Easily Amused (13 page)

W
hile we stood in line to get our tickets for the movie, I had time to admire Ryan properly. It wasn’t just his good looks, which were considerable; it was the whole package. He had the look of a man who was comfortable in his own skin. And what great skin it was—covering all six-feet-plus of lean physique. I could tell from the fit of his suit that he was muscular, but not vein-bulgingly, freakishly so.

His face was handsome, though not in a Ralph Lauren model way. You wouldn’t see him and automatically think he’s full of himself, or if you did, his smile would negate that notion. He had a killer smile, one I could get lost in. It made his whole face light up and caused these cute little wrinkles at the outer corners of his eyes.

We made small talk about our choice of movies, finally settling on a romantic comedy. I noticed that when he spoke he leaned over to give me his undivided attention and made full, shiver-inducing eye contact.

The theater was only a few miles from my childhood home, and there was a pretty good crowd, but sadly I didn’t see one person I knew from high school.

“Popcorn?” Ryan asked after he’d bought the tickets and we entered the lobby. Behind the refreshment counter, teenagers in striped vests flitted around like hummingbirds, squirting golden liquid onto tubs of popcorn and filling cups with crushed ice and soda. The popcorn smelled wonderful. I could almost taste the salty goodness of it, but I turned it down, telling him I didn’t like to eat during movies. I ixnayed a beverage, also. I couldn’t imagine maintaining a good impression with greasy fingers and a pressing need for the bathroom.

Ryan ordered a soft drink for himself: half regular Pepsi and half diet. As soon as he told the girl what he wanted, a shudder went through my body. Half and half was exactly the way
Mindy
took her cola. And here she thought she’d invented the fifty-fifty combination. Ha! Coke was her cola of choice, but she’d reluctantly accept Pepsi in a pinch. She was very particular about the drink being exactly half and half—I’d seen her send back drinks she thought were too sweet. Besides her, I’d never met anyone who specified a combination when ordering a soft drink.

“Interesting choice of beverage,” I said as the girl handed him his change.

He stuck a straw into the X on the lid. “I always order it this way. Regular soda is just too sweet. I really prefer Coke, but I’ll take Pepsi if that’s all they have.” He saw me give him a look. “What?”

“Nothing, it’s just that my sister orders it the same way. I never met anyone else who drank it like that.”

“Your sister—the one who’s getting married?”

“That’s the one.”

His eyebrows furrowed. “Interesting.” He stepped away from the counter. “Should we go sit down?”

Inside the theater we discovered that we liked sitting in the exact same spot: the middle of the middle. He let me go first, and I found the exact center of the row. I liked that he was sitting on my right. Piper always said it was my best side. “The sound is perfect when you’re right in the center,” I said.

“I’ve always thought that too,” he said, taking a pull on his drink and setting the cup in his holder. “This is nice. I haven’t been to a movie in a long time. Nothing against your friend, but I just wasn’t up for staying in and having roast chicken tonight, although it did smell good.”

I had to have heard wrong. “What was that about roast chicken?”

“Your friend—what’s his name?”

“Hubert.”

He smiled apologetically. “I’m sorry, I just can’t get that name to stick in my head. It’s so odd. Anyway, Hubert suggested we eat dinner with him and then all of us go out and do something downtown. He really made a case for it. I felt sorry for the guy, but I wanted to spend the evening with just you.”

I was stunned.

“I hope you don’t mind?” Ryan leaned in toward me.

“No, of course not. I already told him I wasn’t staying for his dinner. I can’t believe he asked you after we’d already discussed it.” What was the deal with Hubert trying to horn in on my date?

“I told him maybe another time. He seems like a nice enough guy. How long ago were you two a couple?”

“Hubert and me? We were
never
a couple.” I wanted to make this very clear. “We’re just friends. I’ve known him since junior high. Until recently I hadn’t seen him in a long time. His girlfriend kicked him out of their apartment, so I said he could stay with me.”

“That’s strange. For some reason I got the impression he was a former boyfriend. Something about the way he talked about you.”

“No, just friends. That’s all.”

“Well maybe it came off that way because you’ve known each other for so long,” he said.

“That’s probably it.”

“Because he was reading me the riot act about treating you right.”

I felt my stomach drop. “Please tell me you’re kidding.”

“No, I’m completely serious.”

“The riot act?” I tightened my grip on my armrest. Was Hubert losing his mind? And if so, why couldn’t he do it elsewhere? Ryan must think I was a complete freak.

Ryan set his hand over mine, and I felt myself relax. “Maybe ‘riot act’ isn’t the right way to put it. More like he’s your dad, or something. He told me what a terrific girl you are and listed off all your good qualities. Nothing I didn’t already know, though.” His fingers curved underneath my palm. Our hands fit together perfectly. “Then he said he hoped I realized what a special person you were.”

Oh good Lord. “What did you say to that?” I felt my heart quicken.

He gave my hand a little squeeze. “I said sure, of course I could tell you were special from the moment I met you, but he didn’t seem very convinced.” He looked distractedly around the theater. I got the impression he didn’t find Hubert to be a very interesting topic of discussion.

