title: Christmas Movies
summary: Upset with her love life, Ruto ends up re-watching Love Actually.
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Raising the volume on the television, she tugged her blanket closer to her body. Day Seventy-Four and her supposed ten day plan still yielded the same unsatisfactory results. She was still tragically single and still tragically pining over the cute blond who lived a floor down. The cute blond who no matter what she did never seemed fazed by her attempts at seduction. Not even the batting of an eye. He'd simply smile and nod when appropriate before biding her a good day. Her ten-day plan to get her cute neighbor's affection, which she had revamped several times prior, may be in need of another tune up. She needed a new plan of attack.
She did everything short of hanging a sparkling banner from her balcony asking him to love her. The movies made it look so easy, you know the whole falling in love thing. Each film had the same model: the heartbreak temporary but the happiness you'd receive from some public display of affection, well that happiness is eternal.
Stupid Link and his stupid beautiful eyes as deep as the sea making her feel this, this whatever it was. Shrinking further into her couch, she tried to still her mind while Emma Thompson's heart filled breakdown played out on the screen. Ruto could feel her own heart clench in time with Joni Mitchell's voice.
Her phone pinged three consecutive times but she didn't even bother to glance towards the device. It was probably just Lulu. Whatever, she had a key of her own.
Earlier that day, Ruto had run into Link at the grocery store after getting off work and instead of leaving the store with her groceries for the week and a boyfriend, she left with only half the groceries she planned on purchasing and unattached.
"Already watching Love Actually I see." Maybe she shouldn't have given her friend a key to her apartment. Now she had to deal with her friend's attempt at optimism on this bleak evening. She'd say something about not giving up, about getting up and putting on a brave face (and an ultra cute outfit) as she approached the dreaded Day Seventy-Five. "I kind of figured you'd be watching either this or How the Grinch Stole Christmas." Her friend dropped down onto the middle of the couch sliding herself under a small section of the blanket. If she was going to steal her blanket then Lulu was going to become a useful footrest. "Ruto, maybe we watch something else - something less romantic?" Less romantic? Did her friend not what to try juxtaposing her optimistic outlook on her non existent love life with the anguish of Emma Thompson's performance. Lulu stood from their spot and heading to the row of DVDs beneath the TV stand, her fingers dancing across the titles.
"I'm still partial to the Grinch if you want in." She wiggled the DVD case in front her silently asking for Ruto to accept the change of genre. Maybe Ruto herself was the Grinch. This time of the year was to be joyous yet here she sat on her couch, wrapped in a fleece blanket, watching an ensemble cast of characters act out their interwoven stories hoping to feel even an inkling of their happiness.
She felt like the old Ruto, high school Ruto. The Ruto who crushed hard on Mikau from the moment she first saw Lulu's band practicing. She never wanted to be that Ruto again, yet here she was hopelessly in love with someone who barely even noticed her. He probably didn't even consider them acquaintances - she hated the word but to him she was probably just the girl who lived a floor above him, nothing more. Men suck, there she said it.
But right now she sucked more. Who cares if she wasn't happy at this current moment and had spent the previous seventy-four days hoping beyond hope for Link to like her - not even love her, just like her. The one person who would care was herself and currently she wasn't caring for herself all to much. Sulking like a baby because she hadn't gotten her way. She had come a long way from her daddy's little spoiled daughter.
Lifting up the remote she clicked the eject button.
"Let's watch How the Grinch Stole Christmas. I'm in the mood for a relatable character."
Post lines being quoted and laughs being shared, Ruto curled into her friend, "I'm an idiot."
"No you're not. You just fall very hard, very fast. Those kind of emotions can be painful - very useful when you're a musician but to you normal folk feelings they suck."
Letting out a chuckle, Ruto grabbed a handful of recently popped popcorn. Yes, she got up after the movie to pop popcorn - she didn't want to miss a moment of the movie.
While she was in the kitchen, Lulu had pulled out several more films - Elf, A Miracle of 34th Street, Scrooged to name a few. She did put The Holiday back on the shelf. Romantic films may not be the best idea at this exact moment. Nor was Lulu desire to tell Ruto that a certain long-haired bassist wanted more than just a friendship with the Indigo-Go's biggest supporter. That he has for over seventy-four days.
"Can we watch Die Hard next? It's technically a holiday film."
"No it's not." Lulu went to argue but Ruto lifted up her hand to silence her
"Yes it is, their all attending a Christmas party when everything goes down."
Lulu opened her mouth to say something but stopped, "Oh my Godesses, Die Hard is a Christmas film."
Who cares if Juliet and Peter or David and Natalie found their happiness in each other, dammit even John and Judy found happiness in one another being stand ins for adult film actors. She'd find her happiness one day - maybe she'd be like Billy Mack and found happiness during their season, not by falling in love but through spending her time with those she cared for the most. Maybe her heart would grow three sizes some day and swell with happiness because of those she surrounded herself with.
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Hey guys honestly, what did you like what didn't you like, I'm trying to get better.