Arabella's POV

I was in the Man Cave with my dad, Mary, Henry, Charlotte, Jasper, and Schwoz and we were all eating dinner as we watched a very scary movie. I love scary movies even if they make me feel like my heart is gonna jump out of my own chest and explode; I love it so much. Violet isn't here and I don't think I need to explain why she isn't watching the movie with us.

As we watched the movie, Henry laughed at all the scary parts while the rest of us yelled in fear. I know Henry doesn't have many fears, but this movie would for sure scare everyone. My dad eventually paused the movie and we all stared at Henry with confusion.

"What's your problem, man?" He asked.

"Mm?" Henry said.

"What's your problem, man?" My dad repeated and I folded my arms, staring up at the blonde.

"Nothing... it's just a funny movie," Henry shrugged and this made all of us bicker and complain.

"What?!" I yelled in between the bickering and Mary tossed some popcorn at him.

"I'm sweating over here!" She exclaimed and Henry didn't enjoy the hostility.

"Woah, Woah," Henry cut in. "I'm getting a lot of negativity in my direction. Like the time I said I didn't like Fortnite."

"Wow!" I groaned as all of us complained again, "I think we need to have a talk, mister!"

"Bella reconsidered this marriage!" Marry chimed in and Henry made a face at this.

"Excuse me!" Henry yelled and Jasper sat back down in his seat. "That's enough! That's enough! That's enough!"

All of us became silent as Henry got up with his plate and walked over to the Bro-Maha Steaks box.

"Now, can we please turn the movie on, so I can laugh and enjoy my Bro-Maha Steaks?" Henry asked and I slammed my hands on the table.

"Hold on a second, babe!" I protested.

"That's another thing!" My dad called.

"Yeah!" Jasper added.

"Oh god!" Henry groaned as he ate his steak.

"I don't mind you laughing at our scary movie, but you're sitting here eating Bro-Maha Steaks right in our faces!" My dad complained and I nodded.

"It's not fair!" I argue.

"I offered you some," Henry remarked to me.

"No, you didn't," I objected and he casually looked away.

"Yeah, and all we have is candy, and popcorn, and sodas, and donuts, and taffies, and slushies! I mean what the heck man!" Jasper yelled with anger and this caused all of us to berate and complain at Henry.

"Do you have no heart?!" I yelled and Henry rolled his eyes at me. "You need to share!"

"Okay, first of all! I bought these steaks! Myself! With my own dad's credit card!" Henry reasoned as he sat down and we all became quiet. "Second of all... I offered to share some with Airy-"

"Don't touch me," I groaned as he touched my arm and he sighed.

"Third of all... I don't get scared," Henry admitted and I laughed as the others were heavily amused by that false statement.

"Yes, you do!" Charlotte remarked with a snicker.

"You get scared all the time with your tiny little shriek," Jasper nodded and I giggled.

"Oh my gosh, your shriek is adorable," I laugh and Henry blushes out of embarrassment.

"Yeah, it's like- ha HA!" Mary impersonated and my dad laughed at her.

"No, no, it's more high pitched it's like- HA!" Jasper corrected.

"No, no, you have to go even higher than that- HAH!" Charlotte cut in and I laughed.

"Nope, it's- HA HA!" I perfectly impersonated Henry shriek and he squeezed my arm. This made all of us begin to do Henry's shriek as Henry just talked amongst the bickering.

"NO! I only do that when I'm startled!" Henry objected, "okay? Not when I'm scared."

"startled?" I laughed as we bickered and complained again, "really?! You're gonna go with that lame excuse!"

"Well, I'm sorry, okay?" Henry apologized and we stopped. "I don't get scared. Alright, just calm down, buddy."

Lying doesn't look good on Henry, especially when I've seen him get scared. I know something he's scared of, and I'm honestly scared of it as well.

My dad shot up and stared at Henry, "challenge."

All of us gasped dramatically as Henry stood up to defend himself.

"Oh yeah! Dance battle!" Jasper cheered and I beamed.

"No, no," my dad denied and I pouted, sitting down again. "I already beat Henry in a dance battle."

"You did. I got served, I'm big enough to admit it," Henry agreed.

"Dang it, I wanted to see y'all do the Renegade," I complained and Jasper nodded.

"I know," he sighed.

"For this challenge, I'm gonna scare you," my dad told him.

Henry scoffed, "can't be done."

My dad slid up to Henry and gave him a sly look, "oh, yes it can. I'm gonna tell you a story so scary it will-" my dad paused awkwardly, "scare you."

