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CHAPTER TWENTY: THE CREEL HOUSE
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MAX'S LIFE WAS on the line, and everyone agreed that protecting her was a top priority. They made sure Max always wore her headphones and had Kate Bush playing on a constant loop. At night, they set up a rotating schedule to watch over Max to ensure she stayed safe while the others slept. Each person took a turn watching her for an hour. Around four in the morning, Lucas gently woke Danny for his shift. Danny rubbed the sleep out of his eyes, then sat up and leaned against the couch where Max lay fast asleep, her headphones still playing music.
Danny expected Lucas to go back to sleep. Instead, Lucas lay down for a minute next to Danny, closing his eyes but never quite relaxing, anxiety flickering in every tense muscle. Danny kept his gaze on Max, watching her chest rise and fall with her breathing, and tracking her eyes to make sure she seemed normal and still. He strained to hear the music, making sure it was still playing, and whenever it stopped, he rewinded it for her. Lucas shifted beside him, fingers restlessly drumming, then sat up again, his hesitance crackling in the quiet room before he moved to sit close beside Danny.
"You aren't gonna sleep?" Danny asked, furrowing his brows.
Lucas shook his head and rubbed his eyes, "Not that tired."
Danny glanced again at Max to make sure she was okay, then turned to face Lucas, nerves twisting in his stomach. His thoughts drifted back to the party days earlier, when they had kissed in the bathroom, and then to the morning after, when Lucas admitted his feelings and Danny had dismissed him. Shame pricked through his earlier defenses; his chest felt tight, regret and longing tangled together. Frowning as he recalled these moments, Danny said, "Um... the other day when you said that stuff to me in the bathroom... I shouldn't have blown you off. I was hungover and my girlfriend had just cheated on me, but I shouldn't have reacted like that. I'm sorry."
Lucas looked surprised. "It's okay. I probably shouldn't have... Um... You know... The night before. I was drunk."
Danny smirked, "Drunk words are sober thoughts."
A flush crept up Lucas's face, his cheeks burning. His fingers twisted nervously in his lap, the air charged between them. "Yeah, I... I meant it. What I said, and... Did." His voice trembled, a quiet vulnerability etched in every word, but his eyes locked with Danny's, unmistakable hope shimmering.
"Oh, you mean when you..." Danny looked around at everyone, making sure they were sleeping, before smirking at Lucas and whispering. "Kissed me?"
Lucas chuckled softly, "Yeah... that."
"Look, man, it's okay," Danny said. "You were drunk," Danny remembered what he had said the morning after. I never said I didn't mean it. "And, um... You were hungover the next day, too, so..."
