“It was good.”
“There are two more seasons and several movies. You’re welcome to come over whenever you want to see the rest.”
“You have it all?”
“A lot of it is on the streaming channel. I managed to track down anything that isn’t on DVD. I did have to fork out for a multiregional DVD player, though.”
I stare at him. “I have no idea what that means. I’ve never owned a DVD player,” I add.
He laughs. “DVDs have different encoding in different areas. So you can’t buy an American DVD and play it here, or a Japanese one, and vice versa. But, with a multiregional DVD player, that’s not a problem anymore.”
My head is spinning. “Okay, I’ll take your word for it.”
“Come over again? To watch more of this.” He gestures to the TV.
“You have exams.”
He raises his finger. “I have one exam on Tuesday. And then I’m free as a bird. Other than finding a job and somewhere to live come September.”
I gnaw my lower lip. I want to come over again. Iwant to spend more time with Jimmy without the weird awkwardness we slip into every so often.
“Wednesday is my day off.”
“It’s a date.” He raises his eyebrows and spreads his fingers wide. “Uh, not as in adatedate. But, you know…”
“Two friends hanging out, watching anime?”
“Yes. That kind of date. A platonic date. Hey, you could text me everything we need for ham, egg, and chips, and we could cook after. Or before. However the timing works out.”
“That would be fun.”
“You bet it would. So… Wednesday?” He sticks his hand out.
I stare at it for a few moments, wondering what he’s expecting me to do. Shake it? That must be it.
I take his hand and shake it. “Wednesday.”
He grins. We should let go of each other’s hands, but we don’t. I want him to pull me into his arms, but he doesn’t.
His cheeks pink, he clears his throat, and he lets go. “I’m not kicking you out.”
“It’s getting late. I should go.”
“Right.” He wipes his hands over his thighs and stands.
I hurry to my feet. This is where I leave.
He shows me to the door, where we stand in self-conscious silence. We said all the usual pre-goodbye stuff in the lounge. The ‘we had fun’ and ‘let’s do it again’ stuff. All that’s left to say is ‘bye’, except mymouth isn’t working, and my feet aren’t carrying me over the threshold into the street.
“Thanks for today,” he says in a soft voice.
My insides quiver. “Thanks for saving me from a day of solo tourism.”
“I spent a whole year being a solo tourist. It can be fun.”
“If you say so.”
“But having company is better.”
