He opens his bag of popcorn and puts a bag of M&Ms inside it—his movie snack of choice—and I grab the Sno-Caps that I can’t ever resist. They remind me of my grandma, she always had a bowl of nonpareils sitting on the kitchen counter when I came over.
“What are we watching?” I ask as I pop one in my mouth. He picked the last movie which was a terrible karate movie. Yes, I usually fall asleep in the middle no matter who picks it, but in that one I was out in thirty minutes.
He grins broadly.
Oh boy.
“I decided we needed to watch something that has more meaning.”
I eye him warily. “Meaning what?”
“This is a movie that my father loved. He always made me watch it with him, so it’s special to me.”
Then I definitely want to watch it. I want to share things that are important to him and the fact he picked it has me really excited. “I can’t wait to see it.”
“Remember, I was a famous football player,” he says with a smirk.
“How could I ever forget? You’re so famous that people haven’t even heard of you.”
He pinches me. “I’ll have you know I have been mentioned on television—twice.”
I clutch my hands against my chest. “Oh, dear me, how lucky I am to be in your presence.”
He never talks about his football career, but he has photos in his office that I see every day. He was superhot then too. Although, I think he’s aged like a fine wine that has only gotten better with time.
“Just…you know, keep that in mind when it starts up. There are a lot of similarities for me.”
He lifts his arm, draping it behind me, and I snuggle into him, resting my head on his chest as the movie cues up. This is one of those moments that I know I’ll never forget. The way he smells, like fresh air and cologne. The sound of his heartbeat in perfect sync with mine. How even against his hard chest, I feel comfortable and safe.
Every part of tonight is perfect.
The title stretches across the screen:Rudy.
Killian holds me to him as we watch the story of a college athlete whose only goal is to play football for his team. He works harder than anyone I’ve ever seen. In a lot of ways, I see myself in him. The inability to give up, no matter how many times you’re told no.
I often catch Killian repeating lines to the movie and I have to stop the silly grin on my face.
I watch it with him, but a part of me can’t help but be lost in my own movie. The one I’m currently the star in. Handsome man comes into a girl’s life, giving her things that she never dreamed of, and she prays she can hold on to him, knowing it can’t last.
The ending isn’t what I want, but the middle, the meat of the story, is pretty fucking perfect.
I drape my arm around his middle and sigh as the credits start, and I look up to see Killian turning his head, wiping at his eyes.
“Are you crying?” I ask, surprise ringing in my voice.
“No,” he says quickly and clears his throat.
“You are!” I say with a gasp.
“It’s the dirt. It got in my eye.”
I fight back a laugh, but I can’t stop it. “Awww, that’s so cute. You’re crying over a football movie. Are you a little in your feels?”
Killian sighs heavily. “No, but how are you not emotional at that ending?”
I purse my lips. “It was uplifting and really sweet. However, I’m not crying or…I mean, I didn’t get dirt in my eyes.”
He ignores the last part. “It’s more than that. The cinematic magic that happens when his dream comes true. All of that work, all the people telling him it would never happen, I’ve seen it firsthand, and so many just give up, but not him. He fought for what he wanted.”
