“That’s cute. You must’ve been…” Doing the math quickly in her head, Leanne said, “Around fourteen when you saw Finding Nemo?”

“That sounds about right. I liked cartoons even as a teenager. Hell, I might as well be honest. I still like them…love Clone Wars to this day. I’m all about Ahsoka.” He ducked his head, evidently afraid to make eye contact after this confession.

People probably told him to grow up all the time. Combined with his lack of a steady job, the interest in animation and video games likely earned him all kinds of censure, particularly from his parents. But Leanne couldn’t get on board with such criticism; people ought to live however the hell they wanted, chase happiness in their own style. Being an adult didn’t mean all the things you loved as a kid had to be chucked along the way.

“You and me both,” the driver mumbled.

“We should watch it together,” she suggested. “I’ve been known to star a war from time to time.”

Trev brightened, his pretty eyes sparkling with surprise and delight. “Oh my God, that would be awesome.”

When the car stopped at a traffic light, the driver fiddled with his phone, and suddenly, the car filled with mellow violin strings and a velvety-voiced woman singing “La Mer” in French. “Romantic, am I right? I’m totally getting five stars from this ride.”

Trev gave him a thumbs-up in the rearview mirror. “Definitely, dude.”

Soon, they arrived at the pawn shop and Trev retrieved their rings in record time, then they continued to the show venue. The driver dropped them off, and Leanne hurried ahead, showing confirmation emails and QR codes when necessary. Staff seated them straightaway, and Trev hid their bags under the table, to her amusement. Everything was a bit posher than she’d expected, though the dress wasn’t black tie.

As for the menu, she picked salad instead of soup, chicken marsala, and cannoli for dessert while Trev went for minestrone soup, eggplant lasagna, and gelato. Though they hadn’t planned this even slightly, she allowed satisfaction to wash over her. The arrangements really had been incredibly smooth, everything unfolding as if by some greater design.

“Thanks for suggesting this,” she said, as the server expertly opened the bottle of Chardonnay she’d ordered.

“I didn’t think you’d go for it. When I go out with the guys, I basically never suggest anything because…” He hesitated.

“Because?”

“Only Titus knows anything about what I’m really like,” he admitted in a quiet voice.

“You’re afraid to show them?”

“That’s part of it, I guess. But it’s just easier to let people fill in the blanks, make assumptions based on how I look. Correcting those ideas looks an awful lot like effort.”

“Which you haven’t cared enough to make? They’re your friends, Trev.”