It was a warm spring evening and the windows in Jay’s apartment were open to let in the breeze. Diana could hear crickets chirping outside the screens as she carried in a tray of appetizers and set them on the table. She still lived with Cindy, but she spent most of her time here. And Paul spent most of his time with Cindy.
“Are we ready?” Jay came into the living room, still toweling his hair. He caught sight of Diana and whistled. “Nice dress!”
“Don’t you remember it?”
“I know I’ve seen it before. But I can’t remember where I first . . . Elaine’s Boutique! Right?”
Diana nodded. “Paul told them we wore their dresses, and they gave them to us. Cindy’s wearing hers, too.”
“Are you nervous about seeing Paul’s film?” Jay slipped his arm around her shoulders.
“A little. I’m not sure I really want to relive last Christmas. I keep telling myself that it’s just a movie, but I still have nightmares when I think about . . . him.”
Jay nodded. “And I still have nightmares when I remember looking back, and discovering that you weren’t there.”
“Is that why you call me on the phone at three in the morning?”
“Sometimes.” Jay looked a little sheepish. “But other times, I just want to hear your voice.”
Diana stood up on her tiptoes to kiss him, but before she could do more than brush her lips with his, the doorbell rang.
“I’ll get it.” Jay sighed. “That’s got to be my bratty kid sister. She’s always had a talent for interrupting me at exactly the wrong time.”
“Hi, guys!” Cindy breezed in and tossed Jay a bag of chips. “Where’s the dip, Paul?”
“It’s in here.” Paul lugged in a backpack, and put it on the couch. “Hold on a second. I’ll find it.”
Diana looked at Cindy in surprise. “You made dip?”
“I sure did.” Cindy grinned at her. “I found the recipe in a cookbook. You chop up all these things really fine, and then you mix them with sour cream and mayo.”
“Wait a second.” Paul pulled out a container of dip and frowned. “This dip is from the grocery store. It says so, right on the label.”
Cindy nodded. “I know. But I did make some dip. It just tasted so awful, I threw it out.”
“Come on . . . it’s almost time.” Jay glanced at his watch. “Let’s grab some snacks and get ready.”
They filled their plates with food, and found comfortable places to sit. Then Jay turned on the television, and they all settled down to watch.
Diana held Jay’s hand tightly as Paul’s documentary came on the screen. He’d changed the title to “Slay Bells,” and the station had been promoting it all week. Diana had been anticipating this moment, and she still wasn’t sure how she’d react. Would she be terrified, all over again? Would reliving their weekend of horror give her new and even more frightening nightmares?
The story was compelling, and Paul’s work was brilliant. Diana realized that at the very beginning. There wasn’t a sound out of any of them as they watched the first hour, and then the second. When it was over, they all applauded and talked about the movie for awhile.
After Paul and Cindy had left, Jay pulled Diana down on the couch and draped his arm around her shoulders. “I know you told Paul you loved it. But what did you really think?”
“I thought it was great.” Diana smiled up at him. “And I wasn’t a bit scared.”
“Why not? It was scary, wasn’t it?”
Diana snuggled up a little closer, and leaned her head against Jay’s chest. “Of course it was scary. It was almost like being there, with one important difference.”
“What was that?”
“It was on television. And they never kill off the good guys. They have to keep them alive for the sequel.”