When the lights dimmed, there was a scuffling of activity as people turned off their cell phones and settled back in anticipation of the movie. The teenaged girls in front of us slouched down in their seats and rested their feet on the chairs in front of them.

I’d always liked the previews, and this time they were particularly good, even the obnoxiously loud Mountain Dew commercials. Ryan continued to hold my hand as if it were the most natural thing in the world. To anyone else, we might have looked like two people who’d been dating for years, or a married couple with a newborn back home with the babysitter. I wondered what it would feel like to be married to Ryan. He seemed so mellow; I couldn’t imagine anything getting him down. Not like Piper’s husband, Mike. Piper had told me he’d been worthless when she was in labor with Brandon. Mike had alternated between being impatient that it was taking so long and acting agitated that she was in pain. At one point he’d even left the room, saying he couldn’t stand seeing her face during contractions. Piper thought it was funny—the whole “men are such babies” thing—but I was appalled. He left the room? What a jerk. I wouldn’t even
want
a baby with a guy who wasn’t going to be there for me.

I wasn’t sure what kind of father Ryan would be, but I was willing to bet he’d make beautiful babies. For some lucky woman. Probably not me, but still, here we were in a dark movie theater, his thumb stroking my knuckles in a way that would have made my knees buckle if I weren’t sitting down. And who would have thought this particular scenario was even a possibility a week ago? Certainly not me. So maybe there was hope after all.

I watched the movie from two different places emotionally. Part of me viewed the story on the screen in the usual way. I saw beautiful people involved in humorous, implausible situations. I laughed along with the rest of the audience when the couple was trapped in the elevator. She was adorable, all Southern accent and petite build, and he was tall and good looking and serious. I wanted them to end up together even though she was flaky and he was unsure.

But another part of me was acutely aware of Ryan sitting next to me, the length of his arm alongside mine, our hands touching. At one point he repositioned his hold on me so that our fingers interlocked. I glanced down then; in the dim light our hands folded together reminded me of prayer.

I’d written an article for the magazine once about the value of physical touch for babies and toddlers. The doctor I’d interviewed was adamant that touch deprivation was detrimental to a young child’s health and development. He went on to talk about its importance for adults and how many people, especially elderly people living in nursing home environments, often lack the physical touch needed for their emotional health. None of the adult stuff was relevant to my article, of course, but I listened politely. Touch deprivation, he’d said, was an epidemic in America. At the time I’d agreed that yes, never being hugged or caressed, or having sex for that matter, was a sad thing indeed. It was only later that I realized
I
fit into that category. Me and eighty-year-old ladies with names like Mabel and Cora had more in common than I’d like to admit. But maybe now my personal drought was over.

The movie was over much too quickly. I could have sat in the comfort of my padded seat indefinitely, smelling the popcorn and alternating my gaze at the screen with sneaky peeks at the handsome man next to me. All my senses satisfied in one sitting.

When the credits ran, half the audience got up to leave, including the teenage girls in front of us. The murmur of voices in the theater sounded generally pleased with the movie. I could always tell by the collective tone whether or not people felt they got their money’s worth. Ryan sipped from his Pepsi and made no effort to move, so I remained motionless as well. I was glad he was a stay-for-the-credits kind of guy. I myself liked to see things through to the end.

“So what did you think?” Ryan said when the house lights went on. He had leaned over to ask, his lips just inches from my ear. “Did you like it?”

I was startled for a moment, until I realized he was talking about the movie. “Oh yes, it was great,” I assured him. “Really funny.”

“I thought so too.” He took a thoughtful sip from his cup. The last of the soda, judging by the sucking noise. “I always go for something funny, rather than serious or depressing, if I have a choice.”

“Me too.” Another thing we had in common. Too bad he was seriously out of my league.

We rose out of our seats and followed the few remaining stragglers out to the brightness of the lobby.

“Our timing is a little off,” Ryan said, glancing at his watch. “We have an hour to kill. We can either go for a leisurely drive before heading for dinner, or go straight to the restaurant and have a drink at the bar while we wait.” He looked at me questioningly. “Whatever the lady decides.”

Quick—call the Associated Press! Chivalry was alive and well, after all. “Either way,” I said, and then I realized I sounded wishy-washy. “Or we could do both—go for a drive and then if we have time, stop in the bar?”

Ryan made a slight bow. “As you wish.”

We were grinning at each other like overjoyed third graders when I felt a tap on my shoulder. I turned to see Mindy and Chad standing behind me.

“I thought it was you!” she said.

“I
told
Chad it was you.” As she spoke, Mindy grinned and bounced on the balls of her feet. Such a little bundle of energy. “He just couldn’t believe you’d be out on a Friday night. Aren’t you usually in your jammies watching Netflix right about now?” She spoke as smugly as if she’d caught me joining Weight Watchers.

I had a few strategies for dealing with Mindy, the most effective of which was to ignore her barbs. I touched Ryan’s elbow to indicate we were together. “Ryan, this is my sister Mindy and her fiancé Chad.” I gave my sister a threatening look, even though that never worked.

