Page 79 of The Ghost of Ellwood

“I won’t forget.” Theo’s gaze locked onto mine. “You keep me grounded, Ben Cross. You add color to my black and white world.”

He did the same for me.

***

After a lovely dinner at an Italian restaurant, Theo and I headed toward the movie theater.

The sun was mostly set by now but not quite, casting a dark golden glow over Ivy Grove. On the sidewalk, we passed people in costume; devils, witches, and zombies. Halloween was on a Thursday, so kids had school the next day, but they were still out trick-or-treating. And the adults without kids were out drinking.

Theo’s brows shot up when two girls wearing kitty costumes walked by.

The costume was a black leotard with a dip down the center to show their cleavage, fishnet stockings, high heels, and cat ears. He’d mentioned how he left the house on past Halloweens at night, so I knew he’d seen girls dressed that like before, but I was sure it still shocked someone like him who came from such a modest time.

“I should putyouin a kitten costume,” I said, waggling my eyebrows.

He snorted. “I would have no choice but to kill you, Ben.”

“You’re right. You’d make a better puppy.”

The musical tone of his laugh was the sweetest sound I’d heard all day.

Reaching the movie theater, his whole face lit up. Cinemas in his day were completely different than the ones now. One, there was sound to the films, more than just orchestra type music. And two, the atmosphere. An arcade was on one side of the room, the bells and whistles from the games sounding in the background. Teenagers huddled together against one machine, putting in dollar bills to get coins.

“What would you like to watch?” I asked.

“I read about one in the paper,” he said, regarding the selection of movies and their show times. “CalledIT.”

“That’s about a killer clown. Just so you know.”

“What’s the matter, Ben?” Theo smiled. “You can write it but not watch it?”

“You know what?” I pulled out my wallet and stepped toward the ticket booth. “Two forIT: Chapter Two, please.”

After I paid, we moved over to the concession stand. Theo commented on the selection of snacks, and he beamed when he saw the hotdogs. I whispered to him, “If you get scared in the movie, you can always hold my hand.”

Theo blushed and turned his head away from me. His gaze darted between the people around us.

It hurt, but I forced a smile. He wasn’t the first man I’d dated who wasn’tout. However, in Theo’s case, it wasn’t because he was ashamed of me or what we did. He was just scared.

I ordered a large bucket of popcorn, a hotdog, and two sodas at the concession stand before we headed down the hall toward the theater. I didn’t like people behind me, so I walked to the very top and sat on the back row. It would also give us more privacy, just in case Theo changed his mind and wanted to get a bit cozier.

“There are so many seats,” he said, sweeping a gaze down the aisle.

“Yep.” I held the bucket toward him. “Here. Eat some popcorn.”

With an eager smile, he grabbed a handful and ate one piece before shoving the rest into his mouth. I handed him a napkin because of the butter, and he thanked me, wiping the grease from his hands. When he ate his hotdog, emitting soft moans, it took every ounce of willpower not to slide between his legs and devour his mouth.

More people gradually filled the seats in front of us. The movie had been out for over a month, so it wasn’t too busy. Only half the theater was full and people were pretty spread out. A couple three rows down from us were heavily making out, and a group on the same row but several seats away took selfies.

It reminded me of why I rarely got out of the house. People annoyed me.

When it was time for the movie to start and the house lights dimmed, throwing the theater into darkness, Theo shifted closer to me. As the beginning scene played, I paid little attention to it. I was too focused on Theo’s sharp intake of breath and how he jumped. The horror on his face as it showedITfor the first time cracked me up.

“Ben, this is horrible,” Theo said, mortified as a kid was eaten on screen.

“Do you want to leave?”

He shook his head, not taking his eyes off the movie.