Wishing Star

Chapter 25

Five hours later, the second movie had ended, and Clark had gotten up to take the DVD out of the DVD player to put the third one in.

Both Caelum and Max also stood up and stretched, causing Max to wince a little.

Caelum glanced at his brother and lowered his voice. "Are you good to keep going? We can stop if you're in too much pain."

"Absolutely not. We're doing this. I'm fine; it was just a little twinge in my ribs from stretching."

He hesitated before nodding. "If you're sure."

"I am," she said firmly. Louder, she said, "I'm going to grab an energy drink. Does anyone want one?"

Clark walked towards the kitchen right behind her. "I think I'm going to make myself some coffee. Why don't you help Caelum set up the bed in the living room so you can lie back for a while?"

She hesitated at the door. "But then, where will you sit?"

She wasn't going to lie and say she hadn't been thinking about asking to turn the couch into a bed. She didn't want to say anything, but her ribs were killing her, and she refused to take any pain pills. If she did, she'd fall asleep, and she knew she'd never get the opportunity to do this again.

"The space is big enough for all three of us."

Her pulse started racing at the thought of sharing a bed with Clark and Caelum. "Okay," she squeaked out, turning around and running directly into Caelum's chest.

"Did you hear what he said?" she asked, flustered.

It was just a crush. He had saved her life. He had set up this thoughtful gesture for her. Of course, she was crushing, but she'd get over it.

She gulped.

He nodded. "I did," he said, studying her closely. "Is that going to be okay with you?"

She wasn't sure if there was a deeper meaning behind his words, but she nodded anyway. "Yeah, it'll be fine. More comfortable that way."

He gave her ribs a sympathetic glance followed by a light touch. "Are you in pain?"

She hesitated before answering but wanted to be honest with him. "A little bit. Sitting up for so long is just a lot of pressure on my ribs."

"It's settled then," he said, pulling her back into the living room. "Take a bathroom break, and I'll get this taken care of."

He was already pulling the cushions off the couch, so she didn't bother arguing.

After she was done freshening up, she walked into the living room to see the brothers waiting for her. The couch had been flipped down into a bed, and the cushions had been stacked as pillows.

They both had intense looks on their faces as they studied her, and she self-consciously adjusted the hem of her sleep shorts.

Caelum broke from his thoughts, grabbing her hand and helping her settle into the middle of the couch. Clark handed her an energy drink, and she took it silently, her gaze firmly fixed on the TV.

They both climbed on, flanking her on either side, their bodies touching hers. Clark's thigh was pressed firmly to hers, his ankles crossed in front of him. Caelum had one arm draped over her shoulders, and the other was resting on her upper thigh, his hand lightly tracing her skin.

She blew out a breath, trying to relax. "You good?" Caelum quietly asked as Clark pressed play.

She nodded and swallowed loudly, trying to get a hold of herself. "I'm good," she whispered. She focused on relaxing her shoulders and then her thighs.