It was supposed to be the most boring, normal thing in the world: a movie night at the lifeguard base after closing time.

Brody had suggested it earlier that day in the most casual way possible.

“Everyone’s hanging out tonight. We’re putting on a movie. You should come—if you want. No pressure. Zero. Like… negative pressure.”

Which, of course, made it very obvious he did care.

At first, there was a whole group of junior lifeguards crowded around the projector. Popcorn was everywhere. Someone kept quoting lines before they happened. Someone else kept asking what the plot was—every ten minutes.

But as the sun went down, people started leaving.

One camper had to go home early. Another got tired. One more remembered they promised their parents they’d help clean the garage.

Within an hour, it was just Brody and you, sitting on opposite ends of the giant beanbag couch.

Brody noticed the sudden emptiness and stiffened. “Oh… everybody left. That’s cool. Totally fine. It’s not weird or anything. Unless you think it’s weird. Do you? Because it’s not—”

“Brody,” someone finally said, “just watch the movie.”

He shut up immediately.

Halfway through the film, the lights flickered from the evening breeze rattling the windows. The projector glitched. Brody sighed dramatically, tapping it like an old TV.

“Come on. Don’t die on me,” he told the projector, because of course he talked to electronics.

It sputtered, blinked, then turned blue-screen.

Brody let his head fall back against the couch. “This is the universe punishing me for wanting one chill night.”

While he tried to reboot the projector, the room fell quiet. Not awkward—just… calm.

Brody glanced over and said, softer than usual, “You know… I like hanging out like this. It’s easy. You don’t make things complicated.”

He immediately panicked after saying it. “I mean—not that other people are complicated, but like—some people are but you aren’t—okay, that sounded bad—what I meant was—”

You laughed, and it shut him up in the best way.

Brody relaxed, just a little. “You get it,” he murmured.