On the Edge of Love (CarlxAlan)

Chapter 16: Carl

Sunday felt like an extension of yesterday—like Alan and I were still caught in this weird in-between stage, somewhere between best friends and something more. It was comfortable, but also a little nerve-wracking, like I was waiting for something to change but wasn't sure how or when it would.

I showed up at his house around noon, knocking on the door before letting myself in like I always did. His mom waved from the kitchen, and I nodded back before heading upstairs. Alan's door was cracked open, so I pushed it the rest of the way and stepped inside.

He was sprawled across his bed, staring at his phone, but when he saw me, he rolled onto his side with a smirk. "Didn't think you'd show up this early," he said.

"Yeah, well, I was bored," I shrugged, stepping further inside. "And you still owe me snacks after somebody took the last bag of chips yesterday."

Alan snorted. "That's a bold accusation."

"Not really," I shot back. "I literally watched you eat them."

"Fine, fine," he laughed, pushing himself up off the bed. "We can raid the pantry, and then... I dunno, go do something?"

"Solid plan," I said.

We ended up grabbing a bunch of random snacks—popcorn, pretzels, whatever was around—and then took a walk through his neighborhood, mostly just talking about nothing important. It felt normal. It felt like us.

At some point, we ended up back at his place, lounging in his room again, debating what to do next.

Alan tossed the remote between his hands. "We could watch a movie."

I shrugged. "Yeah, sure. Pick something."

A few minutes later, he landed on a horror movie.

I gave him a look. "You hate horror movies."

Alan shrugged. "Yeah, but it's not like I'm gonna die or anything."

"Bold words," I muttered, leaning back against the pillows.

He turned off the lights, making the room just dark enough to give the whole thing a creepy vibe. We settled in, and the movie started slow—long, quiet shots that built tension. I wasn't really paying attention at first, but then, suddenly, the first real scare happened.

Alan flinched. I jumped about a foot off the bed.

"Jesus," I muttered.

Alan glanced at me. "You good?"

I shoved some popcorn into my mouth. "Yeah. Just—shut up."

He snorted, but let it go, turning his attention back to the screen.

The next thirty minutes were filled with more jump scares, and at some point, without really thinking, I grabbed onto Alan's wrist. I didn't even realize I was doing it until he glanced down at my hand, then back up at me with a raised eyebrow.

"Wow," he said, deadpan. "Didn't take you for a hand-holder."

I immediately let go. "I wasn't holding your hand."

"You literally were," Alan said, biting back a grin.

"Shut up," I groaned, slouching further into the pillows.

Alan, still smirking, casually stretched, then dropped his arm across the back of the couch. After a beat, I felt his fingers brush against mine, lingering for just a second before he settled his hand next to mine. Close. But not quite touching.

I swallowed.

Neither of us said anything, but I could feel the tension. Not the bad kind—just the weird, uncertain kind. The kind where I wasn't sure if I wanted to do something about it or pretend it wasn't happening.

The movie kept playing, but I wasn't really watching it anymore. I kept noticing the way Alan's fingers tapped lightly against the couch, how close our hands still were. I could've reached over, closed the space, but I didn't.

By the time the credits rolled, Alan stretched with a loud yawn. "Okay. That was actually terrifying."

I snorted. "Told you."

He let his arm drop back down, this time fully pressing against mine, but he didn't seem to notice—or if he did, he didn't react. "Man," he sighed, rubbing his face. "I feel like I need to watch something stupid now to get that out of my head."

I smirked. "You scared?"

"No," he said quickly. "Just... aware."

I laughed. "Yeah, okay."

We sat there for a few more minutes, neither of us moving. My brain was running in circles, overthinking every little thing, but Alan just seemed relaxed. And that was the thing about him—he always acted like nothing phased him, even when I knew something had.

Eventually, he sighed and stretched again. "Alright. You hanging out for a bit, or do you have some fancy plans I don't know about?"

I rolled my eyes. "Yeah, because my social calendar is so full."

Alan grinned. "Right, right. Well, in that case... wanna stay a little longer?"

"Yeah," I said, maybe a little too quickly. "Yeah, I'll stay."

"Cool."

"Cool," I echoed.