Page 39 of Rewrites of the Heart
Much to his surprise, the one emotion he could dig down and discover was his deep caring for JJ. Holy crap, he thought.What if she really is the one and I do something to screw it up?
He looked at his watch. Five minutes to one.Is it too early to ring the bell? I don’t want to appear too eager. Certainly don’t want her to think I’m pushy.
He stood there several more minutes, as he looked around the neighborhood. Then he pulled out his cell phone and checked the time. Two minutes till one. He shifted the weight of his body from one leg to another and glanced at the phone again. The third time he checked his phone it was finally one o’clock.
He stuffed his phone in his pocket and at the same time forced all his fears and all other emotions in him down and rang the doorbell. He put on his best smile. When JJ opened the door, his smile not only brightened, but become much more natural.
“I hope I’m not late.”
“Right on time. You couldn’t have timed it any better if you had stood out there checking the time.” She flashed a smile at him.
He had never seen her in casual dress before. She wore a large, oversized sweatshirt that reminded him of the color of grape jelly. The sweatshirt reached down only partially covering her derriere. He noticed her faded jeans fit her well, snug enough to accentuate the curves of her hips.
“Come in for a moment while I get my coat.” She ushered him into the living room while she disappeared into a hallway.
As he waited, he scanned the room. It had a cozy feel to it, with a fireplace on one side and large floral prints on the wall above the couch. He was pleased to see her return, in the middle of shrugging her coat on. She picked up her keys off the end table. “All set.”
As he drove to the stadium, he realized it was the first time he had been alone with her for any length of time. That thought and the silence in the vehicle unnerved him momentarily. Thankfully, she had the presence of mind to start a topic.
“Have you noticed that Dr. Chare always seems to be lurking in the hallway during our class? I run into him as I enter the classroom and he’s there when I leave. What’s up with that?”
“I think he’s worried we’ll kill each other.”
She laughed, and he felt the tension had been broken. For the rest of the short ride, he was more at ease making conversation.
****
“Wow, there really is a lot of traffic going into the stadium,” JJ commented, as they pulled into its parking lot. “Do you think they’re all coming to see the big-screen TV?”
“Undoubtedly. Ohio State football we’re not. You know what I’m saying?”
She exited the SUV and met up with Kenn at the back of the vehicle. As they made their way toward the ticket gate, she found herself being jostled by the eagerness of so many people heading in. One man, in particular, bumped into her and knocked her off balance. The force of the bump knocked her into Kenn.
“You okay?” he asked as he immediately placed an arm around her shoulder. Her heart skipped a beat.
“I’m good.” She glanced up at his deep brown eyes. “Thanks.”
He kept his arm in place as they got through the ticket gate, and she made no effort to protest the situation.
They sidled themselves to the middle of the third row of bleachers along the thirty-yard line, excusing themselves as they walked over the feet of those already seated.
“I want to make sure I can see Alex and Blake clearly without some tall person’s head in the way.”
She realized she felt an unexpected sense of parental pride at her characters’ accomplishments and couldn’t wait to see them perform.
He quirked an eyebrow. “You do know that means my head will now block some other short person’s view?”
She shrugged. “Better them than me,” she said as she sat down. “You’re obviously not familiar with the Zen of short people: come early; sit close.”
“Professors, it’s good to see you.” She and Kenn turned at the same time to see Dr. Chare and Deb Dilley behind them.
“Why, Dr. Chare,” she said, her eyes wide, “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you in anything but a suit.” The chairman wore a bright purple sweatshirt with UNO emblazoned on the chest in lime green. She thought the color scheme looked ridiculous on the students. On him it looked atrocious.
“Normally, I wouldn’t wear these colors, you understand.”
“Completely,” Kenn said. “I wonder who came up with this combination?”
“I heard we have the class of 1970 to thank for this psychedelic combination,” JJ said.