“I’m sorry about this,” he offered, sincerely, as he opened Alani’s car door.

“It’s cool. I kind of love these movies. My daughter loves…” she paused and closed her eyes. Her heavy lids fluttered, as she opened them, fresh dew of emotion rested on her long, dark lashes. She was fragile. “My baby used to love them too,” she finished in a whisper.

Ethic’s hand had a mind of its own, as he brought it to her face to swipe a runaway tear from her cheek. He held out his elbow, a pure gentleman, and she held onto him as he said, “Come on, let’s catch up, before they order everything at the concession stand. I’ll be out of $200 messing around with these high-ass prices.”

Alani shook her head and patted the big bag that hung off her shoulder. “Un-uh, never underestimate the power of a black woman and a big purse,” she said, with a laugh. “I see your foreign truck and all that. I know you got it, but that don’t mean you got to waste it. There’s a CVS right next door. You give me $20 and I’ll go grab all the snacks they want,” she said.

Ethic laughed, looking down at her in intrigue, as she held her palm out and pursed her lips.

He peeled off a 20 and placed it in her palm. “You’re a genius.”

“I’m a mama,” Alani responded. “I’ll meet you guys inside.”

Alani was in and out of the store in five minutes. When she walked back over to the theatre, Ethic was waiting outside. He held out his hand for her.

She hesitated, before she intertwined her fingers with his. Nothing had ever felt so comforting, as she walked with him, side by side, her bag of candy contraband tucked under her arm.

Ethic’s touch was dangerous. It made her feel everything other than what she should be feeling. When he placed his hand on the small of her back to lead her in front of him, or grabbed her hand, gently, it made butterflies flutter in her stomach. Even when their fingers graced each other’s inside the giant popcorn tub, she sucked in air to stop her heart from leaping. She felt guilty for feeling anything other than depression, at this time in her life, but she couldn’t help but notice her attraction to him. He was strong, yet caring, and the vulnerability he showed with his children made her jealous that her child hadn’t had anything close to that in her lifetime. She felt lucky to even be involved in this family outing because she had a feeling that Ethic didn’t include outsiders very often. Where is their mother? She thought. A woman would be half crazy to catch this man and throw him back into the pond.