Second Rate Chances

by S. C. Stephens

  Glancing back at where he’d been nearly sliced in two, Neil shook his head and exhaled. “Thanks, Mack.”

  Makayla rubbed her hands together, warming them as she looked back at her disgruntled friend. “Oops, sorry.”

  Laughing, Makayla grabbed his arm, looping hers around his. Neil mixed his cologne with a berry body spray. It sounded odd, but the combination was delicious. More than one of their co-workers had commented that Neil always smelled edible. Neil gave her a small grin as she leaned into his side. “I’ll make it up to you…Raisinets or Goobers?” she suggested.

  Raising a pale eyebrow, Neil gave her a charming, crooked grin. It was the grin that made all of Makayla’s girlfriends let out a sad, wistful sigh. “No sane person eats a food called Goobers. Raisinets, silly girl.”

  Makayla laughed as she pulled him towards the counter. Laughing with her, Neil added, “Popcorn too.” The smell of the freshly popped treat permeating the lobby made Makayla’s mouth water and she nodded.

  Sighing that none of the calories he was about to consume would show on his hips…unlike hers…Makayla placed their food order while he stood in line for tickets. After a rousing debate while getting ready, the pair had decided on a romantic comedy for the evening. Makayla wasn’t fond of watching anything that involved romance when she didn’t have a person to be romantic with, but Neil was a sucker for anything that featured Jennifer Anniston. He called her a goddess.

  With food in hand, Makayla met back up with Neil. Holding out a ticket for her, he nodded his head at a hallway to their left. Shoving some popcorn in her mouth, the sweet, salty treat instantly making her thirsty, Makayla grabbed the ticket and followed him.

  Passing a group of boys waiting for the 3D blockbuster starting in an hour, Makayla felt eyes on her backside. Clutching Neil’s hand, she leaned into his side like they were more than just friends. Knowing this behavior well, Neil unlaced their hands and wrapped an arm around her shoulder. Makayla gradually felt like she wasn’t being ogled and stared up a Neil with a grateful smile.

  “That’s one of the best things about hanging out with you, you know. Guys tend to leave me alone if they think we’re a couple.”

  Pulling her shoulder to him, Neil chuckled and shook his head. “You’ll never meet a guy of your own that way.”

  Twisting her lip, Makayla grimaced. “I don’t want a guy right now, that’s the point.”

  Frowning down on her, Neil shook his head. “Well some of us do, and I’ll never get a guy of my own if you’re always acting like my girlfriend.”

  Sighing, Makayla released her friend. “Don’t give me that. You know that the only reason you’re single right now is because you are still hoping Adrian will call you.”

  Sniffing, Neil looked down as he opened his box of chocolate-covered raisins. “No I’m not. I’m so over Adrian.”

  Makayla tilted her head, remembering all the times she’d held her distraught friend over that failed relationship. “Sure,” she whispered, patting his shoulder.

  Giving Makayla a sad smile, he muttered, “Men suck.”

  Grinning ear to ear, Makayla nodded. “Yes, yes they do. Which is why I’ll never understand why you wanted to see a romance tonight?”

  Popping some candy in his mouth, the adorable boy grinned again. “I like romantic movies…they give me hope.”

  Rolling her eyes at him, Makayla yanked open the theater door. It was dark inside, the room half-lit as the mammoth screen in everyone’s focal point played an endless loop of trivia questions. Grabbing Neil’s hand, Makayla led him to the midpoint of the theater. Then she led him to the middle of the row. Being perfectly in the center was really the only way to properly watch movies on the big screen.

  While she and Neil sat, talked, ate, and made some outlandish guesses at the first grade level trivia questions, Makayla scanned the room. It was a habit of hers, one she’d honed while taking a course on criminal justice in college. At the time, Makayla had fancied herself becoming a police officer. She still did, honestly. She’d even taken the exam. She’d passed everything put the physical. Moodily munching on a piece of popcorn, Makayla cursed the one aspect of the test that she’d failed, and failed miserably. Sit-ups. Sit-ups had been her downfall. Pressing her doughy abs, Makayla glanced over at Neil’s trim stomach. He probably would have passed. Oh well, she was going to next time.

