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While our pranks were escalating, they remained mostly harmless. He did clean up the stain the soy sauce and Sprite mixture left on the rug under the couch after I did a hell of a spit take when he swapped it out for my Diet Coke. We quickly learned that when we were both home, it seemed safest to keep an eye on each other.
A good example was the day after the projectile fake Diet Coke incident. Hayden came out of his room after a post-work run—and yes, another shower—to find me on the couch reading a book on my e-reader as the sun set over the monuments and highways outside our window.
“Hey, do you mind if I put something on out here?”
I looked up at him in surprise. He’d never asked to share the living room like this before.
“Oh yeah, sure. Do you want me to move?”
“No, that’s fine. It’s a big sectional. I’d watch on my tablet in my room, except today is the premiere of the new Star Wars show, Bounty Hunter Wars, on Disney+, and it’s really meant to be watched on a big screen, you know?”
“Oh yeah. I mean, no, I don’t know. I’ve never seen any Star Wars, but I can understand that something with special effects like that would be better enjoyed on a bigger screen.”
Hayden looked at me, dumbfounded.
“You’ve never seen Star Wars? Not even a single Star War? Not one movie?”
I laughed at his expression.
“No, we’re a book family, remember? We didn’t even have a TV until PBS started showing Sherlock. That was something we had to watch. And then it was just all too much to catch up on. I did get that Arrested Development reference, though.”
“Well, at least there’s hope for you yet.”
Hayden settled himself on the couch, his wet hair tossed messily on his head, the ends curling slightly. After seeing him in mostly suits for the past few days, it was a little jarring to see him relaxed in joggers and a Henley, sitting on the couch with a beer. There was towel-wearing Hayden, high-powered suit Hayden, and then prankster Hayden, but I wasn’t quite sure yet who this guy would be.
Hayden grabbed the remote and navigated to the app.
“So, what’s the show about?”
“Well, the whole Star Wars universe would be considered a sci-fi western. This series features bounty hunters, all competing for one prize, but the prize isn’t what it seems and starts to fight back.”
“I understand most of those words individually, but in that order, you’ve completely lost me.”
“It’s set in space and has that hot guy in it that’s all over all the magazines. You know, the one with the bear claw tattoo on his shoulder.”
“Oh, Elias Roblés? Enough said. Cue it up!”
The opening sequence started to play, and I was immediately lost.
“So, wait, there are droids and then there are huma?—”
Hayden pauses the show and looks at me the way one might look at a child who’s just asked if we’re there yet for the fiftieth time in an hour.
“I’m all for dissecting a show or movie, but not during the first viewing. Make notes on your phone with your questions. We’ll watch it through once and then watch it again and talk the whole way through, okay?”
I felt myself smiling, despite his obvious impatiently calm tone.
“Okay, got it. My lips are sealed. To infinity and beyond.”
Hayden heaved a heavy sigh, obviously regretting all the choices he had made in the last few minutes, but pressed play nonetheless.
I got into the show and the action, writing down some questions, but found myself watching Hayden just as much as the action on the screen. His eyes were wide with childlike wonder and he laughed at jokes that were obviously made for the in-crowd with such glee, I knew this franchise meant a lot to him.
After the show was over, I got up to get another round of drinks and made some popcorn before we started the rewatch.
“So, Star Wars, huh?” I asked from the kitchen, looking at the back of Hayden’s head from where he sat on the short arm of the sectional.
“Yeah, the first prequel was the last movie we saw in theaters as a family, before my mom got sick. My parents loved the movies from their childhood and with a family of all boys, made us all fans too. My dad worked a lot while we were growing up to make sure we could all stay together, but always made sure he was around to take us to opening day of the second and third prequels. It’s just… a family thing.”
