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Aaron gripped Katelyn’s hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze. He could feel her gentle gaze on him, and he acknowledged that he was probably more nervous than she was. Regardless, it didn’t stop either of them from jumping when the door burst open.
“Aaron! And you brought Katelyn,” Dan smiled, posture light. She had on the most casual clothes he had ever seen her in– sweats that were far too long, which had to be a pair of Matt’s, and a plain tank top. “I’m glad you two could make it.”
“Thank you for having us! I’m so excited,” Katelyn said, so genuinely bright that Aaron had to take a second to look over at her. Aaron realized distantly that she probably only ever watched Dan play; he hadn’t considered that she would actually want to talk to her.
Dan opened the door wider. “Of course. Here, come on in. We’re just getting started.”
Katelyn led Aaron in, shooting him an excited glance. Aaron let her drag him through and into the living room of the girls’ dorm.
Inside, every other Fox was already there. Renee was busy helping Matt and Nicky lay out a large blanket on the floor, maneuvering corners to ensure it would be comfortable. Allison was in the kitchen, arranging and organizing bowls of snacks and drinks. Andrew and Neil were sitting in a corner, calmly speaking to one another, although each would occasionally throw out a word to Kevin, who was sitting on the couch with his laptop.
Katelyn looked over at Allison, then back at Aaron. Aaron stared at her.
“Can I go over?”
Aaron raised his eyebrows incredulously. “You don’t need my permission. Jesus Christ, Kate.”
Katelyn quickly kissed his cheek. “Yeah, yeah, but these are your teammates. I don’t want to make a poor impression.”
“There is literally nothing you could do that would give a bad impression. These are genuinely the worst people I know. They are the lowest of the low.”
Dan walked past them and raised her hands in mock offense. “You’re one of us, too, Aaron.”
Aaron glared at her. “Shut up, Wilds.”
Katelyn shoved his shoulder lightly. “She’s right, y’know. I’m going to go check if Alli needs help.”
Aaron frowned. “Alli? Since when were you on a nickname basis with Allison fucking Reynolds?”
She started walking away, giving him a small wave. Aaron was left standing alone, increasingly more confused, before he started towards the center of the living room.
Nicky, Matt, and Renee gave one another fist bumps as they finished the blanket setup. Nicky flopped to the floor, grunting at the impact, but he laughed up at the two of them. Matt followed his lead, and Renee walked over to Dan.
Aaron was unsure of what to do with himself, so he stood awkwardly on the side. He could hear Allison and Katelyn rambling on in the background. Kevin looked up from his laptop and took out one of his earbuds, staring at Aaron.
“You’re kidding me. You showed up, too?”
Aaron shrugged. “Yeah.”
Kevin shook his head. “You’re lucky you already have post-college plans. Your footwork needs improvement.”
Aaron stared at him. “Hold on, are you watching Exy replays right now?”
“Yes.”
“Oh my god,” Aaron said, awed. “You’re actually the biggest loser of the Foxes. I’m genuinely impressed.”
Kevin scoffed and put in his earbud, ignoring him. Nicky, at the sound of Aaron’s voice, jumped up from where he had been talking to Matt.
“Aaron!” He motioned Aaron toward him and Matt. When he hesitated, Matt nodded, copying Nicky’s movement. When Matt and Nicky had become genuine friends, he wasn’t sure, but the sight was one Aaron didn’t know how to react to.
Aaron sat down on the blanket. “Hi, Nicky. Hey, Matt.”
“Good to see you here,” Matt said, nodding.
“Aaron, you’ve seen Legally Blonde, right?” Nicky asked, wrapping his arms around his legs.
“A while ago,” Aaron responded. “Is that what we’re watching tonight?”
Matt grimaced. “It’s a tie between Legally Blonde and Catch Me If You Can. I’ve avoided bringing it up, since it keeps starting arguments.”
As if on cue, Renee sat down next to Nicky, criss-crossed. “It has.”
Dan sat down beside her. “Yeah. Actually, you and Katelyn are our tiebreakers. And last I checked, Allison was trying to coerce your girlfriend into voting for Legally Blonde.”
“I really don’t care what we watch,” Aaron said. “If Katelyn wants Legally Blonde, I won’t argue with her.”
“Aww,” Nicky cooed. “You two are so cute!”
“It’s not cute,” Aaron scowled. “If I say I want to watch the opposite movie she chose, she’ll be super sweet, and then she’ll hold it against me for two weeks.”
“Every day, I love Katelyn more,” Dan said. “I’ve never been happier to have a non-teammate at movie night.”
