“You haven’t seenThe Hunger Games?” His daughter gasps and then her mouth hangs open.
I shake my head, my muscles freezing as panic swells up inside me. This is new for me, and I just don’t know if I’m ready right now, so I brush it off. “No, I haven’t seen it. I wouldn’t want to impose on your weekend.”
“Nonsense, you wouldn’t. We would love for you to join us. Right, Aria?” Marc says, not taking no for an answer. I’m about to protest again, but as soon as I open my mouth, Aria interrupts.
“Sure. The fact you haven’t seen that movie yet is a crime,” she says, crossing her arms over her white sweatshirt.
“Well, we can’t have that, can we?” Marc says, offering me a wink. Both of them are watching me, as nerves rise to my throat and constrict me of breath.
What do I do…
I need to think quickly. If I say no, will that be an opportunity gone to get to know Aria? And will I lose my chance at winning his heart?
If I go tonight, it’s only a movie, so there isn’t a lot of talking and the movie will distract us. But at least it will be a good tester to see if this is something I can handle. The way my heart is in my throat right now, I don’t know if that will be the case, but I don’t want to lose him. So with that said, I could try? What’s the worst that could happen? I hate the movie? Or choke on the popcorn and require mouth to mouth from him…
“If you don’t mind, I’ll be up for it. I just need to grab some food and drop it by my house. What time is the movie starting?” I ask.
I also want to run home and phone Ava. I need to talk this out with her. Hopefully, she has some good advice.
Aria looks at Marc and shrugs. Turning toward me, she says, “Whenever you come.”
It shouldn’t be too long…unless Ava distracts me.
“Don’t rush. Whenever you turn up, it’s fine,” Marc soothes with the biggest shit-eating grin that reaches his eyes, showing the lines around them. He grabs Aria around the shoulders to guide her away.
“Okay, well, I’ll go, and I’ll see you soon.”
“See you soon.” Marc smiles, turning around, leaving the aisle, and I stay stuck into place, quivering but finally able to breathe.
When I finally get my legs working again, I stroll through the rest of the store, picking up essentials.
As soon as I get home, I unpack and call Ava.
“What’s up?” she answers.
I blow out a breath and quickly explain. “I bumped into Marc and his daughter at the store before.”
“Ohhh.”
I love how excited she gets, even though I’m still racked with nerves.
“And he invited me to watch a movie at his place.”
“Just you two? I hope you said yes.”
I wince, remembering at first how I wanted to say no, but felt like they both wanted me to be there, so I couldn’t.
“No, his daughter will be there too. I couldn’t say no; his daughter was horrified that I hadn’t seenThe Hunger Games.”
“You haven’t seenThe Hunger Games?” she exclaims.
I close my eyes and pinch the bridge of my nose. “Not you too.”
“Everyone has seen it.”
“Clearly, not everyone,” I retort.
“So, you two and his daughter are all hanging out. You’re nervous, and that’s why you’re calling.”