Ryan extended his hand to Chad. “Ryan Moriarty. I’ve heard so much about you both. It’s a pleasure to finally meet you.” In return, Chad pumped his hand vigorously and grinned.

“But I’ve heard
nothing
about you.” Mindy dramatically pushed her hair behind her ear with a broad sweep of her hand. A childhood habit designed, I always believed, to draw attention to her crowning glory. She always complained about her hair, but her protests didn’t fool me—she was just fishing for compliments. Her hair was thick and gleaming and gorgeous. And she knew it. “Lola, you sneaky thing, you. I had no idea. How long have you two been going out? You are going out, aren’t you?” She directed the question at Ryan.

I swallowed and looked up at Ryan, who gave her his most radiant smile. “I first laid eyes on Lola the day she moved in across the street from me. We hit it off immediately, didn’t we, hon?”

I nodded, relieved that he knew to play along. To further illustrate his point, he put his arm around my shoulder.

“Really?” My sister looked like she wondered what the catch was.

“Really,” Ryan said. “I’ve heard so much about the two of you. It’s great running into you like this. I was really hoping we’d meet before the wedding.”

“You’re getting married?” Mindy was stunned.

“He’s talking about
your
wedding,” I said. She didn’t have to sound so shocked. Honestly.

“Oh.”

“You’re coming to our wedding?” Chad said. “Cool. It’s going to be a hell of a party, man.” He put his hands in his jeans pocket and then stuck his fingers through his belt loops like he was the lead dancer at a hoedown. I’d never
dis
liked Chad—he was a pleasant enough guy—but conversation-wise he hadn’t evolved much since high school. He had a few key phrases. Things were “cool” and “wicked” and “sweet.” Occasionally he’d even say “bummer” like he was a character in a 1980s teen movie. He’d called me “man” only once before I’d asked him not to, but I heard him use it often when talking to other people. I think it saved him from having to remember names.

Ryan gave my shoulder a squeeze. “Yes, Lola asked if I’d go to the wedding with her, and I’m really looking forward to it.”

Mindy looked from me to Ryan like she couldn’t quite figure us out.

Ryan continued. “That’s OK with you, isn’t it? If I attend the wedding?”

“Sure, that would be great,” Chad said. “We’ve got plenty of everything.”

“Of course it’s fine,” Mindy said. “I told Lola she could bring a guest. I’m just surprised because she hadn’t mentioned it.” She looked thoughtful. “It does throw things off a bit though. She’ll be standing up with Chad’s cousin. He’s not bringing a date, so I was kind of thinking they’d be together.”

Inwardly I groaned. Chad’s cousin was a forty-year-old, never-married geek whose idea of scintillating conversation was debating which
Star Trek
captain was the best. During a previous social gathering, I’d made the mistake of saying Captain Kirk was my favorite, which set off a lengthy monologue of all the captains’ strengths and weaknesses. Who knew there was so many of them? And really, who cared? I couldn’t believe Mindy was pushing the guy on me. Again.

“Oh, I understand she’ll have her bridesmaid duties,” Ryan said, pulling me close to his side and smiling at me. “But we just couldn’t stand the thought of being apart on her birthday.” The look of love he gave me was unmistakable. If he was going for the Oscar, he definitely got my vote.

For once Mindy didn’t have a quick response. Her silence gave me a chance to work in an exit.

“I don’t want to be rude,” I said, “but we have dinner plans and you have a movie to go to. We’ll talk later, Mindy.” I made the phone gesture and held it up to my ear. “I’ll call you.”

“We just got out of our movie,” Chad said, pointing. “And we were just gonna get something to eat. You should come with us.”

“Oh, I don’t think so,” I said. “We have reservations at a Thai restaurant.” I was sure Chad and Mindy were going to a fish fry, or even worse, to get a butter burger at the local custard stand. They were one of those couples that started out in high school and held onto their favorite haunts. She talked about me and Netflix—ha! She had her own rut; she just didn’t see it.

“I
love
Thai food,” Mindy said, a little too loudly. A passing couple turned to look as they walked by. “Chad really likes it too. We were just saying we should go out for Thai one of these days, weren’t we Chad?” He looked confused but nodded in agreement.

Ryan looked thoughtful. “If you want to join us, I’m sure we could ask for a table for four when we get there. Is that OK with you, hon?”

Damn, she’d done it again. I was emotionally cornered. I looked up into Ryan’s dark eyes. His eyebrows were raised questioningly. Finally I exhaled and nodded. “That would be fine.”

Mindy lifted her head and shot me a triumphant look. Score one for Mindy.

“It’s settled then,” Ryan said. “Dinner for four.”

“Should we drive together?” Mindy asked.

I had the answer for that. “His car only has two seats. It’s a
Jaguar
.” Score one for Lola.

“We could go in my car,” Chad said. “The backseat is kind of messy, though. I’d have to move some stuff.” I thought of the floor of his car layered with empty Big Gulp cups and fast-food wrappers. My fingers felt sticky just thinking about it.

“You can follow us,” Ryan said decisively. “It’s not far.”