Falling For Her

Sandra Bullock hurtled towards the Earth, screaming. Screaming was all we heard as we kissed. It was awkward with the armrests between us. At that point we didn’t care about anyone around. We were in the back seats and the screening was nearly empty.

We came to see Gravity yesterday but with the same result. We started kissing a few minutes in and neither of us saw anything. It sounded interesting.

Dates six, seven and eight were just us sitting through films in the cinema and kissing a lot. For the cinephiles outraged that we didn’t pay attention, I have a subscription so I can see as many screenings as I want, it gets a lot of use.

The first one was Free Birds. Not a film many people will remember I’m betting. Not something we can forget. It’s basically Chicken Run made by Americans, about turkeys and time travel. Also there’s George Takei so that helped.

Date one was a spicy chicken restaurant. Her in a pink dress and me in a purple shirt because I didn’t know any better. No one points out weird fashion choices at art school, other than the ones doing the Fashion Design course obviously. One of them made a dress from cable ties so… I think I had a point to make there, never mind.

Our first date was awkward but I got a second chance so we went to an Italian restaurant. Big mistake, mediocre pasta, and someone in the back who’s only job was to turn down the dimmer switch. Being kicked out in slow motion was the vibe.

Talking about season three of Game of Thrones got the conversation going. As darkness fell all around us we consoled each other about embarrassingly bad spaghetti. It hardly surprised me when that place shut down months later.

At the end of date number five I walked her home to end the night with an awkward kiss, the kind that felt too brief and wholesome. Turning my back afterwards I was cursing how bad it had been.

On a promise of better kisses to come we’d gone to see animated turkeys taking inspiration from the Terminator franchise to change their future.

It began with hands held on the hand rests. I gambled on leaning across. Lust in her eyes said I was onto a winner. Our lips met with a force born from the sexual frustration all gentleman put up with to avoid being creepy bastards. I think that’s the biggest difference really, a gentleman is just a pervert who keeps their thoughts to themself. Right?

We had to presume that everything in the film turned out alright. George Takei seemed happy as he did the voice out and the lights turned on. Breathless from the partial release of our built up expectations. I don’t believe in love at first sight, I call that lust. I do believe in chemistry, biology, and physics. I’m terrible at science but I have faith in it, and that’s what science is all about right?

Awkward goodbyes gave way to long lip locks at her door and texting as I walked home. I’m sure the laws of attraction were written before texting but the convenience of telling a girl/woman that you really enjoyed not seeing a film with her is probably a recent amendment.

Then she was gone for two months, back home across the world to see her family for the holidays. Just when the transition from cinema smooching to Netflix and chilling had begun.

I waited impatiently. There’s no other way to wait for someone you’re lusting after. I hungered for her the way a kid who’s making condensation on a sneeze guard longs for the doughnuts beneath.

By the time we were together again the kisses were the passionate kind that would look awful on the big screen. Trying to be the gentleman I tried to stay at her place as often as she stayed at mine.

Loud sex is the perfect way to make three flatmates hate you, she never really talked to them anyway though. Between that and the tiny bed, which is specifically made to be barely big enough for one person, we ended up spending a lot more time at mine.

I’m certain my flatmate was grateful for the bathroom between his room and mine, we tried to keep the music loud if we knew he was in.

When we weren’t breaking my box bed, we were watching television in the living room with my best friend. As was our duty we introduced her to the wonders of Doctor Who and many other science fiction and fantasy franchises she had yet to sample. While she wasn’t studying to be a teacher, she was studying for the constant geek reference test that is being my girlfriend.

Many films followed as we all had our limitless cards. We saw every MCU film together. We watched the shows on Netflix. We chilled and chatted all the way to her final exams.

I’ve never had someone break into another language because they were tired before. She’d start in English and slip into Swedish or Japanese then stare at me because I was an idiot for not understanding. I am an idiot. Don’t mind admitting that. She didn’t believe me when I told her she’d switched dubbing mid scene. If there were subtitles no problem but sadly we’re not there yet with reality.

There were good times, like Zootropolis. Sadly, she hadn’t seen Breaking Bad to get those references yet. I remedied it, trust me. There were bad times, like our first time seeing Frozen when six guys sat right behind us and bitched about the singing in a DISNEY MOVIE ABOUT A PRINCESS. I almost resorted to violence. So close.

A hop, a skip and a sixteen-hour flight to the other side of the world meant I could keep the relationship going when my stupid government didn’t give her a visa. Nine years and many tickets later we’re still seeing all of the MCU films together and we just watched the first episode of the Obi Wan Kenobi series. Life is good.