I inched toward the door and started unlatching the chains as quietly as I could. Drawing in a deep breath, I pulled open the door, and there sat the candy in a bright pink bag. I almost melted into a puddle right then and there.
I snatched the treasure, quietly shut the door, then hustled to the computer desk. “I wish you were here, Lizzie, so I could give you some.”
“Enjoy them for me. I can’t believe that guy of yours.”
“He’s not my—”
“Oh yes, he is. What kind of guy would talk to you through the door like that, then agree to a video movie date, with a third wheel no less, and then, run and get you candy corn for the movie?”
A totally and completely amazing guy.
“Ready to start the movie?”
I nodded as I tapped my iPad to life and linked up with Lizzie, then hustled over to the TV area. A few clicks later, I had the movie cued up on the screen. The only thing left was to add Hunter to the chat.
“You got your movie ready?” I asked.
“Yep. I’m at the start. Does Hunter have Netflix?”
“We’ll find out.” I added his email to the chat, and my fingers went sweaty. “Here we go.”
A few seconds later, the video chat added another window, and it started ringing. My heart stalled, but then the click of Hunter answering the call kicked it into starting again.
“Hey,” he said as his face came into focus. “Did you get the candy?” His focus shifted slightly. “Hi.”
“Hey, Hunter,” Lizzie said as she waved. Her cheeks turned bright red. “Where’s my candy?”
“Um…
“Kidding. It’s quite a ways to New York.”
He laughed. “Okay, so, now what do I do?”
Over the next couple minutes, I talked him through how we’d count down and start the movie at the same time, and we were a go.
“This is pretty cool,” he said. “I think they have a watch party function, you know?”
“Yeah, but video is more fun,” Lizzie said.
“Where are you?” I asked.
“Bedroom, on the bed. You?”
“Couch.”
“Ah, I remember that room.”
Lizzie giggled.
“Show me your room,” I said.
He grinned, and his camera shifted. He tapped the screen, then disappeared. The picture shifted to his room. There were pale blue walls, but they were bare. No pictures or anything. As the screen panned right another door came into sight. “Okay, excuse the bare walls, but I am a guy. There’s the bathroom, and no, I won’t show you that.” The camera panned more. “Closet, then the door out into the living room.”
More blue walls came into view again and then the corner of the bed and his bare feet.
“Nice room!” Lizzie said. “Even the feet.”
The camera blanked out again, but in a flash, his face came into view again, and he was smiling. “So, you guys like action movies?”