Out of the Darkness - A KathNiel Story

Chapter 16

DJ was the one to make sure that the blindfolds were on properly on Pamu and Marlann, keeping his off until he could set up the movie and for the first time, he turned on audio description. He couldn't deny that he was nervous, even though he had no idea what he was so nervous about. It was going to be strange to experience the world Kath lives in constantly, he wanted to know more about her but he didn't want to scare her away when everything that had happened to her in the past three days was brand new - meeting people who were kind to her, coming to someone else's home.

"Are we all ready?" He asked, hearing the chorus of agreement before he pressed play and he quickly worked to tie the old shirt over his eyes tightly so he wouldn't be able to see anything, making sure the knot was tight on the back of his head and he leaned back on the couch, feeling his hand brush against Kath's accidentally and they both instantly blushed.

"Well, my respect for you has gone up impossibly more," Pamu said, taking off her blindfold after the movie and she helped Marlann with hers as DJ pulled his off, turning the movie off as the credits rolled.

"I don't really have much of a choice, though. I just kinda woke up like this." Kath said, her voice giving away that she was shy talking about her disability.

"You deserve more credit than you give yourself, trust me... you're a very strong person." DJ complimented.

"You're a badass bitch, Kath, and the more you hang out with us, the more we'll make sure you know it," Pamu said, taking a sip of her drink, and Kath couldn't help but laugh. She knew that her parents would most likely be trying to contact her, calling and texting, leaving voicemails, but she hadn't turned her phone on again since she first turned it off in the bathroom at University. She didn't plan on turning it back on until she was home, she didn't want her parents to ruin her time with her new friends.

"None of you are allergic to dogs, right? If I were to get another dog?" Kath said.

"No, and we'll all personally make sure that your dog is so spoiled," Marlann promised, laughing with the others. "Okay, one more movie, and then we order pizza? It's only four-thirty." Marlann said, looking at her phone for the time.

"Sure, but maybe this time a movie that's atmosphere won't get ruined by the audio description guy saying: 'Myers is now approaching the house' every thirty seconds," Kath said, Pamu laughing with the others and she got up to look over the movie collection they had. Everybody just kept their movies at Marlann's apartment since as that was where they had their weekly movie nights, dozens of DVDs all piled high on the shelves by the TV.

"How about a shitty romantic movie?" Pamu suggested, picking out the DVD.

"Hey! 'The Backup Plan' is a good movie!" Marlann defended herself and Kath laughed at their bickering.

"You get used to this, I swear," DJ said in a low voice and Kath laughed.

"At least now you're not alone now," Kath whispered back and DJ couldn't help but feel the grin forming on his face.

He barely paid attention to the movie as it started, he kept glancing over at Kath as she laughed and talked with Marlann and Pamu, the three of them talking about the movie and about their classes - Pamu telling Kath all about her placement which was to start at the local hospital in less than a week. DJ couldn't help but admire the little things about Kath, the way her nose scrunched up slightly as she laughed and smiled, how she was slowly letting her walls down around the three of them and that was made completely obvious by how she'd talk about herself and the fun times she had with Pablo - when the dog managed to get them both lost, how Pablo once made Kath turn so her white cane would trip over a sales assistant who accused Kath of lying about being blind just so she could bring her dog into the store. Even though she was blind, her eyes were so bright and joyful.

Pamu moved over to the couch the second DJ got up to use the bathroom after the second movie was over, Marlann moving to the kitchen to order their pizzas from the place they usually ordered from. "DJ keeps blushing, you know," Pamu said in a low voice and Kath laughed shyly, shaking her head.

"Stop it, he doesn't like me that way," Kath whispered and Pamu grinned. Neither of them noticed that DJ had come out of the bathroom but he was hanging back when he heard the two girls talking.

"Oh, really? Then why did he keep looking over at you and blushing the whole time during that movie?" Pamu said, nudging her playfully, and Kath bit back a smile, shaking her head. "Come on! You're telling me that if he asked you out right now, you would say yes?" Pamu questioned, her smile widening when she saw Kath's cheeks flush.

"Maybe." She said shyly, blushing more as Pamu teased her jokingly.

DJ couldn't help but smile at the revelation.

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