Chapter 20
Nikki’s knock on the door is eight minutes early.
“That’s Nikki—could you get the door, Cel?” I call from the bathroom as I scramble to finish my makeup. It’s only movie night with Max, but I always try to look a little nicer for Nikki. Just a touch more eye shadow should do the trick.
Celeste doesn’t respond, but only a second later, I hear the door open. “Nikki!”
“Hi, Celeste!”
“Come on in!”
“Thank you.”
With one final check in the mirror, I apply a setting mist to my face and join my two favorite women in the living room. “Hey, babe,” I announce.
“Hey, you,” Nikki purrs, striding over to plant a kiss on my cheek. She’s in cozy black sweatpants and an asymmetrical off-the-shoulder T-shirt, yet somehow still stunning. She looks like she’s about to head into a loungewear photoshoot.
“I’m so glad that you’re joining us tonight!” Celeste interjects. “Max is going to be thrilled.”
“Oliver, too,” I add. “He’s been excited to meet you finally.”
Nikki smiles, but it doesn’t reach her eyes. “Well, I hope I can measure up to the hype.” She motions to a grocery bag on the counter. “I also brought some chocolate chip cookies. I didn’t bake them or anything—they’re from Publix—but I didn’t want to come empty-handed.”
“That’s so sweet!” I say, wrapping an arm around her waist.
“Y’all ready to head down?” Celeste asks, retrieving her handbag from the barstool.
Nikki nods, and I beam. “Ready. Let’s go!”
The three of us make our way to room 319, and I try to contain my excitement.
Finally, all my favorite people will be in the same room at the same time.
Maybe Oliver and Nikki will really hit it off, or maybe it’ll slip out that Oliver is ace and has no intention of pursuing me, giving Nikki the same peace of mind I have around him.
At the very least, I just hope they don’t hate each other.
Max doesn’t even let us knock. He eagerly greets us at the door. “Hiii!” he sings to us. “Nikki, I’m so glad you’re here! Can we hug?”
Nikki hesitates, but it’s hardly noticeable. “Okay!”
Max immediately wraps her in a hug—his chin only barely passing her shoulder. While they hug, Max gives me a thumbs-up, and I playfully flick him off.
As they separate, Max reaches for Celeste and me for a group hug. “Welcome to movie night!” he declares as he releases us. “Come on in, meet the other boys.”
I try to make eye contact with Nikki to ensure she’s okay, but her eyes are looking past Max into the room.
Oliver approaches first in all his golden retriever glory. “Hey, Nikki! I’m Oliver. I’ve heard so much about you!”
Nikki looks him up and down, then extends her hand out. “Likewise. Good to finally put a face to the name.”
Oliver shakes her hand eagerly, then he looks at me. His big brown eyes are practically twinkling. “You weren’t joking, Jude, she does look like a model!”
Nikki’s smile falters, but she looks back at me. “Jude said I looked like a model, huh?”
I laugh nervously. “I mean, yeah, you’re drop-dead gorgeous. Like, stunningly beautiful.”
Nikki’s brows raise, but she accepts it. “Oh, stop,” she teases. “You’re going to give me a bigger head than I already have.”
From behind Oliver, Theo bashfully steps forward. “Hi, Nikki. I’m Theo. It’s nice to meet you!”
Nikki shakes his hand, keeping her polite smile. “Nice to meet you, too. Remind me, are you the one who joined Max at the EQA meet a few weeks back?”
Theo blinks. “Oh, well, that was Oliver and me,” he explains. “Oliver and I are old friends, and he tagged along for support.”
“How sweet,” Nikki says, her eyes on Oliver again. “We love an ally.”
Oliver’s expression wavers, but he recovers quickly. “That’s me.”
Max claps his hands together. “Okay, now, with introductions out of the way–”
“Wait, where’s Vimlesh?” Celeste asks.
“Oh, he’s got a project due tomorrow, so he went to the library to finish it,” Max explains. “He told me he would be with us in spirit.”
Oliver and Theo snicker quietly to themselves. Must be an inside joke.
“So, this is everyone?” Nikki asks.
“Yep! Feel free to have a seat on the couch. I’ll sit on the floor this week.”
“Nah, dude, you can have the armchair!” Theo insists. “I don’t mind the floor this time.”
Max grins. “What a gentleman! Caleb’s a lucky boy.”
Nikki steps into the living room. “Oh, I brought cookies. Where should I—”
“Ooh, thank you, hon’!” Max exclaims. “You can set them right there on the coffee table so we can eat them during the movie.”
I follow Nikki to the couch, claiming my usual spot on the right and patting the spot in the middle for her. Nikki opens the plastic cookie container and goes to throw the grocery bag away.
Oliver plucks a cookie from the table, grabs his floor pillow, and plops it down by my feet.
Just as he sits, Nikki returns, her expression shifting from confusion to irritation as she watches Oliver settle in.
When her eyes meet mine, she forces a smile.
“Can we switch?” she asks. “I would hate to separate you and Celeste.”
