I had been planning this movie night for weeks. You know, the perfect setup: cozy blankets, a few candles, her favorite snacks, and, of course, the movie. It wasn’t just any movie—it was the movie. One I’d heard her mention a few times before, how much she loved it, how she could watch it over and over again. So naturally, I thought I was scoring some serious points here.
She arrived, smiling, and I could already picture us snuggled up on the couch, enjoying the evening. I dimmed the lights, pressed play, and sat down next to her, feeling pretty proud of myself. She looked at the screen, her face lighting up like I’d nailed it. This was going to be great.
And then, out of nowhere, she casually said, “Oh, my ex was obsessed with this movie. He’s the one who made me watch it for the first time.”
I froze for a second. Wait, what?
I smiled, hoping she didn’t notice my heart sinking a bit. But man, did it sink. Her ex? The one who introduced her to this movie? Suddenly, everything felt… different. The air got a little heavier.
She kept watching, oblivious to the storm of thoughts in my head, laughing at the scenes I thought would make us bond, but now all I could think about was the fact that he had probably laughed at those same scenes with her.
I tried to push the thought aside. I mean, it’s just a movie, right? We all have pasts. But something about it just clung to me. Every time she smiled, I wondered, Was she remembering their moment together? Was this some inside joke between them that I wasn’t a part of?
I shifted a bit, trying to act like it didn’t bother me, but of course, she noticed.
“You okay?” she asked, her eyes soft and a little confused.
I nodded, but the truth was, I didn’t know how to feel. Should I bring it up? Or would that just make me seem insecure? I mean, it’s a movie. But it wasn’t really about the movie, was it? It was about the fact that I was trying to create something special, and suddenly, he was a part of it, uninvited.
“You know…” I started, trying to find the words that wouldn’t sound jealous or petty. “It’s just… I was really looking forward to tonight. I wanted this to be our thing.”
She looked at me, her smile fading a bit as she seemed to realize what I was getting at. “Oh… I didn’t mean to bring him up like that,” she said softly. “It’s just… it’s a movie I love. It doesn’t really have anything to do with him anymore.”
But that was the thing—it kind of did, didn’t it? At least, it felt like it.
“I get that,” I said, trying to keep my voice calm. “But, you know, I was hoping tonight could be about us. Just us.”
She moved closer, her hand resting on mine. “It is about us,” she whispered. “I’m here with you. Not him. I’m sorry I made you feel that way. It’s just a movie I really enjoy, but trust me, I wouldn’t want to be here with anyone else.”
Her words were sincere, but part of me still felt that little sting. I wanted tonight to be flawless, to be ours alone, without any ghosts from the past lurking in the background. But I also knew I couldn’t change what came before me. What mattered was now.
She leaned her head on my shoulder, her fingers intertwining with mine. The movie kept playing, but my focus shifted. It wasn’t about the movie anymore. It was about what we were building, even if sometimes the past made an appearance. That’s just part of it, right? Learning how to live in the present, even when little shadows of the past flicker by.
As the credits rolled, she looked up at me, a small smile on her lips. “Thank you for tonight,” she said, her voice soft. “It was perfect.”
And you know what? Maybe it wasn’t exactly how I imagined it. But sitting there, with her curled up next to me, I realized that perfect doesn’t always mean what you expect. Sometimes, it’s just figuring things out together.
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