State of Grace | ONGOING

Chapter 20

The house smelled like popcorn and hot chocolate, and Billie was currently sitting in the middle of the floor of our living room with the remote in her paint-flecked hands as everyone but me argued over the movie that they had all voted to watch.

"No! No complaints," Billie finally yelled, having clearly had enough, and the room fell silent. "I sent out a poll, you all voted, we're watching what the majority of you idiots voted for."

I hadn't voted for anything. I wasn't a fan of scary movies. In fact I'd normally say that I hated them. But at least being scared was better with friends and this was another fall tradition that my friends and I had picked up. The last Friday before Halloween we gathered up our friends and watched a horror movie with as many snacks and warm drinks as we could handle. That's why our living room was currently packed with people.

CJ and Simi were laying on the carpet with pillows propping up their heads and blankets draped over their laps. Next to them was Anna and her cousin who was visiting for the weekend and Anna's friend, Jamie. Jamie was a ridiculously handsome junior that Anna had started talking to and he was sprawled comfortably across our rug, leaning against Anna's shoulder and whispering in her ear. Sunny and her latest Tinder conquest were beside me on the couch and I knew they'd start making out a few minutes into the movie. Billie and her best friend, Gen, had claimed the poof and the armchair from my room and had a treasure trove of candy hidden between their seats.

I had a fluffy blanket tossed over my lap and a massive bowl of popcorn balancing precariously on top as I squished between Sunny and Theo.

Theo had obviously made it on the guest list, and this time it was actually at my suggestion. My friends knew we were on friendly terms, now. They knew that I had a crush on her too. And I'd told them that our study session had gone well. So even though I had been sure that Sunny would have a heart attack, I'd been the one to suggest Theo. And I was the one sitting next to her. Which was a good thing because her wrist was currently the thing setting the bowl of popcorn off balance. Her hand rested gently on my thigh, so casual that it felt natural, but hidden by the blanket and the bowl of popcorn.

"Everyone apologize to Billie," I instructed the room in my best impression of a school teacher, since she was clearly pouting over everyone complaining.

"Sorry Billie," everyone chimed out, even Jamie and Sunny's Tinder hook up joined in with small smiles.

"Damn right," my normally calm and quiet roommate muttered. The only thing Billie loved almost as much as art was movies, and she took her role as Horror Movie-Night Master very seriously. She had business cards made for it as a joke.

Billie hit play on The Conjuring and then scrambled over the mess of legs to the armchair, settling in beside Gen.

For my part I leaned over Theo to turn off the lights, jostling her hand from my thigh. As I settled back into my seat, I realized she was staring at me. "You smell good," she whispered, her lips buzzing against my ear as she spoke so softly that not even Sunny would have been able to hear from right beside me.

"Thanks, they have this thing called showers, not sure if you've heard of them," I shot back, grinning at her. I sounded much more casual than I felt. Much more casual than I had felt when I'd been in the shower shaving every inch of my body as if Theo was going to see much more than my arms tonight.

"I've never heard of such a thing," Theo drawled and draped her arm over the back of the couch behind my shoulders. "Maybe you'll have to show me how it's done?"

I shivered. Her breath washed over my neck, causing goosebumps to erupt down my arms and I could feel my nipples perking up through my shirt. It was completely unfair that she had that sort of power over me.