Page 44 of Bound By Secrets

“It’s starting. No more talking!” I hold my hands up in a surrender motion, and she turns back towards the TV as ‘Highway To The Danger Zone’ starts playing through the connected speakers.

“They take Tom Cruise films very seriously in this house. It’s best to be quiet, otherwise, you’ll get sent out of the room,” Brad whispers in my ear.

“Thanks for the advice.” He smiles at me as his eyes scan the length of my face, they pause for a brief moment on my lips before they snap back up to connect with mine.

“You’re welcome, cutie.”

Twenty minutes into the movie and I can’t take it any longer. My foot is now numb, and I’m starting to get a cramp in my leg from being curled up in this position for so long. Kat’s eyes have been glued to the screen since the start, and Nate’s have, too, apart from the two times I’ve caught him glancing over at me.

Brad shifts beside me, reaching forward to grab his glass of water from the coffee table and I take my chance, yanking my foot out from underneath him and sighing in relief when I feel the blood start circulating properly again.

As Brad sits back down beside me, he glances over with an amused smirk on his face.

“I’m guessing you weren’t using my leg as a foot warmer?” I roll my lip inwards and shake my head.

“You sat on it, and I didn’t want to ask you to move. You were doing a good job at keeping it warm though, until it went dead,” I whisper back. Nate looks in our direction with a slight glare on his face. I bite into my bottom lip to keep myself from laughing when he turns his attention back to the television. Brad lifts my blanket from my lap and uses his hand to search for my legs underneath.

When his hand connects with the underside of both of my thighs, my muscles tense, and my eyes squeeze shut.

Relax. It’s just Brad. It’s okay.

When I open my eyes again, I see Brad staring at me and realise that his hand is no longer touching me. I slowly nod at him, telling him I’m okay and then his hand is back on my legs. He applies a little pressure and lifts them, pulling my legs across his lap.

He drops the blanket back down, covering my legs again and trapping one of his hands underneath whilst his other one rests over the soft cotton just above my ankle.

“Better?” he asks, resting his hand under the blanket on the top of my knees. I nod in answer to his question and wait for him to turn away from me before I close my eyes again.

Not only does it feel good to stretch my legs out, but the heat from his thighs beneath mine and his hand that is resting above is sending butterflies swarming through my stomach.

I look around, watching all three of them as they watch the movie. You wouldn’t think that half an hour ago we were discussing the abuse that the twins and I have been through. I smile as I sit here and think about how differently they couldhave reacted. I’m glad that they don’t appear to be any different around me.

I just hope that they don’t start to treat me differently or act like I’m fragile because I’m not. I’m strong. I have some weaknesses, as everybody does, but with everything I have been put through in life and everything I continue to endure, I know that I’m strong.

The screech of a chair moving across the floor and the sound of heavy footsteps draw my attention to the doorway that leads to the kitchen.

“We need to go,” Callum says as he comes into view, quickly shoving his arms into his jacket. I observe the worried expression on his face and then see Connor pushing past him, his phone lit up in his hand.

I quickly jump up from the sofa and rush over to the entry hall to grab my trainers.

“What’s going on?” Brad asks, his eyes curiously slashing back and forth between the twins as they stand behind the sofa. As I’m sliding my trainers on, I realise that Nate has now paused the movie. He, Kat, and Brad are standing in the centre of the living room looking a little panicked at my rushed movements.

“My dad just texted, so we need to leave,” Connor grumbles. “Letters are folded on the table.”

Kat walks over to me and grabs onto my hand as I stand up. “Are you going to be okay?”

I nod, even though I have no idea if it’s the truth.

“Yeah, of course we will. He probably just wants to talk or something. We’ll see you on Monday!”

I grab my jacket and hurriedly give them all a brief hug before I follow the twins out of the door and over to Callum’s jeep.

When we pull up in the driveway, the house is dark and I feel an eerie shiver run through my body. Apart from the two lights that light up the doorway, none of the lights are on, which is extremely rare in our house.

As I open the back door and clamber out of Callum’s car, I'm met with complete and utter silence. Connor opens the passenger side door and steps out, his head swivelling as he observes his surroundings. There’s no movement, no sound, nothing. The moonlight seems to shine down on our house, illuminating the white exterior and making it look like a haunted house from a horror movie.

“You think we’re in trouble for something?” I ask, whispering as if someone might hear me. Connor slings a heavy arm around my shoulders and pulls me into his side as we wait for Callum to walk around the car and stand beside us.

“Not sure. He just texted saying to come home immediately, didn’t reply when I asked why,” Connor mumbles, eyes now searching the dark windows.

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