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At least in the future, I’ll be able to look back and know I enjoyed the memory when it was real.
My legs feel like wobbly noodles beneath me, but Huck doesn’t let me go, supporting me while Zeb disappears down the hall for a moment and then returns with clothes bundled in his arms.
“So,” Zeb says as I pull on sweatpants and a black t-shirt that’s so big, it must belong to Phineas. “How about a snack, hmm? Since dinner was interrupted.”
I eye him. “Like a food snack or…?”
He grins, but there’s an amused cast to his expression. “Food. You need to eat.” He shrugs. “We probably do too.”
He twitches his chin toward the couch and then heads for the kitchen. Dressed in gray sweatpants and a t-shirt of his own, Phineas takes a seat near me and grunts something that sounds like “scoot.” Before I can ask what he means, he takes my legs and pulls them around, placing my feet on his lap.
And then he starts rubbing them.
Oh gods, that’s good.
Huck climbs onto the couch beside me and then clambers around so that his knees are on either side of my hips. I look behind me, confused, when suddenly he starts massaging my shoulders.
Wow, these guys are laying it on thick.
But you know what? I’m damn well going to let myself enjoy it.
If only for tonight.
Closing my eyes with all the resolve I can muster, I sigh and lean back into Huck.
He murmurs happily, nuzzling the side of my head in a motion more like a wild animal than anything. “Maybe we could watch a movie? Do you like movies?”
I nod.
“What kind?” he asks.
I hesitate because I’m not sure how they’ll take the fact Creepy and I enjoy horror as long as it’s not nihilistic. But I guess hiding what I enjoy isn’t good for anyone, least of all me.
When I tell them, Huck beams and even Phineas smiles. “Oh, we love a good horror movie!” Huck cries. “Zeb! She likes horror movies!”
Zeb comes back in with a tray of fruits, cheeses, and crackers. “So what’re we watching?”
“What about that new one with the family in the haunted house?” Huck suggests.
At the guys’ questioning glances, I nod. “Sounds good to me.”
Putting the tray down on the coffee table, Zeb settles in on the floor in front of me.
“You sure you’re comfortable?” I ask him.
He nods and picks up a cherry, turning a bit to offer it to me. “Definitely.”
I don’t think I’ve had this much fun watching a movie in years. It’s not just the food or how relaxed the guys have made me feel. Even though I technically just met them a short time ago, there’s something so comfortable about being around them, like I’ve known them for years. Before the movie is over, I end up dozing off with Huck’s arms around me and my feet beneath a blanket on Phineas’ lap, feeling more comfortable than I think I’ve ever been, even in my own bed.
A muffled cry pulls me from my sleep.
I look around, confused. I’m still on the couch, though now my head is on a pillow and the blanket is tucked around me. The living room is mostly dark, but enough ambient light from the city slips past a crack between the curtains to thin the shadows. Phineas rests in an armchair nearby, his hands folded over his middle and his legs crossed at the ankles. His chest rises and falls in a steady rhythm. Huck lies on the blankets spread on the floor, his back to me, while Zeb is in another chair nearby.
In the darkness, Zeb is watching me.
I push away from the couch. “Was that you?” I whisper.
His head shakes, but he doesn’t appear concerned. More like he’s resigned.
