Beside You

“We’re not watching this” Georg says throwing the DVD Tom had picked across the room before I could see it.

“Then what are we watching?” Reaghan asks picking up a piece of popcorn and eating it.

“I vote a horror movie” Bill says raising his hand. Gustav raises his hand slightly too, “I agree.”

“Yeah!!” Reaghan yells, she jumps up and sits on her knees.

All four guys look at me like they’ve suddenly had an epiphany. They exchange glances and then Georg speaks up, “Never mind, let’s watch something different.”

“What!? Why?” Rea asks sinking down on the couch.

“Avina doesn’t deal well with horror movies” Tom explains sitting next to me.

“Doesn’t deal well?” I groan, “I hate them!” I roll my into Tom’s shoulder and smack my eyebrow off the bone, “Ow” I whisper.

“How’d that feel smart one?” Bill teases from the floor in front of the couch.

“I don’t know, how’d me smacking you in the back of the head feel?” I tease back in a light tone. Bill just laughs but doesn’t respond as I rub my right eyebrow.

Reaghan grabs onto my left arm and pulls, “Please? Can we watch a scary movie?” she’s whining and begging like a three year old, “Please, oh please?”

All five of us look at her for a second and then we burst out laughing.

“I don’t care” she crosses her arms, “I want to watch a scary movie.”

I roll my eyes and decide to give in and humor them all, “I don’t care, just pick what ever.” I move closer to Tom putting his arm around my shoulders and burying my face. “But I get to pick out the next movie” I say with my finger raised and pointing up and my voice very muffled. I can hear them laugh at me as someone moves to find a good horror movie.

Tom starts poking me in the head and moving his arm. I try to ignore him and bury myself farther into his chest. “No” he says grabbing my messy bun and lightly tugging my head out of his chest.

“What?” I look at him.

“Are you okay?” he asks making reference t o the baby.

“I’m fine I just really, really hate horror flicks” I re-bury my head. I’m acting like a big baby and I know it. I hear him chuckle and I can tell he’s rolling his eyes at me. I hit him lightly in the chest, barely even making contact.

“Ow, what was that for?” he grabs my hand and presses it to his chest.

“Laughing at me” I pout, “And I barely touched you.”

“I know” he says, “I just wanted an excuse to hold your hand.”

“You’re so corny sometimes” I laugh.

“Just another part of my charm.” I can tell he’s smirking at this trying not to laugh.

“Got one!” I hear Georg triumphantly shout as he walks back into the room. I lift my head to see what movie he picked.

“What are we watching?” Gustav asks.

“The Grudge” Georg says in English, his German accent making it sound so creepy and messed up. I groan and pick my legs up off the floor and curl them up close to my body. I realized that Bill wasn’t where he use to be because I would have accidently kicked him if he had been.

“Where’s Bill?” I peek my eyes out of Tom’s shoulder. Before anyone can answer Bill walks into the room looking a tad frustrated.

“Tom” he puts a hand on his hip, “Where is your Skittle stash?”

“Oh, well um” he rubs his neck like he was trying to avoid his answer, “Caoimhe got a hold of it on the plane ride down here.”

“Got a hold of it or you gave it to her?” Georg questions, trying his damndest to get Tom in trouble. He was succeeding.

“You let her eat that huge bag of Skittles by herself?” I lift my head completely off of Tom and sit up on my own.

With his arm still around me he tries to explain, “It wasn’t a whole bag, it wasn’t even half a bag. You were asleep and she looked at with these eyes and told me she was hungry so I caved.” He said it all in a rush and then put his head down like he was disappointed in himself.

I place my hand on his far cheek and turn his head to face me, “Tom you have just failed the test that every parent fails at some point in raising their children.”

“What test?” he asks confused.

“The puppy dog face test” I pat his cheek. I snuggle back into his chest as Georg puts the DVD in the player, “At least now we know why she was acting a little sick, she was having a sugar hangover.”

“I want a sugar hangover” Bill whines, depressed that he doesn’t have any sweets at the moment.

“No Bill” Rea says, “You want a sugar high!”

“Yeah, but right now he’s having sugar withdrawals” Georg joins in.

“Okay” Tom interrupts, “Let’s stop before someone says he has to go to sugar rehab.”

“Ahh” Bill’s face falls and we could all tell that was what he was going to say next.

We all laugh at Bill and he grabs the remote from off the coffee table, “Just shut up and watch the movie” he orders pushing play on the DVD menu.

The movie starts and I bury my head in Tom’s chest for the final time.