Happily Never After

“I have Hulk…Iron Mans 1 and 2…Captain America…Thor…Tron? Or what about Last Air bender?” I ask Sam as we drag my beanbag in front of the TV.

“Captain America!” I hear Carter call as he and Ethan appear at the bottom of the stairs with food.

“Iron Man’s better.” I retort automatically, eyeing Ethan as he sets his stash of food on the table and spots my beanbag.

“Beanbag!” He yells and dives on it.

“Mine!” I jump on it at the same time and end up on top of him. “Move!” I shove at his shoulder.

He looks up at me with those pretty green eyes. “No.” He pulls his arms out from under me and crosses them over his chest.

“Cat fight!” Sam yells, hopefully.

Carter snorts. “I should hope not.”

“What you worried Liz won’t make it?” Sam teases.

“Not in the least. I’m worried Ethan will get pummeled.” Carter tells him, and they both laugh.

Ethan spreads his arms in an offended expression. “Hello? We’re right here. We can hear you.”

“Minor witnesses, easy to deal with.” I growl softly as I bring my knees up under me while still holding him down with the heels of my hands.

Ethan smiles softly. “You wouldn’t dare.” He challenges.

“Uhhh…Ethan? I wouldn’t provoke her if I were you.” Carter advises.

“No, let him provoke her. This is way more interesting than Iron Man.” Sam argues.

Ethan looks up at me and raises an eyebrow, a smile playing at his lips. “Well?”

I smile and then bare my teeth, bringing them down next to his throat. “Any last words?”

“You’re enjoying this.” He says smiling, gesturing to my lips just touching his throat as my teeth are positioned around it, and to my hands placed on his chest to pin him down.
This brings me to an abrupt stop. I jerk my head back, push myself off him, and start walking upstairs. Carter and Sam shoot me a confused look. “Pickle head.” I say, obviously meaning Ethan.

Hopefully none of them notice the blush my cheeks have produced at Ethan’s ridiculous idea.

Upstairs, I grab my water bottle and the last bag of candy. Walking quietly back downstairs, I pause just before the bottle to listen to the boy‘s hushed voices.

“She probably would have actually bit you. You’re lucky she knows where to bite so it wouldn’t kill you or anything.” Carter says.

“But she does know exactly where would kill you.” Sam adds then pauses. “What in the world possessed you to suggest she was enjoying touching you?” He laughs.

“I’m not sure.” Ethan admits. “I had no idea it would offend her that much. Obviously it wasn’t true.”

“You don’t know that.” Carter says quietly. “We’ve known Liz a LONG time. She doesn’t always react the way you’d expect her to.”

“So what you’re saying…is Ethan might’ve been right?” Sam asks.

I can’t hear an answer so I assume Carter nodded.

“Liz, come on, or we’re watching Captain America.” Carter says in the same volume.

“And you won’t get dibs on gummy colors.” Sam adds and I hear shuffling as they take their usual spots on my little sister’s beanbag and my sleeping bag.

“So we’re watching Iron Man?” I ask as I come out and sit on my beanbag.

Ethan’s face has gone slightly red but he doesn’t say anything as he spreads out on the couch—and I might want to mention my bean bag is stationed next to the foot end of the couch. As we start the movie, I can see Ethan glancing at me out of the corner of my eye and I smile to myself.

~♥~

CRAAAAASSH!

I jump at the sound and automatically yell “I didn’t do it!” in sync with Sam and Carter.

Rubbing my sleepy eyes, I look around and catch my dad laughing to himself, holding cymbals.

“Dad!” I moan. “Why cymbals? Why not the guitar…or…or something…sane?”

“Because the cymbals seemed so much fun! Now get up sleepy heads! Time to get ready for school.” He answers as he starts to head upstairs, still chuckling to himself.

Running my fingers through my hair, I kick Sam in the ribs—he’s gone back to semi-sleep from his stupidly-chosen spot by my feet. Standing up, a blanket lands at my feet.

I did not put that there. “Who…?”

“You were shivering…you fell asleep first so Ethan and I put a blanket on you.”

“Speaking of which…he’s still asleep.” I look at him, one arm wrapped around himself, the other dangling off the couch.

I walk over and shake him gently. He blinks his sleepy green eyes up at me. “What?”

“Time to wake up. How did you miss the cymbals? Or Sam, Carter, and I screaming?” I ask curiously.

“I have no idea…wait, did you say cymbals?” He smiles and sits up.

“You gorillas change down here. I’m going upstairs.” I say over my shoulder as I start heading upstairs.

Why the heck does he get to look that cute when he opens those sleepy green eyes and brushes his floppy black hair out of the way? It’s totally not fair.

Just before I’m out of ear shot, I hear Sam start singing ‘I’m sexy and I know it’ and all of them laughing.

I laugh to myself. Sam has the strangest personality. Which is exactly why he’s Carter and my best friend.