I pause and Curtis laughs, though not maliciously. "I'm right, aren't I?" he asks.
"I hate you," I say, and play the next episode.
We watch a couple more, then take a break to get a drink of water.
"So you said that the fanfiction you read is romantic, right?" Curtis says as we're settling back into the bed for another episode.
I sigh. "Yes."
"Which couples do you read about? I bet I already know."
"Then tell me."
"Those two main characters. The rivals, right?" Curtis tries to say their names and butchers them. "Yeah, they have some sexual tension between them. Do they get together?"
"Of course not," I say. "That's all just fan service."
"But I'm right though, aren't I? You read fanfiction about them."
"Mm-hmm. That's one of the most popular ships. Although there are a lot of ships within this show… you know what a ship is, right?"
"I can guess."
"Don't repeat this conversation to anyone at school. I'd lose all my street-cred if people knew I was invested in the romantic relationships of fictional characters."
Curtis laughs.
"What?"
"'Street-cred'" he echoes.
I roll my eyes and whack him again, and he sobers. "My lips are sealed," he says. "Now, come on, let's watch the next episode."
I pick up the remote and press play.
"You like it, right? You're not just suffering for me?" I ask as the intro plays.
"I do, weirdly enough."
"That sounds like a back-handed compliment," I say and Curtis smiles.
This show is like my comfort show. I started it in my early teen years when life wasn't great. Part of that was me fighting a lot with my parents, like a lot of teenagers do. But around that time, I was confronting my sexuality, which freaked me out a bit. Kennedy was super supportive though, and the team in this TV show felt like my fictional family. Not that I'd admit that to anyone because that sounds lame as hell. But when you feel alone, it's nice to take whatever you can get.
After an episode finishes, I glance outside. The sun is setting, turning the clouds orange. "We should get started on dinner," I say. "Though I'm not sure how we'll manage without Erin and Bonnie to help us cook."
Curtis stretches his arms out, causing his jumper to ride up. I avert my eyes from his exposed skin. Whatever I'm feeling is normal teenage horniness. It doesn't mean anything, except that I should jerk off as soon as possible. Tonight. Good thing we're sleeping in separate bedrooms.
"It won't be a problem," Curtis says, pulling me out of my thoughts. "I'm a cooking whiz."
I raise a brow. "You?" Now that I think about it, whenever he cut vegetables for dinner, he always minced them neatly and quickly.
"Yeah, I cook a lot for my family. Gotta help out with my siblings and all." He pushes himself off the bed, and I do the same, though I fiddle with the remote to turn the TV off.
"It's a good show," Curtis comments. He's lingering in the room, waiting for me.
I look at him, but his expression is genuine.
"Of course it is," I answer. "I have good taste."
