The Weight of You (and Me)

02

A WINK AND A HEART EMOJI

〰・♡・〰

The fluorescent lights cast an unflattering yellow glow on Keera's face. She gnawed on her bottom lip, anxiety gnawing at her stomach. Had she been too forward? Had she just declared war on the most popular girl in school with a single, impulsive sentence?

Taking a deep breath, she tried to focus on the task at hand. Research for their impromptu sci-fi movie marathon. Joshua had texted her an hour ago, a list of obscure films that sent her heart racing with excitement. Titles she'd only ever dreamt of watching, hidden gems buried deep in the cinematic universe.

Suddenly, a shadow fell across the table. She looked up to find Joshua, a mischievous glint in his eyes. He held a stack of DVDs in his hand, their worn spines boasting faded alien landscapes and spaceships.

"Behold," he announced dramatically, "the holy grail of B-movie sci-fi!"

A wave of relief washed over Keera. He wasn't weirded out. He was in. A genuine smile spread across her face, chasing away the last vestiges of doubt.

"Let the rebellion of the misfits commence," she declared, grabbing a DVD from the stack.

Their movie marathon wasn't exactly glamorous. Keera's basement transformed into a makeshift spaceship, complete with an old sheet draped over the washing line for a starry sky effect and strategically placed fairy lights. Bowls of popcorn, courtesy of a daring raid on the pantry, sat precariously on overturned laundry baskets.

The first movie, a gloriously cheesy alien invasion flick, had them doubled over with laughter. As the hero, a charmingly awkward astrophysicist named Dr. Wilbur Wonkers (seriously, the writers couldn't have tried harder), fumbled his way through saving the planet, Keera found herself completely forgetting about Sarah and the invisible shield she usually carried. Here, with Joshua, laughter was their common language, and the awkward silences were filled with a comfortable ease that surprised her.

The second film, a black-and-white classic about a sentient robot yearning for freedom, took a more introspective turn. They found themselves discussing the ethics of artificial intelligence long after the credits rolled, their voices hushed in the flickering darkness of the basement.

As the night wore on, the movies became increasingly obscure, the plots more ridiculous. Yet, the enjoyment never waned. They were on their wavelength, a united front against the Sarahs of the world who wouldn't understand the joy of a malfunctioning robot sidekick or the sheer brilliance of Dr. Wonkers' strategically placed pocket protector.

The final movie sputtered to a close, leaving them both bleary-eyed and grinning like fools. Exhaustion tugged at Keera's eyelids, but a strange sense of exhilaration kept her awake.

"That was..." she began, searching for the right words. "Amazing."

"The best movie night ever?" Joshua finished, his voice a low rumble that sent a shiver down her spine.

Keera nodded, unable to tear her gaze from his face. The basement, usually a dark and lonely place, felt charged with a sudden electric tension.

Just as their eyes locked, a loud bang echoed from upstairs. It was followed by her mom's voice, laced with concern.

"Keera? Honey, are you alright down there?"

Keera's heart skipped a beat. How much time had passed? Blushing furiously, she scrambled to her feet.

"Everything's fine, Mom!" she called back, her voice a touch too loud.

Joshua chuckled, amusement dancing in his eyes. "Maybe we should call it a night before your mom stages a rescue mission."

Disappointment tugged at Keera, but she knew he was right.

"Yeah, probably," she mumbled, gathering the empty popcorn bowls.

As Joshua walked towards the basement stairs, he stopped and turned back to her.

"Thanks for tonight, Keera," he said, his voice sincere. "It was...different."

Different. The word hung in the air, open to interpretation. Keera dared to hope it meant something good, something more than just a random movie night.

"Yeah," she replied, a shy smile gracing her lips. "Different in a good way."

He held her gaze for a beat longer, then winked. "See you tomorrow, Mendoza."

With that, he ascended the stairs, leaving Keera alone in the quiet basement, the afterglow of laughter and a budding sense of something new tingling in her chest. The universe, it seemed, had a funny way of throwing curveballs.

As the basement door clicked shut behind him, a wave of silence washed over Keera, broken only by the faint hum of the refrigerator upstairs. 

"Different," he'd said. 

Did that mean he enjoyed their quirky movie marathon as much as she had? Or was it just different from the usual company he kept, the cheerleaders and jocks who wouldn't be caught dead in a basement den of B-movies?

Chewing on her lip, Keera grabbed her phone, the familiar weight a comfort in the sudden quiet. Should she text him? The screen remained stubbornly blank, the cursor blinking accusingly. Just as she was about to shove the phone back in her pocket, a notification popped up. It was a text, and her heart raced inside her chest as she saw the name: Joshua.

The message displayed a single line: "Did Dr. Wonkers win you over?"

A laugh bubbled up from Keera's chest. Relief washed over her, warmer than a thousand bowls of popcorn. He wasn't just humoring her; he'd been paying attention. Her fingers flew across the screen.

"Only because his pocket protector held the key to saving humanity," she replied, adding a playful wink emoji for good measure.

A reply came almost instantly. "True love at first pocket protector, then?"

Keera bit her lip, a blush creeping up her cheeks. This wasn't how she'd imagined things going with Joshua. She'd pictured stolen glances in the hallway, maybe a nervous fumble during a group project. Not clandestine texting about a fictional astrophysicist's fashion choices.

But as she typed out her next message, a smile bloomed on her face. Maybe this, this quirky, movie-filled night, was the start of something special after all.

"Maybe," she sent, followed by a teasing emoji of a question mark.

The response came a beat later, accompanied by a heart emoji that made her stomach do a happy flip. "Maybe we should find out. How about another movie night, this time at my place? No parental rescue missions guaranteed."

Keera stared at the message, a thrill shooting through her. This was uncharted territory, a detour from the well-worn path of high school crushes. But as she typed out her answer, a single word that felt both terrifying and exhilarating, a grin stretched from ear to ear.

"Yes."