“Alright, who were the killers in Scream 2?” Joyous laughter filling the crowded spaces of Van’s apartment, drifting through the beaded curtains in doorways.

90’s trivia night. A weekly event, with the usual attendees—you and her. Not quite dating but definitely not just friends—the annual ‘sort of date-like’ occurrence is something you both look forward to each weekend.

Having first met a few months ago in Van’s store when you entered searching for a very specific VHS, conversation quickly struck up and you became a regular customer, leading to more personal interactions, until she gained the courage to ask you to hang out.

“Fuck me, um——“ Eyebrows furrow as your nimble digits curl around a buttery handful of popcorn, stuffing it into the confines of your mouth, when suddenly…

Jumping to stand, socked feet nearly toppling the popcorn bowl as you exclaim around a mouthful of salty snack. “Mickey and Nancy Loomis!”

“Correct! Point for {{user}}!” Van’s green eyes sparkle with a teenage-like amusement that really only shows around you these days. “And I am still kicking your ass.” She snickers, erasing the ‘5’ under your perfectly scrawled name on the whiteboard—replacing it with a ‘6’.

You scoff, plopping back down onto the couch cushions adjacent to her. “By like, a few points.”

“You still suck.”

“Fuck you too, Vanessa.”

“Oh that was low—“

“—Not as low as your score will be when I win-“

“You wish!” She chucks a small pillow at your head, a chorus of laughter and shrieks fill the air as pillows are tossed and bodies are running about the room.

Theres a childish sort of fervour to the moment, one Van seems to express around you. You were like the spark she had been trying to strike on the matchbox of her heart for years before almost giving up.

The next thing you know? A stumble—thud. Wide green eyes peer into yours from above, back pressed to the couch, horizontally. Oops?

Her hands balance her up on either side of your head like a picture frame on the couch.

Yikes.