Signals Crossed

20

They kept trying to force things back into their old shape.

Movie nights. Candy. Horror films with terrible acting and even worse special effects. Mel stealing half the popcorn even though Ad made it specifically for himself.

Normal.

That's what this was supposed to be.

And for a while, Adam Horovitz almost convinced himself it still could be.

Almost.

⸻

Mel was stretched across the foot of his bed, digging through the candy pile she'd dumped between them.

"You ate all the red ones already?" she accused.

"I didn't eat all of them."

"There are literally none left."

"Sounds like poor planning on your part."

She shoved his shoulder immediately.

Ad shoved her back automatically—but gentler than he normally would have.

Too gentle.

Mel noticed instantly.

Her eyebrows lifted.

"...Are you getting soft on me, Horovitz?"

He rolled his eyes hard, grabbing another handful of popcorn to avoid looking at her directly.

"Please. You wish."

"No, seriously," she laughed. "You barely even pushed me."

"You're dramatic."

"You used to nearly knock me off the bed."

"Maybe I'm evolving."

"That's terrifying."

She grinned at him when she said it, open and familiar and completely unaware of what she did to him now.

That was the problem.

Mel still looked at him the same way she always had.

Like he was hers already. Safe. Permanent.

Her best friend.

And Ad—

Ad didn't know how to exist inside that anymore.

Because lately every little thing felt loaded.

The way she leaned against him without thinking.

The way she stole food from his hands.

The way she laughed with her whole face.

And the worst part?

She still didn't seem to realize what she was doing to him.

Which meant she probably still thought he only saw her as one of the guys.

The irony of that almost made him laugh.

If she knew how hard he was trying not to look at her like a girl now, she'd probably lose her mind.

⸻

On screen, some actress screamed while fake blood splattered dramatically across a wall.

Mel snorted. "That's the worst scream I've ever heard."

Ad smirked slightly. "You say that every movie."

"Because every actress screams like she's being mildly inconvenienced."

"That's your expert opinion?"

"Yes."

"You've clearly thought a lot about this."