He takes the case and reads the back. “Thanks for the recommendation, but this is not my kind of movie. It looks old—”
“It’s not old.”
“And boring—”
“It’s not boring!”
“Who’s this?” he points to the man on the front. “Is that the famed Mr Darcy?”
“Trust me,” I say, taking the case back and hugging it to my chest. “It’s much better than you think it will be. Oh my god, we should watch it now!”
He groans.
“Come on!” I say, grabbing his arm and dragging him behind me.
“I won’t understand it,” he says as we leave my room and head down the hallway. “Won’t they talk all old-fashioned?”
“You will understand it!” I say, letting go of him once we arrive in the lounge room, with an L-shaped couch on one side, and a large TV on the opposite wall. Through the window, the front garden shrouded by dusk. “Oh. It’s getting dark.” I turn to him. “When do you need to get home?”
“Whenever. It’s a short walk.” He’s scanning the room, eyes catching on embarrassing childhood photos of me.
I fiddle with the Blu-Ray. It’s a Saturday evening, and Noah has far better things to do than watch a movie he doesn’t want to watch with me. This is Noah Rosselli, who has an endless amount of friends. Friends who would party and do other cool teenage activities.
“I shouldn’t be so bossy,” I say with a forced laugh. “You don’t have to watch this movie if you don’t want to. Obviously. Don’t let me hold you back from returning home.”
His eyes meet mine, and something washes over his face. Almost … pity. Oh god. He’s going to reject me. I don’t know why I —
“Eve,” he says. “Don’t not be bossy. It’s not annoying. Most of the time,” he adds with a teasing smile.
I huff a laugh, though I’m still waiting to hear him say that he has other plans. It’s okay. I can watch the movie by myself for the hundredth time. It would be more fun if I had a friend to introduce the movie to, though …
“I’ll watch it.”
My mouth falls open. “You will?”
“The first half an hour,” he adds. “If I’m bored, we’re watching something else.
“You won’t get bored,” I promise. He’s going to love it.
“And … you need to watch one of my favourite movies next time.”
I narrow my eyes. “Will it be a movie with guns and action scenes?”
“Oh yeah,” he says, smiling at my horrified expression. “Fair’s fair, right?”
“Fine. Sit down,” I say, and go to the Blu-Ray player. “I’ll go make popcorn,” I say before heading towards the kitchen. If we’re going to have a movie night, we might as well do it properly.
“Aren’t Blu-Rays and DVDs old-fashioned these days?”
“I always get Blu-Rays of my favourite films,” I answer from the kitchen. “Soon you will understand why this is a favourite.”
“Uh-huh,” he says.
Soon I return with a bowl of popcorn — it’s the healthy stuff with no butter and a little salt. I curl up beside him and fiddle with the remote control. “Get ready to meet literature’s favourite heartthrob.”
12
Noah: The First Day
