Liam had been Aren’s longtime boyfriend since before he left for Miami, he was tall with dark chocolate skin, beautiful green eyes, broad nose, juicy lips, had a head full of thick dark brown curls and a lean muscular body. They met Miko at a party in Miami and hit it off instantly only to realize she was from Brookview too. They’ve all been together ever since. Miko was a beautiful girl, with brown skin, almond shaped hazel eyes, button nose, full lips, super thick hips, thighs and ass for days. Definitely see why she had Liam and Aren fucked up over her. She was short like me and Char and blended nicely with the family.
“That’ll work. I don't need him having nightmares all week. And Miko has been dying to come hangout with you two,” Aren said.
“We’re going to order lemon pepper wings and fries from the chicken spot.” Alestar said, pulling up the number on his phone. “You too go ahead and pick the first movie. We can chill until Liam and Miko get here.”
Char and I went to the hall closet and gathered extra pillows and blankets so we could sit on the floor, like a picnic. We told the guys about our first week at school and which classes we were taking. Liam and Miko arrived together about ten minutes before the food arrived, bringing wine and laughs with them. Char and Alestar handled the food, placing it on individual trays while Aren and Gunner brought in chips and drinks. With the food already handled Liam and I set up the projector up in the family room
With the lights out the living room glowed in the flicker of the TV, half-empty containers of food littered the coffee table as everyone watched the movie. Aren tossed popcorn at Alestar,who barely dodged, while Gunner leaned back against the couch beside me.
“Alright, Pep, settle this, what’s the best horror movie of all time?”
“Halloween. 1978.” I said without hesitation. “Michael is an efficient killer. He doesn’t run like Jason, he let's you tire yourself out. No talking, so you can’t reason with him. He just… keeps coming.” They all stared at me, waiting for more, but I just kept my voice flat, eyes on the screen.
“That’s creepy as hell, the way you said that.” Alestar blinked, then laughed.
“See? Serial killer vibes. I knew it.” Aren said, pointing at me like I’d proven his point.“I knew you were an undercover serial killer," he joked. “I got a few names for you anytime you feel that itch Sis.”
“Psh, boring. Slashers are fun, but nothing touches the paranormal. The Exorcist, The Conjuring, The Witch. That’s that good shit. Things you can’t fight with a baseball bat.”
I sipped my soda, ignoring her, though my lips twitched at her example of good horror. “Friday the 13th, Nightmare on Elm Street. They’re all better than ghosts. At least you can fight back.”
“She said that like she’s tested the theory.” Aren said leaning closer to Alestar, whispering loud enough for everyone to hear.
Gunner’s eyes slid to mine, steady and unflinching. He didn’t laugh like the others, just watched me appraisingly.
“She’s right, a killer that you can see is better than a demon you can’t. At least you got a chance,” he said.
“See. He gets it.” Nyx chuckled in my head, delighted.
By the time the second movie was half-way done everyone was dozing in a nest of blankets and half-eaten snacks. Aren was the first to fold, stretched out on the floor with Liam and Miko curled on either side of him. Alestar and Char weren’t farbehind, sharing a blanket on the loveseat, Char leaned back on a fluffy pillow with her feet in Alestar’s lap. Even Stormi was asleep in her little bed, snoring softly.
The only ones awake were me and Gunner. The light from the projector flickered across his face, shadows sharpening his jaw as he sat close.
“They’re all asleep.” He said startling me from my thoughts, his voice low, almost a rumble in his chest.
“I noticed.”
He shifted closer, not touching me yet, but near enough that the warmth of his body seeping into me under the blanket we had pulled around us. His presence pressed in heavy like gravity, but he didn’t move beyond just being near.
“You been avoiding me all week.”
“I was busy.” I said, no really lying.
“Busy lying to yourself. Tell him you missed him. Better yet tell him you missed his dick and want a repeat of last week.”
My chest tightened at the suggestion but instead of responding like Nyx wanted me to, I just kept my eyes on the screen.
“You can’t run, lil baby. I’ll find you anywhere you go. And don’t think for a second that I don’t already know that you’re mine now,” he said.
The words hit low in my gut, quiet and certain. Like a fact that had already been written in stone.
“God, yes! Ours. Say it back. Claim him.” Nyx practically squealed.
“I don’t belong to anybody.” I said, pulling the blanket tighter around me, voice a little softer than I meant it to be.
“Keep telling yourself that. We got time.” He said, smirking faintly.
The movie kept playing, but it was just noise now. Every breath between us was louder than the soundtrack. And thoughI sat stiff, Nyx hummed in my head like a satisfied cat, because deep down we both knew that Gunner wasn’t wrong. And then all of a sudden, he was too close, his presence crowding out everything else but the soft buzzing in my brain. Without warning, he leaned in, lips brushing my ear and I almost leaped out of my skin.
