An hour passes and I’ve somehow fully gotten ready, hair curled and flowing down my back in loose ringlets. I’ve got a long-sleeved black crop top on, with light wash boyfriend jeans. I toss on my white sneakers and look at myself in the mirror.What the fuck am I doing?I question, but in that quick moment, I realize I’mmore than okay with this. I look cute, I deserve to have fun, and I deserve to go out with an old friend.
An old friend whose face I have now sat on.
I check my phone for the time and my body warms when I see a message from Cameron that he’s on the way. I start sharing my location with Hazel– can’t trust anyone these days. Even an old friend. Right, I’m going to get outside and wait before I talk myself out of this and hide in bed.
Forcing myself to move, I grab my purse and keys before moving to stand out by the lamppost. I put my back to the cold metal, finding a strange comfort in the jarring sensation. Maybe because it gets me out of my head, or maybe because my anxiety has me running a little warmer than usual.
Suddenly, I feel my hair stand up on the back of my neck. That sensation of not being alone is weighing down the air around me.No,I can’t let this feeling ruin my night.There is no one out to get me, I’m just being paranoid.
I look down at my phone to keep distracting myself. When a car honks, I jump, but then a smile grows on my face. It’s an older Maserati, black and you can tell that it’s definitely well taken care of. “Cam! Hey!” I smile as he gets out of the car and opens the passenger side door for me.
“Madam,” Cam says playfully, as he bows dramatically and motions for me to get into his car.
“Oh my, what a gentleman,” I say as I get in, his warm suede scent envelops me, a beaming smile on my face. All sense of nervousness just vanishes from my body in the presence of Cameron Curtis. Howdangerous.
“So, do I get any hint of what we’re doing tonight for ‘dinner’?” I ask in air quotes with a quirked brow on my face all the while secretly loving the fact that I haven’t the slightest clue what we’re doing. I’ve gladly handed him the metaphorical keys to let him drive the evening. My brain could use a break, even if the Type A side of me is screaming in the trunk.
“It’s a surprise, but I promise you’ll love it.”
Cam smiles at me, a slight dimple on his right cheek makes an appearance. It’s admirable to be so confident in himself when he knows so little about me. And somehow, it adds to the thrill of it all for me, as I can’t wait to tease him about how wrong he is. People often make assumptions about me and my interests, and they are never right.
Patiently, I watch as he drives us to this mystery location. I try to guess and toss out random places and things, but everything is shot down. I glance over at Cameron, he looks so confident, so casual. It’s completely entrancing. I can’t take my eyes off of him.
“We’re almost there, Cherry,” He says as his eyes connect with mine for a fraction of a second. I’m staring at him, probably looking like some infatuated fool, when really I’m just trying to figure out where the hell he’s taking me. I laugh awkwardly and nod.
“Yea, yea, okay.” I scrunch my nose, internally admitting defeat and then turn to look out the window at the town that I want to feel like home again. It’s not until we turn down the street that the giant screen comes into view, with a line of cars that are all heading into the same spot. “The drive-in?!” I exclaim, almost too excitedly as he looks at my overjoyed expression.
“I take it this was a good choice?” Cameron smirks at me. He turns away as the car rolls to a stop at the ticket booth, he pays forthe two of us. When he turns back to me, the light in my eyes is bright and I smile, nodding excitedly.
“I’ve always wanted to go to a drive-in,” I admit, a little bashfully. I feel my cheeks starting to hurt from how big I’m smiling. “I’ve never been to a drive-in. Good guess, Cam.”
“Well, I will happily pop your drive-in movie cherry, Cherry. I promise you this will be the best first time experience you’ve ever had.” Cameron pulls into a parking spot, the gravel crunching beneath the tires as he slides the car to a stop.
The light from the gigantic movie screen in front of us flashes with colorful pictures and ads, and I feel something foreign to me building up in my chest, bubbling up just beneath the surface even more as he puts the top down of the classic Maserati, and the crisp autumn air hits me. My gaze shifts to find Cameron sitting there, looking just like he always does— too casual, with an odd grin on his face. It’s as if he has some kind of secret that he’s not telling me.
I shrug it off, but I can’t help feeling that there might be something more to it, maybe even to us. Something… deeper. I can’t quite place it. Maybe it’s the years that passed, or the fact that we both grew up, but I can tell we’re not just ‘two old friends’ catching up anymore.
The title of the movie is written with letters on a marquee,The Lost Boyswith the second ‘O’definitely being a zero. I laugh at the absolute cheese of this entire encounter but take a breath realizing that my chest has a weight off of it for the first time in a while; somehow, this only happens when I’m around him lately. I take in everyone around us, the ambience of the drive-in, and my cheeks start to ache from all the grinning.
“Okay, I’ve got blankets in my trunk. I snuck in some snacks, and I can run and grab us some hot dogs or burgers from the concession stand,” Cam says as he opens his door and moves to the back of the car. Popping the trunk, he pulls out two cozy blankets, a pack of Twizzlers, and some M&M’s. I start to get out of the car to help him grab everything, but Cam slams the trunk shut and quickly makes his way back to me.
I tuck a loose strand of hair behind my ear as I lean against his car. “I could go for a burger, I’m starving.” Standing this close to him, I can’t help but tilt my head, really looking him over. He’s tall and I’m not exactly short, but he has to be at least six feet tall, and my mind wanders to a place that definitely isn’t appropriate for a drive-in.
Cam’s face darkens ever so slightly as he looks at me, and I’m dying to know what is going on his mind. “Burgers it is. Let’s go.”
It’s a quick trip to the little building set back from the cars with picnic tables that look as old as the drive-in itself and a thick smog of delicious grease promising us an artery-clogging delight. Before long, we are back at his car with the paper bag and Styrofoam cups between us.
“Ready, Leyla?” he asks radiantly as we are officially settled in for the movie.
This feeling in my chest is somehow light and effervescent, completely at odds with the usual numbness I’m accustomed to. I don’t know what it is, but being around him makes me feel safe, complete. I read all those romance novels and judge them so harshly knowing that shit like this is a fairytale, a good story for naive girls who have never had anything bad happen to them.
People don’t get second chances.This doesn’t just happen, especially not to people like me. I turn to Cam and his face is furrowed, but when he notices me looking at him, a smile blooms on his face.
The movie begins, the sounds of it crackling through the ancient speakers makes the back of my head tingle. We don’t talk much at first— just sit watching the stupid plot unfold and laughing at the over-the-top drama. I’m comfortable around Cameron in a way that I have really only ever felt with Hazel. I clear my throat softly enough that it doesn’t interrupt the others, Cam turns to me with his kind eyes, causing a shiver to run through my body.
“So, I guess I should thank you for the other night,” I finally work up the courage to say. “I really am sorry for disappearing on you for a few days. I won’t lie, I was pretty shocked you responded.”
I catch a flash of a frown on his face and he gently reaches his hand out to me, our fingers interlacing with each other’s. “Leyla, a little panic attack is not going to scare me away that easily. You know what kind of life I grew up with. I promise you, I know how to handle a panic attack. Honestly, it kills me that you’re even going through this. I’m here, okay? For whatever you need.”
