Royal Chase

My pulse went wild from the way he looked at me. It didn’t help things that he had spoken Italian to me, either. That made me want to collapse into a puddle of Lemon. Then he greeted me hello as he had a million times before, a soft kiss to the left cheek, then one on the right.

Where he, again, lingered for a half a second longer than he should have, and I, again, enjoyed it much more than I should have.

He also didn’t move away, and stood entirely too close to me. “What have you planned?”

That was the question of the ages, wasn’t it? What did I have planned? For Dante, for Sterling, for my wedding?

But for tonight, I had something boring and easy. The show had brought in a giant outdoor movie screen and set the whole system up. All I had to do was press “Play.”

They had taken things a step further than what I’d asked for, surrounding the area with more lit candles. The team had also laid out a blanket and had beanbags, pillows, and throw blankets in case we got cold. Or, more likely, they’d added the blankets so they might give us some privacy if we decided to make out. Which made my blood start heating up, just thinking about it.

I had to clear my throat. “This is my favorite movie ever. Gone with the Wind. I figured you’d never seen it, and it’s important to me, so I thought you could get to know me a little bit better by watching it with me.”

The movie was nearly four hours long. We would sit in silence and watch the adventures of Scarlett O’Hara and her idiotic life choices, along with her amazing ability to survive, and then the date would be over. We’d never even have to speak.

I wanted to pat myself on the back.

There were movie treats as well—Red Vine licorice, Junior Mints, M&Ms, massive cups of soda, and actual movie tubs of popcorn. Dante set up a little nesting area for us to sit together and watch. I debated. It would look more romantic for the producers if I sat there, but there might be some serious negative consequences if I did.

I decided to risk it.

It was only once the movie started that I realized what I had accidentally done. Scarlett started off the movie in the exact same costume I’d worn on New Year’s Eve. If it was possible to have a panic attack followed up by a heart-attack chaser at twenty-four, I would have been the prime candidate for it.

Dante didn’t say anything though. Or look at me. He just put his arm behind me on the pillows, like this was a real date, and watched.

I finally started to relax after the men got called off to fight in the Civil War. The moment had come and gone and it looked like he wouldn’t tease or remind me about it. I hadn’t chosen this movie to bring up the costume ball. It really was just my favorite movie. I hoped he didn’t think there was some hidden double meaning.

We finished off most of the snacks with Dante doing the bulk of the work, and we somehow managed to scoot closer to each other so that by the end, my side was pressed to his. This was both exhilarating and nerve-racking. He was playing with the ends of my hair as I pressed “Stop.” The movie screen went blank.

“Well, what did you think?”

“I liked it.” His voice was a murmur. He didn’t have to speak very loudly, because we were so close together. “Why is it your favorite?”

“Well, the South, Atlanta. But I love Scarlett. I know I should like Melanie better. Scarlett is selfish, immature, and unaware of the damage she causes, while Melanie is good, kind, and forgiving. But I so wanted to be Scarlett when I grew up! I’m not sure what that says about me.”

“She was also brave, loyal, hardworking, and determined like you.”

He would never know the thrill he gave me when he compared our strengths. “But she has terrible taste in men. Another thing we have in common.”

“Hey!” he yelped, looking insulted. I laughed.

“She just chose the wrong guy,” Dante said. “She should have loved Rhett from the beginning. Ashley was all wrong for her. She would have frustrated him and he would have bored her. They would have been miserable.”

There was something there, something he wasn’t saying. I felt it. It was too deep and too serious for the moment. “From the beginning, huh? Don’t tell me you believe in love at first sight.”