The Magnet

A movie night.

Every other Friday was Movie Club, where a gathering of six or seven movie buffs would meet to enjoy the cheesiest, crappiest, weirdest films we could get our hands on a blatantly pirated copy of. It often devolved into our own reenactment of Mistery Science Theatre 3000, but every once in a while we would find something good, or at least interesting. The rules of Movie Club were simple:

1. You do not disclose the next movie.
2. You do not disclose the next movie.
3. Whoever hosts the session chooses the movie.
4. Keep your shirt and your shoes on.
5. You only bitch about the movie after it is over, but you can walk out if you're bored.
6. Only one movie per session.
7. At least two members must be present for it to be a Movie Club session.
8. If it is your first night in Movie Club, you have to sit through the entire movie.

If you don' recognize what the rules are referencing, you can't join.

It was Tessa's turn to host, which was nice because she lived by herself in an apartment so there were no roommates or family members that would be a problem, but it was a drag because it was an eight floor and the elevator was out of service more often than not. So I climbed the stairs, and climbed, and climbed, until I started doubting my memory ( was it an eight or a tenth floor?) But then I saw Tessa's door peeking from behind the end of the stairs, and when I readied myself to knock, because the ring was also out of commission, the door suddenly opened.

She must have been looking through the magic eye on the door.

- Thank God you're here!- she exclaimed- You are the only one who showed up.

I looked at the empty room, with the TV set and the DVD player all set up and the chairs and cushions neatly arranged. It looked a little sad.

-Should we call it off, then? -I asked, still panting from the climb.- We don't have to...

- Oh, no, please, come in- she said, holding my hand and pulling me into the room.- I have snacks and drinks, see? There's no way I'm going to eat all that by myself. And besides, you look exhausted. Take a seat, please- she said, actually pushing me into the big, comfy chair that was just in front of the TV.

I give you three guesses as to why I am tired, I thought, but I did not want to ruin it. Tessa was not the most outgoing person, and Movie Club was one of the few chances at social interactions she had.

And besides, that chair was soooo comfy.

-Since it is only the two of us, what do you say we break rule number 4?-she said, taking her shoes off- Nobody else has to know.

And that's when I started to really notice her. Normally, with all the other people around, and the chatter and the movie, I would just think about her as one of the guys, especially because of the way she spoke. But there, all by ourselves in her apartment, I started to realize that she was a very, very attractive girl.

Or perhaps not, it's weird. Daisy Dukes over pantyhose, without shoes, is a combination that works on me like kryptonite on Superman. I know, I know, it is in terribly bad taste, but I just have a fetish for it, especially when it was over a good pair of legs. Guess what 8 floors of stairs every single day back and forth had done to hers.

I was going to tell her that I was fine with my shoes on but she was already on her knees, undoing the shoelaces. She was fast, I tell ya.

-Want a drink before we start?- she asked, already taking two beers out of the fridge. I thought about telling her that waiting for the answer is an important part of asking a question, but to be honest I was kind of amused by how hard she was trying.

She crossed her legs on one of the cushions next to the chair and opened her can of beer, which gave out the typical noise.

-Kanpai!-she toasted.