HORNS (BoyXBoy)

Chapter 96

Chapter Ninety Six

I didn't sleep at all.

I lay still with my eyes closed for hours and hours and hours, drifting off, and at some point each of the guys got up to go to the bathroom and all of them left simultaneously to eat, but I just lay there, curled up against Echo, who was clacking away on the laptop he'd been given. My own headphones were plugged into the audio jack, which was fine, but still... I was aggravated.

I was too angry to sleep.

I also knew that everyone could tell.

I will admit that Echo was as helpful as he could possibly be, though, even if his attention was divided elsewhere. When he wasn't typing in something new to watch on MeTube his hand was always on top my head, petting it and caressing my ears with big, comforting fingers. It calmed my boiling heart a bit, as if his touch had the power to lessen the storm brewing inside me.

Eventually, Jun came back into the room and crawled into bed on my other side.

He and Echo talked for a bit in quiet tones about me, mostly about a book they'd both read and found interesting, and then the laptop had been put away and they'd cuddled up close to me. I knew that Jun knew I was wide awake but I was somewhat glad he said nothing about it, mostly because it stayed that way for the entire night.

I wound up regretting it, too, since I was thoroughly exhausted by the time six in the morning rolled around. It was only when I started hearing birds chirping that I opened my eyes, peeled myself out of my bed, tucked in my boyfriend and my Korean buddy, and headed down to the bathroom with an arsenal of fresh clothes and grooming supplies.

The house was silent since it was still pretty early.

I had a passing thought of my father and flicked my ears up, listening for him or any of my packmates, but I didn't really catch anything. It bothered me a bit since I hadn't seen very much of Donny, Rex, Dave, Buck, Randal, Dane, Max, Darryl, or even Sam lately. I made a mental note to ask about them when I got back.

I yawned when I hit the bottom of the staircase and turned right, planning on waltzing up to the bathroom door and opening it, but before I could it swung open all on its own and whacked my legs. I stepped back when Ralph, Nikki and Erika's little brother and Aerin's grand nephew, sleepily peered around it and looked at me with sleepy blue eyes and messy brown hair.

"Oh, hi Horst," he mumbled, straightening his angry-faced penguin pajamas. "Good morning."

"Morning, kiddo," I greeted, setting a hand on his head and mussing his bedhead up. "You just wake up?"

"Yeah, I fell asleep on the big couch in the sitting room with Uncle Richard," he said, giving me a slightly disheveled stare. "He's not doing too well so I wanted to hang out with him and make him feel better. Gruncle Aerin says that being nice is always the best thing you can do."

"He would," I sighed, but at the kid's confused look I changed the subject. "So, your birthday's coming up soon, right?"

"Yeah, I'm turning thirteen next month," he told me, smiling sleepily. "I asked dad if we could all go swimming at a pool for my birthday, including you guys, and he said he'd think about it. I'm pretty sure you'll be busy when it happens but if you aren't, please come. It'll be fun!"

"It's a deal," I promised, patting him. "I gotta get ready to go, so I'm gonna hop in the shower now. Where're your sisters? And your folks?"

"I think Mom and Dad are still sleeping in the guest cottage," Ralph said, pointing towards the front doors, then he turned with a shrug. "Nikki went somewhere in her car and Erika is hanging out down by the beach with Kip. I'm pretty sure everyone else is in the huge pillow room."