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But I was afraid to move . . . afraid to do anything that would take that smile from her.
“Oh, oh!” Diggs came crashing into us, pulling Elle away and waving his free arm in the air, like he was showing off the room to her. “What do you think, nerd?”
“This is amazing,” she said, her eyes searching me out . . . that smile never fading.
“Damn straight it is. Get you some food.” He gave me a victorious look as he released her and walked back to the door. “And you were gonna skip this.”
I wanted to hug him and thank him for forcing us all into this, but my attention caught on Johnny where he stood near the door with Einstein, his wide, crazed eyes locked on Elle.
I grabbed for her, pulling her close and slanting a warning glare Johnny’s way when Diggs called out, “And it’s official. Locked in, fuckers.”
The brief moment of wanting to hug him vanished when I watched him yank on the door a few times, then walk away with a satisfied smirk.
“What does he mean?” Elle asked when I bit out a curse, a slight tremble in her voice.
“It means he just locked us all in here for the next five hours.”
It meant he just locked Elle in here with my psychotic best friend.
And now that her smile had vanished and her chest was moving too quickly with her rough breaths, I couldn’t get her out of here at all.
“No . . . No, I can’t—”
I pulled her close, pressing my lips to her ear and trying to calm her. “It’s just the twins’ way of making everyone stay. It’s not just a theater room, it’s a safe room. There’s a lock on the door, and when it’s activated it won’t unlock for five hours. Johnny won’t come near you.”
She shook her head, her tongue darting out to wet her lips as she pushed away enough to look at me. “No, you don’t understand. I can’t be here that long.”
My stomach dropped, knowing I wouldn’t have even had five hours with her.
And that’s when I understood why she didn’t want me to know how long we had.
I would’ve made every minute count if I hadn’t known.
I would’ve dreaded every minute that passed if I had.
“I’m sorry, I can’t open that door. There isn’t a way.”
Her chest heaved, panic covering her face.
“Fuck, Elle, I’m sorry.”
She shrugged, the action a quick jerk of her shoulders. “We can’t change it.”
“Nerd,” Diggs called out from the food table. “What are you doing standing over there? Get some food and find a couch. Movie’s starting in five.”
Elle watched Diggs for a few seconds before looking back at me. The panic slipped from her expression, leaving resolve in its place. And with a steeling breath, she offered me a smile.
A pained smile.
Fuck.
“Boo,” Libby yelled from her spot at the front row of couches a couple hours later, drawing out the word and making Elle jump.
I pulled her back against my chest when Maverick mimicked her tone, firing back, “Shut up.”
“I vote something else,” she continued. “Anything else.”
“We already played your vote,” Diggs said. “Now it’s ours.”
