I didn’t know where he was taking me and I honestly didn’t care. If we rode around aimlessly for the rest of the night I would be happy with that.
We sped through the city streets, past all the glimmering lights. When we came to a stop sign, he looked over at me. “Do you plan on ever talking?”
“I wanted to make sure I wouldn’t be punished if I did.”
He rolled his eyes. “Good to know it’s not that serious.”
“It’s not.” I shook my head. “My daughters are taking a flight to Anaheim later tonight...It’s their baby stepbrother’s birthday, so their dad called at the last minute. He said he wanted them to join him and his ho at Disneyland tomorrow.”
“You’re upset because they’re going?”
“No, he’ll always be their dad and he can see them whenever he wants...I’m upset because he waited until the very last minute to mention it. We have an arrangement, and I know he didn’t buy those plane tickets yesterday, you know?”
“I see. Well, that’s understandable. Do I need to have you home early so you can drop them off at the airport?”
“No. Their grandmother always takes them to and from the airport...”
“Hmmm...” He looked concerned.
“It’s not that big of a deal. I’m not that upset, I promise. I just hate when he calls—hate that he still exists...I’m sure hanging with you tonight will keep my mind off—”
“What’s your favorite movie?”
“Anastasia. Why?”
“The cartoon?”
I nodded. “Yeah, but—”
“And you laughed at me about Harry Potter?” He rolled his eyes and made a sudden U-turn, driving in the other direction. “Have you eaten anything since lunch?”
I shook my head and he pulled out his phone. “Greg? Miss Gracen and I would like to see a movie...No, dinner will need to be delivered—no seafood...Yes, that would be perfect actually...Anastasia...Yes, I’m aware that it’s animated...An hour more than likely...Thank you.”
“You shut down movie theaters too?” I looked at him as he put his phone away.
“Something like that...” He pulled over at a small convenience store. “I’ll be right back. Do you want anything out of here?”
I shook my head and he kissed me before walking away. As I sat in the car alone, I wondered if he was really capable of shutting down a theater just so he and I could watch a film that was thirteen years old.
I leaned back in the seat and shut my eyes, thinking about “us” once again. I was starting to believe that this thing we had might actually go somewhere—even though I was still afraid to completely embrace it. I was starting to believe that—
“Claire, stop it right now.” Jonathan got back in the car and I opened my eyes.
“Stop what?”
“You know what you were doing.” He handed me a small carton of mint chocolate chip ice cream and a pink spoon. “I figured this would help cheer you up a bit. It’s going to be a long drive and you might get hungry on the way...”
I smiled, shocked that he’d actually remembered my favorite comfort food. “Tell me the truth. Do you really record our phone conversations?”
“No, Claire.” He revved up the car. “I just have a good memory. It’s also pretty hard to forget anything about you.”
He drove away into the night and I savored every bite of that ice cream; it always did make me feel better.
As the car cruised out of the city, I started to wonder where the hell we were going. We weren’t anywhere near a movie theater—or civilization for that matter. There was nothing but open fields of grass everywhere I looked.
I thought about asking him where he was taking me, but I knew he wouldn’t tell me. I looked over at him and he placed his hand on my thigh, gently caressing it as he drove.
I started to shut my eyes, but the car came to a sudden stop in front of a huge white billboard.
“Did you run out of gas or something?” I stretched my arms up. “Do we need to start walking?”
“No. Get in the back seat.”
I didn’t move. I didn’t understand why I needed to get in the backseat for him to drive the rest of the way to the movies, didn’t understand why he’d changed our plans from a night at the theater to random car sex.
“I swear...” He pressed a button and the top of the convertible folded down. He stepped out of the car and moved to my side, picking me up and placing me in the backseat.
He slid in next to me and began fiddling with a black device.
I was thinking of something smart to say, fixing my mouth to ask a myriad of questions, but out of nowhere, a projector light flashed onto the blank billboard, and the opening credits of Anastasia began to play. The sound seemed to be coming from all around us, but I couldn’t see where the speakers were.