Movie Date
David counts down the seconds in his head. 60, 59, 58 … 3, 2, 1. He glances at Eli, slouched against the loveseat, arms crossed over his chest as he watches the movie. His lower lip juts out in that perennial pout of his. Restart. 60, 59 … David isn’t sure if he’s always angry, or if that’s just his resting face. He’s fairly certain Eli would pick a fight if he asked, though.
David shifts a bit, checks his watch. In 50 seconds, he’ll kiss Eli. The screen lights up in the dark of his living room. Maybe it’s too dark in here. Maybe he should’ve kept a lamp on. Set the mood. The lamp is next to Eli, though, and David doesn’t want to ruin any hypothetical mood by asking him to turn on a light.
6, 5, 4, 3, 2 … Restart. Eli has perked up, probably without noticing, eyes glued to the screen. Something important is happening. Damn. A movie date was a poor decision. Should’ve gone with making dinner together. Teddy had given him that idea. David thought it was romantic, and it had been a very Teddy idea, though perhaps not a very Eli one.
David sighs, completely by accident. It’s easy to forget himself when the room is so dark and no one is watching him. But Eli picks up on it and casts a sideways glance at him. He looks suspicious, or annoyed - a very Eli expression. David smiles despite himself. Only for a second, though.
“What?” Eli asks, like David’s sigh is a formal complaint.
As it is, the sigh is more an informal complaint than anything. But questions demands answers, and David demands some proof this is a date after all. Unfortunately, he’s at a loss for words beneath Eli’s glare. That’s nothing new. David has to improvise. He twisted his body around to face Eli, then slowly places his hand over where Eli’s wrist rests on his knee. When Eli doesn’t shake him off, David squeezes his wrist and leans in. Eli’s lips are warm and just a little wet and soft. David brushes his fingers behind David’s ear and cradles the back of his head. Eli kisses back, and it’s sweeter than David ever imagined Eli could be.
When David pulls back, Eli drapes his arm across the back of the couch so David can nestle into the crook of his body. He lays his head on Eli’s shoulder and tangles their feet together. On the TV, a man’s arm is getting ripped off.