What Has Become Of Me?

“Tada!”, Seb cheers after finishing his ridiculous happy dance.

“So is Nathan coming?”, I ask.

“Oh right”, Jett says dragging out the word as if he had completely forgotten the existence of his alpha.

“Can I call him this time?”, Chase asks with a grin.

Brian just shrugs, studying the snacks piled on the kitchen island then rearranging them into an order I can’t decipher.

“But I want to”, Seb whines.
I sit up on the bench beside Dom to watch this all unfold. If I sold tickets for people to watch these guys go about their days I would make a killing. Probably be a millionaire by the end of the month.

I’m snapped out of my plotting and scheming when Jett whips out a slim black phone from his pocket but only manages to dial three numbers before Chase snatches it from him. Seb leaps at Chase as if to steal the phone but Chase uses his height to hold the phone just out of the smaller man’s reach over his head. After nearly five failed attempts to grab the phone Seb puts on his infamous pout and crosses his arms over his chest.

“You guys never let me”, Seb whines before sulking off to stare at his ‘Krazy Lemon’ bottles.

Chase dials the rest of Nathan’s number and my keen hearing picks up the sound of it ringing through the phone.

“Hello?”, Nathan answers.

Chase makes no noise. The room falls silent as he reaches across for the jar of peanut butter Dom had brought. Holding the jar close to the receiver, Chase opens the jar with a pronounced clicking sound of the seal breaking. Chase then just disconnects the call and flips the phone back to Jett.

“Five, four, three, two”, Jett begins to count down but doesn’t even reach one before we hear someone crash through the front door.

In the time of about two seconds; Nathan sprints into the kitchen knocking poor Seb over, snatches the peanut butter from Chase and throws himself up onto the bench beside me. It isn’t until Nathan has already taken a glob of peanut butter on his finger and shoved it into his mouth that I notice his complete lack of clothing. I feel some heat rise to my cheeks probably betraying me with a pink tinge of a blush and I immediately bring my eyes back up to his face.

I quickly scan the guys’ faces and see that Dom has noticed my stupid blush. He wiggles his eyebrows at me and opens his mouth to say something but thankfully a voice cuts him off.

“Isn’t anyone going to help me up?”, Seb asks still lying on the floor just as he had fallen when Nathan entered.

We all shake our heads.

“Then fine! Meanies. I’ll stay here all night”, Seb declares.

Jett rolls his eyes with a sigh before walking over and offering Seb a hand. Seb smiles and lets Jett help him up.

“Now let’s get this party started”, Brian says.

I’d actually forgotten he was here.

“But Annie hasn’t picked the movie yet” Seb says.

Nathan laughs and shakes his head.

“God luck”, he murmurs before continuing to eat his peanut butter.

“To the room thingy where the movie thingy is put!”, Seb yells as he jumps onto Jett’s back.

Jett struggles and finally frees himself from his little living backpack causing Seb to hit the floor once again.

“Owie!”, Seb yells rubbing his bum in which he had fallen on.

“Seb, you can’t say that wasn’t your fault”, Jett tells him.

“But you hurted me!”, Seb yells back with a childish tone.

“Come on, those pair will argue all day”, Chase says grabbing my hand and pulling me off the bench.

“Where are we going?”, I ask as he drags me from the kitchen.

“To get movies”, Chase replies releasing my hand to wrap his arm around my shoulders to guide me.

We walk down the hall and I can still hear Seb arguing with Jett.

“Here we are”, Chase says as he swings open a door that was left open slightly.
Inside there are a total of three bookcases that reach the ceiling leaning against the walls. Instead of books on the shelves, there is film after film.

“This is Brian’s DVD collection?” I ask astounded.

“Most of it”, Chase tells me, smirking at my amazed expression.

“But it’s so massive”, I say trying to take in some of the titles.

“So I’ve heard from all the girls”, Brian responds smugly suddenly standing behind me.

Chase rolls his eyes thinking I couldn’t see him out of the corner of my eye.

“Yeah, yeah; that’s why it’s such a disappointment when they finally get to your bedroom and you’re the complete opposite of your collections”, Chase replies causing me to laugh softly.

Innuendo seems to be the only humor that flies with this group. Brian rolls his eyes but leaves the room.

“Right then, what sorts of films do you like?”, Chase asks leaning against the only free wall, which ofcourse is the one with the door.

“Good ones”, I reply with a nod.

“Really? Me too!”, Chase says in the most girly voice he can muster with three quick jumps in the air, “we should so be bffs!”
I roll my eyes.

“What movies do you like?”, I ask.

“Not sure but I do know I don’t like bad ones”, Chase replies coming to stand beside me gazing at the first bookcase.

“I’ve got a question”, I say as a thought hits me.

“I might have an answer”, Chase prompts.
“What on earth was Nathan doing before if he turned up here without clothes on?”, I ask wondering why the boys hadn’t absolutely hammered him with jokes about his lack of clothes.

“Well to get here quick enough he had to morph and that is not good for clothes, my mother refused to buy me any clothing that I ripped at the age of seventeen”, Chase informs me.

