Renting Love

by: Jason Nimersheim

An unwanted surprise brought them together, but tradition led them to Mike and Ted’s Excellent Video Adventure on this cool autumn night. Although it had been a few months since Alex had seen Zoe, nothing seemed odd about the early Friday morning phone call that had now brought them to the rows of Technicolor boxes. He rationalized that she had started college almost a month earlier than him and was probably coming up on her autumn break. To be honest, he hadn’t really been able to keep their schedules straight since high school graduation and it seemed that, once she made it to school, she had cut off almost all communication, much to the dismay of Alex. He missed her, and wasn't afraid to admit it. So when that phone call had come, he was quick to agree to the late night silver screen sortie.

Entering the shotgun store from the front, the new releases were on their left, with boxes carrying some dust on their right and the dustiest through a small portico straight ahead. Zoe locked elbows with Alex and led them toward the New Releases.

“We wouldn’t want to miss anything,” she said with a sly smile.

The first movie on the shelf was 28 Days Later and it seemed appropriate for the season, so Alex picked it up to have a look, only to have it practically knocked onto the shelf and out of his now-empty hands. His hands didn’t stay empty for long, however, as they were quickly filled by Juno. Alex vaguely remembered reviews for the movie being good, but was surprised that Zoe had snatched it up so quickly; it didn’t match her style. Shaking his head, he placed it back among the ‘J’s. Next came the ‘K’s and, with them, another box to the face. This one was Knocked Up, a comedy that he’d seen panned worse than a gold miner’s stream. Alex gave Zoe an odd stare. Something didn’t quite sit right, “Had she put on weight?”, “What was with the look in her eyes?” and, more importantly, “Why was she thrusting second-rate movies into his face!?” The answers to those questions eluded him. Shaking them off, Alex returned his thoughts to the subject at hand…

Alex and Zoe had known each other since grade school, but like many grade-schoolers, the boys didn’t hang out with the girls, and more often than not, Alex had been part of the group who taunted the girls at recess. But time changes things, and as they grew up, internal revolutions beget external attraction. In middle school, they were playmates and by high school they were friends. This was when the Friday Night Flick tradition had started. At least once every month, and sometimes (when the calendar allowed it) five, they’d venture to the video store in search of a few hours of entertainment. Sometimes they were joined by friends; other times, they were the lone watchers. It was around senior year that they first noticed how close they had become.

“More than friends but less than lovers,” Zoe had so eloquently put it.

It was an accurate description. Although there were definite romantic feelings between them, they never felt the head over heels puppy love that most high school relationships burn through. Theirs was always a special one and, as they approached graduation, their close friendship faced the realization that they would soon be separated by many miles.

Zoe had initially reveled in the distance. Not so much from Alex, but more from her life in general. She was ready to dip her fingers in the pool of life outside of their small high school, and college was her great adventure. She even moved into her dorm a month earlier so that she could make the most of her newfound freedom… and freedom it was. She loved the socializing, the partying and, of course, the boys. Classes went well enough. She didn’t push for her previous straight ‘A’s, instead going for ‘B’s and above, and it suited her parents well enough. Her Friday Night Flicks with Alex were replaced by Friday Night Flings with ______. When she did think of Alex, she was ashamed for the time that had passed since they’d talked.

How hard that early morning phone call had been to make, but it was the result of over a week of constant internal deliberation. When it came down to it, she had to answer two simple questions. Was she ready? and Could she do it alone? The first one was actually the easier question to answer. She was amazed at how attached she’d become to the idea, certainly more-so than if you’d have asked her before the party. The party. It still left a bad taste in her mouth and the emotional scars of that night were not the kind to be forgotten. She hadn't wanted it, but it was a part of her now, whether she liked it or not. Considering what 'might' have been didn't bring her any closer to answering the second question though. That one was a double-edged sword. If she said yes, then the question became “How?” (to which she had no answer), and if she said no, then the question became “Who?” (to which her options were limited). Would it be Mr. ______, whom she didn’t even know the identity of? No, that was one road she didn’t want to go down. Ignoring the obvious logistical problems, an entire relationship built on something so fragile is bound to break. Her emotional deliberation eventually led her back to Alex. She trusted him, and couldn’t think of anyone better for the job, but this news wasn’t something that she could just throw at him, expecting him to take it in stride. No, she had more respect for him than that.

And so, she gave herself 19 weeks – until the point of no return – to see if she could rekindle a dwindling flame. If there had been one thing that she truly missed from High School, it was her closeness to Alex, and now that meant more than ever to her. That led her to make the phone call, which brought her to the rows of dusty plastic and faded paper. One thing she hadn’t counted on was Alex being so thick-headed.

His next suggestion was Pleasing Paula, a straight-to-video independent release. It was a touching story about Paula, who had just lost a child, and her group of friends’ sometimes humorous attempts at consolation. She impulsively met this suggestion with a look to freeze ice and a solid punch to the arm… not exactly the response he expected probably.

Moving on to the dustier tomes, they took turns suggesting titles. He suggested Ghostbusters, An American Tail, Breakfast at Tiffany’s, and The Replacements. All were met with disinterest or downright dismissal. Her suggestions included My Best Friend’s Wedding, Love Actually, and Nine Months, none of which interested him much. Visibly exhausted, Zoe said, “Wait a minute.” and disappeared into the dustiest area. She knew exactly what movie she wanted, and as she fingered her way through title after title, she thought, “Obviously this isn’t going to be easy, but I know he’s the right one, perhaps he needs something a bit more subtle...” Finding the box with the autumn background, she resigned herself to taking things a bit slower.

After being left to contemplate what crazy movie Zoe would dig out of the back room, Alex found himself oddly happy. He had plenty of homework due Monday, and had been forced to cancel that evening’s plans with his friends, but somehow he felt he was exactly where he was supposed to be, doing exactly what he was supposed to do. It was a feeling he hadn’t really felt in months and it was comforting. As she emerged from the portico, he decided whatever movie she was clutching would be fine by him. He was ready to go spend an evening with his dearest friend. Zoe handed Alex the box and they made their way to the register, arms hooked at the elbow. As he was checking the movie out, she put some snacks on the counter.

“You know. …for nibbling on,” she said.

They left that night with one bucket of popcorn, two bags of chips, five chocolate bars, and one copy of when harry met sally