Rock All Night

67




Ryan and I joined Derek and Killian a few minutes later. They were lounging separately on two twin beds, passing a joint back and forth between them. A candle sat on an inn table between the beds, its single flame the only thing illuminating the room.

“Why is there a candle?” I asked in a freaked-out voice.

“It’s pretty,” Killian said, and began giggling again.

In my mind’s eye I saw the candle flame jumping to the curtains, and the whole cabin catching fire, and the rescue team finding my charred body the next morning amongst the ashes.

“I don’t like it,” I whimpered.

“It’s fine,” Derek said as he tried to hold in a lungful of pot smoke.

“It’s going to burn down the cabin,” I whined.

“No it’s not – ”

“Guys, let’s put out the candle, okay?” Ryan said. “It’s making Kaitlyn nervous.”

“But – ”

Before anybody could object, Ryan bent over and – puff! – the candle was out.

I have never been more grateful for anything in my life.

“Jesus Christ,” Derek muttered.

“Derek – ” Ryan warned.

“Okay, okay,” he sighed. “C’mere, Kaitlyn.”

I walked over to him and laid next to him in bed, and suddenly I felt much better. He passed off the joint to Killian, then held me.

Finally, the comfort I had wanted so badly, from the man I truly wanted it from.

I snuggled into his arms and just lay there.

Ryan turned on a lamp and kept quiet as Killian and Derek talked and laughed in the semi-darkness.

At one point I had to get up to go to the bathroom.

But I knew that if I left that bed, something terrible was going to happen.

“Killian,” I whispered.

“What, luv?”

I held out my arm. “Come over here.”

He frowned, but he got up off his bed and came over.

I took hold of his right hand and joined it with Derek’s left.

“Ryan,” I whispered.

“What?”

“Come here.”

He chuckled and came over to the bed.

I took his hand and put it into Derek’s right.

“I have to go to the bathroom. Don’t let go, okay?”

Everybody was laughing by this point.

Everybody but me.

“Promise!”

“I promise,” Ryan said.

Killian couldn’t stop giggling.

“I don’t f*ckin’ believe this shit,” Derek hooted.

I started to get upset. “Derek – ”

“I promise, I promise. Jesus.”

I got up off the bed and crept to the bathroom.

Right before I closed the door, I peeked out.

“Don’t get off the boat,” I whispered, deadly serious.

That brought the house down.

Confused at their reaction, I closed the door and went about my business in the dark.

They were still laughing when I came out.