Page 13 of Convergence

“Why do you think she does that?” I asked after a moment of gathering my words. The guys had waited patiently for me to answer.

“Ask for selfies, you mean?” Nate asked as he ran a hand through his hair that now almost touched his shoulders.

“No, I mean… call us hot?” I clarified, not looking at the guys. I set my phone on the oversized ottoman we used more like a kitchen table.

“Perhaps she finds us attractive,” Ev suggested in his deep voice.

“But like… doesn’t she include me in a patronizing way? Is she making fun of me?” I asked quietly, now ashamed of my question.

The guys were quiet for a moment, and I felt them share a glance over my head. This was exactly why I didn’t talk- it opened me up to ridicule.

“Is that a fucking joke?” Nate asked, incredulously.

Everett reached over me to smack Nate in the chest. When he settled back in his seat he said, “No, baby girl, it’s not a joke. Now, can we finish this movie? I’m beat and want to get to bed.”

A blush settled on my face and chest, and I curled up further in my blanket as Nate pressed play on the movie. My heart thumped louder in my chest at being called “baby girl” by Everett and at Nate’s disbelief that I thought I was unattractive. I wasn’t the type of girl to fish for compliments, but part of me wished I did it more often because it felt pretty damn good.

I could have lived the rest of my life not seeing the terrifying end of that movie. When the movie ended, I was wide awake and sure I wouldn’t sleep well. Nate rambled on happily about a haunted house he went to last Halloween while we cleaned up. I brought the takeout containers to the kitchen and Ev packed up the leftovers for our lunch tomorrow at the lab. Nate folded our blankets on the couch and picked up a few things I missed.

Everett yawned and said goodnight as Nate and I headed up to our rooms. The evening was chilly and my knee was aching, so I ran a warm bath with some lavender Epsom salts. I hoped it would relax me and get that dumb movie out of my head as well. Settling into the bath, I closed my eyes and leaned back against the tub.

A few minutes into my bath, the door opened, and someone came in. I had drawn the curtain closed to soften the overhead bathroom light, and I was glad for that fact. I didn’t think to lock the door because it had never been an issue knowing someone was in the bathroom before now. It was always clear that water was running when Nate or I were showering. I hadn’t taken a bath in this house before today.

I gulped and held still. I saw a corner of Nate’s reflection in the bathroom mirror as he brushed his teeth. He was shirtless, and I hoped very hard he was not planning to take a shower. I didn’t move a single muscle and practically held my breath.

Nate finished his teeth and I heard the toilet seat lift. No. Oh no. I was not about to listen to a guy I sort of had a crush on poop. No. I cringed. But instead, I heard him pee, and it was clear from the sound he was standing.

As Nate finished and I heard the snap of a waistband, the water that was gathered around the tub faucet dripped and it landed in the full bath. I whipped my head towards the faucet as it had startled me and sloshed a bit of water with the movement of my shoulders.

I was sure Nate heard it and expected an awkward conversation. But what I didn’t expect was for him to whip the shower curtain back so fast the hooks holding it on the curtain rod came off the track.

I screamed and Nate yelled in shock. I hugged my knees to my chest to cover my body.

“I’m so sorry!” he yelled as soon as he realized it was me in the bath. “I’m so glad I didn’t fart!”

“I should have locked the door! Oh, my god!” I yelled at the same time he yelled.

Bounding footsteps on the stairs gave a split-second warning that Everett was coming in. His bright blue eyes assessed me in the bath hugging my knees, my horrified expression, the shower curtain hanging off the rod, and Nate standing over the tub in his gray boxer briefs. In a flash, Everett, who was also only in a pair of black boxer briefs, slammed Nate against the bathroom wall by the door by his neck. Nate gaped for a moment before his arms came up, over Ev’s arm, and dropped his elbows on Ev’s arm to break the choke.

“What in thehelldo you think you are doing?” Ev was bellowing in Nate’s face.

“I thought she was a demon!” Nate yelled back as Everett shoved him by the chest back against the wall.

“It was a mistake!” I shouted from the bath. My voice broke on the shout as I was not used to raising my voice.

Ev looked back at me, his palm still pressing into Nate’s chest to hold him still. “You’re alright?”

“Yes,” I said in a hoarse voice. “I didn’t lock the door.”

Nate shoved Everett’s hand off his chest. “I’m sorry, Eva,” Nate apologized.

“It’s okay. I’m- I’m sorry for not saying anything when you came in,” I returned the apology.

“You’re going to fix that curtain,” Everett demanded coolly, shoving Nate one last time as he left the room.

Nate stepped towards the bath, looking at the curtain.

“Not right now,” I said, my eyes still wide.

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