  Makayla resumed her mental catalog of every couple inside the movie theater. She glanced up at the ones just now entering, noting the men that held their hands out for their dates to go first, and the men that just picked a row and sauntered down it, not even looking to see if their girlfriends followed. By a few disgruntled looks on the girls, Makayla was sure that a couple of relationships in this room would be ending soon, maybe right after the movie.

  A lone person caught Makayla’s attention. It wasn’t unusual for a person to see a movie alone, Makayla did it at times, but it was sort of unusual for a guy to go to a romantic comedy by himself. Most men had to be dragged to them with a promise of sexual gratification if they sat through it. Well, that was Makayla’s experience anyway.

  The man looked around at the rows that were quickly filling up with people. Running a hand back through his hair, he chewed on the corner of his lip as he contemplated where to sit. Makayla’s first impression of him was that he seemed like a straight-laced, nose-to-the-grindstone, never told a lie in his life, good guy. The sort of man you’d see mowing his neighbor’s yard or spending an entire Sunday afternoon helping his grandma fix her leaky faucet. Just goes to show—first impressions can be dead wrong.

  He had guy-next-door good looks—light brown hair cut in way that was stylish, but probably needed minimal to no upkeep. He was clean shaven and had an overall look of innocence about him, especially when he gave Makayla a small smile when he noticed her watching him. Makayla smiled back, a little caught off guard at how his appearance had changed. He was cute, definitely handsome, but when he grinned…well, he was sort of dreamy.

  Apologizing to the people on the end of Makayla’s row, he started to make his way down it. Makayla sat up a little straighter when she realized that the two seats beside her were the only free ones around. Who knew Jennifer Aniston could still pack them in?

  Noticing her rigid posture, Neil asked, “You okay?”

  Glancing back at him, Makayla relaxed. “Yeah, fine. How are the Rasinets?”

  Rolling his eyes, Neil handed her a few. Chewing on the chocolaty treats, Makayla took the moment to ignore the cute guy walking her way. Really, it’s not as if she never encountered attractive men. At her job at the bank, she helped good looking guys all the time. It was no big deal. She kept telling herself that, but her heart started thudding as she heard the seat right beside her being unfolded.

  As a lean body sat down on it, Makayla risked a quick glance. Warm, brown eyes were staring right at her, along with that oh-so-attractive smile.

  Indicating the seat he’d just taken, the man politely asked, “I hope you don’t mind? The theater’s pretty full.”

  The lights darkened as the room was prepared for the movie to begin playing. Heart hammering as his eyes stayed locked on hers, Makayla smirked. “Maybe you should get here earlier next time?”

  The man’s grin widened. “That’s…good advice. I’ll try and remember it.”

  His voice had a slight drawl to it. He didn’t have any of the New England accents common in the area, so Makayla figured he wasn’t originally from the area. Maybe from the south? Makayla bit her lip, imagining a noble, Texan cowboy by her side.

  Smiling, she leaned back to watch the previews. Instead of listening to them though, she pictured the man beside her wrangling cattle atop a jet-black steed. She pictured him in dusty denims and a battered cowboy hat. Just for the hell of it, she imagined him chewing on a long blade of wheat. His mouth grinning around the thin stalk was extraordinary.

  Looking over at the real life version of him, Makayla suppressed a giggle. Her fantasy v
ersion wasn’t too far off the mark. While the real boy wasn’t covered in a thin layer of dirt and wearing a hat of any sort, he was wearing worn jeans and a thin, white shirt under his jacket.

  When the beginning of the movie started to play, Makayla glanced at the empty seat beside him. Why hadn’t he sat there instead of right next to Makayla? Of course, there was an unhappy looking man in the seat next to the empty one. A man who looked to be about three hundred pounds. Maybe he’d just preferred Makayla’s curves to that man’s. Then again…he was watching a romantic movie by himself. Makayla rolled her eyes and glanced at Neil. The man was probably more interested in her best friend than Makayla. That would be just her luck.

