Hugs & Blows

In the right Direction

They were sitting on the back patio, that night and the children were asleep inside Ethan's childhood home. The two couples sat drinking and playing games. The deck of cards was worn thin and some cards had folded corners, after a few rounds of bullshit they decided to play the "ask around" game. One person would ask a question and everyone went around in a circle giving their answers. Jimmy, a cousin of Ethan's, came to join them, he sat next to Breeleigh while she asked her question.

"Favorite word?"

"Bullshit." answered Jimmy.

"Love." Ethan stated.

"Breeleigh." said her husband.

"Taint." Odette whispered.

"Fuck." Breeleigh said with a giggle.

The group chuckled and drank some more, Odette turned to Jimmy and said that it was his turn to ask.

"No," Jimmy protested, "I don't got a good question."

Odette swallowed her urge to correct him with a sip of her rum and soda. "I'm sure you do." She slurred in response.

"What is your worst fear?" He finally questioned.

The group took turns saying rather mundane things, Breeleigh and Andrew both fearing kidnapping. Ethan afraid of being a disappointment, but Odette's answer begat an entirely new conversation.

"I'm afraid of being tortured to death, like in those films." She said.

"Which ones?" Asked Jimmy, who looked like he was a teenager and probably shouldn't have been drinking with them, but it was who watched the children while the adults went to the hospital so they figured he deserved a few drinks.

"Hostel." She clarified.

"Those are gruesome." Breeleigh agreed.

"You aren't going to get tortured." Ethan comforted.

" I once walked in on Drew wanking and Hostel was playing in the background." Odette confided.

"That's fucking twisted." Breeleigh said.

"Maybe it was a boob scene or maybe it was on and he was ignoring it." Andrew said.

"Maybe he's a serial killer." Jimmy said.

Odette shivered and Ethan wrapped an arm around her and pulled her into him, her head rested on his broad shoulders. She hugged him tighter.

"That reminds me baby, I have to do something tomorrow afternoon." She mumbled into his neck.

"What are you doing?" Ethan asked.

"It's a surprise." she laughed.

"Any surprise that jerking off to horror films reminds you of, is one I don't want." Jimmy joked.

And that was the last they thought or spoke of Drew that night.