—

  —

  The movie’s credits began to roll, and I stretched my body after having remained in the same position for so long. “That was a good one,” I said to Marcus, who stood up and walked towards the fridge.

  “I know, right? Like I told you, it was good. I wonder why it took you this long to watch it,” he said, taking out a can of cold drink.

  “Oh, can you get one for me as well plus some of the chocolate cake in there,” I said and he nodded as he grabbed the extra can with the cake which was already on a plate. He walked back towards me, offering it to me and returning to his seat.

  “Thanks,” I said, accepting the can and cake from him.

  “No problem,” he said as he opened his drink and took a sip.

  “Care to have some?” I offered the cake for him to try.

  “Gladly,” he said as he took a bit from it. I watched his reaction and then decided to ask.

  “So, how does it taste?” I asked expectantly.

  “Great, where did you order this?” He asked and placed my hand on my lips with a wink.

  “That’s a trade secret.” Truth was this was homemade by me. It was my valentine's gift from me to him. I was just way too embarrassed to admit this to him. But the fact that he loved it made me jump on the inside.

  “That’s not fair,” he said as we both shared the cake.

  “My only problem with this film were some of the glaring plot holes,” I said to him a bit later, voicing my thoughts on the movie.

  “Well, I can see why you’d say that, but I don’t think it really takes away from the movie's overall quality,” he replied.

  As we talked about the movie, I watched him go through the streaming service's movie catalogue once more. My attention was drawn to the screen when I saw something interesting catch his eye. The movie being highlighted was none other than , and my eyes lit up in excitement as I grabbed onto his arm.

  “Let’s watch it! Let’s watch it!” I said, tugging on his arm, and he smiled at me.

  “When was the last time you watched the movie?” he asked, seemingly surprised by my enthusiasm.

  “Ugh, that was probably about a year ago,” I said, before recalling something else. “It was with Hazel.”

  “So, you two decided to watch the movie on a whim or was there a movie marathon going on?” he asked with a playful smile.

  “Oh, nothing like that. She hadn’t seen the movie at the time, so I decided to force her to watch it,” I replied with a grin. I understood the reasoning behind Hazel’s delay in watching the movie as well as others. However, it wasn’t my place to share her story.

  He clicked on the movie, and after a brief buffer, it began playing. We settled in, resting our backs against the pillows propped up against the frame of my bed.

  The movie was still captivating despite me having watched it six times before, but tonight, my attention kept drifting towards Marcus. I occasionally stole glances at him, admiring his reactions, which I found undeniably cute. The distance between us was minimal, our hands resting just within reach of each other.

  Premarital hand-holding. I have seen several shows where it was portrayed as such a big problem. It was a simple act, just taking and holding the other person's hand. That was all there was to it. But why did I feel so nervous, like my heart was about to burst?

  My mind raced as I debated whether to make the first move. I took a deep breath, feeling my heart hammering in my chest. Slowly, I inched my hand closer to his, my fingers trembling slightly. Just as our fingers brushed, I hesitated, pulling back at the last moment. Goddamn it.

  —

  —

  “That was a blast,” Marcus exclaimed, stretching his arms once the credits began to roll. I looked at him and smiled.

  “Of course, it is the greatest movie of all time. Gets better after every rewatch, I tell you,” I added triumphantly.

  “Greatest movie of all time? Have you forgotten about ?” he said.

  I was in shock, so much so that I stood up and took several steps back, covering my mouth with my hands for added dramatic effect.

  “Are you saying that Interstellar is the greatest movie of all time?” I asked him.

  “No, that belongs to .” He responded, and my eyes fell in disappointment after hearing this, dropping the dramatic persona.

  “That is not even remotely true,” I stated with a straight face.

  “Sure, let’s agree on that for now,” he replied with a hand gesture, which made me sigh.

  “But you are still saying that Interstellar is a better movie than Inception?” I said, spearheading the conversation back.

  “It is. Or do you want to debate on that?” he said, and I noticed his gaze, which got me fired up. I was not passing on this chance.

  Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.

  “Of course, I am. Heresy against the greatest movie of all time will not be tolerated, and you will be punished for your crimes,” I stated with an accent, pointing to him. He laughed.

  “Alright then, let's take this seriously,” he said, tapping the ground and gesturing for me to sit. We sat opposite each other.

  “I state a positive about Interstellar, and you can counterattack my point, and vice versa, until someone gives up,” he continued, establishing the ground rules for our quick debate.

  “Alright then, but I say that we should rewatch Interstellar as well since I am at an advantage because I can easily recall Inception,” I told him, and he smiled cheekily.

  “I think I am okay without that,” he said confidently. “Just say that you can't remember much from the movie, Diya,” he said, and I pouted, crossing my arms.

  “That’s just mean,” I said in a soft voice, hoping to evoke pity.

  “Alright then, I'll take you up on your offer,” he said, typing the movie's name into the search field and clicking on it when it appeared in the results.

  For the third time this night, we settled in again to watch the movie. As the opening scenes of Interstellar began to play, I continued to steal the occasional glances at his face.

  —

  —

  "Visually, it is better,” Marcus stated, leaning back and crossing his arms with a confident grin.

  “Of course it is. The movie was released four years later,” I replied, waving my hand dismissively. “I’m not just talking about the visuals, though. I’m talking about cinematography, shot composition, and overall style. Simply put, Inception is more visually entertaining.”

  Marcus paused, considering my point. I held my breath. Had I won this round?

  “I do agree with your point here. So, I'll give you this one,” he responded, conceding defeat. I lightly pumped my fist in enthusiasm, trying to contain the smile spreading across my face.

