Movie Night

“Hurry up!” Skye called from her seat on the couch. “I’m gonna start the movie without you guys!”

“Coming, babe!” Max chuckled from the kitchen. The sound of plates clattering to the floor made Skye cringed.

“Don’t break my house, Jay!” She cried.

“It wasn’t me!” Jay retorted, sticking his head around the corner and pouting.

“Sure it wasn’t,” Skye giggled, rolling her eyes. How had she ended up with two of the biggest goofs on the planet as her best friends? Oh right, she was exceptionally lucky.

It was movie night and as the rules stated ‘my house, my movie’ meant it was Skye’s turn to pick the movie, much to Max and Jay’s disappointment. They entered the room then, play fighting and spilling popcorn all over the carpet.

“Cool it guys,” Skye warned, but she was giggling all the same. They came and sat down on either side of her on the couch, dumping the bowl of popcorn on her lap. Max flung his arm over Skye’s shoulders while Jay proceeded to hog all the popcorn.

That was one problem with having two goofballs as best friends. Max noticed her, Jay did not. Skye had tried to control her feelings about Jay, they’d been friends for a while, in fact it was Max who’d introduced them. Max who was always overly friendly towards Skye. He’d never asked her out before, not wanting to hurt their friendship, but he also didn’t hesitate to remind Skye every day just how he felt about her. And boy was he forward about it.

And then there was Jay, who didn’t seem to mind at all that Max was so touchy feely with Skye, which could only mean that he didn’t have any feelings for her beyond friendship.

Pressing the play button on the button on the remote, Skye leaned into Max’s arm, resting her head on his shoulder, might as well be comfortable. But she would have given anything to lean into Jay.

Here’s another problem. Conflicting feelings. No matter how strongly Skye felt about Jay, and even if he did share those feelings, Skye could never act on them. Max was her best friend, she could never hurt him even for her own happiness.

“Stop hogging the popcorn, Jay!” Skye whisper screamed, and punched him in the arm.

“Sorry,” he replied with a mouthful of popcorn.

Max looked over then. “Mate! You ate it all!” He guffawed.

Jay looked down guiltily. “Well you spilt most of it on the carpet!”

“That was you!”

“Shush!” Skye giggled. “I’m trying to watch a movie here.”

“I’ll get more popcorn,” Max chuckled, removing his arm from around Skye’s shoulders, suddenly leaving her chilly.

“You want me to pause it for you?”

“Nah, not like I’m missing anything interesting, right?” He glanced at the ‘chick flick’.

“You could just give it a chance,” Skye grumbled. “It’s not really a girl movie.”

Jay silently laughed as Max exited the room, swaying to the movie’s score.

Jay shifted on the couch, a move that brought him closer to Skye. It was then that the room seem to catch on fire, all of Skye’s senses were on high alert. Jay’s arm brushed her’s in a friendly manner and he looked down at their arms and then back up at Skye as if to apologise.

Skye smiled and turned her attention quickly back to the the television, madly chewing on her bottom lip.

Jay chuckled and leaned in closer to her. Is he trying to make me uncomfortable? Skye wondered.

“Hey, babe,” he started reciting the lines of the movie.

Skye gasped and turn to gaze at him. “I thought you’d never seen this movie.”

“I haven’t,” Jay faked innocence. “With you or Max.”

“Oh,” Skye puffed.

Jay chuckled at her reaction and continued to recite lines.

Two can play at that game. Skye followed his lead, picking up the second main role. They whispered the lines at each other and began throwing some actions into it. The two main characters of the movie were play fighting and Jay took lead by tickling Skye in her most sensitive area, causing her to shriek with laughter and attempt to bat his hand away.

“Everything alright in there?” Max called from the kitchen.

“Yeah!” They replied while Jay started attack Skye more ferociously.

“Aah,” she kept her cries silent now while trying to get past Jay’s defences.

He was too quick and pushed her down into the couch, on Max’s spot. He hovered over her, a smile playing on his lips. Time seemed to stop. Skye looked up at Jay in wonder, his eyes glistened with the light of the television in the dark room. And then he kissed her. His gentle lips found hers. It was a slow kiss that caused Skye to melt, she lost all self control and threw herself into the kiss, sitting up now. Reaching her arms around Jay’s neck, she pulled her fingers through his curly hair. He smiled into the kiss and used his hands to pull her closer to him. His hands gripped tightly around her waist.

There was gasp from the kitchen door. Skye pulled away from Jay with a giant gulp of air and turned to stare at Max. He was radiating betrayal. He took two steps to the coffee table and gently placed the bowl of popcorn down before fleeing the room.

“Max!” Skye cried, disentangling herself from Jay and running after her best friend. She caught him just as he passed over the threshold of the front door. “I’m sorry,” she choked.

“It’s okay, Skye,” he breathed, looking at the ground. “I get it.”

“You do?”

“I think I’ve always known. You’re always looking at each other when you think the other isn’t looking,” he laughed, a harsh and painful laugh. “I shouldn’t be surprised.”

Skye’s eyes began to glisten with tears. She’d done it, she’d successfully hurt Max, her best friend.

“Just…” He began.

“Yes?”

He took a step closer and launched himself at Skye, pushing her body into the door frame. His mouth found hers and they were kissing. He held nothing back. Skye gasped in shock at the sudden assault, but didn’t push him away.

Eventually he pulled back, biting on his bottom lip and looking at Skye apologetically.

“That was,” Skye began.

“Yeah,” Max agreed.

“Like kissing my brother,” she giggled.

“Ugh! I know! Well obviously it wasn’t like kissing my brother,” he amended. “But there was…”

“Nothing,” she finished.

They laughed, carefree. “I can’t believe it. After all this time and then… That!” He shook his head in shame.

“Hey,” Skye said, placing a hand on his shoulder. “Maybe it just wasn’t meant to be.”

“Nah,” Max nodded. “But you and Jay, maybe that was.”

She grinned, looking down at the floor. “I really like him,” she confessed.

“I know,” groaned, laughing. “And I’m really happy for you.”

“Thanks,” she whispered.

“Now get back in there, watch your chick flick,” Max commanded.

“Aren’t you coming back too?”

“Probably not for the best.”

“Please?” Skye pouted. “Because you’re my best friend in the whole wide world?”

He chuckled. “Well I guess if you put it that way. But what about Jay?”

“He won’t mind,” Skye promised.

She towed Max back into the lounge room where Jay was waiting, an apology already bursting from between his lips. Max stopped him before he could get two words out.

“It’s cool, mate,” he said. And then they hugged, much to Skye’s astonishment, a real man hug from two best mates.

They resumed their positions on the couch then, just as they were before, only this time, Max’s arm around Skye’s shoulder was a brotherly gesture and Jay didn’t shy away from getting as close to Skye as he possibly could. He took her hand in his and started stroking the back of her thumb rhythmically.

Skye sighed contentedly and together, she and her two goofs finished watching the movie.