Carved

CHAPTER 24

DYLAN

What are you hiding?

My eyes narrow in on Ella and Louis as they head to the kitchen 'needing more popcorn' so suddenly after Louis received a text. I didn't miss the small gesture he gave Ella indicating he needed to talk to her alone. The two have been whispering and having secret meetings. I don't know why, but I know something is going on. Ella has never kept secrets unless she wanted to surprise me with something. This doesn't seem like a aurprise I will like.

"Woah! So, you're saying the dude married his cousin." Dex gives a disgusted look towards the girls. "Like his first cousin?"

Brittany pauses the movie to explain. "Yeah. It was a family tradition. That's what they did back then I guess. He knew he was always going to marry Melanie and Ashley's sister was supposed to marry Melanie's brother, but Scarlett married him to spite Melanie."

"That's just wrong. All of it." Casper's eyes shift. "But it's just marriage right? It's not like they're going to have sex."

Amber laughs. "They're married. They're going to shake the sheets at some point. Why wouldn't they?"

"Because, people didn't have sex back then." Benji gestures to the television.

"Then how did they have babies?" Brittany rolls her eyes.

"Storks." He says seriously.

"And I guess Rhett Butler frequents a bed and breakfast. Not a brothel." Brittany snorts

"Well, yeah. He's a rake." Benji states the obvious, but continues spouting ridiculousness. "Good girls like Melanie don't have sex. She's a sweetheart."

Brittany stares at him in disbelief, but decides not to argue and plays the movie. Dex stops the movie again when he scoffs at the scene of the girls taking a break from the celebration to take a nap.

"This has to be the first movie I've ever seen where a bunch of girls are on a bed together and they're sleeping." Dex shakes his head. "Why are we watching this again?"

"We lost the coin flip." I remind him.

"Shh." The girls hush us and play the movie.

"Does anyone see how messed up this movie is?" Casper clenches his fist with annoyance.

"Shh." The females say again.

"I brought drinks..." Louis announces.

"Shh!" This time it's the guys quieting any noise.

"Where did you meet these guys?" Louis asks me after he places the drinks down.

I don't answer. I look at Ella as she returns with a large bowl of popcorn. I try to see what she's hiding through her expressions. She gives a nervous smile knowing I'm on to her, but the soft kiss to my lips is an attempt to throw me off. It didn't work.

"What's going on?" I narrow my eyes.

Her shoulders drop. "I'll tell you later. It could be nothing. I don't want to worry you until I know there is a problem."

"Louis knows." I pout.

"Are you going to tell me about the secret calls and texts you keep making?" She throws back with a smirk.

I groan. I thought I was being discreet about the calls. I can't tell her who they are from. Not yet anyway. However, I don't think her secrets will be as joyful as my secrets when they are revealed.

"Okay. You'll tell me when you're ready." I give in and pull her to my lap.

We sit and watch the movie until it goes into intermission. Ella chuckles when we, the guys, complain. Then we complain again when we find out the movie is about four hours long. We take a break and agree to continue the movie after intermission. Unbelievable.