Marcus heldmy hand as we climbed the stairs and headed up to his room. I'd never been in here before, but the inside felt like him.
The walls were black, with large, old movie posters framed and hung all over. All of the furniture was a dark wood, including the massive four-poster bed in the middle. All of the blankets were the same black as the rest of the room.
Across from the bed was a TV set up and an old boxset with a VHS player hooked up to it.
"I haven't seen one of these since I was a kid," I said.
"It's best to watch old movies on," he said. "It makes it more authentic."
And that's when I spotted the giant shelves against the wall with the door, stacked to the brim with VHS tapes.
"Wow," I said, walking to the wall to examine them. "Are these all horror movies?"
He nodded. "I've been building the collection for quite some time."
"It's impressive."
"Do you want to watch one?" he asked.
"Yeah, something paranormal would be great." I wasn't really in the mood for realistic horror.
"I'll get it set up if you want to get in the bed."
I nodded, heading over and stepping up into the bed.
His salted caramel scent lingered on everything, only adding to the cozy warmth. It didn't take him long to pick a tape and turn everything on. That oddly specific static sound, which felt extremely nostalgic, tingled my ears as he turned on the old TV.
He finished putting it in and then came around the bed on the other side. We adjusted until we were comfortably cuddled, my head on his chest as we each looked at the screen. The movie was in black and white, only adding to its dramatic effect.
As we lay like that, I felt a lot of my anxiety slip away. Marcus made me feel safe. The whole pack did, in a way I'd never felt.
"When was this one filmed?" I asked.
"The 1940's. It's one of my favorites."
"I like it too."
We continued to watch, and for a little while, I thought I was comfortable enough to fall asleep.
Until there was a sudden crash and a flash of light from outside that had me almost crawling inside of Marcus' skin. My fingers dug into him so deeply that I had to be hurting him, my breathing turned stuttered.
"It's just a storm," he said, rubbing small circles around my back.
"Yeah, you're right, I'm sorry."
"You don't need to apologize," he said.
I felt like I did, though. After that, I couldn't relax. Even as I tried to watch the movie, I kept shifting around and felt my eyes dart to every dark corner, scared of what might be there.
"Eva, are you okay?"
"I'm fine," I said quickly.
"Don't lie to me," he said seriously. "I won't tolerate it."
I sighed loudly. "I'm just on edge still, but I think I'll get over it."
He rubbed his thumb down my cheek. "I have something that could help you relax."
