“Don’t laugh,” I demand.
She giggles. “You can’t say that. What if it’s funny?”
I give her a look, and she grins. I pull her to me and kiss her gently. When I pull back, I almost stop breathing. She’s looking at me with such admiration, such pure joy, that I almost want to tell her I’m a fraud. I’m not a good person, but I don’t want to erase that look in her eyes. Even if it only is for this second, I want to remember it forever.
“The Love Bug,” I admit.
“Like, the old movie about the race car with a mind of its own?” she asks.
I nod.
“How come?”
I sigh and drag her over to a bench overlooking the rolling hills of grapevines. We sit, and she curls into my embrace.
“The first time I saw it was with my dad. He had seen it with his dad. I never met my grandfather, he died from cancer before I was born. I guess, I just felt this connection. Dad told funny stories as we watched the movie, stories about our family. He loved racing, and I guess it was the first movie I remember watching. He made it a whole experience, and we had a whole viewing party in the family room. It was before people had big theater rooms in their houses. It was…special.”
She looks up and smiles. “That’s nice.”
“What about you?”
She grins. “Finding Nemo.”
I chuckle. “I like that movie, too, but don’t tell anyone,” I say, looking around, “I’ll lose my man card if I admit it.”
She giggles and pokes my belly. “No, you won’t. Chicks dig a man who likes watching cartoon movies.”
“Oh really?”
“Yep, a total reason to fall for a guy.”
“I’ll keep that in mind,” I say, half-wondering if she’s falling for me, scratch that, half-hoping she is.
“Have you talked with your brother again?” she asks.
“Yep. We talked about meeting up next week. Honestly, I should reach out again and set up something. This week has just gotten crazy.”
“I hear you. I’m glad it’s going well though.”
“Me too. I mean, I don’t know if we’ll be able to form any kind of real relationship, but it’s a start. So, how’s school going, besides your documentary? I feel like I never ask about the rest of it,” I say, feeling a little bad about not inquiring earlier.
“It’s fine. My classes are good. It’s a lot of work. I sort of wish I didn’t take a full load this semester. But hindsight is twenty-twenty. At least it means if I take summer classes, I’ll only need one more semester to earn my degree,” she says.
“That’s great! What do you think you’ll do after you graduate?” I ask. And I realize that I’m honestly interested. I want to know everything about her, and that thought is a little jarring for me.
She shrugs. “I thought I knew but now…well, I guess I’ll be pushing my documentary and trying to get it into some film festivals. I might try to get a job with a film studio or something to pay the bills while I figure things out.”
“You don’t have to have it all figured out, you know?”
“I know. I just…” She gives a small laugh. “My friend Kate always says you should have a plan a, a plan b, a plan c, and a plan d, just in case.”
I look over. This is the first time she’s mentioned, Kate. “Who’s Kate?” I ask innocently.
She gives me side-eye. “Oh, come on, I know you’ve Internet stalked me as much as I have you.”
I grin. “Ohhhh, you mean your best friend, the former first daughter who is now a princess? That Kate?”
She playfully punches my ribs. “You are a jackass. Yes, THAT Kate.”
