Living for the Music

I quickly ran into the den, following the sound of Seth’s voice. The pizza was laid out on the table, steaming slightly. The big couch was covered in pillows, with blankets hanging across the back and arms. Seth had draped himself over half of it, a half-eaten piece of pizza in his hand.

“Thanks for waiting,” I laughed, staring at the food.

He shrugged. “I didn’t think you’d mind.”

“And what if I do?” I asked, trying to see how far I could push him.

He sighed. “Come on, Sophie. I know you’re not mad.” There was a moment’s silence before he gave in. “Alright, fine. If you want, I’ll let you pick the movie.”

I stared at him. “Seriously?”

“Yeah,” he shrugged again.

“Really?”

“Why is that so hard to believe?” he asked, sounding a little annoyed.

“This isn’t going to be one of those times where you say ‘oh yeah, Sophia, go ahead,’ and then veto every one of my suggestions?”

He laughed, a little sheepishly. “No, you can choose. For real.”

I waited, and the objection came just as I was expecting. “But I do get one veto. And no chick flicks, please?”

I couldn’t help smirking. I knew Seth would have issues giving up all control. I ran my finger down the movies, scanning the titles as I went. Too old, too long, too scary… I shuddered as I passed over the Dark Knight. That was not happening.

Finally, I paused, pulling one off the shelf. “Is this as good as people say?”

Seth glanced at the cover for a second. “Yeah, I guess. I was actually surprised by how good it was.”

“It’s the one about those kids that go to Vegas, right? And count cards?”

“Basically,” he shrugged. “I think you’d like it. Although it involves-” He glanced around the room, lowering his voice as if telling a secret. “-math.”

“Shut up,” I laughed, chucking a nearby pillow at him. “Otherwise I could force you to watch Princess Bride or something.”

He rolled his eyes. “We don’t have that.”

I pulled a case off the shelf and threw it at him. He caught it easily, groaning in defeat. “Put in 21, Sophie.”

I smirked at him before slipping the DVD in the player. I grabbed the remote from the table and handed it to Seth before curling up in a ball on the opposite end of the couch. The lights dimmed and I bit into my slice of pizza.

As the first scene faded into opening credits I glanced at Seth accusingly. “Is this movie scary?”

He rolled his eyes. “You’ll be fine, Sophie.”

“You didn’t answer the question.”

“It’s an action movie. It’s got suspense, but there’s nothing you can’t handle.”

I rolled my eyes right back at him, snuggling deeper into the couch. We watched in silence for a few minutes – well, silent except for Seth chomping on his pizza. Finally, I couldn’t wait any longer. “I don’t get it.”

Seth sighed, pausing the movie. “What is it, Sophie.”

“How did it go from being 1/3 to 2/3’s? And how did he get the car?”

Seth sighed. “Is that all?”

“Well… yeah,” I admitted. “I don’t understand.”

“It’s not a big deal,” Seth assured me, unfreezing the movie. “They’re just trying to show how smart he is.”

“Oh,” I murmured. “I guess that makes sense.”

He sent me a wry smile before leaning forward to grab another piece of pizza. “Just to warn you,” he added, “it’s gonna get worse. Don’t be worried if you don’t follow it all.”

“Thanks,” I replied warily.

Sure enough, I got lost within the first 30 seconds of the explanation. They may have dumbed down the ‘how to count cards’ explanation, but not enough for me to understand. Finally, I quit caring and focused on the movie.