Page 54 of It's a Date (Again)

“Yep, all good,” I say.

Robbie nods.

“Great, you kids have fun,” she says, backing out of the apartment and closing the door behind her.

Robbie picks up two remotes from a tray on the coffee table and hands them to me. “That’s for the TV, and that’s for the Fire Stick. I have basically every streaming service because I keep forgetting to cancel them, so feel free to put on whatever you’d like.”

I glance at the remote in each hand and then up at Robbie. “What do I like?”

He takes a seat, extending a hand toward me. I place the remotes in the palm of it. Robbie turns on the TV and begins scrolling through various apps.

“This is your favorite rom-com,” he says, pointing to the screen.

“Never Been Kissed?”

He nods. “You’ve watched it, like, fifty times.”

“Jeez, you’d think I’d remember what it was about.”

Robbie glances over at me and laughs.

“What’s my favorite action movie?”

“Die Hard,” he says. “Whenever you’re sick, you watch all theDie Hardmovies, and you claim they make you feel better.”

“Do I feel better after watching them?”

Robbie taps his finger against his chin as though pondering my question. “Actually, yes. But there are five in the series, and it takes you a couple of days to get through them, so it’s more likely the illness just runs its course.”

“From a scientific standpoint, my theory is sound.”

He chuckles and browses through more apps.

“What about you? Favorite rom-com? Or are you one of those guys who claims to hate them?” I shift in my seat so I’m partially facing Robbie.

“I am, but you and Maya have made me watch an ungodly number of rom-coms, so I’ve basically been forced to have a favorite simply due to the sheer number of them I’ve seen.” He simpers.

Pulling the throw blanket from the back of the couch, I drape it over our laps. “And which is your favorite?”

“13 Going on 30,” he says without missing a beat.

“Why?”

“I don’t know. The nostalgia, being able to get a different perspective on life by going back and doing things differently.” Robbie shrugs. “It’s just a cute movie with a good message.”

“I’ll have to watch it then ... or better yet, rewatch it.”

Robbie glances down at his watch, noting the time, and passes me the remotes. He shuffles the blanket off his lap and stands.

“All right, let me finish up my work real quick and then we can head out.” He claps his hands together like he’s giving himself a pep talk.

My gaze swings from the TV screen to him as he crosses the living room and takes a seat at his desk. I scroll through a selection of movies and shows, none of which are familiar to me. I’m sure I’ve seen most of them but nothing sticks out. I glance over at Robbie again. He types quickly like he’s racing to be done. I notice his shoulders are tense.

My phone buzzes, stealing my attention. It’s a text from Shawn.Hope you’re having a good week. Looking forward to our date on Friday night.

I punch out several replies, deleting and retyping them. First I type out,I can’t wait too!!But I figure it sounds too eager, especially considering I’m dating two other guys. I delete the exclamation points and replace them with a period. Now it sounds like I’m not excited at all. I delete the whole text and start over. I type,Hello, Shawn. I too amlooking forward to our date on Friday evening.Nope, that’s entirely too formal and sounds kind of creepy. What is wrong with me? Why can’t I just type out a simple text to a guy I’m dating? I let out a groan.

“What’s wrong?” Robbie asks, swiveling his head in my direction.