9. Sebastian #2
I’m not sure that’s how it works, but I let her win.
We settle in to eat while we watch. Ashley insists on quoting along with the actors; it grates on my nerves when my sisters do it, but on her it’s oddly endearing.
I can’t remember the last time I watched a movie without doing something else at the same time—skimming social media feeds, replying to work emails, texting, adding to my to-do list. For that matter, I don’t remember the last time I watched a movie with a friend or even hung out casually with anyone other than Ashley.
There’s Seth, but we work together. Other than that, I mostly have school and work friends that I see intermittently, usually at a wedding or someone’s milestone birthday.
But I don’t go over to someone’s apartment to hang out.
I say as much to Ashley when we pause the movie to put the leftover pizza away.
“But you always seem busy, Bash. What do you do with your evenings?”
I’m somewhat at a loss. “I work. If I’m not working, I message someone on a dating app and maybe we meet up. That’s most of my social life.”
She has a pitying look on her face that I don’t like. Just because it’s not her way of doing things doesn’t mean it’s bad.
“That sounds lonely.”
I try to joke it off. “Well, that’s life in our thirties, right? No one has friends like we did back in university. Do you ever go over to a friend’s place and do nothing nowadays?”
“Sure, Laurel and I do that all the time.” Her lips turn into a slight pout. “Well, we used to. She’s always busy with Cal now.”
She rallies and smiles like she’s fine with this change, but I can see it bothers her.
Laurel and Ashley always seemed tight to me.
I never figured her friend was the type to ditch everyone for a man, but I’ve observed enough of other people’s relationships to know the haze of new love can take over everything for a while.
That’s one of the many reasons I don’t do romantic commitments.
When we go back to the living room, we sit closer together and I put an arm around Ashley. “I’m sure she still needs you. Your friendship will adjust. Give it some time.”
“Sure, of course,” she replies as though she’s unconvinced, then grabs the remote. “Let’s get back to the Pit of Despair.”
We watch the rest of the movie without talking, Ashley curled into my side.
I wonder if I should shift away to put some distance between us, but I don’t.
After The Princess Bride is over, she puts on another romantic comedy, even though she looks like she’s about to crash.
I’m tempted to call her a car, but I have a sense from her melancholy words earlier that she needs this right now.
Halfway through the second movie that I’m only half watching, she’s fully asleep on my shoulder. I leave her there, eventually dozing off myself. She wakes up as the credits start rolling, yawning but still snuggled against my side.
“Oh, wow, did I fall asleep? I missed the ending.”
“It was quite riveting. They declared their love for one another and then were kidnapped by mobsters and brutally murdered. Their bodies were never found.”
She huffs, then murmurs, “I should get going. I need to call an Uber.”
I look at her bleary face, and the words fall out. “You should stay over. You’re tired.”
Even as tired as she is, she manages to give me a deeply skeptical look. “You know that’s a terrible idea, Sebastian.”
“I didn’t mean it like that. I’m not trying to lure you into bed with me when you’re clearly exhausted. You can sleep in my room. I’ll take the couch. I’ve got extra toothbrushes.” I don’t mention that I keep a few around for overnight guests.
She hesitates, considering the offer. “But I’ve got—”
“Yeah, I know. I’ll set my alarm and you set yours so you can go run at dawn like the weirdo you are.”
“Eight o’clock isn’t the crack of dawn,” she scoffs, but apparently she’s too tired to fight me on this.
She gets up and I follow her into the bedroom to grab some sleepwear, then leave her on own like the gentleman I very much am not.
I settle in on the pullout couch, trying not to think about how nice it was to have her fall asleep on my shoulder.
My alarm chirps at an impossibly early hour for a weekend, but unlike most Saturdays, I’m fresh and energized. It’s almost like staying in and taking it easy is good for you. Who knew?
