Leave The City (Book 8 of Adopted by the Josephs)

56. Samantha

"Are you thirsty?" I asked.

"Um, a little," Dylan said.

"I'll get drinks," I said, jumping up and going into the kitchen.

"Do you need a hand?" He asked.

"No thanks. Coke, Sprite or uh... that's it," I said.

"Umm, a Coke is fine, thanks. Want me to open the chips?"

"If you want," I said.

I carried his Coke and my Coke Zero into the living room with the bowl of popcorn. I sat back down on the couch and handed Dylan his drink.

"Thanks," he said.  I smiled. I sat back down and Dylan started the movie. I sat back on the sofa and pulled my left knee up.

We shared the chips and the popcorn, and I had my hand beside me on the sofa. Suddenly, I felt Dylan's hand touching mine. I looked over at him and smiled shyly. He smiled back. His hand covered mine and at first I froze. But he didn't do anything more, so I relaxed and kept watching Jack Nicholson's character's descent into madness. Dylan's hand slowly enclosed mine and I let him. I smiled at him again and he smiled back.

We kept watching the movie.

"Everything good?" Uncle Brendon asked as he came into the house and passed through the living room.

"Huh?" I said, sitting up. I looked down at my hand and pulled it away from Dylan's. "Yeah. Everything's fine."

"How's the movie?" Uncle Brendon asked.

"It's pretty good," I said. "Creepy."

Dylan smiled.

"Well, if you get scared, Penny Lane, Bogart or Dylan are right here for you," Uncle Brendon said. The dogs had curled up on the floor near us.

"Are you equating Dylan to the dogs?" I asked.

"No, of course not. Just saying. I'm going to go out to my studio for a bit but your aunt is going to be in the kitchen. If you guys want anything, feel free. Sam, just remember to bolus," Uncle Brendon said.

"You say that like I haven't been diabetic for nearly ten years," I rolled my eyes while smirking at him.

He winked at us and went back outside.

Aunt Sarah came in a few minutes later.

"Hey guys. You ate the popcorn?" She asked.

"Yeah," I said. Dylan was holding my hand again. I saw Aunt Sarah smile.

The movie ended and I stared at the screen.

"So?" Dylan said.

"I don't understand!" I said. "How is he in that old picture? Who is he?! Who was he? Was he always part of the hotel? I. Don't. Get. It!"

Dylan laughed.

"You could probably go down a deep rabbit hole with all the theories online," he laughed. "Some think that the hotel 'got' Jack, and therefore he's now a permanent part which means he's always been a part of the hotel. Some think he might be descended from one of the caretakers from the early 1900s. It's kind of crazy the things people came up with. There's even a documentary about the movie. It's kinda cool."

I smiled.

"It was a great movie though, thanks, Dylan. I don't think I'm going to sleep well tonight," I laughed. He did, too.

We chatted for a little while, Aunt Sarah bustling about in the kitchen and Uncle Brendon wandering back and forth.

"I should get going," Dylan said. "My car has a curfew."