"Bring it," Henry remarked and I just rolled my eyes.

"And if we scare you," my dad began, gesturing to the rest of us. "We get your whole box of Bro-Maha Steaks."

"Heck yes!" I cheered with the others as Henry laughed.

"You want my Bro-Maha Steaks!?" Henry laughed and this lead to a small bickering session until Henry stopped us. "I can't be scared!"

"Oh yeah? We got a bet?" My dad asked him.

"Yeah, we got a bet. You bet we got a bet," Henry agreed and I grinned, sipping on my slushie. "Let's hear your story."

"You not just gonna hear my story," my dad began and Schwoz crawled over my lap and stood on the floor beside the boys. "You're gonna see my story. In your brain!"

I let out a chuckle with Schwoz as Henry was confused along with Charlotte, Jasper, and Mary.

"What?" Henry asked.

"Schwoz," my dad said and backed up. "Get the Story Tank."

I let out a laugh as Schwoz cackled in Henry's face and poked his nose, before running off.

"I don't like that," Henry cringed and I sat on my knees and faced Henry.

"Boop!" I grinned, poking his nose and Henry's cringed turned into a smile.

"But I like that," he said and I giggled softly.

——

Sometime later, Piper came over cuz I texted her and she couldn't miss seeing her brother get scared. Schwoz got the story tank out and Henry was now floating inside the tank with a sensory suit on. Schwoz was explaining how it works, but I already know how it works so I wasn't listening. The rest of us were busy splitting the steaks between us all, which was way more important.

I did hear Henry say this-

"Well, you better make sure that monitor can read zero because that's how much Fearitol my body produces," Henry smugly said and I rolled my eyes, but just ignored him. "I said, well-"

"We heard you!" The rest of us answered together.

"Love ya friends and fiancé," Henry said back and I rubbed Violet's back as she drank from her baby bottle filled with milk.

Violet woke up during all the commotion and now she won't go back to sleep. Let's just hope these stories don't scare her.

"Quiet!" My dad exclaimed, "we're trying to divide up the steaks we're gonna win."

"Aww, that's cute, you actually think you can scare me," Henry smirked and I glared at the boy. "By telling me a story."

"I can scare you, love," I offered for him and my dad silently denied my offer.

"Later," Mary whispered to me and I nodded.

"Oh, Henry. Poor, simple, Henry," my dad sighed and sauntered up to Henry, who just received the sensory helmet. "I'm not just gonna tell you a story," my dad climbed onto the tank and gripped the edge. "I'm gonna make you live the story!"

My dad closed the helmet shut and turned to Schwoz, going up to the device to activate the helmet.

"I'm already not caring about what you're saying," Henry mentioned.

"Hey, we have something common!" I smiled and Mary chuckled.

"Maybe you'll care now," my dad said and activated the tank. Bubbles formed inside the tank and Schwoz and my dad began to laugh as Henry entered the alternate universe of storytelling.

From our point of view, nothing happened, but for Henry, he is actually gonna be living the real-life scenarios of the stories.

"So, where am I?" Henry asked.

"You're in the Story Zone, deep inside your brain," my dad informed him.

"Scary place," I added with a chuckle.

"When I tell my story, you'll experience it in the story zone as if it's happening to you," my dad explained and I sat down on the couch, holding Violet closer. "For instance, if I say you're standing near a camel made of chocolate."

Schwoz pressed a button and I assumed a camel made of chocolate appeared next to Henry.

"Okay, that's pretty sweet," Henry admitted.

"Is it?" My dad asked, "I don't think you'll find it very sweet when you realize that my scary story starts off outside of a house very much like your own house."

(Small note, I will not be explaining what's happening inside the stories unless Bella is involved in them. Just what they are saying cuz I'm lazy lol)

"Okay," Henry said, not getting what was happening.

"But the difference is, this house is haunted," my dad said in a scary voice and imitated a door creak sound. "Oooooooooooo!"

"I can tell that's you making a door sound with your mouth!" Henry called as my dad continued with his stupid door noises.

"No..it's...not," my dad denied with the same tone of voice.

I shared a look with the others and I sighed.

I hope this works

My phones buzzed and I checked it to see I had gotten an email from a college I applied for.

Oddly enough, I did apply for a few colleges and this one happened to be the one I wanted to get into most. Juilliard.

I saw it was from the principal and my eyes grew for a moment, but I decided to check it later and put my phone away.

I'll check it later when my fiancé isn't inside a tank with a sensory suit on. I say that like it's normal.

"So, Henry, how does it feel to stand outside a haunted house?" My dad asked Henry.

