Total pages in book: 160
Estimated words: 155405 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 777(@200wpm)___ 622(@250wpm)___ 518(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 155405 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 777(@200wpm)___ 622(@250wpm)___ 518(@300wpm)
“It’s weird that you have a movie theater in your house,” Mom states. “If we can go to the movies here, why do we ever need to actually go to the movies again? It’s supposed to be a special outing. Family movie nights should take place in the living room.”
“But the media room has surround sound and a bigger TV.”
“And comfy theater recliners,” I add, on Hayden’s side in this matter.
“And it’s dark,” Hayden says. “Movies are better in the dark.”
“We can turn the lights off in the living room,” Mom says primly, unwilling to budge. “Family movie night is happening here, whether you two gang up on me or not.”
Hayden sighs dramatically. I’m smiling at the fun novelty of family bickering, but my smile drops and my heart falls when I hear the front door open and close.
There’s only one person that can be.
“Nice of you to finally show up,” Hayden remarks dryly.
“Yup,” Landon answers succinctly, glancing at the TV and seeing it turned on. “Being nice. It’s what I’m known for.”
“We were just about to pick a movie.”
“And then watch it with all the lights on, like psychopaths?”
Hayden cracks a smile. “I was just about to get up and turn the lights off, actually. You can do it since you’re still standing.”
Landon hits the light and suddenly the room is much darker. There’s still a bit of light sneaking in from the kitchen around the corner and coming in through the wall of windows to our right. Hayden presses a button on the control and a faint mechanical sound snags my attention. I turn my head and watch blinds automatically lower to block out the moonlight and make this room darker.
I usually prefer a dark room when I’m watching movies, too, but due to every interaction we’ve ever had in one, being in a dark room with Landon unsettles me.
I tell myself it will be okay because our parents are in this one with us, but when the distance between us shrinks, my lungs seem to as well.
He saunters over and eyes up the empty couch we saved for him. Instead of taking a seat on it, he drops onto the couch right beside me.
My stomach rocks with nerves, but I try to keep the apprehension off my face as I sit up straighter. “Um… What are you doing?”
“Family movie night, apparently,” he says, his tone mocking. “I’m surprised you don’t know that. It was your idea, wasn’t it?”
“There’s a whole empty couch right over there,” I point out, gesturing to the seat we saved for him.
“Ah, but you have the popcorn.”
I look back at him, inches away from me, and he smiles, his green eyes dancing with mischief.
He reaches past me, deliberately brushing my arm, and grabs a few pieces of popcorn to stuff into his mouth.
“Yummy,” he says, just to taunt me.
My heart sinks when I catch the scent of alcohol on his breath.
Oh no.
Any hope I had of this going well tries hard to fly out the window, but I grab a hammer and nails and anchor as many fragments as I can catch to the ground.
This has to go well. It has to. I’m running out of chances to change Mom’s mind about him.
“Fine,” I say, as if unperturbed. “I couldn’t have eaten all this, anyway. Have as much as you’d like.”
“Oh, I will,” he assures me, grabbing another greedy handful.
I have a bad feeling he isn’t talking about popcorn.
Hayden tries to steer this potential wreck back on course. “I guess we’ll stick with The Departed, then.”
“Works for me,” Landon says.
I can feel our parents watching to make sure I’m okay with him sitting here, so I try to ignore the discomfort of having him so close and turn back to face the television.
It is impossible.
I can already feel him shifting and moving just to make me nervous that he’s getting too close. I think about giving him the popcorn so he won’t have to keep reaching for it, but Mom will know something’s up if I don’t have an appetite anymore. I’ve been talking about popcorn nonstop since we started getting stuff ready for movie night.
Hayden starts the movie, and Landon shifts his position so he can drape his arm over the back of the couch behind me.
My whole body tenses having his arm wrapped almost around me, but I keep telling myself he won’t do anything crazy in front of our parents. He’s crazy, but not that crazy.
Well, at least when he’s sober, he’s not that crazy.
Which he isn’t right now.
It’s fine. This is fine. Everything will be fine.
I try hard to believe it, but before the credits have even stopped flashing across the screen, I feel his fingers at the nape of my neck. Ever so lightly, he runs his fingertips across the sensitive spot, sending shivers straight down my spine.