The spread was incredible—delicious food everywhere. They ate and chatted, passing dishes around to each other. This was Abigail’s first time eating like this, especially with friends.

For the first time, she realized how wonderful life could actually be. Cooking ingredients with a few close friends, then eating dinner together while watching a movie—it was pure bliss.

Abigail was completely absorbed in the film when she noticed Sebastian gripping his utensils so tightly that the veins in his hands were standing out.

James picked up a plate of beef and suddenly turned to Sebastian. “You’re sitting closer. Can you pass this to Abigail so she can try it?”

Sebastian silently took the beef and placed it in front of Abigail.

“Thanks.” Abigail glanced at him briefly. She noticed how tense he looked and couldn’t help asking, “Are you scared of horror movies?”

“That’s ridiculous,” Sebastian said immediately.

“Oh, okay.” Abigail went back to eating and watching the movie with complete fascination.

James leaned over to Sebastian’s ear and whispered, “Keep acting tough. Just don’t turn off the lights when you go to bed tonight.”

“Can you shut up?” Sebastian looked down after saying this.

The creepy horror movie soundtrack was playing right in his ears, and it sounded absolutely awful. He was gripping his utensils so tightly he nearly snapped them in half.

Abigail didn’t eat much—just a little bit of everything—then put down her plate. When she went back to watching the movie, she couldn’t help sneaking another look at Sebastian. He caught her red-handed.

Sebastian immediately asked with a forced smile, “What are you staring at?”

Abigail could tell he wouldn’t normally say something like that, but tonight he seemed especially on edge. She quickly looked away and smiled faintly without thinking. ‘So he does have a weakness after all,’ she thought.

Near the end of the movie, she grabbed the remote and hit pause. “Have you guys ever heard any real ghost stories?”

Warren glanced at Sebastian, who had gone rigid again, and tried not to laugh. “There are real ones?”

Abigail said seriously, “Of course there are. These horror movies are boring compared to the scary stories I’ve heard. We should try an escape room sometime when we get the chance.”

“That sounds awesome! I’ve wanted to do that forever!” James said immediately. He’d wanted to go before, but Sebastian had always said no, so they’d never actually done it.

Warren chimed in, “I’m up for it.”

Abigail looked at Sebastian. His throat bobbed as he swallowed hard. “We’ll see if I have time.”

“Okay.” Abigail closed out of the movie.

“You’re not watching anymore?” James asked immediately.

Abigail stood up and started clearing her plate. “I thought it was pretty boring. Not that great.”

As she carried her plate to the kitchen island, James whispered, “Looks like you dodged a bullet there, buddy.”

Sebastian shoved him away and let out a relieved breath. Now he could finally focus on eating the food.

Abigail headed to her room to shower first. The moment she left, James and Warren perked up.

“If she wants to go, you’ll just have to suck it up and go with her,” James said, bumping Sebastian’s shoulder while he was still eating.

“Do you think she’ll tell us real ghost stories later? I mean, does that stuff actually exist in real life?” Warren asked, his voice full of curiosity.

Sebastian kept his expression blank. “How would I know? I’ve never seen anything like that.”

“That’s what I don’t get. You’ve never seen—”

Before Warren could finish, Abigail came back out of her room. She looked at the three guys sitting there quietly and asked, “Want to hear some ghost stories?”

“I thought you were going to shower?” Sebastian put down his bowl, trying to sound casual.

“I remembered you’re not supposed to shower right after eating. You can get dizzy from the steam and pass out,” Abigail said, walking back toward them. “So, do you guys believe in ghosts?” she asked.

“I believe in science,” Sebastian said matter-of-factly.

Abigail glanced at him. “I kind of believe in it too, and I really enjoy hearing these stories. Back in school, I heard some that happened in our village. If you guys want to hear them, I can tell you.”

Warren and James could tell Abigail was definitely doing this on purpose.

Sebastian stayed quiet for a moment, then suddenly reached out and wrapped his arm around Abigail’s neck, pulling her against his chest. He looked down at her with a lazy smile, but his voice had a threatening edge to it. “Trying to scare me on purpose?”

Abigail tried to explain. “I really wasn’t…” Even as she said it, there was a faint smile on her face.

“Fine, so I’m afraid of ghosts. So what? You want to tell scary stories? Then keep going. Tell them until you actually scare me tonight, or nobody’s getting any sleep.” Sebastian didn’t let go of her, his tone deliberately menacing.

Abigail couldn’t help but burst out laughing.