“I’m sure that made Whit happy,” he said over his shoulder as he thumbed through his parents’ DVD collection.
“Yeah,” I agreed softly.
“And Brock?” He turned and met my eyes once more.
I just shook my head.
A lump in my throat prevented me from sharing more. There was a detailed story there, and I knew he suspected that, but I wasn’t ready to share it. Thankfully, he didn’t push.
“Fair enough,” he concluded. “Aha—A Knight’s Tale,” he declared, grabbing the disc and putting it in the player. This one had always been a favorite for us. It had humor, action, and romance all rolled into one.
“Can I make popcorn?” I asked, feeling suddenly shy to sit in the dark next to Cade and watch a movie, an act we had done literally hundreds of times.
“Sure.” He smiled. “Guess they don’t have any Pepsi in the fridge to complete our traditional snack combo. We’ll have to hit the store tomorrow.”
In the kitchen I scanned the cluttered fridge doors. They were covered in magnets from places the Adlers had traveled, wedding and baby announcements, and Christmas cards from his many cousins and their families. My heart once again felt a peaceful familiarity with it all.
When I came back to the couch with the popcorn, Cade had brought down a thick worn quilt. He spread it across both of us, and plopped the popcorn down in his lap, picked up the remote, and began the movie.
Halfway through I felt myself beginning to doze off to the lull of the familiar movie and the sounds of the crackling fireplace. Fresh air and full meals had my exhaustion hitting me fully. I hadn’t slept well in weeks, and my body was more than ready to make up for the lost rest.
I rested my head on Cade’s shoulder, another comfort move from years of movie nights. I was surprised when I felt him stiffen slightly, though he didn’t immediately pull away. I inhaled and he smelled smoky and smooth, faintly like sandalwood. In my half-asleep state, I wondered dreamily if he wore cologne, or if the smell came from his body wash or deodorant. It had been the same smell since high school, as familiar as his warm hugs.
After a few minutes, he paused the movie. I jolted upright as he suddenly lifted off the couch and away from me and began cleaning up.
“Bedtime?” He looked back at me.
“Um yeah, sure. Pretty sleepy,” I confirmed. “Need my help?” I gestured to his cleaning efforts.
“I’ve got it,” he assured me, not meeting my gaze.
“Goodnight, then.”
“Yeah,” he mumbled. “Night.”
I padded back to the room, Maple following close behind. I closed the door and leaned against it, my heart hammering wildly in my chest.
I grabbed my phone and texted Whit:
BROOKE
SOS. I think I have a crush.
On Cade.
Her response was instant.
WHIT
Halle-freakin-lujah
15
CADE
Jesus, Mary, and Joseph,I swore at myself.Get yourself together, Cade. It was taking every bit of self-control I had to keep my hands off Brooke.
I knew she was struggling. I still had no clue what really happened—something with Brock, obviously—but I could see the pain and exhaustion written all over her face from the moment I’d picked her up in Boston.
