I kept my eyes glued on the screen the entire time. "Oh, this is my favorite part," I said when Mark came to Juliet's door and started playing carols, asking her not to tell her husband that it was him, then proceeded to tell her how he felt about her on huge posterboards.
"What exactly do you like about it? The guy's a creep. She’s married to his best friend," Gabe said.
"It is pretty messed-up. But I don't know, I think it's so romantic. You know, the notes and everything."
"Only because the guy's too much of a coward to actually tell her all that."
I pushed at his shoulder playfully. "Don't be such a grinch. I still think it's romantic."
He shook his head but didn't say anything else, just pulled me even closer to him.
"How many times have you seen this movie? Ten?"
"More like forty, I think.”
"How is that even possible?"
"I watch it every year for Christmas, and I also watch it once or twice during the year when I feel low."
He turned to me, kissing one corner of my mouth and then the other. "I’m here. You can tell me when you need to be cheered up, and I’ll do it."
"Huh, you think you can replace Love Actually? That is some heavy lifting."
"I’m very confident.”
I smirked. “That you are. Now stop distracting me. I don't want to miss the rest."
"Of course," he said sardonically.
"Come on, tell me the truth. You don't even like it one bit?"
"It's not too bad," he admitted.
"Ha. I knew it."
His phone pinged toward the end of the movie.
"My interior designer sent me some proposals. I'll look at them after we finish," he said, putting it down and focusing on the screen again.
I was giddy that he stayed with me to enjoy it until the end. He was becoming my best friend and partner. I had to be careful so I wouldn’t get hurt.
My body and mind were so relaxed. It wasn't just the feel-good movie but the sexy man next to me too.
I paused the TV once the credits rolled. He took out his phone and opened what looked like a PDF with some interior renderings.
"This looks so realistic and professional," I said. The designer had chosen a mix of white and gold and light greens for the living room. She'd done a rendering of every room, even the gym. She was a pro.
"This looks good," Gabe said. "But she wasted that alcove by the brick wall."
There was nothing there.
I blushed violently, and he wiggled his eyebrows.
"I’d do a reading corner there," I told him. "It's perfect."
“No natural light. It's far away from the window."
"Who cares? I mostly read on my Kindle anyway."