Movie Night

“I’m about to start the movie.”

“I’m coming!” I call back from my room. Here’s the spoiler alert that no one bothered to give me: we’re finally watching Mortal Kombat!

Alex hits play the second I step into the room and pats the couch cushion beside him.

Tight tank top? Hot. Gym shorts? Hot. Neither leaves anything to the imagination. I keep the thoughts to myself. Instead, I silently curl up beside him, laying my head in his lap as I read the subtitles on the TV. “It’s not in English?”

“I think just the beginning.” He runs his hand gently through my hair.

It feels amazing. It would normally relax me into sleep, but not this time. I’ve been waiting for this all day. “You watched it without me, didn’t you.”

He chuckled at the accusation. He’s been guilty of it plenty of times before. “I really didn’t this time.”

I absentmindedly rub my fingers over his knee and thigh, doing my best to read and watch at the same time. “That one is Scorpion.”

Alex scoffed. “He’s dying. Scorpion has to be the baby who got away.”

I roll over onto my back, looking directly up at his face. “No way! His name is Hanzo—”

“His kid can’t be named Hanzo too?”

“He has the knife-rope thing—”

“Kunai, which his living kid can get later.”

The shorts don’t hide anything from the eyes, or the side of my face apparently, but I’m not distracted enough to drop my argument. “Plus, he has that whole demonic thing going for him in the games.”

He took a breath, but I could see that he wasn’t coming up with a counter. Instead, he pushed my head back towards the TV. “Watch and we’ll see who’s right.”

I grin, partially because I’m certain I’m right and partially because his hand is back in my hair.

We announce the characters we recognize like it’s some kind of competition. I manage to get Sonya Blade, Reptile, Raiden, and Mileena. He gets Liu Kang and Nitara because I couldn’t remember their names, as well as Goro and Kabal. We shout Kung Lao and Shang Tsung at each other in unison.

We belly laugh when Kano announces his win. The fatality announcement didn’t hit the same and was met with an eye roll from me; a sigh from Alex. I bury my face for a moment when Mileena rips her cheeks to expose her entire mouth.

I win our undeclared game, our tie being broken at the end of the movie by my first announcement. “I told you it was Scorpion!” I declare, holding tightly onto his thigh.

He jerks out of my grip. “Yeah, yeah.”

I sit up and we watch the credits with my head on his shoulder, just to make sure nothing is hidden during or after.

Staring at movie recommendations to watch next, it’s Alex who speaks first. “That wasn’t half bad.”

“It was really amazing for what it was.”

His green eyes meet mine. “And what was it?”

“A video game movie, and based on Mortal Kombat. Best one they’ve ever made.” I put my hand on his chest with a grin. “What do you want to do now.”

He drapes an arm over my shoulder, “I’ve been thinking about that.” He leans in close, meeting my gaze. “I’m going to Kelsey’s.”

We both chuckle and I watch as he walks to the front door. Those squats at the gym are really doing amazing things… for me.

As the door closes behind him, I’m filled with despair. Not because my straight best friend is off to his girlfriend’s house. I look back at the TV. “I can’t believe they didn’t include Kitana.”