lost points when he sat down right next to another guy even though the theater was mostly empty. Because that was just too weird.
Except then he realized that the guy wasn’t a stranger. The guy was Max Marshall.
Which meant that this was definitely not a date.
“Look who I found in the lobby,” Scott said to Max, as if it was just the most random of coincidences that Jeffry happened to be in a revival house in Fredericksburg, an hour away from his house.
“Jeffry, hey. Good to see you. How’s Brit?”
“Good.” Jeffry’s voice sounded squeaky to his ears, and he cleared his throat. “She’s out with Marcus tonight.”
“Date night, huh?”
“For some people, I guess,” Jeffry said, then winced, wishing he could kick his own ass.
Scott glanced at him sideways, a small smile playing at his lips. Then he settled into his seat and Jeffry did the same, so that Scott was in the middle.
“Can I share your popcorn?” Scott asked.
“Sure,” Jeffry said, shifting the bag so that it was between their seats. The lights dimmed and the trailers began and Jeffry sat stiff in the dark, suddenly aware that Scott was right there , so close their shirt sleeves brushed. He couldn’t think. Hell, he could barely breathe. He was far too aware of the man next to him.
Get a grip, Rush .
Right. He could do that.
He focused on the screen. Images from an upcoming disaster film flashed in the dark, the brooding hero insisting that if they didn’t act now, the capital would fall.
Another trailer, this one a romantic comedy with a ditzy blonde and a Big Misunderstanding. In the dark, Jeffry rolled his eyes.
Another and another, until finally Jeffry allowed himself to be swept away into magic of the cinema, so that by the time the Monty Python and the Holy Grail opening credits were running and he was reading about the Moose, he was completely relaxed.
Then Scott went and blew that all to hell by reaching into the bag of popcorn at the exact same time as Jeffry, and their hands touched, and electric sparks shot all the way up Jeffry’s arm, and it was everything he could do not to gasp.
And that was the end of it. He couldn’t manage to pay attention to even one more second of the movie. All he could do was think about the feel of Scott’s skin. All he wanted was another casual brush, and another, and another.
By the time the lights came up in the theater, he was a wreck.
“One of my favorite movies,” Scott said, his gaze fixed tight on Jeffry. “But honestly, it just gets better every time I see it.”
“Yeah. Um, yeah, it really does.”
“We should get back,” Max said. “You know Grandma’s gonna wait up for us.”
“Sure,” Scott said. “Let’s go.”
Jeffry walked with them out of the theater feeling vaguely disappointed and weirdly jealous. When Max peeled off to go to the restroom, Jeffry blurted out, “Do you want to come over tomorrow? We could watch Life of Brian . Or play video games.”
“I’m heading back to College Station tomorrow,” Scott said, referring to his college town.
“Oh.” The depth of his disappointment shocked Jeffry.
“You know, I should have breakfast with Max and Mrs. Garten, but maybe I could come by around eleven? And then I’ll come see you before I hit the road.”
“That sounds great.” Jeffry tried to keep his tone casual. He was pretty sure he was failing. “I’d say my mom would cook lunch for us, but the house’ll be empty.”
“So I don’t get to meet the famous senator?”
Jeffry made a face. “Would you want to?”
“No. I just want to hang with you.”
“Good, because he’ll be gone. He and my grandmother are in Austin for a charity thing. And my mom and sister and going to San Antonio tomorrow morning to shop.”
“Well, then,” Scott said. “It’ll just be you and me.” The corner of his mouth twitched, and as Max headed back to them, Scott lowered his voice. “Just think of the trouble we could get into.”
Then he
Bill Pronzini, Barry N. Malzberg