“Wow, so nice!” I exclaimed when I saw his mother’s house. I would be easily impressed with the places I had been sleeping lately. A mix of parks, bus stops that had a bit of coverage, and other odd places that I came across. The homeless centers were filled, and I wouldn’t have liked staying there anyway. I could wash myself in public bathrooms, and clean my clothes at cleaners. During the day I had my bag full of my stuff hidden safely away in my closet at the grocery store.

So even considering my low bar for ‘nice’, it was REALLY nice. It was small and cozy. It gave off a cottage vibe in a refined sense, and had a very nice garden. It was like it was taken straight out of some kind of fantasy movie with a big budget.

“If you think this is nice, you should see my father’s place.” Sean laughed.

We walked inside. The first thing that struck me was how simple everything was. It was nice and cozy, but without much decoration. There were a few decorations here and there, looking like different kinds of small fairies, but other than that it was clean.

Sean took me to his room a bit down the hallway. He went directly to his TV and pulled out something that looked like a hidden compartment on the TV table. In there were a bunch of DVD’s.

“Want to watch a movie?” He asked. I went over beside him and looked at the selection he had, but quickly got distracted as I took in the room around me.

It was almost as clean as what I had seen of the house otherwise, but he had some posters up on the walls. They all looked like movie posters. I could only recognize a few.

I liked movies but couldn’t afford to go to the cinema. I had varied luck with watching them through people’s windows, since most took down their curtains, while others would notice me too easily. I did watch movies at the library, but they were usually old by the time they were available there, so I wasn’t caught up on anything new.

Apart from the posters, there wasn’t any decorations.

He must have noticed me staring, because all of a sudden he waved a DVD in front of my face.

“Want to watch this?”

It took me a second before my eyes readjusted and I could make out the picture on the front of the DVD, and only then did I notice it was the same picture as the poster I had been staring at.

“Sure.” I said, pulling my gaze away. I didn’t want to make him feel weird about having invited me, but it was so rare for me to be inside a room, much less a room of a friend.

I had classmates I considered as friends, but it had been hard to keep lying to them about where I lived, and why they could never visit, so it ended naturally once we got out of school.

Sean put on the DVD and we made ourselves comfortable on his bed. The movie had a simple plot. Reluctant hero being pulled into a fight against evil, and of course good prevails.

During the movie, Sean would point out small details I should pay attention to. How there was a character in the background that smiled in a goofy way that was probably off-script, or how there was the head of a microphone visible in the top of a scene, or how that actress also played another small part in the movie, as part of a bigger crowd. I could only notice her when Sean paused and pointed her out.

I liked hearing those details. Things I would have never known or noticed if I had watched it alone. I also liked watching it. It was nice to live in another world for a few hours, living through the eyes of someone else.

I didn’t envy the protagonist one bit, though. The amount of pressure he was forced to be under, constantly. The way everyone looked to him with all the expectations in the world. The way that very world depended on him. I could understand his initial reluctance. My life was full of more free choices than his, and I would rather have it like that. Sure, not knowing if I would be able to eat any given day, and having to find new places to sleep, never knowing if I would be woken up by the police or people looking for a fight were all things I could do without. But rather that, than having to live solely for everyone else.

“So?” Sean said when the ending credits started rolling. He looked at me expectantly.

“I liked it.” I said, simply. If I said anything too excited, I would sound like I had never watched a movie properly before. Which would be the truth, but I didn’t want him to know that.

“You liked it? Really?” I nodded.

“What part did you like most?” He asked suddenly.

“The part where the protagonist finally owns up to his responsibility, I guess. I liked how he had fought for so long, but in the end, he had to throw everything he thought he wanted away, and fight for what he actually wanted.” I spoke carefully, thinking each word through before I said it. I tried to come up with the best way to convey my thoughts, and end up feeling a bit embarrassed for a reason I can’t really figure out.

Maybe it’s just that it has been a while since anyone asked for my opinion on anything.

“I liked that part as well.” Sean agreed easily. He then thought for a bit and continued to talk.

“I like the part where he chooses to fight the second time. Where he had lost everything, and could easily just go back to his old life, since everything was doomed anyway. But he chooses to go back and make things work. He doesn’t give up. He knows things are terrible and that they might keep being terrible for a long while, but he still decides to try and make it work.”

I nod along as Sean describes some of the other scenes he liked. We talk more about the movie and are only interrupted by our stomachs growling. We order pizza. I forget to even worry about how I can’t afford it, and catch myself expecting for Sean to pay.

The feeling of guilt is quickly gone as we pick a new movie to watch, which we start after the pizza arrives.

We continue like that for a few more movies, and when we finally stop it’s dark outside.