"I'll tell you how it doesn't feel-scary!" Henry told him. "So, I think you guys should give up now, cuz you're not getting my steaks."

"Is he scared at all?" Charlotte asked.

"No," Schwoz denied and Mary walked up to Schwoz, who was at the monitor. "His Fearitol levels are at one hundred which is like zero in Fearitol levels."

"Then why not just make it zero?" Piper suggested and I nodded.

Hundred equals zero in Schwoz's mind apparently.

"Hey, guys! My Boritol levels are off the charts!" Henry called, "so, can we please get on with the story?!"

"Yes, so you're about to enter a haunted house, but you're not alone," my dad explained to Henry and Violet let out a small burp which made me giggle.

"Excuse you," I smile and she made soft baby noises, which made my heart melt.

She's the only person that can make me smile at any time, besides Henry, of course.

"Why? Is there a ghost in the doorway or something?" Henry asked my dad.

"No, no," my dad denied. "There's no ghost in the doorway. But, there is someone else there, a friend." I imagined that Charlotte probably appeared in the story, "A handsome friend with huge muscles and eyes the smolder like a sunset, and hair like a waterfall-"

I groaned loudly with Mary and I heard Henry groan as well.

"Can we please get on with the story?" Henry pleaded with impatience.

"Sure," my dad agreed. "Follow me if you dare."

(Once again, just writing the dialogue here)

"I dare," Henry said and I grinned.

That's my fiance.

"Wait, you were supposed to follow me!" My dad complained.

"Looks like my house," Henry mentioned.

"Only spookier," My dad said with a creepy voice.

My dad does a good job at making things less scary.

"Same couch, though," Henry remarked.

"Well, this couch is kind of big," My dad said.

"Just saying that if the couch was different it could be scarier," Henry shot back.

"Story's not about the couch."

"Well, it could be."

I blocked out the story for a bit because Violet kept poking my cheek and we ended up having a poking war until I was informed that Charlotte, Piper, and I were gonna be involved with the story.

I gave Violet to Mary and stood with Charlotte and Piper.

Third Person POV

(Imagine Bella is in the story now)

Henry walked into his bedroom and plopped down his red suitcase. In the room, were three girls wearing blue dresses and had creepy smiles on their faces.

"Hello Henry," the three girls greeted and Henry shrieked as he turned to them.

"AHHH!"

-Real Life-

Ray gasped at the sound and Bella and Mary beamed.

"We scared him!" Ray cheered and turned on celebration music as everyone cheered with excitement and danced around happily.

"Take that, Hart!" Bella laughed.

Henry lifted up his helmet, "no, no, no, I was startled, not scared. Check the Fearitol Levels."

"Ha, startled!" Bella laughed and the others laughed with her.

"I was! Check it, Schwoz!" Henry defended and Schwoz checked the monitor with Ray.

"Was he scared?" Charlotte asked over the loud music.

"He was almost scared two seconds ago..." Schwoz paused and looked at the levels with a sigh. "No, he was never fully in the scare zone."

Everyone yelled in agony and anger as Ray stopped the music. Bella kicked the couch with frustration and knocked over a bowl of popcorn.

"You suck, Hart!" Bella groaned and Henry grinned.

"You love me, Manchester!"

Bella's cheeks flushed and folded her arms stubbornly.

"Also, real quick, big dog, is that your celebration music?" Henry asked Ray.

"Yeah, Third Eye Blind, Set My Charm Live. Why?" Ray asked him.

"It's just... random," Henry mentioned.

Ray scoffed, "it's not random, it's awesome."

This made everyone bicker and debate about the song until Ray cut them off and snapped at Henry.

"Just flip your visor down and make sure you're wearing pants." Ray scolded Henry and Bella smirked for some reason.

"I think you know I'm wearing pants," Henry remarked.

"Good."

"Great."

"Cuz, I'm about to scare them off," Ray told his sidekick and Bella sat down next to Jasper on the couch. "Flip!"

"Flipping!" Henry said and flipped his visor down.

"Okay, you're in your room, unpacking," Ray proceeded and the scene continued with Henry unpacking and the three girls were standing there with clothes in their hands. "The scary triplets, whose clothes were sewn together."

"Okay," Henry began. "Socks and pants go in the drawer, sweater in the closet."

The triplets tried to move, but since their clothes were sewn together they couldn't move and ended up bumping into each other and getting pulled back. Henry just stared the three with confusion, watching them fail to move cohesively.

"Downstairs," Ray spoke up, "The author is having trouble coming up with the great American meme."

