“Not when I was twelve. But I watched it again last year and I understood what she meant. Though to me, Heat is more a movie about honor. Honoring your friends, honoring your job even if you’re a thief, honoring your commitment to justice if you’re a cop. Most of all it’s about honoring the code you choose to live by, whatever that code may be. But even though the men in the movie loved their women, they couldn’t do right by them. Sometimes people can’t help but make poor choices and hurt the ones they love, I guess.” Dustin suddenly felt foolish going on and on about a movie she had never seen. “Sorry, I’m a hopeless film nerd.”

Kimmie grabbed his arm and looked him squarely in the eyes. “Stop. You don’t sound like a nerd at all. You sound passionate, which is a wonderful thing. If anything, you’re making me want to watch the movie right this second, but more for the romance aspect. Call me a cynic, but with all the shit going on with Lolly and Steven I’m not feeling so big on the honor of men…” She paused, knowing that Dustin may be perhaps the first man of honor she’d met in New York so far. Last year, she would have put Gabe, her ice dancing partner, into this category, but he’d proved to be a disappointment as of late, barely calling her anymore now that he had just paired up with some Swedish skater named Maja.

“Don’t. I mean, you can, of course. I’m not trying to tell you what you can and can’t do,” Dustin fumbled. “But maybe we could watch it sometime … together? The two of us or with others.” God, I’m a babbling fool around her.

“Perhaps. But not tonight. It’s late and I should go.” Kimmie smiled and ran up the steps to her front door. Once at the top of her stoop, she turned around to face him. “Thank you for the frozen hot chocolate and the walk home,” she said, followed by a little curtsy.

Dustin answered her curtsy with a deep bow. “The honor, my fair Kimmie, was all mine.”

Kimmie entered the front door and hurried to the living room window to watch Dustin walk off into the snowy dark night. Did she detect a little spring in his step? Yes, she most certainly did.

XII