There was a knock and I jumped before walking at a normal pace to the door. I heard Fitch snicker.
I opened it and there she was. Similar to when we’d been going out in high school, but different too. The blonde streaks in her hair looked good. She’d pulled her hair up in a ponytail and was wearing a jean jacket over a T-shirt with the ring from LOTR and the script inside it on the front. She could read that writing, not me, but I knew what it was and didn’t try to decipher it. If I looked too closely, I’d be appreciating the changes in the curves she had, and this was not the time. “Hey. Nice shirt.”
She grinned. “Hey Josh, nice shirt.”
I looked down, as if I’d forgotten what I was wearing. I couldn’t, because it had taken me fifteen minutes to decide. Anything hockey would be trying too hard to impress her with my career. Anything related to Lord of the Rings would be trying too hard to do the same with the books she loved. So I finally settled on an old Keith’s Pale Ale T-shirt. It was soft and maybe a little snug, showing off the muscles I’d worked hard for. Subtle, I thought.
Her eyes drifted over my chest. Yes!
“I’ve got beer in the fridge, ready to go.”
She held up a bag she’d been holding. “I brought some too.”
I stood there, grinning at her, so happy she was there.
“Can I come in?”
“Oh, sorry. Sure.”
I stepped back, and she heeled off her Vans before following me into the TV room.
“Hi, Daniel.”
Fitch had settled in an easy chair. There was another recliner, but it didn’t have as good a view to watch the screen as the couch, so Katie and I would share that. It might have seemed a little obvious, but the couch was big enough for at least five people. Not especially cozy.
“Katie. How are you doing?” He nodded at her.
I took her six-pack and headed to the fridge with it.
“Okay. Glad the weather has cooled down.”
“How’s school?”
I was back with three bottles of beer in time to see her curl into a corner of the couch and roll her eyes. “Let’s just say I want to talk about that as much as you want to discuss your job.”
Fitch tilted his head. “Good point. Josh tells me you’re an expert on this Lord of the Rings stuff.”
I handed him a beer and put the other two on the coffee table in front of the couch. I picked up the remote and turned on the TV.
“I’m a fan. I’ve read the books?—”
“Multiple times,” I interrupted.
“And watched the movies and the show.”
“Multiple times.”
Katie ignored my interruptions. “Have you read them?”
“No.” Fitch swallowed some beer and made a face. I scrolled through the menu to find the first episode. “I moved to the US from Sweden when I was ten and people told me I should read them, but they were a little too challenging for my English back then.”
“And he’s never seen the show, so it’s all new to him. I told him you could answer any questions he had.” He owed me after that freaky dragon tattoo movie, and I was collecting.
Fitch looked a little nervous.
Katie laughed. “I’ll only answer if you ask. I know not everyone is as keen as I am.”
He looked over at me. I sat on the couch, not too close too Katie, but not as far away as I could be. “I won’t quiz you on it either.”
