I laughed at the phrase, catching him off guard. He gave me a perplexed look, clearly exasperated he hadn’t been able to sweep in and make a pretty speech, and I’d fall at his feet for the crumbs it was.
“Pray tell, why are you laughing at me?” He sighed.
“Princess Bride.”
He gave me a look, his eyebrows raised in confusion. “That clears up nothing for me.”
My jaw dropped. The notion he hadn’t seen a classic movie was truly shocking. “You haven’t seen Princess Bride?” I asked, despite Atticus just saying it.
“If it’s a movie, then no.”
“We must remedy this.”
“I do not care for movies.”
“I don’t even know who you are right now!”
“What do movies have to do with knowing me, Mrs. Carter?”
“Everything!”
“Hmph.”
He didn’t say anything else, and I remained shocked the rest of the trip. We pulled up to the school, and the door opened for me a second later. Seriously, magic. As I began to exit, he clasped my arm, stopping me. “I forgot to mention I looked into Barkley.”
Turning, I found our faces close. He’d moved across the seat to grab my arm, bringing our noses almost touching. I stared into his eyes. This close, they felt more like a black hole I could fall into and never escape. Darkness and brokenness swirled within. When he realized I stared back, he shut it down, closing off the vulnerability I’d seen.
“What did you find?” I finally remembered to ask.
“She is with Christine but appears to be in a safe environment and is fed. Since she’s not being mistreated or in danger, I’d advise waiting until your Mr. Young has the paperwork and then make your move.”
“Thank you. I will.”
He let go of my arm, and I slid the rest of the way out, pausing before I shut the door. “That’s something that shows me who you are more than your words ever will. Thank you for getting back to me.”
He appeared shocked for a mere second before he relented, facing forward. Sighing, I shut the door, and the car immediately pulled away. It had to be motion sensored or something. I was determined to figure this out. Shaking my head, I made my way into the school, excited to be here to support Jude.
Everyone else could wait.