The Perfect Spiral (by Ashley Constantine) novel Chapter 103

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I awaken to an empty bed and a slightly ajar door. “Knox?” I call out, sitting up and scanning the room. I call his name again, but there’s no response. Where could he be?

I don’t rise from the bed, feeling utterly drained from the torrent of tears I shed last night. After everyone had left the room, it was just Knox and me for the rest of the evening.

I had continued to weep into his shoulder while he gently teased me. Each time I managed to stop crying, I’d think about the movie and the waterworks would start all over again. And now, I’ve woken up this morning. Alone. In my own bed.

It’s such an unfamiliar sensation, even though I’ve only woken up next to him a handful of times. I feel so secure with him, so protected.

I continue to lie there, waiting for him to reappear, when I hear footsteps ascending the stairs. Seeing that it’s Ben and not Knox, I’m met with his signature smirk.

“Sorry, I’m not Carter, sweet cheeks,” he teases, kicking the door shut behind him and crawling over the bed to lie beside me. I settle back down with him and we gaze at each other.

“I’ll just suffer with you then…” I tease back, eliciting an even wider smile from him.

He’s always such a cheerful person, even in the mornings, and sometimes it irks me to no end. He knows this too. That’s why he often exaggerates his morning cheerfulness just to get a rise out of me.

How can someone be that happy in the mornings? I’m barely functional until lunchtime.

“Aye! I’m a delight and you know it!” He ruffles my already messy bedhead hair, making it even more disheveled. He then rests his hands behind his head and stares up at the TV screen mounted high on my

wall.

The same screen where I watched people speculate about the identity of the girl in his Instagram picture, knowing full well who it was.

Pulling out my phone, I open the app and navigate to his profile. Ben leans over to look at the screen and I click on the picture he posted of me. Except it’s not the one where my face is hidden.

It’s the one where I’m smiling down at him from his lap, taken on that same day. The caption is what catches me off guard: My Love. I can’t help but smile at his sweet gesture.

I stare at those words, trying to absorb them but failing miserably. It just doesn’t feel real. None of it feels real.

“He’s got good skills, you look beautiful, sweet cheeks!” Ben compliments me, and I give him a questioning look, waiting for the inevitable ‘but‘. “Some good airbrushing skills too!”

He laughs and I punch him hard in the arm. He lays back down, cradling his arm and laughing at my

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Two hours later, we were in my room, crying our eyes out while watching The Titanic. The part where Rose is in the lifeboat being lowered into the sea always got us. The look Jack sends her had us all

wailing.

“Ohhhh, I just can’t! Oh my god…” Andy cried onto my shoulder, and we all joined her. The streams of tears from us all would put Niagara Falls to shame.

“Get on that fucking boat, Jack! Go get her! Oh my god, Jack!” Hannah screamed at the TV, and we all listened to his voice. Damn, DiCaprio was so hot in this movie.

Suddenly, my door burst open, and all the boys stood there in shock. They stepped closer, then heard the voices from the TV and started laughing at us.

“Get out, you morons! This is the best fucking bit of the–oh Jesus, I can’t right now. This is too much!” Andy dabbed at her eyes, but the tears kept flowing. We all continued to cry, our sniffles becoming more frequent, as we watched Rose dive off the lifeboat and run back to Jack. We started screaming “Go! Go! Go!” at the screen, cheering her on.

We all find ourselves entranced by the glow of the screen, our bodies huddled together on the bed. A comforting arm encircles me, pulling me into the warmth of a broad chest.

“I’ve got you,” Knox murmurs, his voice a soothing balm as I weep into his shirt. The scene where she awakens on the door, only to find him frozen and lifeless, clings to the door.

“There was enough room on that damn door!” All five of us shout at Rose, our hearts being tugged mercilessly by the romantic tragedy unfolding on the screen.

The guys chuckle at our outburst, but our collective glare silences them.

“So selfish!” Andy exclaims, rising to her knees in an attempt to reach the bowl of chocolates. Hannah is nestled against Ben, Andy is wrapped up in Kyle, and I have Knox’s arms around me, with Lena sprawled across my lap.

Cole occasionally tugs at her leg, earning a swift kick in the back. “Dad! Quit it! This is… such an

iconic movie!”

As the film reaches its heart–wrenching conclusion, our tears flow even more freely, only to be met with the guys‘ concealed laughter. In retaliation, we pelt them with popcorn for their insensitivity.

Let us weep openly at the most romantic movie ever made, and leave your judgment at the door, boys.

“I hate seeing you cry, but you’re still so beautiful when you do, baby doll. Even if it’s over Jack and Rose,” he teases, rolling his eyes and laughing softly.

I swat at his stomach and bury my face in his shirt, my tears soaking the fabric,

“Enough, Carter. This movie just gets to me, and every other girl!” He kisses my forehead, his hold on

Chapter 103 of 106: Chapter 103

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