Who I Am With You (Imagination #10) - Staci Stallings Page 0,152

could watch it together. He wondered as he put his phone away what Taylor would think of The Matrix. The Sci-Fi part wasn’t too bad, but the part when the agents try to break Morpheus was definitely rough. He laughed again at the thought of calling his mom to tell her he had been assigned to watch The Matrix. She would probably have a fit.

Okay, so he hadn’t been assigned exactly, but it was close enough.

On the top of his notebook, he wrote The Matrix—blue pill or red pill? and with that, taking notes became much easier.

Taylor couldn’t say she was in love with the film. Why the professor thought this was worth their time, she had no idea. The sheer amount of manufactured drama was annoying in the extreme. When the young groom wigged out at the wedding, sending the fair maiden, Hero, into a coma from the shock, that snapped it for Taylor. Soon, they were all conspiring about what to do about it all. She glanced down and almost had to laugh. Much Ado About Nothing. Shakespeare had that right.

She turned her attention from the film to figuring out who to write about. Of course, she recognized several of the actors, but she pulled her phone out and did a quick search anyway. She could always write about the Mel Gibson version of Hamlet they had watched that one in high school, but she hadn’t been a fan of that film so although it was an option, she wanted a better one. In surprise, she realized that Kate Beckinsale was Hero. When Taylor watched again, she could see it, but Beckinsale was so young in the movie.

Well, that wouldn’t be too bad. Pearl Harbor was an option. Underworld too, though not so much. Hmmm. What about Serendipity? It was one she had caught part of when she was flipping through channels back last semester, and she’d always wanted to go back and watch from the beginning. Maybe this was her chance.

“Okay, I could have done without ever seeing that,” Greg said as they gathered their things later. “Wow.”

“Drama. Drama. Drama,” Taylor said. “And that was a comedy.”

“Huh. Could’ve fooled me.”

Up and out they went and headed for the car.

“It’s funny,” Taylor said.

“What’s that?”

“Seeing life like this.”

“Like what?”

“From the outside looking in,” Taylor said. “It seems like forever that I was on the inside of it, just living, trying to figure out how to get things to work out. Now I’m seeing it differently.”

“How?”

“Well, like contrast. Lily and I talked about that. How life will sometimes show you what you want by showing you what you don’t want. So I watch that movie, and I’m not a fan, but I don’t have to get all upset about it. I can just go, ‘Not into that. Next.’ It’s kind of like dating. Even when I was going with Quinlen, you know? I was doing all this stupid stuff, twisting myself into a pretzel so he would like me or at least not want to break up with me. What was that anyway? Why was I so desperate? How could I not see that was all wrong and just let it go?”

They got to his car and got in without her ever breaking the thread of conversation.

“That’s why I like this so much,” she continued. “Just hanging out without all the drama.”

“Yeah,” Greg said as he started the car.

“I mean, you’re just you, and I’m just me. No panic about what I’m going to wear or what I should say if things get awkward. Nothing like that. I don’t have to pretend I love sports if I don’t. I don’t have to pretend I like your music if I don’t like your music. I just change the station.” She grinned at him. “We can talk about class or work or even about beta-alpha-theta, and it’s just… cool. I really like that.” She shrugged briefly. “Not that dating would ever be like that, but it’s nice to have some time to just dial it back and chill for a change.”

“Yeah,” Greg said again as he waited at the stop light.

“So what did you think of the movie?”

“Tonight’s?”

“Yeah.”

“Can’t say it would ever be on my favorite’s list that’s for sure.”

“Have you thought about what you’re going to do for your second film?” she asked.

“Easy. The Matrix with Keanu Reeves.”

She nodded at that. “Oh. Huh. I hadn’t thought about that one.”

“What’re you going to do?”

“I was thinking about Serendipity with Kate Beckinsale. I