Bing! Bing! Bing!

I growled as I blindly searched for my phone on my nightstand. Who could be calling me on a Saturday morning? I glare at my phone. 11 am. Okay, so it's not exactly early but still. I'm not a morning person. John is on the screen.

"'Ello?"

"Hey, what you up to?"

"Sleeping. What you want?"

"Oh. Sorry, man. Just wondering if you still wanted to see Crimson Peak?"

"What?"

"Uhhh. You said you wanted to see it...to get me to shut up about it?"

"Ah." I swear the guy is obsessed with all things gothic. Especially that movie.

"Look, if you don't want to, that's fine. I'll see if my other friends would be interested. My parents hate pizza, and I can't eat two large ones by myself."

I nearly fell off my bed.

"I'll be there. What's the address?"

The credits rolled, and John tried to nonchalantly gauge my reaction. He's been doing that on and off the entire movie.

"Kinda weird."

He huffed as he leaned forward for another slice of pizza. "Besides weird, what else?"

"Uhhhh I didn't expect that plot twist."

"I know!" I nearly jumped at his sudden enthusiasm. "Like, you would not have seen that coming! But it's beautiful at the same time."

I couldn't help but stare at him in disbelief.

"You thought THAT was beautiful?! Are you crazy?!"

Turning his whole body towards me, he said, "Hear me out. Yeah, what happened is taboo, but the reason behind it is so heartbreaking, and the actors' performances were spot on! Didn't you think so?" Before I could take a breath, he continued, "Just the idea that they could only receive love from each other is the true tragedy. And the story of the movie itself is simple but, man, the entire movie was just a feast for the eyes! I've watched it with commentary, looked up interviews, and-"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, slow down you fanatic!"

John laughed at that and I did too.

"Okay, I see where you're coming from. That essentially they found acceptance in each other."

The expression on his face went from excitement to confusion.

"What do you mean?"

I stammered, gesturing to the tv. "Well, isn't that what you're getting at? They only had each other to love, even though it's forbidden, yet they still came to accept that about themselves."

John's eyebrows furrowed in thought.

"That was what you were getting to, right?"

He leaned back on the couch and shrugged his shoulders. "I never thought of it that way."

An awkward pause passed before John launched himself off the couch.

"Well, this is just one example of gothic romance, but you get the general idea."

I took a gulp of my soda. "Yeah, I think so. And from what you ranted about since we got this assignment, I think I know more than I bargained for."

"Right..."

I caught the hurt look on his face as he turned to return the DVD to its case.

"John, it's cool. I didn't mean to be a dick. I guess I know why the prof assigned opposite genres. It's suppose to challenge us."

He placed the movie back on the shelf and walked back over.

"You done?" He said, looking down at me. Then he pointed to my plate.

"Oh, yeah. Here." I handed it to him as he made his way to the kitchen.

"Hey, John!" I called, grimacing from the uncomfortable vibe in the air.

"Sup?"

"The ghosts were really cool. Do you know if all gothic romances have ghosts in them?"

There was a pause, and I started to wonder if he heard me.

"No, not all of them. Alfred Hitchcock's Rebecca didn't have a ghost. My father is a big fan of his."

"You think I can borrow it? Or we can meet up again if he's not cool with lending stuff."

John walked back into the living. His shoulders and face less tense. Grabbing the empty two liter bottle of soda and tossing it between his hands, he said, "He is a bit protective. It's a collector's edition apparently."

"Ah okay. I can always check it out at the library. It's cool. Maybe I can show you some of the books and movies I'm into? Just to be fair?"

John bit his lip for a moment and then nodded. "I'm fine with that. See you in class?"

I nodded. As I was about to head towards the door, I found myself turning towards John. I gave him a solid pat on the shoulder, "Thanks for letting me hang out and eat your pizza." John chuckled deeply. I added, "I had fun and the movie was pretty cool."

John shoved me lightly, smiling as he did so. "You're ordering food next time."