Ashley’s alarm goes off in the next room, playing Avicii’s “Wake Me Up” at maximum volume, and I roll my eyes at her song choice before rummaging through the fridge to find some breakfast. Minutes later, she reels in surprise to see me placing yogurt and bananas on the counter.
“You didn’t have to get up. I’ll grab an Uber and you can sleep in.”
Something in me stirs at the thought of lying in the still-warm sheets that she’s just left, but I force that thought far away. “I’m being hospitable.”
I didn’t mean to imply anything, but a pained look passes across her face, and I’d guess she’s thinking about how she faked sleep when I slipped out of her apartment.
Well, those were different circumstances.
To keep her from going there, I say the first ill-advised thing that pops into my head.
“Besides, maybe I’ll come and run with you. ”
She laughs a little too loudly at that. “You? Run?”
“Hey, I’m fit!” I reply indignantly. “I use the treadmill sometimes.”
“For how long? Five minutes?”
How did she see right through me? I usually do a quick warm up jog before rowing or weights.
“Does it matter? I’m sure I can handle your group run. Don’t I look like I’m in shape?” I gesture at my physique, and she pointedly declines to look me up and down, turning pink instead.
“You think you can run ten kilometers? Okay, fine. Do you even have anything to wear?”
“I’ll handle it.”
I go into my bedroom and throw on sweatpants and a T-shirt with a hoodie over top to guard against the chilly mid-winter weather. When I walk out, her eyes bug out. “You can’t wear that.”
“Why? Are you overwhelmed at the sight of me in gray sweatpants? Afraid your friends won’t be able to hold back?”
I wiggle my eyebrows and she sighs dramatically.
“No, because it’s all cotton, and that’s terrible for running. You need gear that’s moisture wicking, especially in the cold. Otherwise, your clothes will get all sweaty and frosted over.”
Huh. Isn’t this what Rocky wore? She follows me into the bedroom and picks out athletic pants that I wear to play tennis, and a long-sleeved shirt.
Then she unearths a windbreaker I haven’t worn in years and declares it acceptable.
“When we get to my place, I’ll give you some thin gloves and find something to keep your head warm. ”
“I can’t wear your clothes.” She’s barely over five feet tall. I’m hardly a giant, but I tower over her petite frame.
“I’m sure your head isn’t that much bigger, even if your ego is.” Okay, I walked right into that.
In our rideshare uptown, I begin to worry, realizing most of Ashley’s close friends will be there. Do they all know we hooked up recently? At the very least, I’ll have to be friendly with this big family of runners she’s in.
This was a terrible idea, but I can’t go back now.
Mr. Six Reel (with transcript)
Mr. Six appears in disguise wearing a Jurassic Park shirt.
“Hi online community! Let’s talk movies.
“The quintessential first date is the old standard: dinner and a movie. The modern, more casual version is of course the Netflix and chill, though that means something else these days. [smirk] I’m wondering if movies really are the best date ideas.
“The pros are that you can put your arm around your date, maybe huddle together at the scary parts, and you don’t have to make conversation the whole time.
But that’s also the issue—you might as well be alone if you’re just sitting quietly in a dark room.
You might also have the unfortunate experience of realizing your date is someone who talks through movies, or worse.
I once went out with a woman who answered her phone and chatted loudly until we got told off by several strangers.
“If you invite someone over for a first date, however, someone is in your space and there’s always the awkwardness of not being sure what they expect from the, uh, ‘chill’ options. And of course, not everyone is comfortable going to a stranger’s place for a first date.
“So what do you think? Is a movie a good date? Cinema or at home?”
Comments:
Drive-in all the way. The best of both worlds, and if your date turns out to be an ass, you can leave in someone else’s car.
My husband and I had a movie for our first date, in my dorm room watching a bootleg version of Indiana Jones. Good times.
Ugh, if some guy on an app invites me over to watch movies on his couch, instant red flag. I don’t know you. I need to know there are at least two exits. This is the world we live in.