“Your mother still used to buy clothing for you at seventeen?”, I ask with a raised eyebrow.
A smile threatens to destroy Chase’s moment of shock as he tries to think up a cover story to stay ‘manly’.
”Well, yeah I mean uh, only sometimes”, Chase says and I finally let a grin break out on my face.

I laugh as Chase gives me a soft push.

“Loser”, he mutters jokingly.

“You two finished making out and found a movie yet?”, Jett yells from somewhere, perhaps the living room.

“Not yet!”, Chase yells back before smirking at me, “Should we do what they want, then?”
Chase moves closer and I just smile.

“Alright, which movie should I pick?”, I ask and Chase has a small frown cross his features.

“I meant, uh, never mind”, Chase says shaking his head and returns to his post leaning against the wall.

Odd. Ignoring Chase, I raise up on my toes to try and reach a DVD on the top shelf which is so high I can’t see. Finally my fingers close around a case and I pull it down to have a look.

“Family Man”, I read then laugh, “Brian keeps these sorts of films?”

Chase raises his eyebrow in a silent question.

“Just not a movie I’d expect any guy to like”, I respond, “more for the girls.”

Chase nods and I return the movie.

“Check the second bookcase, those are recent films”, Chase tells me.

I scan through the titles.

“Hey! He has ‘Best In Show’”, I say loudly and snatch it up.
I spin around quickly but don’t realize in the time I was looking Chase had come up close behind me. My feet stumble over each other as I run into his chest. Without any balance I wait to hit the floor but Chase catches me.

“How’s this whole walking thing going for you?”, Chase jokes with a chuckle.
I try to keep a frown on my face but a small laugh escapes. Laughing, more at my own stupidity than Chase’s lame attempt at a joke, I find my balance again. Chase’s warm hand stay on my shoulders and the DVD in my hands becomes forgotten.

“Uh, thanks for the save”, I say awkwardly.

“You aren’t going to suddenly hit the floor if I let go, will you?”, Chase asks with a playful smile.

“Not sure”, I say slowly.

“Well then I have to do this then”, Chase tells me with a dismissive shrug before suddenly scooping me up into his arms with one arm beneath my legs and the other supporting my back.

“Hey!”, I protest trying to get away.

“I’m being responsible”, Chase tells me proudly with a goofy smile.

I swat his shoulder lightly with the DVD case before I suddenly remember it.

“Oh right, what about this one? It’s funny”, I suggest.

Chase scrunches up his nose.

“I guess that’s a no”, I say before reaching out to replace the case where it came from.

Chase steps forward so I can reach the shelf and I continue my hunt.

“’Transformers’?”, I suggest.

“Which one?”, Chase asks.

“The first one”, I respond.

“Nah”

“Alright, the second?”

“Of course not”, Chase says.

“Then why bother asking which one if you are just going to say no to both?”, I ask shaking my head.

Chase just shrugs.

“How about ‘American Werewolf In London’?”, I ask with a smile.
Chase gives me an unamused look and my smile vanishes. Did I do something wrong?

“Just no Anika”, Chase says.

“What?”, I ask confused as to what I did wrong.
Then that smile returns and I know he was just messing with me.

“Never seen it”, Chase tells me with a grin.

“You’re mean!”, I exclaim.

“Hurry up!”, Dom yells.

We both roll our eyes.

“Guys! Forget the movie! I just had the best idea ever! We should so totally”, Seb stops mid-sentence after having raced into the room talking a mile a minute.
He looks at us and frowns.

“Jett!”, Seb yells so loud I bet the next street over can hear him, “You win!”

“Win what?”, I ask.

“He bet me you two were in here getting all close and making out”, Seb grumbles before shuffling off.

Chase cracks up laughing and I laugh softly.

“Seb!”, I call after the boy like man and he peeks his face back in the door, “What was your idea?”

His eyes light up and he bounds in the door.

“Well! I was thinking since we always watch movies why don’t we do something different before putting another flick on?”, Seb says excitedly bouncing on the spot.

“Okay”, I say slowly prompting him to at least explain his idea.

“Twister!”, Seb yells.

Jett and Brian pop there heads in the room.

“Did someone say Twister?”, Brian asks.

“I am ace at that!”, Jett declares.

“We have to play!”, Nathan yells running past the two men already basically blocking the doorway.

“But does anyone actually have the game anymore?”, I ask

“It’s in my bag”, Seb grins.

All four guys race out of the room leaving me still trapped in Chase’s arms.

“You up for a game?”, Chase asks.

“I suppose”, I say with a shrug before I grin at him with new confidence, “but be warned I did gymnastics and haven’t been beaten yet.”

“Bring it on, honey”, Chase dares as he walks me out to the living room.

Already the boys have moved every piece of furniture against the wall leaving a large space for a mat that seems bigger than normal. Dom is perched on the coffee table with spinner in hand.

“Why is the mat so big?” I ask as Chase finally lets me stand on my own feet.

“We found it hard to play with the regular size”, Jett explains.

“Can’t help that I’m so big”, Brian says with a shrug of his shoulders.

“Whatever”, I say with a roll of my eyes.

“Game on!”, Nathan announces and Dom spins.