Sometimes I find myself asking why I decided to get with Vance in the first place. It wasn’t a hard decision, to be honest. I’ve been a photographer at DNJ for four years now, and I still remember seeing Vance trot around the place like he owned it on my very first day. There was just something about the way he carried himself. He had an arrogance to him that was appealing to me, and even as time went by and both of us weaved in and out of relationships, I never seemed to get over my crush for the popular sports columnist. While my friends, Juliana, Shay, and DeShaun would make fun of me for it, I found Vance attractive. Sure, he’s a little pale, and a little chubby at five-eight, a hundred ninety pounds, but I liked his dirty blond hair, and my heart went into a frenzy every time he looked at me with those blue eyes. I never wondered why he couldn’t keep a girlfriend either. I figured he just kept meeting the wrong one, and every time he was single again, it became clearer to me that I was the right one. I even made the first move, and here we are now—seven months later, and feeling like we’re lost at sea. I used to think we were on the same ship, but it’s becoming obvious that we’re on two different boats floating in opposite directions. Nonetheless, I remember what it was like seeing him for the first time, and I feel the need to try to right the ship, even as our honeymoon phase dies a slow death.

“Oh, I found the perfect movie for us to watch, sugar bear,” Vance says from the living room. I cringe at the new pet name, but I don’t focus on it as I place the plates into the dishwasher and head back into the living room with him.

“Awesome. So, what’s it gonna be?” I ask, as I pick up my copy of The Patient and set it down on the end table next to my wine glass from earlier. I take a seat next to Vance and look at the screen, and my face immediately melts into a frown.

“Evil Dead,” Vance chirps with excitement, practically bouncing on the couch like a child with a sugar high.

“Evil Dead,” I repeat with far less enthusiasm. “Umm, that’s cool and all. I just thought we could watch something kind of funny and romantic. Something cute.”

Vance’s cheer slowly leaks out of his face as he stops bouncing. “Like what?”

“I heard about this older movie called How to Lose a Guy in Ten Days. Shay says it’s adorable and funny.”