I blink. “Um, yeah, sure.” I scoot to the middle, and Nikki slots right into my spot.
“Thanks, babe,” Nikki whispers, pressing a kiss to my cheek.
Oliver stiffens but says nothing. He quietly enjoys his cookie, eyes fixed on the screen as Max queues the movie.
“What are we watching again?” Celeste asks as she settles into my left side, completely oblivious to the weird vibes.
“The Thursday Murder Club,” Max replies.
“But, Max, it’s Sunday,” Oliver quips.
“Yes, Oliver, I am aware,” Max retorts. “We’ll just have to make do.”
“Want a cookie, baby?” Nikki asks, caressing my thigh.
I shiver at the contact. “Um, yeah, yes please.”
Nikki leans forward dramatically to reach the cookies, her long hair brushing against Oliver. “Oops, sorry,” she mutters. Oliver leans away from her, subtly scooting to the right. As Nikki leans back into the couch, she repositions to face me. “Open up,” she purrs.
Unsure what else to do, I comply, opening my mouth for the cookie. Nikki chuckles, low and sultry, then feeds it to me. Normally, I’d find this completely hot and irresistible, but with all my friends around, it’s really uncomfortable.
Max clears his throat loudly. “Okay, so, should we go over the rules really quick for Nikki?”
Preoccupied by licking melted chocolate off her fingers, Nikki barely responds. “Rules?”
Max shoots me a bewildered look, then continues. “No excessive talking, no phones, and if anyone has to go to the bathroom, we can pause, but please keep the pee breaks to a minimum. Any questions?”
“Nope, sounds good to me,” Nikki says, shifting her body forward again.
“Okay, let’s do it.”
Without any further delay, Max starts the movie. Nikki snuggles into me, and I relax.
A few minutes into the film, Nikki taps on my knee. “Can you ask him to turn off the captions?” she whispers.
Hesitating, I shake my head. “Actually, Oliver has an auditory processing disorder, so the captions really help him.”
Nikki huffs. “Okay, I guess that’s fine.”
“Do we need to pause it?” Max asks loudly, annoyance clear in his voice.
“Oh, sorry,” Nikki replies. “I was just wondering if we could turn off the captions. They’re like, really distracting.”
Max looks to me, then to Oliver.
Oliver shrugs. “It’s fine.”
“Thank you, guys,” Nikki says, grinning widely. “I really appreciate it.”
No one else speaks as Max resumes the film sans captions. I try to peer at Oliver to gauge his vibe, but his face is just out of sight.
Well, shit.
“That was super cute!” Celeste declares once the credits start rolling.
Max nods. “Yeah, I agree. A solid three out of five stars.”
“I think I’d give it three-and-a-half,” Theo adds.
“What did you think, Nikki?” Max asks, turning to us.
Nikki shrugs, still snuggled into me. “Yeah, three out of five sounds about right.”
Max shifts in his chair, positioning himself to face us. “So, what are some of your favorite movies? I find that’s one of the best ways to get to know people.”
“Oh, come on, Max, don’t put her on the spot like that,” I protest.
“No, it’s okay,” Nikki insists. “It’s movie night with your Film Studies friend, so I came prepared. But I’m a Cheerleader is probably my number one favorite, then Portrait of a Lady on Fire, Kill Bill, and The Devil Wears Prada.”
Max’s eyes practically twinkle. “Ooh, those are all excellent.”
Nikki grins. “I know. Mostly, I just love women.”
“I’ve never seen Kill Bill,” I say softly. “It’s gory, isn’t it?”
“Extremely,” Max replies. Celeste ardently nods in agreement.
Nikki’s jaw drops. “Oh, Jude, but you’d love it! It’s so cathartic. We should definitely watch it together.”
Max and Celeste exchange a look. “Mm, I’m pretty sure you’d hate it, Jude,” Celeste counters. “It’s extremely violent.”
“But the violence is justified,” Nikki argues. “Trust me, it’s worth it.”
I glance back at Max and Celeste, who both shake their heads. “I don’t know, Nikki. I really don’t enjoy blood and guts, regardless of the reason.”
“Well, I think you should give it a chance and decide for yourself,” Nikki snaps.
“Hey,” Oliver interjects, speaking for the first time since the movie ended. “If Jude doesn’t like blood and gore, they’re not going to enjoy anything by Quentin Tarantino. That’s kind of his thing.”
Nikki glares at the television, refusing to look at him. “I’m aware of who directed one of my favorite movies, but thanks anyway.”
The room goes silent, and I wish I could shrink into the couch cushions to escape. This is quickly heading into worst-case-scenario territory. I should probably say something to ease the tension, but I’m paralyzed. Why am I such a coward?
“Well, as you may have already noticed, my top five favorites are on the walls,” Max blurts with a forced smile.
Nikki glances up, taking in each of the movie posters—The Rocky Horror Picture Show, The Birdcage, The Shape of Water, The Matrix, and I Saw The TV Glow. “Oh, I didn’t realize these were yours. But now that I’m looking at them, that makes sense.”