You've Found Oliver (You've Reached Sam, #2)(25)

No rush. I’ll see you soon



Save me some popcorn



Extra butter



Something to drink?



Diet soda please. And nachos if they have it



I’ll sneak it in if they don’t



We were supposed to grab some food before the movie, but I’m going to have to meet him at the theater. I run home to change into the outfit I picked out last night. Then I race to the bus station. It’s a smooth ride until we hit some traffic on the 405. Thankfully, we’re only twenty minutes behind schedule. I run all the way to the theater.

The trailers have already started when I finally arrive. Ben texted me a moment ago, letting me know he’s sitting inside. I buy a ticket and find the auditorium. I head through the door and glance up at the seats. Surprisingly, the place is almost full. I can’t seem to spot Ben, so I send him another text.

Where are you sitting again?



Middle section on the right



I take another look around. But I still can’t find him.

I don’t see you



I’ll wave at you



I scan the theater again. No waving hands. Did I walk into the wrong auditorium? I head out and try the next one. But it’s not the right movie.

I get another text from Ben.

It’s auditorium 3



Wasn’t that the first one I tried? I probably just didn’t see him through the dark. I return to where I started, but something is different this time. There are only about ten people in here. I could have sworn the room was almost full a minute ago. But I don’t think about it for long, because I spot Ben right away this time. He’s sitting in the middle, waving at me. How did I miss him before? I take the seat next to him.

“You made it,” he whispers.

“Got confused for a second.”

Ben smiles. “Don’t worry. You didn’t miss much.”

Up on the screen, a woman is waiting outside a restaurant in Paris. She’s putting on lipstick when a man in a suit approaches her, carrying flowers. “Est-ce qu’elles sont pour moi?”

Ben hands me the popcorn and whispers, “That’s her fiancé, by the way, but I think he’s about to break up with her.”

“At least he brought her flowers.”

“Carnations though?”

“You’re right. She should be breaking up with him.”

We must be talking too loudly, because someone shushes us from behind. Ben and I lean back and try not to laugh. At least the movie has subtitles, but I don’t need a translation to know this is not something I would ever watch on my own. Ben keeps looking over to check if I’m enjoying it. I smile to let him know I’m not bored. It doesn’t really matter what I’m watching with him. Because I’m with him.

At one point in the film, my hand accidently touches his. Neither of us pulls away. For a second, I think about lacing my fingers through his. Maybe that’s too much too soon. But then he leans his shoulder against mine. I can’t tell if he’s doing this intentionally. Regardless, I don’t move away. We sit this way—hands touching, shoulders pressed together, my heart pounding—for the rest of the movie.

There’s too much light out to look at the stars right now, so Ben takes me to his favorite pizza place. It’s only a few blocks away and he gives me a tour of the neighborhood on the walk over. The streets are crowded with college students drinking outside of dive bars. Ben grabs us two slices of cheese pizza and a side of ranch, which I consider a green flag. Now that we’re outside, I can get a better look at him. His hair looks freshly cut and his cheeks are slightly rosy from the cold air. He looks at me and says, “Sorry about the movie.”

“What do you mean? I loved it.”

He raises a brow. “You fell asleep at the end.”

“Me, asleep?” I scoff. “No, no. I closed my eyes to better hear the dialogue.”

“I didn’t realize you were fluent in French.”

“Oui,” I say, and then I take a bite of pizza. “There’s a lot you don’t know about me. But I get to pick the next movie.”

Ben smirks. “That’s only fair.”

“Why are you taking this class again? Thought you were an astronomy major.”

“I thought it would fun,” he says. “You only get so many electives. Don’t want to spend every second of my life in a lab, you know? My brain would probably explode. Besides, I’m on track to graduate a year early anyway.”

“And here I am, wondering if I’m even going to graduate.”

Ben laughs. “You just haven’t figured out what you like yet. Who knows, maybe tonight will give you some inspiration.”

“As in, be an astronomy major?”

“It’s a possibility,” he says, winking at me. “I’ll do my best to convince you.”

“You did convince me to sit through a two-hour French movie.”

“I thought you said you liked it.”

“Not liked,” I correct him. “Loved.”

We laugh and finish the rest of our pizza. Then Ben takes me to a famous bakery in town. The place is extra crowded tonight, but the pastry selection makes everything worth it. I can’t decide what to get.