Page 84 of Even After This
“I’m thinking through our options. Are you sure you want to stay in today? I’m sorry I didn’t have anything planned.” I pick at a thread on my hot-pink yoga pants. “Plus it’s my fault the guys didn’t grab you a ticket for the game.”
He covers my hand, stopping its nervous movement. “I think we need a lazy day. Tomorrow I’ll take you out on the town.”
Are those butterflies in my stomach? Dragonflies? Or a giant pterodactyl?
“Okay.” Did I just bat my eyes at him?
“Should we watch a movie?”
“Oh. Yes. Okay.” I have no clue how to navigate movies with him. I should have sent him to the game.
He freezes for a second as if contemplating something and shifts his body to face me. His deep brown eyes bore into mine. “I should probably confess something to you.” The gentle but teasing voice matches the glint in his eye. “As an actor, I have quirky rules about which movies I watch. You might even call me high-maintenance.”
“Right.” I scoff.
“Nothing with plotlines involving actors, directors, or screenwriters. No film scores composed by people whose names end inL,E, orP. And the deal-breaker. No Tom Cruise.”
“What?” I shove Harlan in the shoulder. “What’s wrong with Tom Cruise? You’re eliminating some epic cinema classics.”
“I suffer from an inferiority complex.” Mockingly, he crosses his muscular arms over his chest. “Are you making fun of me?”
“You’re just trying to make me feel better.” I roll my eyes. “I bet you guys are best friends.”
“Only Facebook friends.” Harlan hauls me to him, fitting us into the corner of the sofa. “Is it working?”
Releasing a sigh, I close my eyes. “Yes.”
“Your movie rules won’t scare me,” he says gently. “Let’s have them.”
“It’s probably easier if I tell you what I don’t watch.” I tug at the stray thread. “No death. No car wrecks. Nothing where a child’s life is threatened. And basically, understand I can veto a movie at any time for no reason at all.”
My list is met with silence.
I cringe. “I’m sorry—”
“No, ma’am. No apologies.” Harlan kisses the top of my head. “That’s good information.” He leans forward, taking me with him, to grab the remote. “I think I’ve got a solution.”
Scrolling through our options, he settles on my worst nightmare. Only his film choice doesn’t fit any of the taboo categories, and I don’t know how to skirt the issue.
“Divergent.” He raises his hands in victory, Rocky style.
“Yeah.” My exaggerated response isn’t convincing, even to me. “Divergent.” Most-embarrassing-moment flashbacks attack my vision. I glance at Harlan.
His lips twitch, breaking his earnest stare.
Wait a minute.
As I sit up, I take a better look at him. Gasping, I shove a finger into his firm chest. “Molly put you up to this.”
Harlan doubles over laughing. “Please, tell me the story. I have to hear it from you.”
“I cannot believe this.” I run my hands through my hair. “That little traitor.”
He twists to me and props his knee on the cushion. “All she said was to ask you aboutDivergentand CPS.”
Divergentand CPS, indeed.
Heat crawls up my neck, and I shake my head. “Fine.” I reach over him and snatch a handful of candy corn from a decorative crystal dish.
