And are you surprised that this makes me want to mess with her?
Of course not.
I’ve still got her hand in mine, and I set them both in my lap. I tap along to the theme song of the TV show, messing up a few times because I’ve never heard it before. We picked a sci-fi comedy, and a few minutes in I’m laughing at the dry humor.
Rory barely cracks a smile.
“Oh come on, that was funny,” I say. I shake her hand, wriggling her whole arm.
“I didn’t say it wasn’t.”
We watch as the main character saves people from a giant alien and then reveals himself to be Alexander Skarsgård.
I poke her side. “He’s not hotter than me, right?”
Rory rolls her eyes. “Do you always talk while watching something?”
“Yes,” I deadpan. “Princess loves it. We share the same opinions about almost everything but she thinks Squid Game 2 is better than the original.”
Rory shakes her head, but against me, she relaxes a bit. I keep up my commentary until Rory bites her lip and turns away, hiding her laughter.
When the episode is over, Rory’s sagged against me. We watch another, until I catch her covering her mouth and yawning twice during a high-action scene.
At the end of the episode, I click the TV off. “Time to hit the hay.”
And just like that, Rory tightens up again.
Her grandmother comes out to say good night and Princess retreats to her bed while Rory and I take turns in the bathroom, passing each other carefully with Rory avoiding eye contact. When I emerge, clean and wearing a T-shirt and boxers, Rory’s curled up on the far side of the bed, scrolling on her phone.
Without looking up, she says, “That’s your side, right?”
I flop onto the bed, making her bounce. “Yup.”
Her shoulders are up around her ears and she’s curled in on herself. My little prickly hedgehog.
I turn off the light and pull the covers up. I stare up at the ceiling and realize I’m not tired at all. I’m on a night owl schedule, while Rory probably has to be up early in the morning. As if proving my point, Rory turns her phone off and shifts onto her back.
The wind has picked up, and I spend a few minutes listening to the rustling of the trees outside and Princess’s light snoring.
When I glance over at Rory, she’s awake too, staring at the ceiling. I liked the closeness on the couch, feeling her relax under my arm. We’re back to square one now, though, so I’m going to have to start all over.
I shift to lie on my side. “Truth or dare?”
Rory blinks in surprise and looks at me. “What?”
“Truth or dare,” I repeat. “Come on, it’s been a long time since I’ve had a sleepover with a friend. So let’s play a game.”
She sighs, but even in the low light coming from the window I can see the twitch of her lips. “Dare.”
“Hot damn. Let’s do this right. Okay.” I sit up and rub my hands together. “Show me your best dance moves.”
Rory lies there for a moment, and then rolls off the bed. I reach over and turn my bedside lamp on and shove back to sit against the headboard. Princess raises her head from the bed in the corner, and then huffs and rolls onto her side, ignoring us.
On her feet, Rory shakes her shoulders out, and then takes a deep breath. First she shimmies her shoulder, then her arms swing up and over her head. Then her fists pump, her hands fly, she twirls and struts, all while she’s completely deadpan.
When it hits me, I burst into laughter and she stops dancing to shush me.
“Is that the Wednesday Addams dance?” I gasp.
