Page 54 of Coach Sully
She keeps our fingers linked all the way to the living room, where I carry a spare table to the couch. I walk into the kitchen to grab her food. “These flowers are gorgeous.” She laughs. “How many of these did you buy?”
“Just two,” I call from the kitchen while grabbing a plate with a few of those cake things and bring them to her along with a glass of water. She nibbles at the food, taking the smallest bites I’ve ever seen. “Do you want to watch something?”
“Sure.”
I lean back on the couch next to her and point the remote at the television, opening Netflix and scrolling through the options.
She pulls her plate into her lap and settles in next to me, allowing me to put my arm around her. We have a lot to talk about, but it’s so nice to act like a normal couple, even if it’s temporary. She seems to appreciate the casualness too. We know there’s a shitshow on our hands, but for now, I’ve been waiting months for this. To justbe.
“Damn it,” I say, disheartened.
“What?”
“The oldest thing I can find isBridge on The River Kwaifrom 1957. You’d think they’d have a bigger collection of talkies for you! Who’s running this thing, Gen Alpha?”
“You’re such a bitch.” She laughs and shakes her head. “There is nothing wrong with enjoying the classics.”
I chuckle. “Yeah, I think that’s pretty obvious, based on your Netflix algorithm.” There’s hardly anything made after 2005. “What are you in the mood for?”
“I’d kill for a good squid documentary,” she mutters. I smile, thinking about that night. That was the night I knew we weren’t done. “Find us a throwback,” she says, chewing a bite. She’s finished one of the cakes and is starting on the second.Atta girl.
“How big of a throwback are we talking?” There’s no way of knowing when it comes to this woman. “Casablancaor TheDevil Wears Prada?”
“Um… somewhere in the middle.”
I find the romances and name off titles older than her.
“Dirty Dancing.”
“No.”
“Ghost.”
“No.”
“Eyes Wide Shut.”
She turns her head to look at me.
“What?”
She smiles. “No… Oooh!” She points at the screen. “Love and Basketball. I haven’t seen it in forever. I used to watch it all the time, it’s a comfort movie.”
“That’s yourcomfortmovie? He cheats on her!” I argue. I saw it in the theaters when I was younger, and that scene stung.
“It breaks your heart and then puts it back together. Makes you feel something!”
“Eyes Wide Shutmakes me feel something.”
“I bet it does.Love and Basketball.”
“Okay, baby. You hungry for anything else yet?” I ask, starting the movie.
She shakes her head, picking up another mini spice cake. “Are you? I don’t have a ton of groceries, but you’re welcome to make yourself whatever. Or we can order a pizza or something.” The groceries she bought earlier consisted of peanut butter, bread, strawberries, raspberries, and a bottle of nail polish. I don’t tell her I filled her fridge, for fear she’ll feel smothered. Besides, I ate earlier.
Her pretty eyes glance up at me. “Will you stay the night?” The question warms me to my bones. I want to kiss her so bad. The most I’ll let myself do is hold her… for now. She needs comfort, anything more than that will lead to other things, so I have to keep myself in check.
“Yeah, baby girl. I’ll stay.” I pause. “But I’m going to sleep on the sofa.”