  Sighing, she looked back over to the man who was probably just as into guys as she was. Surprisingly, he was looking at her. Needing to know for sure, Makayla raised an eyebrow and nodded to the empty seat beside him. “Are you expecting someone?” she whispered.

  The man frowned and looked at the seat next to him. It looked very lonely, folded up on itself. Looking back to Makayla, he leaned in. Their shoulders touched. “Yeah…but I don’t think she’s coming…”

  His face saddened as he looked around the theater for his missing date. Makayla’s heart soared that he had a female date. Although, that still didn’t mean anything. In the back of her mind, Makayla was curious that she was already interested in this guy, since she had been completely serious when she’d told Neil that she didn’t want a man right now.

  Reaching over, Makayla patted his thigh. “Sorry you got stood up.” He was so handsome, even more so with every second that she talked to him. It was a little astounding to Makayla that some woman out there had passed him up. Her loss.

  He glanced down at her hand on his leg. Makayla felt a wave of attraction hit her as her fingers suddenly became overly sensitive. She was touching him, and she really wanted to touch more of him. She really wanted him to touch her. Having some self control, Makayla pulled her hand back.

  Smiling, he looked up at her. The flickering images on the screen highlighted his face, deepened the color of his eyes. “Thanks,” he whispered.

  She really hoped he was straight.

  Tilting his head at her, he asked, “Did you think I came to a romance alone, like I couldn’t get a date?” He frowned; it was adorable. “Do I have loser stamped on my forehead?”

  Glancing at his forehead, a slice of brown hair begging for her finger to brush it aside, Makayla shook her head. Leaning into him, she quietly giggled, “I wouldn’t say loser, but you did get ditched.” He frowned even more and Makayla moved a little closer to him, their heads almost touching now. “Actually, I didn’t think you were a loser, I thought you were gay. I was going to try setting you up with my friend.” She nodded back at Neil happily eating all of the popcorn.

  The man’s eyes widened, then he glanced over at Neil and smiled. “Friend…not boyfriend?” Makayla shook her head and the man’s charming smile got a little bigger. “Well, good to know.” He raised an eyebrow. “Thank you for the offer, but no, I’m not interested…in your friend.” Feeling warmth throughout her entire body, Makayla straightened and tried her best to watch the movie.

  As the movie played on, the crowd laughing and sighing at all the right moments, Makayla watched her charming neighbor. He bent down, like he was tying his shoe, and her eyes studied his back. When he straightened, he played with the sleeve of his jacket as he watched the movie with a slight smile on his face. Makayla had the oddest desire to reach over and hold his hand. Very strange. But she felt very comfortable sitting next to him. It felt natural. It felt right.

  When she saw a peek of color on his wrist, bright even in the dull lighting, she finally reached out and grabbed him. Cupping his wrist in one hand, she traced the design of a four leaf clover with the other. He startled at her sudden move, but didn’t pull his hand away.

  Leaning into his shoulder, Makayla murmured, “A clover? Are you lucky?”

  Smiling, he looked down, then back up at her. “I didn’t think so…until about a minute ago.” His fingers curled around hers as he stared at her. Makayla instantly forgot where they were. Absorbed in his eyes, she really couldn’t remember much of anything. And considering how much she usually catalogued in her brain…that was pretty impressive.

  Flushing, Makayla finally remembered that this man was a complete stranger. She politely, but firmly, removed her hand from his. He frowned, but let her go. It was hard to watch the rest of the movie. Makayla kept wanting to watch him instead. By the end of it, she vaguely remembered the sappy storyline and the happily-ever-after kiss.

  Neil sighed in contentment. “Ah, that was great.” He looked over to Makayla, a small, hopeful smile on his lips. “Ready to go?”

