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AFTER TWO HOURS, IT SEEMED LIKE EVELYN TAKAHASHI HAD TO EAT HER WORDS. The very movie she had poked fun at Jim for liking ended up reeling her in too. How was she supposed to know seeing Tobey Maguire act like a socially awkward teenager could make her enjoy a movie so much?
The credits began to roll and both pizzas were almost entirely gone. Five empty bottles of beer sat discarded on the coffee table. As the hours went by, the familiar fog of alcohol flooded their systems. Evelyn's legs were stretched out, Jim now laying his head comfortably in her lap. Every time she laughed, his body would move with hers. Every time she yawned, he could feel her stomach muscles move. He was comfortable and content in his spot.
Her thin fingers ran through his mop of chestnut hair unconsciously. One arm was resting against the arm of the couch, her hand keeping her head upright. Jim's arm was wrapped around one of her legs like it was a stuffed toy. The music played, filling their calm silence. It was growing later and later, and as much as she hated to admit it, she knew that she needed to go home.
"So," Jim said, shattering the silence around them. He glanced up at her, his chin resting on her thigh. She drew in a soft breath, tired eyes meeting his gaze. "So," she echoed, cracking a lazy smile. One of his hands squeezed her calf, a breathy snort exhaled through his nose. He blinked, his cheek coming to rest against her leg. "What did you think? Did it rock your world?"
Gently, she brushed his hair from his forehead with her own breathy laugh. "It was okay," she fibbed. "I can see why you like it." A breathless sigh left his nose, warming her leg through the blanket. His eyes lifted to meet hers expectantly. There was a pause. His fingers massaged her calf, eyes blinking expectantly up at her. For a moment, she let her mind wander to his touch so gentle, the warmth of his skin and his breath against her leg.
He chuckled to himself, his other hand giving her thigh a tight squeeze. She almost gasped aloud at the feeling of him shuffling to place his arms on either side of her waist. "Evie," he said her name gently, humor evident in his voice. "What?" she replied, confusion washed over her features.
"You liked it." He sounded so sure, almost like he had been inside of her head the entire time they watched the movie. It was almost like he had watched her the entire time, waiting to see each of her reactions to the movie he liked so much. "Yeah, kind of," she replied. A happy smile spread across his face and into his soft, brown eyes. "So, apologize."