In the story, Ray was sat at the counter and typing on an ancient device called a typewriter that was very dusty and old. He groaned with frustration.

"Can't think of any good memes," he said.

"How about something with cats," Schwoz suggested, drying a drinking glass.

Ray gave him a suspicious look, "what are you doing?"

"Just shining this glass," Schwoz shrugged and grinned at the cam- ahead of himself.

"Yeah, well, references to old movies aren't going to help me write the Great American Meme," Ray remarked and Schwoz poured a drink for his boss.

"You could try taking an axe and smashing a door to Henry's bedroom and... hurting him," Schwoz suggested with a creepy grin.

"Uh, I don't know if I should hurt Henry," Ray hesitatingly replied as he picked up his drink.

"Come on," Schwoz winked.

"Okay," Ray agreed. "I'll hurt him. You got an axe?"

"I got this," Schwoz lifted up a guitar axe.

"Good enough," Ray smiled and took the axe, before making his way to the stairs. He paused for a moment and turned back around. "Hey, wait a second, I thought we were alone in this house-"

He froze when he didn't see Schwoz there and Ray laughed darkly.

"Oh, boy, I really have... gone crazy."

Upstairs, the three triplets were talking to Henry.

"Come play with us, Henry," The three spoke with eerie voices.

"Sure, as long as it's not Fortnite, I'm in," Henry casually agreed. The three shared a creepy smirk and looked back at Henry.

A banging was heard on the door and the four looked at the it. On the other side, was Ray standing there with his guitar axe.

"Little pigs, little pigs!" Ray called, "let me come in!"

"Okay, come on in!" Henry called and Ray began to hit the door with the axe until the door broke.

"Doors unlocked," Henry told Ray, who ignored him and continued to hit the door. "Just turn the handle, dude!'

"Are!

"You!

"Scared!"

Ray made a hole with his axe and a piece of wood flew by Bella's head. Ray peeked his face through the hole with a sinister-looking smile.

"Yet!"

"No, I'm not," Henry denied and the others shook their heads.

"Seriously?" Bella groaned with Charlotte and Piper.

"No, I'm not, I'm sorry!" Henry apologized.

"Well, what if the ghost came back?" Ray suggested and ghost Jasper came back. Jasper stood there and shrugged with defeat as Henry was unfrightened. "Uhh, what if Bloody Mary appeared?

Mary appeared next to Henry with a white and bloody dress that looked exactly like Bloody Mary and had similar hair. Henry gave her wide eyes and all she did was glare at the boy.

Bella shook her head and Mary gave her fiancé a look.

"What if the owner of the house was back?" Ray asked and Henry's father appeared on the platform, who just shrugged. "And he's wearing a clown mask. Clowns are scary."

Everyone looked back at Jake, who had on a clown mask that wasn't terrifying.

"Ehhh..." Henry shrugged.

"Oh, the bartender's here!" Ray continued and Schwoz appeared on Henry's bed, cleaning a glass.

"Hey, Schwoz!" Henry greeted and Schwoz gave him a smile.

"Hello!"

"Look, it's Annabelle!" Ray gasped and Violet appeared in the room with an Annabelle dress on and doll makeup on her face to make her look 'creepy.'

"Violet, be scary," Ray whispered to his daughter and all she did was fart in response, making him sigh.

"None of this is scary, dude," Henry called and everyone in real life groaned.

"Uhhh.." Real life Ray trailed off. "And you have to make a public speech."

Back in the story, a podium appeared in front of Henry, who picked up the cards.

"A speech you're not prepared forrrrrr," Ray trailed on for a bit as Bella took away the cards.

"I thrive under pressure, dude," Henry told his boss and everyone couldn't deny his statement.

"Oh, come on!" Ray groaned in real life, "How could you not be scared by that?

Mary approached him to try to calm him down, "Honey, just calm down-

"That's a very scary reference!" Ray complained as Mary pulled him away and bickered with him. The two argued until Henry spoke up.

"I told you I can't be scared!" Henry called to everyone, "let me at them steaks."

Bella's POV; Real Life

"Hold on there, handsome," Jasper interrupted.

"What?" Ray asked.

"I was talking to Henry," Jasper told Ray, patting his cheek and Ray swatted his hands away.

Jasper went up to the tank, "as Henry's best friend and soulmate."

"Wait, what?" Piper asked with confusion and I grinned with amusement.

"Yeah, what?" Henry repeated and looked right at me, expecting me to respond and I just shook my head.

