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He shrugged. “It was alright.”
“You went home with two people and it was only alright? What do you need for a good night?”
He smiled darkly at her. “Wouldn’t you like to know?”
She wiggled her eyebrows at him and giggled. “You want to join us for a movie? We’re still deciding on what to watch?”
He didn’t need any persuading, entering the room and leaving the door wide open, he removed his jacket, kicked off his shoes, and climbed up the bed. Elle shifted to press into me further, Hayden on her other side. There was not enough room on this single bed. Hayden was on his side, but he was basically lying on Elle, resting his head on her lap and hugged her legs while she automatically ran her fingers through his hair as though they had been the best of friends for years.
“Oh man, you guys have coffee?” Hayden looked at my mug with envy. I reached behind me to the sill and passed him the spare mug. “You are a fucking legend.”
I also pulled out of my pocket the sugar packets I’d grabbed from the kitchen, offering them to the other two. Elle grabbed all four and started emptying them into her mug, Hayden snatched one for himself with an incredulous look.
“So, what are we watching?”
“Lance wants to watch a horror movie and I want to watch anything else!”
“Final Destination isnota horror movie!” I protested.
Hayden snorted, but Elle continued to argue. “I can’t watch anything remotely scary or I won’t be able to sleep! I watch Hocus Pocus every Halloween and that is all about I can manage.”
“Put the movie on,” Hayden said to me. “Don’t worry baby-cakes, I’ll snuggle with you at night,” he stroked her thigh, and I watched the movement with strange fascination.
Elle huffed, crossing her arms over her chest. “Fine. But just so you know, I hate baby-cakes as a nickname.”
“I think it suits you.” He smirked.
“I reject it.”
“Good luck with that, I can be very persistent.”
An hour later, Elle had her face buried in my shoulder as I chuckled at her. Hayden was asleep on her lap, her hands still in his inky black hair. I shifted, wrapping my arm around her shoulders and planting a kiss on her head, both because I craved the contact and because I wanted to prove that Hayden wasn’t the only one who could touch her. Brent appeared in the open doorway, filling it almost completely. He had a duffle bag slung over his shoulder and was wearing a loose tank top and board shorts, his top half completely covered in blue ink. He was looking at us with a narrowed brow and his lips turned down slightly.
“And where have you been?” Elle gestured to his get-up, waking Hayden with her sudden questioning.
He raised his eyebrow at her, unimpressed by her probing, but it only made her smirk back at him. “Gym,” he said simply.
“Oh God,” she groaned throwing her head back to stare at the ceiling. “I’m living with a bunch of health nuts.” She bent over Hayden and grasped his face in her hands with an amusingly serious expression. “Please tell me you don’t get up at some ungodly hour to go running or go to a gym.”
He smiled at her and placed his hand over hers. “I have no gym membership or any intention of getting one, and I don’t think I’ve ever stepped foot in a pair or running shoes. Don’t worry baby-cakes, if you need someone to watch movies with and eat snacks, I’m your guy.” He gave her a wink and kissed the air.
“Thank God,” she giggled. Looking back to Brent she said, “Come join us.”
“Hey, you know I love the guy,” Hayden mumbled into Elle’s bare thigh, his eyes closed again. “But if Brent gets on this bed, it’ll be the bear that broke the camel’s back.”
“Yeah, I’m not joining whatever the Hell it is you have going on here,” Brent grumbled.
“Oh, don’t be such a grinch, we’re just watching a movie,” Elle rolled her eyes. “Come sit on the desk chair, be with us, socialise. You never know, you may like it.”
I smiled at my hulk of a cousin as Elle renewed the sentiments I’d been preaching for years. He just glowered at me as he tookElle’s suggestion. The poor chair groaned under his weight, and I caught Elle trying to hold back a smile. We all sat back in silence while the film continued to play, the only sound to be heard were the conversation from the screen and Elle’s occasional gasps as something made her jump.
The movie finished as Brent said, “Okay, I’ve got to ask; how did you know that guy last night wasn’t going to punch you?”
Elle burst out laughing and I couldn’t help my own chuckle.
“What? Why’s that so funny? Was that rude?” Brent asked, looking slightly worried.
“It’s just,” Elle snorted between laughs, “I’ve been trying to figure out how to ask that all morning and you just come out and say it.”
