Chapter Four
“We should do this again soon.”
That’s what Noah said to me when we parted ways back at the library after dinner. He’d smiled for the millionth time, and I thought there was something suggestive in it, as if he was holding back a wink. Then, just like before, he was gone almost immediately. I caught one last glimpse of him walking through the library doors.
A brilliant sear of panic enveloped my brain until I remembered that he’d put my number in his phone while we waited for the check. I hadn’t asked for his in return. I was too flustered by his utter confidence—and the memory of that megawatt smile. Noah was pretty much the type of guy I dreamed about regularly: easygoing, funny, caring. I did not imagine I could meet someone like that in my current situation.
Life has a funny way of throwing curveballs.
On my way home, I fished my phone out of my pocket and scrolled through my contacts as though I might have entered his number after all and simply forgotten about it. Noah wasn’t there, but I did find Steve. I had half a mind to send him a thank you text. Thank you for breaking up with your hot boyfriend.
I’m not what you’d call an obsessive personality. Yes, my goal in life had been pretty singular thus far, but relatively speaking, it hadn’t taken much to bring it all crashing down around me. I’d love to say I latched onto Noah because I was bereft of the meaning I had spent three and a half years pursuing, but I think it’s also fair to say that I just really liked him. Or at least, I was drawn to him. That one stray lock of hair never left my mind’s eye. And who in their right mind had given him those eyes? Mother? Father? Some sort of higher power? I wanted to get to the bottom of that mystery. I wanted to find out everything I could.
But first, I had to wait for him to get in touch. It wasn’t hard while I was at work. There’s never any shortage of talented kids with upcoming rehearsals in my area. On my own time was a different story. I was forced to admit, as I lie around my house, that I never actually did anything. My whole social circle was wrapped up in school, and it didn’t take long for those connections to fade. Frankly, it was a miracle Noah managed to find me. I told myself to be grateful for that. I still kicked myself for not getting his number, but I did it gratefully.
He called on the weekend, at three in the afternoon. I sat bolt upright at the sound of my phone vibrating off the glass end table. The number displayed as unknown, and I groaned. Unknown numbers were the bane of my existence, but I couldn’t risk missing Noah. I let it ring one extra time, and then I slid to answer. “Hello?”
“Hey man, it’s Noah. What are you up to tonight?”
“Uhh…” I pretended to be consulting a calendar, despite the fact that he couldn’t see me. “Not much. What’s up with you?”
“I thought maybe we could go see a movie. You down?”
Of course I was down. I had not been more down for anything in a very long time. “Sounds great,” I said. “What’s playing?” He rattled off a list of titles containing a horror film, a handful of big-budget action movies, a science fiction thriller, and some rom-coms. Rather than make the choice myself, I deflected back to him. “Any of those in particular appeal to you?”
He laughed. “I’m a sucker for aliens, but I’ll tell you a secret. I like the chick flicks too sometimes.”
So did I, but I felt weird about going to see one with him. This outing had hardly been confirmed as a date, and I didn’t want to seem like I was dropping hints. “I vote aliens,” I said.
“Awesome. I knew you were cool.”
We agreed to meet in front of the theater in an hour and a half. This time, I used those ninety minutes wisely. Standing in front of the steamed-up bathroom mirror in only a pair of navy boxers, I ran a comb through my hair and scrutinized myself with a critical eye. Actually, for a guy who’d spent months in a self-imposed exile, I didn’t look half bad. My eyes weren’t the same deep chocolate color as his, but I thought I could do a pretty convincing puppy dog. In mid-March, the sun hadn’t quite yet begun to bring the freckles out on my skin, but soon it would, and then I might even be cute.
Don’t get ahead of yourself, champ, warned the voice inside my head. For all you know, Noah’s allergic to freckles.
Obviously, I had a hard time maintaining confidence. Still, I’m proud to say I went to the theater on time, without overtly hating myself. I knew enough not to let my expectations get out of control, but I settled for cautious optimism. If nothing else, I was in the process of making a new friend. I think I mentioned how much I needed those.
Noah was nowhere in sight when I arrived, so I parked myself on the bench outside the theater and focused on looking as casual as possible without staring a hole into my phone’s lock screen. I couldn’t help it. I’m only human. The minutes ticked away with alarming regularity. A couple times, I brought up the number he’d called me from, debating with myself on whether to call him. Too needy? Too passive-aggressive? And what if it wasn’t his number? That seemed far-fetched, but a slim chance was still a chance. So I waited, discreetly scanning the parking lot for signs of him.
“Colin!”
I pivoted to see him jogging up to me from an angle I wasn’t expecting. He glanced at his watch as he pulled to a stop. “Oh, shit. We gotta get in there so we don’t miss the previews.”
“The previews?”
Noah grinned. “They’re the best part!” The next thing happened so fast I didn’t have time to think about it: he grabbed me by the hand and led me toward the lobby doors. I thought for sure he’d let go once we were inside, but his hand stayed firmly interlocked with mine. At the ticket counter, he dug out his wallet, waving mine away. “I was late. This one’s on me.”
The girl behind the window smiled. She mouthed something at me that looked like, “Cute.” Instead of emphatically agreeing with her, like I wanted to, I just shrugged and smiled back.
Noah got us popcorn and drinks at record speed. We made it to the back of the theater just as the first preview’s logo blinked off the screen. The lights were already down. I was holding popcorn and soda instead of Noah’s hand. Once we’d gotten settled in our seats, I faced straight forward toward the screen. There was no point in staring longingly at his profile—it was too dark to see much of anything anyway. I left my arm on the armrest though, just in case.
The feature presentation began on a swirling shot of stars and black velvet space. Noah didn’t look at me. But he did reach over and take my hand.