A while back, I came to the realization that television and movies are much more enjoyable to watch with another person beside you. When I frequented movie theaters, I would always take note of how the audience would react to certain movies. However, the pandemic has prevented people who aren’t in your immediate circle from watching television and films together. When my friend Mike invited me over to his house to watch the most recent episode of “The Bachelor,” on the outside I said, “I’m down,” but on the inside, I screamed. I’ve been a fan of “The Bachelor” franchise since 2016 when Joelle Fletcher was the “Bachelorette” up to now with Matt James being the first Black “Bachelor.”

I attempted to get my brother to start watching “The Bachelor” with me to no avail, which only made the loneliness of watching TV during the pandemic worse. Having no one to laugh with, or make snide comments about the contestants with, just isn’t as fun.

Soon enough, Monday came around, and a few hours before he picked me up I asked him if there were going to be any snacks around while we watch. In my mind, if we were going to have a hangout session we had to do it right. I was going to make the most out of this time with Mike.

I was thinking about ordering a pizza, but Mike was going to pick me up around only 30 minutes before “The Bachelor” began, and we all know that pizza takes at least 20 minutes to make unless you’re Little Caesars. So instead, we stopped by a convenience store near his house and picked up a large bottle of Pepsi, a big bag of Cheetos, a Welch’s fruit snacks pack and a bag of Funyuns.

When we got to his house, his dog Niko wouldn’t stop barking at me.  Mike’s sister couldn’t watch with us because she had work, so it was just me and him. To my dismay, we couldn’t have the TV on too loud because his parents were going to sleep. With the ground rules set and refreshments covered, we dived into Matt James’ journey to finding love. Unlike my brother, Mike did laugh and make snide comments about the contestants with me. The only appropriate word to describe how I felt at the moment was happy.

Finally, I could talk to someone about the show without coming off as annoying or weird. I felt like I belonged. It turns out we had so much fun we finished all the food and drank nearly half the Pepsi. I’d call that a good night.