For a long moment, nobody moves. We stay there, huddled together in our blanket nest, the blue light of the TV washing over us. I can still feel them all pressed against me, can still smell the mingled scents of honey-lavender, cherry, and strawberry, can still feel my heart hammering against my ribs.
Slowly, gradually, they begin to pull back. Selene lifts her head from my shoulder, her pink hair disheveled, her eyes still wide. Bianca releases my arm, stretching slightly, and I catch a glimpse of her pale stomach as her band tee rides up. Fiona's arms loosen around me, though she doesn't fully let go yet.
"Well," I say, my voice coming out more strained than I intended. "That was... something."
"I'm never watching another horror movie again," Bianca declares, though her voice is still shaky.
"That's what you said last time!" Selene immediately fires back, and just like that, we're laughing, the tension breaking like a popped balloon.
"This time I mean it."
"You said that last time too!"
We spend the next hour just talking about the movie, debating whether the twist was obvious, arguing about which characters were the dumbest, discussing plot holes with the kind of intense focus that can only come from people who've been genuinely freaked out and are now overcompensating with analysis.
Gradually, very gradually, my body returns to a state that could be called "normal," and I'm finally able to relax. The sensory overload fades to a background hum, and what's left is just the warmth and comfort of being with my family, all of us having shared an experience together, scary as it was.
Eventually, we decide it's time for bed. There's a round of goodnights, some teasing about who's going to have nightmares (Bianca insists it won't be her, despite evidence to the contrary), and we all disperse to our respective rooms.
I collapse into my bed with the kind of profound relief that comes from surviving an ordeal. My shift at the café, the family dinner, the movie… it's been a long day. A good day, but definitely long.
I'm just starting to drift off when I hear my door creak open.
"Adam..." Selene's voice is soft, almost hesitant in the darkness. "You awake?"
I force my eyes open, my brain sluggishly returning to consciousness. "Huh? What? Yeah, I'm awake, what's going on?" I whisper back.
She's standing in my doorway, silhouetted by the hallway light, still in her white strawberry-patterned pajamas. Even in my half-asleep state, I can see she's fidgeting with the hem of her shirt.
"...I can't sleep... Is it okay if I sleep with you tonight?"
I can hear a bit of genuine fright in her voice, and immediately, all the awkwardness from earlier evaporates. This is my sister. She's scared. That's all that matters.
"Awww... of course you can, sis," I say gently, sitting up and pulling aside the blanket. I pat the space beside me. "Hop on over."
Selene practically sprints across the room and launches herself into my bed, immediately snuggling close. Then she starts… gently punching me in the chest.
"Uh... what are you doing?"
"This is my way of showing affection," she grins, that playful smile returning to her face.
"Bruh... You show affection by hitting people?"
"Yep!"
"You need therapy."
"Probably."
But I'm smiling too, because this is just so quintessentially Selene. Scared one moment, back to her usual playful self the next.
We lie there in the dark for a while, just talking. She tells me about some drama at cheerleading practice, apparently, someone accused someone else of stealing their hair tie, which somehow escalated into a full-blown argument about respect and boundaries. I tell her about work, about how I'm slowly getting better but still feel like I'm one mistake away from disaster.
She talks about the new anime she's watching, something about a guy who gets reincarnated as a spear. I talk about the computer science club, about my AI trading program, about how I'm so close to finishing it.
"Wait..." I say suddenly, a thought occurring to me. "Since you're this scared... how do you think Bianca and Mom are doing??"
Selene's eyes widen. "Oh... Oh shoot! Yeah, you're right, they're probably not doing any better than me."
We exchange a look, and without another word, we're creeping out of my bed and tiptoeing down the hall to Bianca's room.
I slowly open the door.
The lights are off, but I can see a Bianca-shaped lump under her blankets, shivering.
"Bianca?" I whisper.
"Eep!!!" The pile of blankets jumps, and the shaking stops. Slowly, very slowly, Bianca emerges from her blanket fortress, her black and green-tipped hair sticking up at odd angles, her teal eyes wide and slightly panicked.
When she sees it's us, relief floods her face. "You scared me, you idiots."
"Sorry," I say, trying not to laugh. "You want to come to my room? We can sleep together tonight."
Bianca looks at me for a long moment, her expression unreadable. Then she nods slowly, climbing out of bed and immediately latching onto Selene's arm like a lifeline.
"Well, while we're doing this, let's go check on Mom as well..." I suggest.
We make our way to Mom's room, this weird little parade of horror movie survivors seeking comfort. The light is still on under her door, which is telling.
I knock softly. "Hey Mom, you okay?"
"Oh... Hi sweetie, yeah I'm okay, just a little scared from the movie."
We open the door to find her sitting up in bed, clutching a pillow, her long green hair slightly mussed. She looks relieved to see us.
"We were planning to sleep together tonight," I explain. "We thought you might be scared as well, so we came to check on you."
Mom's expression softens into something so warm and grateful that I feel my chest tighten. "Oh, sleeping together sounds like a wonderful idea!" The relief in her voice is palpable.
So that's how all four of us end up in Mom's king-size bed. It's the biggest bed in the house, but even so, we're a bit cramped. Mom lies on her back, and somehow I end up basically on top of her, my head resting on her chest, her arms wrapped around me. Selene claims my left arm again, and Bianca takes the right, both of them curled up against my sides.
We keep the lights off but the conversation going, talking about random topics in hushed voices. Selene describes a YouTube video she watched about a guy who tried to live like a pirate for a week. Bianca talks about a new tattoo design she's considering. Mom mentions a recipe she wants to try next week.
It's silly and sweet and exactly what we all needed after being scared by a horror movie that we definitely should have expected would scare us.
Gradually, the conversations trail off. The room falls quiet except for the sound of breathing. Selene's grip on my arm loosens slightly as she drifts off. Bianca's breathing evens out on my other side. Mom's hand gently strokes my hair, and I can feel her heartbeat, steady and calming.
"This is nice," Selene says softly.
"Very cozy," Bianca agrees.
Mom runs her fingers through my hair, and I feel myself starting to drift off. The conversation becomes quieter, more sporadic, just murmured observations and half-formed thoughts.
Selene's breathing evens out first. Then Bianca's. Mom's hand stills in my hair.
Despite the awkwardness, despite the physical closeness that would probably seem weird to anyone outside this family, I feel... safe. Comfortable. Loved.
And honestly? After the day I've had: the exhausting shift, the family dinner, the terrifying movie, this strange parade of checking on scared family members, this is kind of perfect.
I close my eyes and let sleep take me, surrounded by the three most important people in my life, all of us finding comfort in each other's presence.
Yeah. This was a good day.