The message was short and sweet. "Meet me at the movies, 4:25, Finding Neverland. Sit on the back row."
A movie? That was odd. I had not seen him in 2 months and now he wanted to go to a movie. It didn't really make sense. I would hope that if he wanted to see me, he would want to be able to talk. Work things out. But instead he wanted to meet me at a movie.
I bought my ticket at 4:15 and made my way to the theater. The lights were still on and there were only 3 other people in the theater. I picked a seat on the back row in the corner and waited.
Finally the lights went off and the previews came up. He still wasn't there. I started to wonder if maybe he wasn't coming. I checked my watch. 4:15. I shifted nervously in my seat and straightened my skirt then looked at my watch again. 4:16. I hate waiting.
The door opened and I turned to see who was coming in. It wasn't him. A middle aged couple made their way to the middle of the theater and chose seats next to each other. I watched them settle into their seats, sharing their popcorn and commenting on the previews. I started to think that maybe I should just leave. I was not in a mood to watch a movie by myself.
Then the door opened again and I watched the familiar silhouette move into the theater. It's funny how you can know someone so well that you can recognize them by their shadow. I watched him pause, letting his eyes adjust to the light. I wondered if he had gotten his eyes checked yet, laughing to myself thinking about his misreading the menu at the Thai restaurant. I wanted to call out to him but I knew if I just sat quietly he would eventually see me.
Silently he slipped into the seat next to me as the movie started. It was too dark to see his expressions but I could feel his smile. He was glad to see me. I turned to him to speak and he leaned into me. His lips went to my ear, his cheek brushing against mine. His finger pressed to my lips. For a second I heard him inhale deeply, knowing that he was breathing in the familiar scent of my body.... my perfume mixed with the slight scent of my arousal.
"Shhhhh," he whispered and I knew he wasn't here to talk. He wasn't here to fix things. He just needed to connect, to feel me. "Watch the movie."
I wasn't sure how he expected me to watch the movie. I wanted to talk. I wanted to know how he was doing. I wanted to know if he missed me. But most of all I wanted to make love to him.
All at once the realization of what he was doing came rushing to me. He couldn't stay away but he couldn't come back to me. So he had me meet him in the one place where we couldn't talk. There was no way to discuss it, to argue, to talk him into coming back. There was no way to make love. All I could do is sit next to him and enjoy his presence. Maybe we could touch. But it was limited. A brilliant plan for someone who couldn't stay away but didn't want to get pulled back in.