Page 34 of Setting Limits

“Sorry, Chels. We’re here.”

“That’s okay. Sorry I was so out of it.” My voice is just as groggy as I feel.

“You’re fine. Do you need help getting in?”

“No, I’m good.” I shake the sleep from my head and climb out of the car, stretching. “Thanks for the ride.”

“Anytime, Chels. Want me to come get you later?”

“Uh, sure.”

“Alright, I’ll be here around five. See you then.”

A quick wave is all I give him as I turn to the dorm and head upstairs. Another nap sounds great right now, but I know I’ll regret it later.

Instead, I decide a shower will help refresh my mind, but instead, all I can focus on is what tonight might entail, and who I’ll be seeing.

A nervousness has settled in my body in preparation for movie night. It’s mostly quiet in the dorm, since everybody else is still at home. All that really means is that there are no distractions. Nobody popping in to say hello, no blaring music coming from down the hall.

Apparently, movie night is something the guys have done before and always eat crap instead of dinner. It seems that Wes does the popcorn, Lochlyn and Shay will be handling actual snack style food and drinks, and I’ll be handling candy.

It’s only three o’clock, but the unsettledness consuming me makes me snatch my keys and head to Wegmans.

There’s a giant candy aisle, including bags and bulk candy, which is for sure something I’ll have to revisit at another time.

The very first thing I grab is a big bag of Skittles, tossing it into my basket. Lochlyn’s not a huge candy person, but I know he has a weakness for jellybeans. Shay loves any kind of sour candy, so I snag her a few different small bags so she has a variety. And I’ll never turn down chocolate. Choice is always good, so I toss some different kinds into the basket.

For a movie night, I have ten different kinds of candy for four people. Is that too much? Not enough?

I’ve never done anything quite this “official.” Sure, Lochlyn, Shay, and I all hang out together. But never with pre-planned snacks.

Second-guessing every single decision I’m making, including going, I grab a slice of pizza from the freshly prepared foods section and check out to head back to my dorm. Where I’ll wait the few more hours on the edge of my seat…literally.

It’s not necessarily the worst idea for me to have my own car in case I decide I need to leave, so I let Lochlyn know I'll drive myself. I get to Lochlyn’s at four thirty, that unsettledness driving me out of the dorm far earlier than expected. Having not seen Wes since the night of the party, I have no idea what’s going to happen.

Is he going to act like nothing happened? Is he going to be flirty? It’s making my hands tremble and my mind go haywire.

Everybody bustles around while I sit on the couch, avoiding the busy kitchen. It takes me a minute to realize that I, too, have a contribution. I lay all the candy out on the table, trying to make them seem appealing.

Lochlyn and Shay steadily bring plates from the kitchen to the table. There’s one plate of pigs in a blanket, a veggie tray, bruschetta, mozzarella sticks, and Rice Krispy treats.

I’d wonder how four people are going to eat all this food, plus the popcorn and candy, but I’ve seen Lochlyn eat. And I imagine Wes isn’t too different.

We all settle into seats for the movie. Lochlyn and Shay curl up on the couch, with Lochlyn resting against the arm and Shay leaning into his chest.

I opt for a spot on the floor, my back against the couch. Everything on the table is within reach and scattered around, so it’s all interspersed. Before settling against Lochlyn for the long haul, Shay leans forward and grabs the sour gummy worms and jellybeans.

Wes comes in, holding two bowls of popcorn.

“Alright. Now that we have our priority snack, we can begin.” He hands a bowl to Lochlyn and Shay, and then settles on the floor next to me, snagging his Skittles from the table.

My spine straightens, and my shoulders pull back. I wasn’t expecting him to be near me. And yet his spiced scent wafts into my nose, and my body tingles in response. Which is wrong in so many ways.

When his knee grazes mine, I nearly jump out of my skin.

“You alright there, Chels?” He looks at me with a half grin on his face, something about it is extremely cocky, and I have a feeling he not only did it on purpose, but knows what his nearness is doing to me. Not to mention, the way he pulled me against him while we danced.

Okay. If he wants to play it that way. I can too.

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