Shock and Awe (Enhanced Book 1)

Chapter 17

10 minutes is too long to cook five bowls of soup in the microwave.

Only five minutes in, the soup start bubbling over the edges and it turns brown around the top.

With girlish screams, we open the microwave and burn our fingers trying to clean up the overflowing soup. Kingsley's soup is sitting on top of the other four and thus has a concoction of soups all along its bottom. We clean up the best we can before carrying the bowls out to the boys.

Forrest is sitting in one of the armchairs, still looking queasy, but better than earlier. I pass his soup to him while Mia distributes the others. Kingsley and Rowan are sitting on opposite end of the couch which leaves a seat between them and one more armchair.

Mia sits in the chair before I can make a move to do so.

In what feels like a walk of shame, I cross the living room and sit between the only two guys I've ever kissed.

Awkward.

"I hate you," I mentally tell Mia.

The room is pregnant with a thick silence until Mia laughs maniacally in response to my projected thought. Four pairs of eyes zero in on her as she breaks down in hysterics.

I slap my hand to my face. Doesn't she know that there are two people in this room who have no idea about my abilities?

Once she sobers up, we eat in a relatively comfortable silence. Mia searches through streaming services before pressing play on a romantic comedy chick flick of some kind. It starts to play and no one complains as she turns off the lights and snuggles up with a blanket. The noon sunlights creeps in from behind the curtains, providing enough light to see.

Mia throws blanket to everyone else like she's Santa Clause on Christmas morning, and I smile as I see Forrest immediately cuddle up and fall asleep.

Everyone else seems to have already finished their soup, as proven by the two bowls already perched in front of me on the coffee table — Kingsley's and Rowan's. I take my last few bites before placing my bowl beside the other two.

Unfolding the blanket Mia gave me, I know straightaway that it was washed by Kingsley. It smells just like his clothes.

I wiggle back on the couch to lean against the back cushion — and apparently someone's arm. Leaning forward slightly so as to not put too much weight on the arm, I give the person time to move it. When they don't, I look for the owner which just happens to be Kingsley.

He's studying the TV with a lot more conviction than necessary and I know he is doing this just to mess with me. With a huff, I slam my body back onto the cushion, crushing his arm in the process.

Kingsley winces, but doesn't move his arm.

I roll my eyes and focus on the movie instead of the jerk beside me.

Just as the main female lead admits her feelings for the love interest, a hand snakes under my blanket and clasps mine. My gaze flickers from the hand to its owner.

Rowan smiles as me as he squeezes me hand, his larger one dwarfing mine. He maneuvers my hand around until our fingers interlock. Softly, he traces his thumb over mine. "Is this okay," he asks in a soft whisper.

I know my cheeks are red as I nod, using my hair as a curtain to cover my face slightly.

Mia is giving me glances from her chair while wiggling her eyebrows. Ignoring her, I focus back on the movie and try to ignore the sweatiness of my hand in Rowan's.

My interest in the movies wanes and I feel my head drifting as sleep calls to me. I adjust my position in order to lean my head back comfortably on the couch and close my eyes, giving in to the darkness waiting to consume me.