Any normal and sane human would have left the chat by now, but I was already forming a friendship with this dude. I didn’t want to let it go to waste like that. I know that he might seem a tad bit strange, but I’d say that he’s just somebody that’s not that good at communicating, despite him sounding so confident, his interpersonal skills might need a bit of work. And I’d know because I’m one of those people.

  “W-why do you like blood?”, I asked, trying to sound interested. I was actually interested, but the way I stuttered made it sound otherwise.

  “I dunno. I just like watching people die.”, he said as if it was the most usual hobby in the world.

  “C-cool, I guess. I play video games to unwind after a long day of working at McDonald's.”

  “Ah, well, we've all got our motivations, right?”

  “Yeah.”, I replied back. I wanted to keep the conversation flowing, but as if my mind was blank I could add nothing new to our convo, despite me not wishing it to end so soon.

  “So, what are your hobbies, man?”

  “Well,” I started, “apart from playing video games I work out at the gym and listen to music I guess.”

  “What kind of music?”, Jeff asked with a curious intonation.

  “Mostly country music.”

  “Hmm, didn't figure you for a country music fan.”

  I smirked, not taking offense. "Well, not all of us are riding horses to work, but the music's got its charm. But enough about me. What are your hobbies?”, I genuinely wanted to know about this guy. What does he like? What doesn’t he like? What’s his life like? What does he look like? If only I could ask these questions and get an answer to them at a moment.

  “Well, aside from gaming like you, I'm also into movies.”, Jeff exclaimed with fervor.

  “Hmm, are they horror by any chance? Or at least thriller?”

  “Haha, nailed it!”

  “Of course I did, haha”, A laugh I'd never experienced before bubbled up within me. It was this excitement in my chest that I couldn’t quite word. “What’s your favorite scary movie?”

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  “That sounded like a line from Scream. But yeah, Friday the 13th is my jam. You into movies at all?”

  “Not really, but I can make an exception if we were to watch one together.” I thought about what I said for a moment and the only word that came to my mind was ‘fuck’. Fuck, what did I just say to him?

  He was quiet for a second or two there, and I thought I ruined my chances of winning a friend.

  “Sure thing. But I only enjoy horror, just so you know.”

  Or maybe not.

  “O-okay, s-sure thing. We can watch whatever you want.”

  I hate horror. I hate it from the bottom of my heart. But for whatever’s sake I decided to agree. I can’t watch horror. It scares me. I despise all of those cheap jumpscares and stupid gore scenes. The producers use our own biology to draw a negative reaction out of us. The people that watch horror just so that they can scare themselves are masochists and need help. The only way I can actually somewhat enjoy horror is if I had somebody beside me to snuggle with. It gives me a sense of protection from the fake scariness of the screen.

  “Alright, I can start streaming a movie right now?”, he asked.

  “A-alright, go for it.”, I said, trying to sound natural and not as if I knew I was going to be pissing my pants.

  “You don't sound too excited. Are you really up for watching one?”

  No, because I fucking hate horror from the bottom of my heart. But I can’t tell you that now, can I? You’re gonna think I’m a coward.

  “Huh, no. Everything’s fine.”, I lied.

  “Alright.”, he started streaming a horror movie that was about a monster hiding under the beds in an orphanage. The monster was black and had these claws. The thing was definitely going to haunt my dreams tonight. I regret ever agreeing to this.

  The line got quiet as Jeff was enjoying seeing the film, while I was here with my heart pounding like a drum under my brown fluffy blanket scared like the little children in the movie.

  “You still here?”, the deep voice out of the blue asked.

  “Oh, y-yeah. I’m just… enjoying the movie, I guess.”, he’d have to be oblivious to not notice that I actually hated every single second of it. He’s probably realized by now what a little bitch I am.

  “You're a terrible liar. If you'd rather do something else, just say the word.”

  I know how much he enjoyed the movie, and I didn’t want to disappoint him, especially since there were only like 20 minutes left until the credits. “No, it’s fine. I just wish I wasn’t alone in my room right now.”

  “Well, I'm here, right?”, he asked, almost offended, as if I didn’t acknowledge his existence.

  “N-no, that’s not what I mean. I wish there was somebody here, physically, in my room.”

  “Hmm... if I were there, I'd let you nestle up, just so you wouldn't be scared.”

  Woah, I was not expecting for him to say that. I mean I wouldn’t really mind it, I guess, but his words took me aback. I tried to gather my thoughts and say something, anything, in a way that sounds chill too. “O-oh, is that so? If that’s the case, I might start to actually want to watch horror.”, basically in other words, I actually want you to cuddle me, which was not what I wanted to say.

  As if he could see my face going a bright red color, he laughed. But it wasn’t that type of laughter that indicated he was making fun of me, instead there was sweetness I could hear despite the depth of his voice.