The only thing she had ever done casually was sex.
After about a hundred outfits, she had on a short black skirt, a flouncy tank top with some cleavage for good measure, and a pair of cute sandals. She felt dressed down for a date, but this was what he had said after all.
She wasn’t sure she even felt comfortable in her skin, purposely dressing like this on a first date, but this was Cam. She was sure it would be fun.
The knock on the door made her dart out of her room. She shooed Trihn and Stacia away and then opened the door.
“Hey,” she said brightly.
“You look great,” he said, surveying her.
“Thanks. You, too.”
He had on jeans and a green polo with the flip-flops he always wore to class.
“Are you ready?”
“Yep.” She shut the door behind her and followed him out to his car. “Wow. Is this yours?”
It was a classic black Mustang from the sixties. She wasn’t as familiar with older cars because her father preferred new supercharged sports cars. She knew enough to know this thing was beautiful and in mint condition.
“Yep. All mine.”
“I love her. I’m usually more of a Ferrari-Porsche kind of girl, but this is beautiful.”
“Thanks. All original parts. My dad owned her first.”
“Incredible,” she mused. “I’d love to drive her!”
“You drive a stick?” he asked, surprised.
“Since before I could walk.”
He smiled and opened the passenger door for her. “Then, maybe I’ll let you give it a spin, if you’re lucky.”
“I’m always lucky,” she said.
She sank into the seat and let him close the door for her. A perfect gentleman. Cam got into the driver’s side and then drove them away from the apartment.
It wasn’t far before he was pulling over onto a side street for the restaurant—if the thing he parked in front of could be considered a restaurant. It was a food truck that was basically a trailer with a window and menu on the side. There was a patio outside with picnic tables and some benches, all of which were already full. Plus, there was a line around the block. So, at least that was a good sign. Though she was skeptical.
“Hope this is okay. A friend of mine discovered this place. I swear, it’s the best food in town.”
She had been to the Eiffel Tower Restaurant, so she highly doubted that.
“Yeah. Should be interesting,” she said. She hoped she’d sounded convincing.
They got in line, and after a good half-hour wait, they made it up to order. Cam got them two burritos, which seemed to be the signature item, chips and queso, and two beers. She stared down at her aluminum can but made no comment. This was fine. She drank beer at house parties. This wasn’t any different.
Another couple vacated their spots, and they found a space to sit on a bench. Cam set the burritos down in front of them, and she took a long swig of the beer. It was cold and refreshing in the Vegas heat. She wasn’t sure what to make of the burrito wrapped in aluminum foil. Did people actually eat like this?
Cam was already removing the foil and digging into the burrito. He looked like a mask of pure joy.
“This is so amazing, Bryna. I can’t wait for you to tell me what you think.”
She swallowed. He was so happy. It had to be good. She hated being skeptical. She needed to relax and live in the moment.
Taking a deep breath, she peeled back the foil and took a small bite of the burrito. It was everything—full of spices and tender chicken. There were a million things inside, and she could hardly distinguish the mush, but it was amazing. Flat-out best burrito she had ever had in her life.
“Oh my God,” she murmured.
He smiled triumphantly. “I told you so.”
“I would have never guessed this heaven was on a beat-up truck in the middle of nowhere.”
“I know. I’m glad you like it.”
“Learn something new every day.”
“You’ve never eaten from a food truck before?” he asked.
She shook her head. “Not in L.A.”
“They have them in L.A.”
She shrugged. “Not where I live.”
“Well, you should get out more!”
“I am.”
She meaningfully looked at him, and he smiled bigger.
They finished their food and piled back into his Mustang. She was still in shock about the food truck. She was used to good food but usually fancy food. She’d had a chef growing up, and burritos hadn’t exactly been on the menu.
She was so lost in thought about the burrito experience that she almost didn’t notice when they pulled up to the movie. Her eyes widened.
“A drive-in?”
“Yeah. They show all the best movies. I thought it would be better than some blockbuster.”
“I haven’t been to one since I was a kid. My dad used to take me before he—” She cut herself off. She didn’t really want Cam to know who her dad was yet. “He just worked a lot.”
“Sounds like my dad.”
“What are we seeing?” she asked, quickly changing the subject.
“Casablanca.”
“Good choice.”
Cam paid for their tickets and bought them popcorn that she had no intention of eating, and then they found a spot near the center of the place. People were staring at his car, and she didn’t blame them. It was a classic.
They snuggled in close together as the movie started, and Cam rested his arm across her shoulders. She had always loved Casablanca. It was a film her mother used to play on repeat when she was younger. Bryna knew every line, but it didn’t stop her from admiring the beautiful work.
Cam’s tentatively laced their fingers together. She tilted her head and rested it on his shoulder, whispering the lines under her breath.
“So, you’ve seen this one before, huh?”
She nodded. “It’s one of my mother’s favorites.”
“Good.”
As the closing lines rolled through, Bryna felt a tear come to her eye, just like Ingrid Bergman’s as Humphrey Bogart delivered his famous line, “Here’s looking at you, kid.”
As Ingrid turned to walk onto the plane, Cam tilted Bryna’s chin up to look at him. He brushed his nose against hers. His lips were so invitingly close, yet her thoughts strayed to the closing of the movie where Ingrid left the man she loved, at his request, to be with another man. It felt just like love…heartbreaking.
“I’m going to kiss you now,” Cam whispered, breaking her from her thoughts.
“I’m surprised you haven’t already.”
“I wanted to make sure you were okay with it.”
She smiled. No one had ever checked to make sure before. “I’m very okay.”
His lips met hers, soft and tender. It was a question wrapped in the uncertainty of how she would respond. She pressed her lips harder against him, wanting to forget, to not think about anything in that moment. She wanted to get swept away and lost in his lips. She wanted a kiss that would make her mind go blank and the world tip.
And it was a good kiss.
Cam pulled away, and she hoped the guilt wasn’t on her face for thinking of another kiss in his stead.
He kissed her on the cheek once and then pulled out of the drive-in with a satisfied smile on his face.
Her mind was still lost on that kiss. It had been good. He was nice and sweet. They got along. Everything seemed to be going in the right direction. It wasn’t what she had expected out of the date, but that was for the better. She couldn’t keep doing the same things and expect different results. Like with Hugh. Or Eric.
She shut her mind down. She was not going to think about Eric anymore.
Cam drove up to the gate of her apartment complex and punched in the code to get in. “I had a great time,” he told her as he rounded the corner.
“Me, too,” she said with a smile. “Do you want to…” She trailed off when she saw the car in front of their building.
A big, shiny Jeep.
Eric’s Jeep.