It didn’t take long before the Foxes started truly, genuinely arguing about which movie to watch. Despite their improvements in teamwork for Exy, they still struggled to come to agreements about the simple things, which apparently included deciding between Tom Hanks and Reese Witherspoon. Allison and Katelyn trailed into the living room while everyone was arguing, holding red Solo cups. Katelyn carried a paper plate with snacks loaded onto it.
Allison sat on the couch, ignoring the glare Kevin shot at her. “A decision has been clearly made?”
Dan pointed a finger at her. “You know damn well it hasn’t.”
“Katie,” Allison motioned Katelyn to the couch beside her.
Katelyn smiled but shook her head politely. She made her way over to Aaron and shoved the plate toward him, turning to the rest of the group. “What are we watching?”
Neil and Andrew got up from the corner and sat side by side against the back of the couch. When Nicky turned to Neil expectantly, Neil stared at him.
“Neil? Do you–”
“I’ve been asked by everyone here. I don’t have a preference.”
“Okay, but if you did?”
Neil glanced at Andrew, then turned back. “Legally Blonde.”
“Damn,” Katelyn said beside Aaron. “I wanted Catch Me If You Can.”
Matt reached over and gave her a fist bump. Allison scoffed loud enough for the whole room to hear it.
“We could just watch both,” Dan proposed, visibly disappointed.
“Absolutely not,” Aaron said at the same time as Katelyn said, “Yes!”
“We’re watching both,” Allison said, taking a long drink of what Aaron assumed was alcohol.
Aaron reached over Katelyn and grabbed her drink, suddenly needing the buzz. It was the main reason he came, anyway– Katelyn had insisted that they go and actually socialize, and Aaron was promised beer.
There was rustling as the group began falling into place. Matt put the DVD into the player, and Dan slumped back into the blanket in relief. Katelyn pulled Aaron’s forearm in the direction of the couch, trying to set them up against the back of the couch. He quickly swapped sides with her, ensuring that he wouldn’t have to sit next to Neil, and avoided Andrew’s gaze. Renee left for the kitchen and came back with a plate of food, while Nicky begged her to bring him a cup. At the mention, Kevin paused his replay and rushed off, coming back with a cup so full that Aaron genuinely wondered what his plan was besides liver failure at twenty-five.
Once everyone was comfortably situated in the living room, Matt turned out the light and lay down next to Dan, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. The film began playing, upbeat music loud enough to barely cover the sounds of the team. The TV was bright in the dark room, almost painful to look at, but Aaron stole sips of Katelyn’s beer and gratefully ate the salty chips she had grabbed from the kitchen for him. Katelyn happily snacked on the strawberries there, occasionally whispering to him her opinion on the movie.
Halfway through the movie, despite her enthusiastic engagement, Aaron could feel Katelyn slowing down beside him. She held herself a little smaller, shoulders less tense and relying more on the back of the couch for support. Aaron watched her chin fall slightly, eyes blinking and staying closed longer each time.
He sighed, more affectionate than anything– and if anyone asked, he would say otherwise– and reached over her shoulder and pulled her in. Katelyn hummed a quiet thanks, resting her head against his chest. Aaron quietly moved the cup and empty plate out of the way, making sure a mess wouldn’t be made.
It wasn’t long before Katelyn was breathing slowly, mouth just barely open, her auburn hair falling slightly out of its styled look. Aaron smiled and tried to turn back to the movie, but he found it hard to focus on.
When Aaron turned to look back down at Katelyn, he accidentally made eye contact with Andrew. He was resting against the back of the couch in a mirrored position to Andrew, except Neil– who Aaron swore had been awake two seconds before– was resting on his shoulder, eyes closed and expression loose, his auburn hair a mess atop his head.
Aaron paused. Andrew stared at him and Katelyn, expression impossible to decipher.
Aaron had a sudden sensation that could only be considered twin telepathy. He didn’t believe in twin telepathy, mainly because it sounded like a bunch of bullshit, but the dawning horror in Andrew’s eyes had to match Aaron’s jaw drop.
Andrew looked down at Neil against his shoulder, then back at Katelyn on Aaron’s chest. Outwardly, he made no sign he saw anything, yet Aaron knew he had seen the same thing he had.
They stared at one another for another long moment. Andrew was the one to break the contact, turning back to the court on the television. Aaron quickly turned back around, then found himself looking down at Katelyn again.
He got the feeling that if he looked to his right, he would see Andrew doing the exact same thing.