Matt watched the timer on the microwave count down. Twenty six seconds… twenty five… twenty four….
"Matt?" A soft voice interrupted his counting. Dani was here.
"In the kitchen" Matt called back. He looked towards the doorway as she rounded the corner from the front all. Her long dark hair look damp from the rain. As she walked towards him she unzipped her wet navy blue jacket jacket and tossed it on the counter, revealing a tight, gray, faded Boston College t-shirt and a pair of worn jeans.
The microwave beeped. "Hey, just in time," Matt said. "Popcorn's ready!"
"Yum, it better be kettlecorn," Dani replied.
"Of course, its your week."
It was Saturday night. Dani and Matt were having their weekly movie night. Tonight was Dani's night meaning it was her movie pick and her choice of snack. The movie was Juno- it had just recently been released from theaters and Matt hadn't seen it yet. Dani had seen it in theaters with her then boyfriend Parker and insisted Matt would love it.
As Dani grabbed two sodas and headed into the den, Matt followed with the bowl of popcorn and focused on watching the floor. Dani flounced on the couch and tossed her feet up on the coffee table infront of her. Matt landed gently next to her and traded the bowl of popcorn for his soda. He tried not to notice as his fingers gently brushed hers and sent a thrill through his body.
This is Dani. She's still off limits.
He'd been telling himself this for months. Eight months to be exact. The first four weren't so hard. She'd been with Parker, and it hadn't been to hard to remember she had a boyfriend. Besides, they were best friends. He wasn't supposed to think of her like that.
But then the break up happened. For two months Matt had watched Dani try and cope with it. He'd been there for her the night it happened, when she'd crawled into his window and cried herself to sleep in his arms. And he'd been there every time she texted him wondering why it had to hurt so much, and if it would ever stop. He'd held her so many times, wishing so badly that he could brush everything away. But he couldn't.
Eventually, the breakdowns came further apart, and she seemed to be happier. But Matt knew she still wasn't over Parker. And either way, he knew she'd never think of him as more than just her best friend. Sure, they shared every secret and every spare moment together, but that didn't mean they had to share anything else, right?
"Matt?" Her voice snapped him out of his thoughts. "You're going to love this movie, I swear. Pretty much every word Juno says is hilarious. And its not like stupid funny like Superbad. It's so good! Ready to start?"
"I'm ready"
She picked up the dvd clicker and hit play, then snuggled down into the couch and rested her head against Matt's shoulder.
Again, Matt forced himself to clear his head. Focus on the movie he told himself. He remembered what Dani said about it and knew this was a movie he'd love. She knew him, and knew what he liked. The first line came out – "It started with a chair." Matt took a sip of his drink and forgot about anything but the movie.