Then snickered.
Despite my best efforts, I was laughing again.
“Anyway,” he managed to push out. “The part of me that’s glad is just—I don’t know if you were afraid or if you were angry or…what you were feeling. I just know I don’t want you to have to relive it.”
I guess that made sense.
“Then, not knowing means you just kind of fill in the blanks.”
“I hate horror movies.”
“Yeah,” he said slowly. “We know.”
“This is like being in my own. There’s a door you shouldn’t open, but they’re going to open it. The suspense of waiting to see what’s on the other side chokes you, but you do it anyway. What’s worse? Opening the door to see what’s there?”
“Or imagining all the horrible things that could be there.” The fact that he got it helped. “Shit, Frankie, I wish I could tell you.”
“You could tell me what you saw when you got there.”
He went very still.
“If you can.” Maybe that was asking too much?
The door to the bathroom opened with a squeal of hinges, thunder rumbled, getting louder and louder, then the back door opened with a bang. I jumped, and the fact that Ian did too made it a little better.
Coop and Archie made it inside, dripping wet, and Ian grimaced. “I’m going to help them,” he murmured, and I nodded. “Stay there, guys, I’ll grab you some towels.”
They looked positively drowned.
“Are you all right?” I asked, leaning forward to stare at them, even as I tried to get my racing heart under control.
“We’re fine,” Coop laughed. “Just Ferraris and big ass puddles don’t mix.”
“Bite me,” Archie said with a grin. “We got the food. I hope you’re hungry, babe. We got a little bit of all your favorites.”
Ian was back with Jake right behind him. Hair damp and wearing a clean t-shirt over boxers, he winked at me on his way past. “You good on a drink, Baby Girl? Or you need something to go with your enchiladas?”
My stomach growled. “I’m good, Ian got me a soda.”
Coop and Archie stripped out of their soaking wet shoes and clothes in the kitchen, then toweled off while Jake and Ian got the food set up on plates. Then they all piled into the living room. “Okay, someone turn up the A/C before everyone freezes.” Jake slid onto the sofa next to me and pulled the blanket over his legs too.
“Hey,” Coop complained. “You’re not cold.”
“Nope,” Jake said with a smirk. “I’m not. You can go find clothes.” Then he balanced my plate on a pillow in front of me. “You good? Or should we shift to the floor so you can sit at the coffee table?”
“I think I can do this.” If I used my splinted wrist to brace it, I could mostly eat with my left hand. I’d been getting pretty good at it. I couldn’t cut food at all, but the great thing about sour cream chicken enchiladas, refried beans, and rice, was that I didn’t need to cut up much. It all broke apart easily.
Archie shot me a grin from the floor where he sat on the other side of the coffee table, and Coop took the spot by my feet while Ian settled on the other end of the table.
He met my gaze and mouthed ‘later?’ and I nodded. Yeah, I would like to finish our conversation later. The corners of his mouth tipped up.
“Okay, movie time,” Archie said. “It’s Coop’s turn to choose.”
Jake and Ian both groaned, and I laughed.
“You know he’s going to pickDie Hard.” It was his default movie if he couldn’t figure out anything else to watch.
“Nope,” Coop said. “I’m not pickingDie Hard.”