going to see a movie together.”
Beth nodded. “That means I pay for my ticket, and you pay for yours. I don’t need there to be any blurred lines.”
Although the notion of him not paying for Beth’s ticket rubbed him the wrong way, he agreed, and motioned toward the ticket counter. “Shall we?”
She looked up at him with a much more relaxed expression. “You know, I was thinking maybe that action flick. You like action movies, don’t you?”
“Come on. I’m a guy. Of course I like action movies. What’s not to like? Fighting? Guns? Explosions?”
Beth laughed, and Drew felt a warmth spreading through his chest. So far so good. He had one goal for the day—to make sure Beth had a good time—and he was going to do everything he could to make that happen.
***
Chapter 9
Beth didn’t know what to expect when she’d accepted Drew’s invitation. All she knew was that when he’d asked, she really wanted to go. So throwing caution to the wind, she’d texted him back agreeing to meet him at the theater.
It turned out to be a very good decision. After getting their tickets, Drew had guided her over to the concession stand saying that they had to have popcorn. He’d gotten a large bucket—insisting he hadn’t eaten anything since breakfast—and a large soda. She’d ordered herself a drink, and tried to get him to let her pay half for the popcorn as well, but he was adamant that it wouldn’t be fair since he’d most likely eat the majority of it himself. Short of arguing with him in the middle of the cinema, Beth let it go. Sometimes Drew didn’t act very submissive.
While they were waiting for their movie to start, they munched on popcorn and commented on the theater ads that were showing. It was laid-back and natural. After a while, Beth started to relax.
The movie turned out to be pretty good. As advertised, there was a lot of action. What she hadn’t expected, however, was the tearjerker ending. The credits began rolling on the screen, and Beth was sniffing and wiping tears off her cheeks. How utterly unattractive.
“You okay?”
Beth nodded and reached into her purse for a tissue. “Yeah, I’m fine. I don’t know why they always make these movies with endings that make me cry.”
Drew shrugged. “They probably figure they’ve gotten the men with all the violence, so they need to appeal to the women as well with something emotional.”
She chuckled. “That’s rather sexist, you know.”
“Or honest.”
Beth had to give him that. And he was probably right in any case. Ninety percent of the movie was all about killing and blowing things up. While she had nothing against an action-packed movie, Beth preferred if there was a little more to it—a little heart. Which, of course, explained the tears she was currently wiping off her face.
They waited until everyone else had exited the theater before leaving. It gave her time to pull herself together and get rid of any evidence of her emotional outburst.
