Chapter Twenty-One #3
“I’m fine. Go on.” Ethan reached across the table and covered her hand with his.
His touch was soft and warm and reassuring.
She liked the weight of him and the feel of his skin.
Dani drained her glass, her nerves subsiding.
Ethan’s hand was still firmly planted on hers, and she wasn’t in any rush to make him move it.
“Let’s just say, he ruined my life in a way that I’ll never be able to get over.
” She wanted to tell him more, but laying her life story out on their first and only date was a little too heavy.
Besides, she liked the way that he made her feel.
Normal. The night was too early to scare him away with real life stories about stalkers and serial killers.
“You don’t have to share anything more if you feel uncomfortable,” Ethan said.
“I appreciate that. Thank you for coming over and making me dinner and just … listening.”
“Any time,” he said. “I just hope you’re okay.”
“I’m not, not really,” she admitted. “My teen years were the worst time in my life, and some things have come back to remind me about it. I had a stalker.”
“Oh. That’s pretty heavy.”
“Yeah.”
“Well, I don’t mind listening,” he said. “I wanted to get to know you a little more, but I understand if you don’t want to talk about it.”
“Thanks.” Dani turned her hand over and squeezed his palm.
Long forgotten feel-good chemicals cloaked her brain in warmth.
“The thing is, I don’t even know what I did to get this guy's attention. It’s something I’ve thought about for a long time.
Why me? What could I have done differently, you know? ”
“You just existed,” he said. “You didn’t do anything wrong. Some people think that if you’re nice to them, then they deserve access to you.”
“That’s true.”
Ethan squeezed her hand again. “You’re sure you’re okay?”
Dani nodded. “Absolutely. I’m probably being overly cautious anyway. I’m happy to have the company for tonight, at least.”
“I’m happy to be here.”
“Let’s change the subject,” she said. “Tell me about you instead.”
Dani thoughtfully chewed her steak as Ethan told her about his childhood in Michigan and the screenplay he was currently working on.
He told her how he broke his leg skateboarding as a kid and how he has a pet cat named Cat Blanchett.
She gave him little snippets of information about her day-to-day life but didn’t bring up the past again.
Dani was enjoying herself for a change, maybe a little too much.
If this was going to be their only night together, she wanted it to end on a good note.
With their dinner gone and almost two bottles of wine emptied too, Ethan cleared the table and began to do the dishes.
“So what are you working on now?” he asked.
“Hmm?” Dani sipped at her fourth tall glass of wine, positively floating. “Oh, like, outside of work stuff?”
“Yeah. You’re a screenwriter too, right?”
Dani’s eyes squinted into suspicious slits. “How did you know about that?”
“Well, it’s not a stretch to assume that a literary professor is also a writer.” Ethan shot her a smirk over his shoulder. “I also might have asked around about you.”
“I see.” A warm sensation flooded her chest, slow and sweet as honey. “Yes, I do some screenwriting on the side. Not anything you’ve probably heard of.”
“Ah, come on,” he said. “You know about my work. Tell me.”
“Well, you know those corny, heart-warming Christmas romances that they show on cable TV?”
“The one’s where everyone looks perfect and they always have some kind of gazebo in the middle of a small town?”
“Bingo. For the last decade I’ve spent my summer breaks writing those under a pen name. Felicity Myers. You might have heard of my last screenplay, actually. It did pretty well.”
“What was it called?”
“A Puppy and a Prince for Christmas.”
“I can’t say I’ve seen it.” He chuckled. “We should watch it.”
“No.”
“Yes! I would love to,” he said.
“It’s … I mean, it’s nothing like what you write,” she said. “You’ll hate it.”
“I appreciate the art of storytelling in all forms,” he said. “Besides, romance is a hot market. How did you get into it anyway?”
“One of my old college acquaintances worked for the network and helped me get my foot in the door.” She shrugged. “Romance screenplays weren’t really my passion, but they were fun to write. The money wasn’t bad either and helped pay for the down payment on my house, so there’s that.”
“So, are you working on something new then? Something more in your wheelhouse?”
“I am,” she said. “It’s a horror screenplay, actually. Based on the stuff I was telling you about. I’ve been putting off writing it for so long, but I’m nearly finished now.”
“That must be hard to revisit,” he said.
“It was at first,” she said. “But now it's … cathartic.”
“I know what you mean.” Ethan glanced at the clock over the stove. “The night is still young, and I need to sober up before I hit the road. I sure would like to find out what happens with the puppy and that prince.”
“I really don’t think you’ll enjoy it.”
“You’d be surprised,” he said. “Besides, now that I know, I’ll just watch it on my own. I’d rather watch it with you though.”
“Oh my god,” Dani groaned and smiled. “Sure. What the hell.”
Ethan followed Dani to the living room and sunk into the sofa as she opened up the doors to her console.
She plucked A Puppy and a Prince for Christmas from her extensive movie collection and inserted the disc into her DVD player.
It had been a long time since anyone other than her aunt had been inside her home, and as she settled in on the couch next to him, Dani realized just how badly she needed companionship.
“So only Jess at work knows about this,” she said. “I suppose once I’m long gone it won’t matter who knows that I write romcoms anyway.”
“Don’t worry,” Ethan said, taking her hand in his. “Your secrets are safe with me.”
Dani squeezed his hand as the credits for the movie rolled across the screen.
She rarely rewatched the films she wrote for, mainly because she didn’t want to get frustrated when they went off script or misinterpreted her lines.
Ethan watched with what seemed like genuine interest and asked questions about her characters, the plotline, and the process.
“So, with romance, how do you create chemistry between two characters?” He asked. “Like, no offense, I know that secret princes and billionaires are a big trope in romance, but how do you get the average person to get behind that?”
“It’s easy. Give the main characters relatable flaws to make them seem more likable.
Also, show the characters performing small acts of service for each other,” Dani said.
“So in this one, the prince is allergic to dogs, but he knows how much the new puppy means to the gorgeous, plucky bed and breakfast owner. So the prince takes allergy pills so that he can spend time with her.”
“I see,” he said. “What’s your relatable flaw?”
“Hmm. I’ve been told that people think I’m pretty unlikeable,” she scoffed. “I don’t know that I have a relatable flaw.”
“I have a hard time believing that,” he said. “I happen to find you very likable.”
“I don’t know. Maybe it’s because I keep to myself that people have that impression of me.” Dani shook her head and gave him a smiley sad frown. “What’s your relatable flaw?”
“Me? Well, it seems that I’m attracted to unavailable, mysterious women,” he said. “It’s too bad, really.”
“You should work on that,” Dani said, her gaze set on his mouth.
“Maybe I will.”
Dani leaned in and planted a long, slow, kiss on his lips.
She breathed him in, intoxicated with his clean laundry and dinner scent.
He smelled like safety. Comfort. Home. Ethan returned her kiss with enthusiasm as she straddled his waist. In that moment, Dani let herself forget all about the past and the dangerous present as he ran his fingers through her hair.
She pulled her shirt over her head and kissed him harder and deeper, allowing herself to indulge in the moment.
Remembering what it felt like to be free again.
Outside her house, a vehicle idled in the dark. Watching. Waiting.