My Favorite Part
Jon: Wow. That lit up Firefly.
Bobby: I had to silence my notifications.
Jason: Sheryl won’t shut up about it.
Tyler: Poor guy.
Charlie: Should we do something?
Nick: I don’t think a lasagna will fix this.
Simon: I feel for him.
Chris: Has somebody checked in on him?
Patrick: Mike?
Seamus: None of my business.
Seamus: If I were him, I’d want a distraction.
Seamus: Or booze.
Edward’s pickup truck made a weird clunk every few seconds.
It had been the only thing to break the silence on our ride out of Firefly.
I had skipped being cute in text messages.
When I showed up on the porch of Valhalla, he had been sitting in a rocking chair.
I didn’t ask if he was okay. Instead, I told him to get in the truck.
I had a master’s degree in silence. I read it better than body language. Sammy hovered somewhere between embarrassment and anger. I didn’t try to imagine what went through his mind. He’d tell me when… if he wanted.
“We’re almost there,” I said.
I had gone through the list of distractions.
We could have gone swimming at the quarry or a hike through the woods.
Instead, I waited for the sun to set and chose the quietest location I could think of.
It didn’t hurt that it required leaving Firefly.
Unfortunately, his worries didn’t evaporate at the town line.
Every few miles, my mind drifted to what had happened on the rooftop.
My body wanted to reach out and touch him, feel his skin pressed against mine.
If we got pulled over right now, the officer would think we were nothing more than strangers.
I had to wonder if it had changed things for Sammy… like it had for me.
I slowed as we approached an old, decrepit sign on the side of the road. It towered at almost twenty feet, but the letters had long since washed away. For now, the secret remained. I checked his face to see if the mystery had piqued his interest. If he noticed it, it didn’t show in his expression.
I pulled onto the dirt road.
The truck bounced back and forth as I failed at dodging potholes.
As the trees parted, we were greeted by an open field.
At the far end, a barely standing movie screen rose into the sky.
Sammy leaned forward as I drove closer. I turned the truck around so we faced away.
He turned in his seat, checking the screen again before staring at me.
“Are we climbing that?”
I laughed. “I think we’ve had enough heights for one vacation.”
The silence turned absolute as I cut the engine. I knew what to do, but I didn’t know how to execute it without addressing the awkwardness. I didn’t want to put him on the spot, but there wasn’t any point in pretending the whole town hadn’t witnessed the exchange.
“About earlier.” We both stared forward. I surprised myself when I chuckled. “You know, for having just met, we have a history of awkward moments.”
My hands remained on the steering wheel, unsure of how to continue. Instead of finishing the thought, I let it hang in the air. I didn’t quite know how to avoid the topic and tell him I’d listen if he wanted to talk.
“I think Dorothy knew what she was doing.”
“Huh?”
“When she brought you over to my table.” His hands sat in his lap while his thumbs fidgeted. “Evelyn, too.” He finally turned, eyeing me. “Am I crazy, or were they—”
“Meddling?” I nodded. “They were at it before either of us realized.”
“How’d they know you and I…”
I felt his question had less to do with our compatibility and more to do with his questionable sexuality. For a man who didn’t quite know his own definition, how did a group of complete strangers figure it out first? The answer came from Firefly’s childlike naivety.
“They didn’t,” I whispered. “They saw two lonely people.”
“I should have tipped her more.” He scoffed at his joke.
Sammy went quiet as his eyes dropped to his hands. He returned to fidgeting. “I know you saw earlier…” His voice quieted, as if he were ashamed. While my skeletons were locked away in a closet, his had spilled out in front of the town.
“Thanks for whatever this is.”
“I’m here if you want to talk.” I put a hand on his shoulder. “Emphasis on the if.”
“Thanks. I mean that.” He flashed a smile, but it didn’t quite reach his eyes. “For tonight, can we pretend it didn’t happen?”
For him, absolutely. I gave his shoulder a squeeze, a small reminder that I was there if he needed me.
“Ready for the surprise?”
“Are we going to the drive-in?”
I let the shock show and added a gasp for dramatic flair. “What gave it away?”
Popping open the door, I climbed out. He followed suit, and we met at the back of the pickup. From here, the screen blocked out the last of the sun’s orange glow. It appeared even more massive than when we first drove in.
“You sure you don’t want to climb it?” I gave him a gentle jab with my elbow.
“You go ahead, I’ll wait here.”
I rolled my eyes. “Fine. We’ll work on your fear of heights.” I turned back to the truck and pulled the tailgate down. “For now, you just need to climb up in there.”
He didn’t ask questions. For some odd reason, this man trusted me.
From taking him on an adventure in the middle of the fields to the trestle, he came along for the ride.
This time it had a different flavor. It wasn’t about me wanting to impress or show off the wonders of Firefly.
I wanted space away from prying eyes where Sammy could set aside his troubles and process.
He hoisted himself onto the tailgate. “What now?”
“Oh.”
I had almost forgotten the rest of the accoutrements.
Rushing to the truck cab, I rummaged through the back, grabbing blankets and pillows.
I slung a backpack over my shoulder as I dragged the linens free and threw them over the side with Sammy.
We couldn’t attend a drive-in without getting comfortable before the movie.
I rounded the truck bed, ready to hop up on the tailgate. I jumped up… more like crawled and rolled. Spreading the blanket out, I shoved the pillows against the cab. It wasn’t perfect, but the expression on Sammy’s face said otherwise. I set my bag off to the side while shimmying into place.
“Are you going to stand there or join me for the show?”
I patted the spot next to me. Just because the screen wasn’t working didn’t mean we couldn’t enjoy a night at the drive-in. He kicked off his shoes and took a seat next to me. Reaching into my bag, I pulled out my laptop, set it on my lap, and opened it up.
“I know it’s not as majestic as—”
“It’s perfect,” he whispered. His body slid along the cab until his head found my shoulder. I couldn’t fix the problem, but I could be his rock. He didn’t need to talk about his father, not now, not ever. When… if he did, I’d be ready to listen.
He reached out, pressing the space bar. The studio logo flashed across the screen.
Sammy took my hand, fingers sliding between mine.
The evening chill set in, and I thought of the countdown until we slid closer together for body heat.
I promised myself there wouldn’t be any naked shenanigans tonight. It didn’t mean I couldn’t imagine them.
The movie started.
“How’d you know this is my favorite?”
“Dumb luck.” Or I paid close attention when he randomly quoted a movie.
There was no more dancing around the tightness in my chest. I liked Sammy… a lot. The music played, and I wondered how long I could convince him to stay in Firefly. Would he stay beyond the parade? My mind raced with unfinished business with Gladys and the image of a tearful goodbye.
His fingers tightened. “This is my favorite part.”
I stole glances of the handsome man cuddling with me.
“Mine too.”
I didn’t mean the movie.