Page 65 of The Facade

“Yeah,” Mack piped in. “Think you can handle a scary movie?” He shot me an ultra-white smile, almost like he was daring me to stay.

I bit my lip, trying to decide. Even though Halloween was my favorite holiday, I really was not a fan of scary movies.

Well, actually, I loved scary movies. Loved the suspense and the jump scares in the moment.

I just didn’t like the nightmares and scary images that came to my mind when I was trying to sleep over the following days and weeks after watching them.

“I don’t know…” I said. “It’s kind of late and I—”

“I’ll keep you safe from any monsters that might jump out of the screen,” Mack said before I could finish my sentence. Then bending close to my ear, he whispered, “I’ll even let you cuddle up to me if it gets too scary.”

Was he saying he wanted to sit next to me during the movie?

Where everyone could see us?

Where my brothers could see us?

“So what do you say?” he asked more loudly so the whole group could hear this time. “Think you’ll stay?”

And when he slipped his hand behind my back and rubbed the bare skin between my shoulder blades, something told me I couldn’t say no.

So I nodded and said, “I guess I’ll stay.”

“Great.” Scarlett clapped her hands together. “Let’s go then.”

Carter and Ava led us out of the great hall with the rest of us following behind them. As we walked toward the dorms, my stomach started twisting in knots of anticipation as I thought about the possibility of sitting close to Mack during the movie.

We’d watched hundreds of movies together through the years, but even though I’d totally wondered what it would be like to sit next to him during a movie back when we were in middle school, we’d never sat close enough that it would be considered cuddling.

Pretty sure the closest I’d ever sat next to him had been on Friday in the back of Carter’s truck.

So the thought of actually cuddling with a guy that I may or may not be rekindling my crush on was slightly overwhelming.

Overwhelming and exciting at the same time.

But as we walked through the gothic colonnade where Mack and I had talked after overhearing Ben, Scarlett linked her arm through Mack’s and laughed at something he said. And I couldn’t help but wonder if maybe I’d just imagined all the flirtatious things he’d said to me tonight.

Then when he laughed at something Scarlett said and nudged her with his elbow, I wondered if it wasn’t that I’d only imagined him flirting with me at all. But maybe this was just how he was with all our friends and that I had just been initiated into his friends-with-benefits circle.

I didn’t realize that Hunter had stepped up beside me until he said, “It’s hard staying friends with someone you have feelings for, isn’t it?”

“What?” I asked, wondering how in the world he had just been reading my thoughts. “D-do you think I like Mack?”

Hunter shrugged. “It’s easy to recognize the signs when it’s something you’re familiar with.”

“As in, how things are with you and Scarlett?” I asked, hinting at how he and Scarlett had dated for a few weeks last year before deciding to go back to being best friends.

He nodded.

“But wasn’t it your choice to cool things and just be friends?”

He pushed his hands into the pockets of his astronaut suit. “That’s what we agreed to.”

“But it’s not what you wanted?” I guessed. “To just be friends?”

He nodded. “Sometimes I think it would be nice to go back to before I kissed her. To go back to before I knew what it was like to date her.” He lifted a shoulder. “It’s easier not to miss something that you’ve never had.”

Interesting.

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