  Makayla nodded, then reached down and grabbed her purse from the floor. She glanced over at the seat where her mystery man had been keeping her company, but it was empty, he was gone. As she stood up, she tried to find him in the crowd exiting the theater. She saw the edge of his jacket as he disappeared around the corner, but that was it. A small wave of disappointment washed through Makayla. She had kind of thought he might ask her out at some point, since whoever he was currently seeing didn’t seem too interested. Maybe he hadn’t given up hope on that relationship yet. Or maybe he’d just been flirting with Makayla, and it hadn’t really meant anything.

  But whatever the reason, he was gone now and she’d have to let it go. Makayla rolled her eyes as she moved up the aisle with Neil. It didn’t matter anyway. She wasn’t looking for a guy right now. Even still, she searched for him once she was in the lobby. He was halfway to the front doors, quietly and quickly heading out into the turbulent air.

  Ignoring the clover-seared man who was leaving her life forever, Makayla twisted to Neil. “Hey, you want to get some coffee? Pie?”

  Neil grinned at the word pie, but wisely said nothing. Makayla had plenty of time to work on body conditioning before her next physical exam for the police force. And right now, she wanted a slice of strawberry-rhubarb perfection. “Sure, Mack.” Neil paused, then patted his pants. “I used the last of my cash on the tickets, though.”

  Moving her purse around to the front of her, Makayla peeked inside it. “Well, the snacks weren’t as much as the tickets, so I still owe you a few bucks.”

  She started rifling through her bag as Neil muttered, “No, you don’t have to do that. You hardly ate any of the snacks…” He clutched his stomach. “And I definitely ate a ticket’s worth.”

  Frowning, Makayla ignored Neil’s comment. She didn’t keep a whole lot of stuff in her bag, but she still couldn’t find the one thing she needed right now—her wallet. Digging in deeper as they walked to the exit, she shoved aside receipts, lip gloss, and an addicting book that she plowed into whenever she had a free moment…but no wallet. She didn’t go for the typical mammoth creation that some girls used, the kind that was more like a purse inside her purse. No, she used a slim, practical version of a wallet that held her cash, her credit cards, and her driver’s license—just the essentials—and it was nowhere to be found in her bag.

  “Son of a bitch!” she exclaimed, stopping dead in her tracks.

  Neil took a step, then stopped with her. His pale eyes narrowed as he tried to read her expression. “What’s wrong?”

  With a blank face she looked up at him. “My wallet’s missing. I had it to buy snacks, but now it’s missing.”

  Neil glanced back at the concession stand. “Did you leave it?” He started taking a step that way “Maybe you dropped it?”

  Anger burned through Makayla’s belly. Shaking her head, she recalled with picture-perfect clarity just what she’d done with her money. “No, I put it back in my bag, right in-between my book and my photo of me and Ian Somerhalder.”

  Neil smiled. “God he’s got great eyes.”

  He did. And Makayla had been swimming in those eyes last summer when she’d ran into the actor while vacationing with Neil in California. She’d gon
e all geeky-fan girl, but the photo she’d made Neil take was one of her prized possessions. Thank God it was still in her bag.

  Pushing the magnificence of Ian Somerhalder from her mind for a moment, Makayla’s intuitive mind snapped to the only logical conclusion. “That son of a bitch stole my wallet!”

  “What? What son of a bitch?”

  Makayla ignored Neil’s questions and grabbed his hand. Her mind spinning, she rushed with her friend to the front doors. Maybe it wasn’t too late to catch the creep. And it had to be him. He was the only one besides Neil that had come anywhere near her since the concession stand, and Neil would never steal from her.

  Gritting her teeth as she hurried outside, Makayla spat out, “That ass sitting beside me!”

  “That guy you were flirting with the whole movie?” Neil asked.

  Makayla ran a hand over her eyes, feeling really stupid. “Yeah…that guy.” Shaking her head, she suddenly realized when he’d done it. “He reached down to the floor at one point. I thought he was tying his shoes…” But no, he hadn’t been. The creep had been stealing her wallet! And she’d flirted with him just moments later!