Bexley
Slipping from bed, I headed toward the shower. It had been a long week at work, and I was glad it was over. The only part that had made it pleasant was Hudson. Ever since he’d shown up and brought me that rose, he’d made a point of coming by and spending my lunch hour with me.
We’d had lunch in the cafeteria on the days it had rained, and outside on the days it hadn’t. He’d even surprised me with a hot picnic lunch one afternoon. The last couple days I’d worked the night shift, but that hadn’t stopped him. Instead of coming by, he’d called me during my lunch hour and we’d FaceTimed. I was seeing a different side of him, one I knew I’d get used to if I allowed myself to. Then, before we’d gotten off the phone last night, he’d asked me out on a date tonight. I didn’t normally do anything on my first night off, but I agreed anyway.
Halfway through the last part of my shift, I started coming down with the chills, so I ended up coming home a little earlier than expected and crawled right into bed. I was still feeling run down as I turned the shower on, letting it warm up before stepping in.
Once inside, I let the hot water run down my body. Hudson was picking me up around six and we were going to see a movie at the local theatre. I’d been so happy when he’d insisted on picking me up, even though I’d offered to meet him there. I hated driving at night now, so much so I’d started taking the bus to the hospital when I had to work nights. It added an extra forty minutes to the beginning and end of my shift, but that was fine with me.
Forty minutes later, we stood in the movie theatre waiting to get popcorn. Hudson seemed on edge.
“I forgot to tell you that you look nice,” Hudson said as he looked up at the menu behind the counter.
I looked over at him. I could see the tension in his face and in his shoulders. He hadn’t been like that at all during the week, which made me question if Maya wasn’t hiding somewhere.
I glanced down at myself. I was wearing my favorite pair of ripped jeans and a black long-sleeved blouse, something he’d seen me in a million times before but had said nothing.
“Thanks. I’m glad to see you in something other than your funeral suit.”
Hudson chuckled. “You’ll have to forgive me for that. Like I say, I really suck at this dating thing.”
“I’ll be the judge of that,” I replied.
“You will?”
“I will.”
We both took a step forward when it was our turn. Hudson ordered an extra-large popcorn and two pops, then looked over at me. “Did you want candy?”
“How did you guess?” I questioned, wondering if Maya had mentioned something to him about my love for something sweet and salty.
“I guessed?” He shrugged. “Grab whatever you want.”
Immediately, I reached for the chocolate M&M’s and placed them on the counter beside the popcorn.
“Good choice,” he said, pulling his wallet from his back pocket.
I wiped my eyes as the credits rolled. The ending of the movie was incredibly sad, and while I wasn’t one to cry at movies, this one had hit home.
We sat there as the theatre emptied. Once the last person exited the theatre, I went to get up, but Hudson shook his head, grabbed my hand, and pulled me back down to my seat.
“Let’s just wait here. We can finish the popcorn?” he said, picking up the bag and waving it in front of me, making me laugh as he pulled it away just as I went to grab some.
I shoved my hand in the bag, taking a handful. Then I sat back against the seat. “What did you think of the movie?”
“It was good, a little slow, but that ending grabbed me. What about you?”
“Same,” he said, meeting my eyes. “Not enough to shed tears, though,” he whispered as his thumb wiped away a stray tear from my cheek.
He passed the bag again, and I took another handful. Once the music from the credits ended, the room grew quiet. I relaxed back against the seat and shoved more popcorn into my mouth, taking in the quietness.
“I don’t think I’ve ever stayed inside a theatre until it emptied. This is sort of fun and weird at the same time. It’s so quiet.”
Hudson looked over at me and smiled. “I used to do this all the time as a kid, more to cause shit than anything else,” he said, raising his eyebrows.
I giggled again. “I could see that about you.”
“Are you saying I’m a troublemaker?” he asked with a look of shock and disbelief.
“If the shoe fits.” I shrugged.
Hudson’s jaw dropped, and he reached over and playfully grabbed my side, causing me to scream.
“Why are you screaming?” he questioned, doing it once again, making me laugh hard.
I let out a shrill scream before laughing as he continued to tickle me. I pushed at his hands, but it did little good. He had me, and I was losing strength from laughing so hard. Finally, once I was breathless, he stopped and sat back.
“Let that be a lesson to you. I’m not a troublemaker,” he whispered into my ear.
We heard a door open and then shut, and soon a couple of teenagers appeared carrying brooms and garbage bags.
I glanced at Hudson, but he shook his head and held his finger over his lips.
“Sir, excuse me, sir. Miss. Sorry, but you are going to have to leave so we can clean the theatre,” I young attendant said.
“Oh, really?” Hudson questioned.
“Yes, sir.”
I grabbed his hand and went to stand up, but he didn’t move.
“But the movie is going to start?” Hudson said, causing me to laugh. “We can’t stay and wait.”
The kid shook his head, climbing the stairs toward us. “You shouldn’t even have been allowed in if it’s for the next viewing.”
“Come on,” I said, pulling on his hand.
“Oh, they told us to come on in and sit down. That it was fine. So we are going to wait here.”
The young kid looked over his shoulder at his friend. “Sir, if you won’t leave, I’m going to be forced to call theatre security.”
“Is that really a thing?” Hudson questioned, giving me the side-eye and winking.
“I’m afraid it is, sir.”
Hudson chuckled and finally got up, slipped his hand in mine, and we walked to the end of the aisle.
“Sorry about that. I was only playing around.” He grinned at the kid. “Shouldn’t take your job so seriously.”
As we made our way down the stairs toward the door, I leaned in and whispered, “For a police officer, you get into a lot of trouble, don’t you?”
Hudson shrugged. “Sometimes it’s worth it.” He winked. “I’ve always wondered what the secret is. Why we can’t be in the theatre when they clean? Is there some secret club or something?”
I couldn’t help but laugh the more I thought about what he’d said. “Must be. I guess we will never know,” I replied as he slipped his hand into mine.
We walked hand-in-hand through the empty parking lot of my building to the main door. Hudson waited while I slipped the key into the lock and stepped inside with me. I pressed the button for the elevator, and while we waited, I leaned against the wall and closed my eyes for a moment.
“I had a good time tonight,” he breathed.
I opened my eyes and met his. “Me too,” I whispered.
As we stood there waiting for the elevator, unspoken words passed between us. My heart beat hard, and I felt warm as he brought his hand to my cheek. He leaned in slowly and pressed a light kiss to my lips. He backed away, putting a little space between us. I could feel the heat from his body, warm and soothing. I wanted him to kiss me again. I wanted to feel his lips pressed against mine again.
I was just about to lean forward when the elevator opened.
“There’s the elevator,” he mumbled.
“There it is,” I repeated.
We both stood there, neither of saying a word. When the elevator started to close, he stuck his hand in the door and stepped back, waiting for me to move. I pushed off the wall, and stepped inside, turning back to look at him. As the door started to close, I held my hand over the sensor, reached out and grabbed his shirt and pulled him inside. The world melted away as he forced me up against the elevator wall, pressed his body against mine, and took my mouth with his.