Behind Her Smile by Rosemary Hines

that coat back on now. Leaning into him, she replied, “I’ll be fine.” Wrapping her arm around his waist, they walked past a group of girls he’d been talking to after class.
    Several of them glanced over, and Madison could see the envy in a couple of their faces. She lifted her head a little higher and hugged Miles close. He looked down at her with a puzzled smile. “I think this night is going to be a good one,” he said.
    “Me, too,” she replied, looking back over her shoulder to the group of girls, who were now elbowing each other and gesturing toward her and Miles.
     

     
    Throughout the first half of the game, Madison sat close to Miles. They both had their feet up on the bleacher bench in front of them, and Miles was resting his hand on her knee. Sometimes as he leaned to watch a play, it would slip up her thigh, and she had to catch her breath to maintain her composure.
    At half time, he suggested they go to the snack stand, taking her hand, as they climbed down the stairs and through the crowd in the tunnel. While they waited in line, he stood behind her, hugging her to his body. She relaxed back and tipped her head up, looking at him.
    He smiled down, and then glanced away. But a moment later, she felt his hands slip under her sweater at her waist. “Mind if I warm up my hands while we wait?” he whispered in her ear, but his hands didn’t feel cold to her.
    “No problem,” she replied as she once again melted under his touch.
    After they got some popcorn and a large drink to share, he asked, “So how badly do you want to see the end of the game?” 
    She turned and looked at him. “I don’t really care. Why?”
    “I was thinking maybe we could go down by the beach and talk. Have our popcorn there. What do you think?” His voice seemed nonchalant.
    Madison paused. Her parents would be livid if they found out. But how would they know? As long as she got home in time, it should be fine.
    “Hey, we can stay here if you want,” he said in response to her pause.
    “No. The beach sounds good,” she replied. “I’m not that into football anyway.”
    He laughed. “Yeah. Most girls aren’t.” He handed her the popcorn and held onto the drink. Then he draped his arm over her shoulder, and they headed out to the parking lot. As they walked, Madison noticed his limp hand occasionally tapping against her chest. At one point, he fingered her neckline, making some comment about how soft the sweater was.
    The parking lot was full of cars but void of people. They navigated their way to Miles car, and he opened the passenger door for her. “Thanks,” she said, grinning up at him as she sat down, placing the tub of popcorn on the floor by her feet. It was cold in the car, especially with Miles’ body no longer up against hers. She wanted to pull her sweater up onto her shoulders, but that would ruin the look. Instead, she folded her arms across her chest, hugging herself for warmth.
    “Cold?” he asked, as he climbed into the driver’s seat.
    “A little.”
    “We can fix that,” he replied, starting the car and turning on the heater. Then he reached over and rubbed the top of her thigh with his hand. “Better?”
    She nodded. “Thanks.”
    He smiled and turned on the radio. They drove in silence for a few minutes, and then pulled onto a street that led to the shore. It was a dead end, and Miles parked right near the sand, ignoring the no parking sign. Through the windshield, they could see the surf pounding in the moonlight.
    “Wanna sit in here where it’s warm?” he asked.
    “Sure. That sounds good,” she replied, leaning down and picking up the popcorn bucket.
    Miles unlatched his seatbelt, and she followed suit, turning to face him as she held out the popcorn. He took a handful and ate it, as she picked out a couple of popped kernels at a time. While they enjoyed the salty treat and shared their drink, Miles asked her more questions about her family.
    Madison soon found herself