Free Between Octobers Bk 1, Savor The Days Series by A.R. Rivera Page B

understand this. You’re
telling me that your mother told you to tell me to go pee?” Evan’s
accent was unmistakable. “It seems unlikely that she would direct
me—a grown up adult who has successfully coordinated his own
bathroom breaks for the past two decades—to tinkle.”
    I stifled a giggle and stepped closer to the
mouth of the hallway.
    “ We always go pee before we leave.
It’s the rules.” Caleb commanded.
    There was a pause before Evan spoke again.
“Cleaning house, eh? Oh, that cannot taste good.”
    I leaned through the archway into the living
room, curious at his sudden change in tone. Evan was in the same
spot I left him. The corner of the couch monster. Beside him sat
Caleb, grinning. He held a large, green, gooey mass atop one
extended finger.
    Evan’s hand went to his stomach. “I already
ate.” There was no trace of amusement in his pasty complexion.
However, Caleb’s sneaky grin told me he thought it was
hilarious.
    “Caleb,” I gasped, “go wash your hands!” He
jumped from the couch and ran towards me with his foul finger
flying high like a patriot’s flag.
    “I am so sorry.”
    Evan chuckled, raising his palms to indicate
no apology was needed and it made me feel worse. I grabbed the
biohazard-bearing hand and led the attached boy to the restroom.
Once he was properly chastised, cleaned and dried, I helped him
blow his nose. The mucus was plentiful but clear. Probably
allergies.
    After one last look in the mirror and a
quick talk with Lily—she had fed Evan some leftover enchiladas and
was struggling with having to wash the fork—we set off for the
theater on our non-date.
    The house lights went down just as we
entered.
    “ Perfect timing,” I
whispered.
    Evan was carrying the largest bucket of
popcorn they had as he led the way up the dark steps to the top of
the highest section. I insisted on buying the snacks, since he
sneakily purchased the movie tickets online before we left my
house. I couldn’t see anything except the lighted strips at the end
of each step, so I held onto his elbow until we reached our seats
in the center of the last row.
    “I hope you like scary movies. This one is
supposed to be really disturbing.”
    He settled into his seat and offered me the
popcorn. I nodded and accepted though my hopes sank. Fear had never
held much entertainment value for me. Not even as a kid. Anything
remotely spooky sent me into my dad’s lap.
    The movie started after a solid fifteen
minutes of previews, and that was the best thing I could say about
it. There were a lot of previews.
    In the beginning, things seemed alright
until I felt something buzzing near my ear. I swatted and Evan
flinched as my fingers caught the tip of his nose. I apologized and
asked what he wanted to say, but he just shook his head and I was
too embarrassed to pursue the topic.
    For the next ten minutes, my eyes were glued
to my lap as it opened with a gratuitous sex scene. As the film
went on, it seemed that sex and violence dominated the plot, which
was difficult to figure out. The only correlation seemed that
everyone being killed was either naked or getting there. At some
point I sensed I was being surveilled and turned to find I was
right.
    “What’s wrong?”
    “Nothing, why?” he whispered.
    “You’re staring.”
    He grinned awkwardly. “I was wondering what
your natural hair color is.”
    “Dirty blonde.” I knew the red locks were
too bright to pass for natural, which was part of the appeal, but
it seemed like a weird question, considering we were supposed to be
watching a movie. He misunderstood my expression and discreetly
popped a piece of gum in his mouth.
    Determined not to waste thirty bucks, I
really tried to watch the movie, but every few minutes there was
something I found revolting.
    An hour in, Evan offered an out. “Do you
want to go?” His minty breath made goose bumps on my neck.
    “Do you mind?” I asked, lifting my hand to
rub them away.
    He didn’t hesitate to