Page 201 of Burn Bright
Tom hikes a leg over the back of the couch and slides onto the pull-out. Not just anywhere—he choosesin betweenme and Ben. I’m not kidding.
I scoot over so my arm isn’t butted up against his. “Do you understand personal space?”
“Yeah, can you give me some? It’s a little cramped.” He wiggles his arms, shoving me and Ben farther apart and fluffing his pillow behind his back.
I would be more irritated if Ben wasn’t trying to stifle full-body laughter. Just hearing the sound is like a serotonin boost.
“He’s not sleeping with us,” I tell Ben.
Tom makes a face at me likeI’mthe weird one. “Like I want to sleep in the same bed as my sleep paralysis demon.”
“I hope I give you nightmares.”
“Ben, tell your girlfriend to be nice to me. I’m emotionally fragile right now.” He doesn’t appear it as much as he did, so I wonder if Ben’s pep talk helped. “Look, if I’m left alone, I’m going to text RJ to come over here, and the last thing I need is an emotion-fueled hookup. In fact, take my phone. Take it.” He plops his cell on Ben’s lap.
Then he pries the laptop out of my hands, holding it since he’s in the middle. “Okja? Never heard of it.”
“It’s one of Ben’s favorite movies.”
Tom frowns at him in hurt. “And you never shared this with me?”
“You won’t like it,” Ben says with certainty.
I’ve never seenOkjabefore, but the science-fiction fantasy premise of a little girl going to great lengths to save her animal sounded interesting. It also has glowing reviews.
“Let’s see it first without passing judgment, Ben Pirrip.” He rewinds and presses play.
This is how I find myself wedged beside Tom Carraway Cobalt on a pull-out couch watching Netflix on a random Thursday night. Oh and he’s icing his soon-to-be black eye.
Ben smiles over at me a few times. That’s the best part.
We’re an hour into the film, and Tom has a stink-face.
“You can hate it, Tom,” Ben says with a smile. “It won’t offend me.”
“There’s still more left to go.” He’s squinting at the screen midway through. Then his silent rumbling laughter shakes the laptop.
“Dude,” I say flatly.
“It’s a big hippo,” he defends. “How is this not supposed to be a comedy?”
I’m so invested in the plight of this little girl and her CGI animal that I’ve been restraining tears for the past ten minutes. “It’s a super pig,” I correct. “And it’s not supposed to befunny.”
“But if you watch it thinking it’s a floppy-eared ugly hippo…?” He holds out a hand of reason.
“It’s acuteanimal.”
“It’s pretty fucking ugly, and I don’t know if Ben’s going to like knowing you’d only save the cute animals.”
I fling my pillow at his face.
“Ow, watch the eye, Harry.”
I almost feel bad, but not quite. When I glance over at Ben, I’m about to apologize for reinjuring his injured brother, but hisexpression on me steals my breath. He’s looking at me like he could kiss me, hold me, hug me, lie with me in a field of grass and watch the rolling clouds forever.
Maybe this movie night with Tom isn’t so terrible. I also have a great window into the dynamic between all of Ben’s brothers than ever before. Like when Beckett arrives, and even in the darkness of the living room, he beelines for Tom. As if he’s already heard the news.
“How bad?” Beckett asks behind the couch.
