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I pushed her up against the door of the car, careful not to let the cake drop.

“Never,” I said before I brought my mouth to hers and kissed her until we were both gasping and short of breath.

* * *

“I have an idea,” I said as we were driving back.

“What’s that?” she asked, turning the radio down. I simply could not ride in silence and she’d tolerated the music so far.

“Since this is your first time dating a woman, I was wondering if you wanted to do all the classic kinds of dates. The movies, bowling, mini golf, arcade. What do you think?” I asked, looking up from my phone.

“Oh,” she said.

“It’s a silly idea,” I said, wishing I hadn’t opened my mouth.

“No, it’s not a silly idea at all, Cade.” She reached across and squeezed my leg. “What did you have in mind?”

“Well, there just so happens to be a community movie night a few miles from here. You have to bring your own blanket and chairs and so forth, but they have a huge screen and they sell popcorn and snacks and there’s a food truck.”

Eloise smiled. “What movie is playing?”

“Sleepless in Seattle. A classic.” It was also about a reporter, I remembered. I’d seen it ages ago at a sleepover.

Eloise let out a sigh. “I really love that movie.”

“You want to go?” I asked. “I know you planned this date, but…”

Eloise beamed at me. “Yes, I want to go. What’s the address?”

* * *

The movie wasn’t for another hour, so we had time to kill. Eloise took us to the nearest big box store to get chairs and blankets and more snacks in addition to the cake we already had.

“They always raise the prices. I’ve been sneaking my own candy and popcorn into movie theaters forever.” Her frugality made me laugh, but they did have a good selection of candy and Eloise told me to get anything and everything I wanted, filling a reusable bag.

“This seems like a lot of stuff for one date,” I said when we arrived at the venue to find our spot.

There were already tons of people who had laid out blankets and set out chairs, and kids running around and chasing each other. The night was warm, but not muggy. Eloise had got us bug spray and insisted on dousing me when we got out of the car. It was sweet, so I let her do it.

We carried our stuff and found a spot that wasn’t too far from the screen but gave us a little more privacy.

“I wouldn’t have thought to do this,” Eloise said, setting up her chair. I put mine right next to hers and wished that we had a bigger one so we could share. “You’ve got all kinds of good ideas, Cade.”

“Sometimes I do. Sometimes they blow up in my face.” That happened a lot.

I laid one of the blankets on her lap even though it wasn’t chilly yet. I didn’t want her to get cold.

Eloise reached up and pulled me down to kiss me quickly. “Thank you for this. I know I’m not good with spontaneous things, but this is good.”

I kissed her again, wishing I could crawl into her lap and wrap her arms around me so we could snuggle together.

Eloise made a little grumpy sound and pulled back. “I thought these chairs were a good idea, but I think if we both try to use one they’ll break.”

Had she read my mind?

Eloise stood and helped me make a nest of the blankets instead, laying back and patting the spot next to her. I lay down, and she put her arm around me, pulling me closer.

“Is this better?” I asked.