Baby Steps

Cult Behavior

Jo's POV:

Surprisingly, I was actually quite productive sitting on Colton's floor. I managed to work through a few reading passage drills, and even completed a practice test. I counted that as a win. 

Colton had given up a while ago, and had spent the past 20 minutes trying to distract me. I was not going to let myself go down with him.

But after rejecting his many attempts to get me to give up, my stomach gave me away and growled. Loudly. 

"Aha, I knew it was snack time," Colton cheered. "I'll be right back."

With that, he got up and disappeared out the door. I sighed, knowing my study time was now officially over. I started to organize my things, not wanting to make a mess on his floor. 

After a few minutes, Colton came back into the room, holding a giant plate of nachos. My mouth watered at the sight.

He grinned. "Damn, if I knew I'd get this reaction, I would've called snack time a while ago."

I rolled my eyes. He walked passed me, giving me a playful kick as he passed. He settled on his bed, holding the plate of nachos on his lap as he leaned back into the pillows. He patted the seat next to him, indicating me to come sit.

I looked at him hesitantly. "I don't want to get crumbs on your bed," I said, lamely trying to find an excuse to put some distance between us.

it was Colton's turn to roll his eyes. "Trust me, these sheets have seen worse," he joked. I slightly grimaced at the thought of all the DNA probably on this bed. Gross.

I slowly got up and crawled onto the bed next to him. His eyes watched me as I did, making me nervous under his gaze. I finally settled next to him, keeping a safe distance between us.

"What, do I smell?" He joked.

"Only slightly."

I could feel him chuckle, shaking the bed slightly. Next thing I knew, his arm slung around my shoulders, pulling me into him. 

I jolted at the contact. My stomach was twisting and turning, feeling the heat of his body next to mine. The hand around me played slightly with my hair, sending my heart into shock. 

He clicked a remote and like magic, a TV popped out of his dresser. What the actual fuck.

He turned it on and started scrolling through Netflix. "What do you like to watch?" he asked.

I thought long and hard. I hated these types of questions: what music do you like, who's your favorite artist, what's your favorite movie, etc. For some reason, it felt so personal, and the wrong answer could change everything.

"Uhh, I dunno," I said as convincing as I could. "What do you like?"

"Nuh uh, don't turn this back on me," he argued. "You pick."

"Fine." I grabbed the remote and started scrolling, until I came across something that looked interesting. "What about this?"

It was a documentary, Escaping Twin Flames, that seemed to be about people who left a cult. I loved documentaries, especially those that had elements of true crime. 

"Looks good to me," he agreed. "I didn't peg you for a documentary type of girl."

I shrugged. "It's interesting, learning about other people and what they go through. Even all the ugly stuff."

He turned it on, and we sat in silence, watching and eating until we had finished the whole thing.

"Wow," Colton finally spoke. "That shit's crazy."