"Sure thing," I said, getting up and making my way to the kitchen.
I pulled two cold beers from the fridge and headed back to the living room.
Handing Nitro a beer, I took a seat beside him on the sofa. Nitro took a sip, and I did the same.
Ah, this felt so much better than the crowded restaurant.
"What do you want to watch?" Nitro asked, leaning back against the cushions.
I glanced at the collection of movies and shows I'd been slowly catching up on.
"How about a romantic comedy? Something light to take our minds off the disastrous date we had."
Nitro chuckled, "Sounds perfect and the date wasn’t a disaster.”
Of course, Nitro would say that to make me feel better.
As the movie started, Nitro casually slid his arm over my shoulder. I couldn't help but smile, leaning into him.
The warmth of his body next to mine was comforting. I took in the moment, enjoying every second spent with Nitro.
I let my mind drift. The movie turned out to be really light and enjoyable.
Eventually the credits rolled, signaling the end of the movie. I felt a slight drowsiness settle in as Nitro stretched beside me.
Unexpectedly, he leaned over and planted a quick kiss on my mouth. Too stunned to kiss him back, I only stared at him.
"That was fun," he remarked. "Tomorrow night, I'll bring over some snacks."
The mention of tomorrow night jolted me awake a little.
Nitro had been keeping his promise, volunteering to stay the night over so I could get some sleep.
Guilt tugged at me for taking up so much of his time.
“Is this really okay?” I found myself asking.
"Don't worry about it, Tommy. Do whatever you usually do to wind down before bed," Nitro said, as if he completely understood my concerns.
I decided to take a shower. After excusing myself, I headed to the bathroom.
As the warm water cascaded over me, I fantasised about inviting Nitro in here. I blushed at the bold idea and quickly finished up.
As I returned to the living room, I noticed Nitro on the phone, his expression tense.
"We'll talk more tomorrow, Spike," he said in a tight voice before ending the call.
"Is everything okay?" I asked, concern furrowing my brows as I joined Nitro on the sofa.
Nitro ran a frustrated hand over his hair.
"It's Spike. I don't know what's going on with him these days. First, he messed up at a job and pissed off a long-time client of the MC. Then today, I found out he issued a challenge to Venom."
I absorbed his words slowly, realizing that, during our date, Nitro had mentioned having a rough day, but our conversation had centered around my own issues.
He’d always been thoughtful that way.
"He's your best friend. Go talk to him, get him to open up," I suggested.