Friday, June 24th, 1955
9:55 p.m.
"It's not all bad!" Therese pleaded, playfully tugging on the hem of Carol's skirt. "Wait, is it?"
"Darling, I choose the next picture," insisted Carol.
"Fine, but you have to admit, a double creature feature is pretty great… "
"Surrounded by horny teenagers in their parents' cars… "
Carol gestured to the Chevy Bel Air parked in front of them that shifted from left to right every once and awhile with the occasional silhouette of one of the occupants making an appearance just as frequently as the car's movements. Both Carol and Therese did their best to stifle laughter. Therese moved her hand from Carol's skirt toward the box of Junior Mints in her hand. Carol feigned pulling the box of her favorite candy away, but soon pressed it closer for Therese to reach. "You were never a horny teenager in your parents' car?"
Carol let out a hearty laugh. "Horny, yes. Parents' car, no."
"What? You never went driving?"
"No, well - " Carol replied, shaking her head and then remembering something, "at least not with a boy."
Then there was silence and a few more minutes to go until the next feature started. Carol didn't elaborate, only sat quietly and shook the box of Junior Mints to keep the candy from sticking together in the humidity.
"A girl, then?"
Carol was still silent; however, there was the trademark smirk of hers on her face that implied more than she couldn't possibly keep to herself. "Yes, a girl. Also from Miss Porter's."
Over the past three years, Therese had learned so much about Carol's world with the places, schools, people, and events that people from that type of background considered important. It took about a year for Therese to learn all the specifics, but Carol was always patient in explaining those types of details, however insignificant and trite they might have actually been, from her past. It was only at times like these where Carol remembered that the two of them came from such different worlds, and most importantly, how none of that mattered anymore.
"Also from Miss Porter's? Well, then." Therese said in a mocking tone and a giggle. When Therese looked up at Carol's face, lit only by the shadows from the screen before them, she was still smirking at the memory.
"Only a kiss, angel." Carol said, placing her free hand on Therese's thigh. The feeling of her hand on the fabric was warm, heating up the longer it sat on her leg. Therese placed her hand on top of Carol's and smiled.
"I'm sure it was very sweet." Therese's thumb brushed across her knuckle in a relaxing gesture and let it rest in that one spot.
"It was. Looking back and all."
Therese rolled her eyes and smiled. "You charmer," she said with a nudge to her shoulder.
Carol drifted away for a moment, lost in her thoughts as she glanced out the driver's side window. Therese noticed the distraction right away, suddenly overcome with guilt for having asked her to come to the drive-in when she probably didn't even like the pictures they were showing. "Sorry you don't like the movies."
Carol knew Therese was preoccupied with making sure she was enjoying herself, and reassured her again that there was no unpleasantness to the memory and emphasized how much she loved being out with Therese on the warm summer night. Turning their attention back toward the screen, Carol contentedly sat beside Therese who was now glued to the trailers and advertisements playing before them. There was no chance she was going to make it through the next feature, even if it was only eighty minutes long or so. Carol looked to see what was on the bench seat between them, spotting only her lightweight sweater and Therese's camera bag. She took the sweater and balled it up into her hands, then placed the camera bag gently at her feet.
Therese still wasn't paying any attention to the movements inside the vehicle, still staring at the screen and dangling her arm outside the passenger side window. Once the items were moved, Carol slipped off her sandals and pulled her knees up onto the seat, then swiveled her body so that her back rested against the door and her legs could finally stretch out across. The balled up sweater found its way behind her, providing a comfortable makeshift cushion to her lower back.
Therese finally took note once Carol's toes brushed against the side of her leg, and without diverting her eyes from the screen, moved herself closer to Carol in order to place her feet in her lap. She mindlessly began to massage the bottom of each foot, one at a time. "You don't have to do that."
"I like to." Therese kept pressing the ball of Carol's foot with her thumb, applying strokes of pressure between the toes and arch of Carol's foot. Shutting her eyes, Carol reveled in the contact her foot made with Therese's hand and felt every stroke massage the muscles. After about ten passes up and down of Therese's thumb, Carol's back slumped against the car door and she let out a low, elongated moan once she felt fully relaxed.
Her eyes immediately popped open when she caught herself, positioning her foot into more of an upright position and away from Therese's hand. "Sorry."
Therese could only smile at reducing Carol to lose herself like that. Especially when it was just the sole of her foot that she was touching.
"I've never heard that sound from you in this context."
Therese moved her hand to the heel of Carol's foot and began pressing her fingers into the tougher skin there. With her eyes again shut, Carol relaxed once more with her back against the door as Therese roamed her hands over the heel and ankle. Her attention remained with the movie, regardless, Therese very adeptly cared for Carol's weary feet with every touch of her hand. Somewhere between the monster destroying its third town and then kidnapping the girl, Carol fell asleep, still with Therese's hands massaging her feet.
"Carol?"
Dazed, squinting and rubbing her eyes, Carol looked at Therese who had been trying to wake her up with gentle shaking to the feet in her lap.
"Is the movie over?" Therese nodded and rolled up her window. Carol reached for her neck to massage the back of it, slightly kinked from sleeping at a strange angle for at least an hour. When she finished kneading her neck, Carol turned to sit back in the seat properly and removed the speaker from the side of the window. "What time is it?"
"Probably almost midnight." Therese looked down at her wristwatch to confirm and her eyes widened when she saw how late it was. "So, where are we spending the night? Or do you want to head back to the city?"
Carol slipped on her sandals, and gestured with her head toward the main road behind them. "There's a place just down the road here."
"Lead the way."