Celeste shifts forward and envelopes me in a hug. “I just need you to know, okay?”
“Okay,” I reply, squeezing her back. “Love you.”
“Love you, too.”
“Now I’m going to go shower for real,” I declare, pulling away. “Then I’m ready to chow down on some Arroz con Pollo!”
“Arroz con PolloCubano,” Max clarifies from the kitchen. “It’s my Abuelita’s recipe from Santa Clara, passed down for generations! Show some respect!”
“Arroz con PolloCubano,” I repeat. “Now, let me shower, por favor.”
“Vamanos!”
September 1, 2025
“Okay, listen up,” Max announces. “Now that everyone’s here, I’m going to go over the rules one more time, allow an opportunity for questions and final remarks, then we’ll press play, okay?”
Jude wasn’t exaggerating about how seriously Max takes his movie viewings. They even offered to host Max in their room instead tonight, so that the shared space of room 319 wouldn’t be held hostage by Max’s obsessive rules, but I’ve been having way too much fun with them to pass it up.
In fact, Jude and I have been spending most of the three-day weekend hanging out, either playingSmash Bros.or watching TV. Not alone, of course—Max and Celeste are never far away, either enjoying sitcoms with us or chatting casually while Jude and I play video games. Vimlesh has also joined us for a round or two, usually retreating to his room when Jude and I get too competitive (which is fairly often). When Theo returned fromSpecter a few hours ago, he was excited to have a newSmash Bros.contender. I can’t believe how fast the weekend flew by.
Now, all six of us pile into the tiny living room of room 319—Jude, Max, and Celeste on the sofa, Theo in the armchair, and Vimlesh and me sitting on floor pillows. The lights are dim, and the movie is queued.
“Hey, are you sure you don’t want the couch?” Jude whispers to me. “Celeste and I don’t even live here, and yet we’re on the couch, and you’re on the floor.”
“Don’t worry about it,” I reply, waving my hand dismissively. “Is it okay if I lean against the armrest, though?” I demonstrate, trying not to touch Jude’s bare leg.
“As long as you accept the risk that I might accidentally kick or knee you,” Jude says with a smirk, bonking their leg into my shoulder.
I grin up at them before bumping them back. “I think I can manage.”
“Are you two quite finished?” Max asks, arms crossed.
“Yep, sorry,” I mutter, facing forward again. I glance over at Theo, who is watching me curiously.
Max proceeds. “Rule number one: no excessive talking. A little commentary now and again is fine, but please don't yap or carry on a sidebar conversation. Number two: no phones. The bright lights are distracting, and I will take it personally if you’re so bored that you have to occupy yourself with something else. Number three: if anyone needs to use the bathroom, we will pause the movie, but keep in mind that if we pause every 10 minutes, it’ll take 3 hours to finish.
“Now, are there any questions before we start?”
I raise my hand. “What are we watching again?”
Max pinches the bridge of his nose. “It’s calledOpus. It’s a mystery thriller that did not receive positive critical reviews, but Ayo Edebiri is the star, so the critics are clearly wrong.”
Hesitantly, I raise my hand again. “Can we turn on captions?”
Max rolls his eyes. “I guess that’s fine.”
“My auditory processing disorder thanks you,” I say, clasping my hands together.
“I also thank you,” Vimlesh chimes in. “They help me, as well.”
“Hell yeah, caption bros!” I reach my fist across the floor to Vimlesh, and he softly bumps it.
Theo’s hand goes up. “Have you seen this movie, Max?”
“I have not, hence the rules,” Max says. “I wasn’t able to see it in theaters, so I need this to be as pure a viewing experience as possible.”
“Has anyone here seen it?” Celeste asks, glancing around.