  “Next is the score. Do I even need to say anything?” Marcus said, crossing his arms again with unwavering certainty.

  “Inception started the whole horn thing in trailers,” I began, knowing he would counter this point.

  “,” he said, mentioning the name of one of the iconic tracks from Interstellar. I grit my teeth.

  “,” I said, naming a track from Inception.

  “,” he said with a mischievous smile.

  I saw what he did there. He could have clearly mentioned “” instead.

  “” I said, continuing the back-and-forth.

  “That’s a pretty good one, but how about ‘’?” he replied, and I sighed, falling back in despair.

  “This is impos—” I paused, realising what I was about to say, and he burst out laughing. “I walked right into that one,” I admitted, scratching the top of my head, then stood up dramatically.

  “That is impossible,” I declared, and he clenched his fist, playing along with a deep voice.

  “No, it is necessary,” he said, and we both exploded in laughter.

  “How about the story?” I asked as I sat back down on the ground with him.

  “Interstellar has the better story. Do I need to say more?” Marcus said with absolute confidence.

  “I’m not going to argue there. However, Inception has the better cast.” I shot back almost immediately.

  “True, but Interstellar has the best protagonist. Cooper is so well written,” he said in response.

  “I won’t argue about that. However, let’s not discredit Cobb. He is an outstanding protagonist,” I added.

  This was fun. I was having an engaging conversation with Marcus about something we both found interesting. Our discussion felt like how two geniuses would be portrayed in the media. I loved being this free.

  “So, are we going to agree that Interstellar is the better movie?” Marcus asked, and I snarled playfully.

  “Not at all. How about this? We ask around to see which one people prefer overall?” I proposed, observing him contemplating it before smiling.

  “Alright then,” he agreed.

  I snuck back under the blanket we had laid out and looked at the TV to see the list of recommended movies. One caught my eye.

  “Oh, . It's been a while since I watched that,” I said to Marcus.

  “A New Hope? That's from Star Wars, isn’t it?” Marcus inquired with an air of curiousity.

  “Yes. Why are you acting like you haven’t watched it yet?” I asked, somewhat perplexed.

  “Uh, that’s because I haven’t. I only watched the sequel trilogy,” he said, and I stared at him in surprise, my mouth slightly agape.

  “What? Wait, you’re telling me you haven’t watched the other Star Wars movies?” I asked, my eyes wide with disbelief.

  “Yes. I simply never got into it,” he remarked, scratching his head.

  In an instant, I grabbed the remote from his palm and hit play.

  “Get tucked in. We are watching the entire original trilogy now,” I declared.

  “Wait, Diya, isn't it already too late?” He tried protesting.

  “Not important,” I said, placing my hand on his chin and tilting his face toward the screen. “Now watch.”

  “Imagine only watching the sequel trilogy. I must rid you of those terrible memories,” I mumbled, and he appeared to hear me. He looked back at me before turning to face the screen.

  As the opening crawl of Star Wars: A New Hope began, Marcus's eyes lit up with interest. I settled in beside him, feeling a sense of satisfaction. The iconic music filled the room, and for the next couple of hours, we were transported to a galaxy far, far away.

  Despite my initial excitement, fatigue began to creep in as the movie went on. The long day was catching up with me, and I found it increasingly difficult to keep my eyes open. I leaned against Marcus’s shoulder, resting my head on it as I succumbed to drowsiness.

  —

  —

  My eyes flickered open, and I groaned a little, disoriented by the familiar fabric and texture of my bed and blanket. The lights were turned out, and the TV was silent. I lifted myself off the bed, noticing a figure lying on the ground. Marcus? I seemed to have held him here so late that leaving became difficult.

  I looked for my phone and discovered it near my pillow. A quick peek at the time indicated that it was a few minutes after 5 a.m., and I noticed that I had gotten a text from Hazel about three hours earlier. The text asked how the hangout with Marcus and I went and she also apologised for not being able to make it.

  “Dummy, you know it’s not your fault,” I muttered under my breath as I sighed. What should I do? What would she think if I told her Marcus spent the night? I wasn’t ready to open that can of worms because I knew she would scold me and follow it up with a lecture. I decided I would text her later.

  I put down my phone and looked over at Marcus again. I slowly approached him, trying not to make any noise. I kneeled down beside him and looked at his peaceful face. His gentle breathing was calming, and I felt a wave of affection wash over me.

  I then laid down alongside him and watched him sleep. His face was turned to the side, giving me a good glimpse of his profile. I inched closer, my heart pounding in my chest, and gently placed my hand against his cheek. His skin was warm and soft under my touch.

  I lifted my head, and the distance between our faces was minimal. I felt his breath on my lips and I began to breathe heavily, my heart racing. I leaned in, making the space between our lips nearly non-existent. Just before our lips could touch, I pulled back.

  “What the heck am I doing? Kissing someone while they sleep,” I murmured to myself, shaking my head. I got up and returned to my bed, feeling embarrassed and frustrated. I took one last look at Marcus before turning my body the other way and waiting for sleep to come for me.

  “Gosh, I am so stupid sometimes,” I admitted to myself as the scene replayed over and over in my mind, causing my cheeks to flush red. I needed to get my act together. That's what a genius would do, isn't it?

  As sleep finally began to claim me, I made a silent promise to myself. Tomorrow, I will talk to Marcus about tonight. I wouldn't mention the almost kiss, but I would tell him how much I appreciated his friendship and how much fun I had tonight. With that thought in mind, I let myself be carried away into the realm of dreams, the smile still lingering on my lips.