What If You & Me (Say Everything #2) - Roni Loren Page 0,30
win. They never stop fighting.”
Hill set down his beer on the side table, a thoughtful look on his face. “I never thought about it that way.”
“Yeah, well, lots of people dismiss the horror genre as exploitative and cheap. But it’s been around so long for a reason. We get something out of being scared. It’s important.” She laid her head back against the couch. “And Andi will now step off her why-people-should-respect-the-horror-genre soapbox. Sorry.”
“Don’t be,” he said, his deep voice like distant summer thunder. “It’s good that you’re passionate about what you do.”
She lifted her head, trying to determine if he was being sarcastic or serious. “You have feelings on horror?”
“Not really. By the time I was old enough to be interested in exploring any of that, I lived with my aunt and uncle. They didn’t allow me to watch or read that kind of stuff.” He reached down and grabbed the handle on the recliner to lift the leg support. “Partly because of their religious beliefs, but more because I think they worried it would warp my brain or something.”
She wrinkled her nose. “Bummer. Did you go out and watch or read all the things once you were a grown-up?”
He reached down, absently massaging the knee above his prosthesis. “Not really. I guess I didn’t feel like I was missing out on anything. Plus, I used to see a lot of real-life horror at my job. Why come home and see more of it?”
Her lips parted. “So, wait, you’re telling me you’ve never really watched horror movies?”
“I watch thrillers sometimes,” he said, an unsure note in his voice. “Do superhero movies count?”
She sat up fully now, setting her beer aside, the shock of this new information making her voice rise. “Those don’t count. Thrillers are adjacent to but different from horror. So no Nightmare on Elm Street or Poltergeist or The Ring or Misery or—”
He laughed at her overt shock. “No. I guess I’m a horror virgin.”
He didn’t look like a virgin of anything. Those old-soul eyes of his looked like they’d seen the world a few times over. But she believed him on this one. “Unacceptable. We have to fix this.”
He shook his head. “We do not. I promise. I’m good.”
“Nope. This cannot stand.” She frowned. “Unless you’re scared of the movies, because then I wouldn’t force them on you and—”
“It’s not about being scared,” he said, cutting her off. “I don’t think anything in a movie would be scarier than some of the stuff I’ve seen on the job.”
“Then we’re fixing this. You have no idea what you’re missing out on.” She got up and walked to her shelves of DVDs, already scanning, determining. “We need to break up all that rom-com brainwashing you got. Plus, watching movies gives me much-needed writing inspiration, and it will be more fun to do that with company. I need to put together a syllabus.”
“A syllabus?” he asked, amusement in his voice. “Andi…”
But it was too late. The starter pistol had been fired. She was off and running. “This could be a great series for the podcast. Me introducing a horror virgin to the classics. It could be—”
The chair squeaked as he shifted. “Whoa there. You went from zero to podcast series in two point three seconds.”
She turned to him, her mind moving too fast for his protests. “You said you had some free time on your hands, right? This could be a fun project, and my podcast could really use an injection of something new and lighthearted. I’ve been wanting to put something fun in the Friday slot.”
“Andi.”
“And have you heard your voice?” She put her hand on her bookcase of DVDs. “I mean, it’s like melted butter and molasses had a baby. I would listen to anything in your voice. You could read me the ingredients on the cereal box and I’d be enthralled.”
His eyebrows arched. “Uh, thanks?”
She rolled her lips together, realizing she’d let a little more than she’d planned slip out. “It’s just, your voice is made for radio—or in this case, a podcast.”
“Andi, I don’t know anything about podcasting or being a guest on one,” he said, his voice calm but firm. “I think this is one of those late-night ideas that will look ridiculous in the morning.”
She put on her best pretty-please expression. “Come on. Don’t shoot it down yet. Late-night ideas can be the best ideas. It’s why I keep a notebook and a lighted pen next to my bed. This could be fun.