"I'm pretty sure I know what scares him," Jasper continued and the rest of us shared a look.

"Bella doesn't count," my dad mentioned and Jasper shook his head. "She scares everyone."

"I do," I nod and Jasper shook his head.

"I wasn't talking about Bella."

"Ahh, I see," Henry remarked. "Now, you want a shot at my steaks."

"Yeah, I'm gonna win the bet, take all your steaks, and then share them with you!" Jasper cheered and put his hand up for a hi-five, but Henry scrunched his nose at him.

"That defeats the purpose," Mary cut in and I nodded.

"So flip down that visor and be prepared to be scared," Jasper warned Henry, who flipped down the visor. "Alright, this story takes place up in Junk'N'Stuff. It was a day just like today."

(Bella's apart of this story)

Third Person POV; Jasper's Story

Henry appeared in Junk'N'Stuff and looked around the store.

"Wait, shouldn't it be night right now?" Henry asked when he noticed the bright sun outside.

"Oh, yeah, it's night! It's way more scary!" Real Life Jasper awkwardly laughed and night rolled into the story. "You're halfway through weaving a friendship bracelet for your old pal, Jasper. When suddenly, Charlotte Bella, and I run in!"

Jasper, Bella, and Charlotte sprinted into the store with panic and fear. Henry noticed the three and approached them.

"Hey, I'm almost done weaving your-"

Henry got cut off by Jasper smacking the bracelet out of his hands and the three yelling.

"ZOMBIES!"

In real life, music began to play and everyone turned to Ray, who had turned on music and was dancing. Ray noticed all the looks and awkwardly stopped dancing, then shut off the music.

"You're right, not yet," Ray mentioned and nodded. "But soon..."

"Nope," Bella said and stole the remote from her father."

---

Bella's POV

A few minutes had passed and all Jasper was doing was making horrible zombie noises at Henry. It wasn't very entertaining to any of us, and Piper had decided to make a few steaks in the meantime. Violet had fallen asleep, Mary and my dad were just sitting with each other, and Schwoz looked very concerned for Jasper.

Eventually, my dad finally asked Jasper, "do you have to use the bathroom?"

"No, I'm making zombie noises," Jasper replied and this confused us.

"Have you ever heard a zombie before?" I asked him.

"A zombie that has to use the bathroom?" Charlotte questioned.

"Why? Would that be scarier?" Jasper asked her and I rolled my eyes.

"Would someone please scare Henry so we can win the bet and get the steaks!" Mary pleaded with irritation, standing up next to my dad.

"That's what I'm doing!" Jasper exclaimed to her with a weird accent.

"Are you?" Henry asked him, "cuz I don't even see any zombies in Junk'N'Stuff yet."

Third Person POV; Back to the Story

"-I mean, I'm looking and I'm looking and I'm looking, but uh-

"Zombies!" Jasper pointed at the door and four zombies appeared at the door. Four zombies that resembled, Ray, Schwoz, Piper, and Mary.

"AHHHH!" Bella and Charlotte shrieked, causing Henry to cringe.

"Please don't do that again," Henry said and Bella grabbed onto Henry for protection.

"Henry, protect me!" She pleaded and Henry grinned, holding her.

"This, however, you can keep doing."

Bella rolled her eyes at him, "it's Jasper's story."

"We're not in charge," Charlotte added.

"What do we do? I'm so scared!" Jasper asked and grabbed Henry's arms, "and you should be too!"

Henry released Bella and walked up to the door, "the door's locked; we're fine."

The zombies scratched and groaned at the door.

"No, no, I will not be unlocking the door." Henry denied them, which only got louder groans from them. "Yeah, I know the sign says 'we're open' but it also says '-- Espanol' and none of us speak Spanish so it's always been wrong."

The zombies groaned and communicated with Henry, who clearly understood what they were saying.

"If I unlock the door, are you going to eat my brains?" Henry asked them.

The zombies thought for a moment, before groaning a 'no' in response.

"Are you zombie lying?" Henry asked them.

The zombies hesitantly admitted that they bluffing and Henry nodded.

"And... that's why I will not be opening the door."

The zombies began to hit on the door and Jasper ran to Henry's side.

"Oh no! That zombie has a zombie keyring!" Jasper gasped and Zombie Schwoz lifted up a zombie hand with a key on it.

Bell and Charlotte shrieked again and Bella grabbed Henry for protection.

"Seriously?" Henry cringed at the sound, but then smiled at his fiancé. "You should do this more often."

"Shut up," Bella muttered.

"This is what happens when guys are in charge of stories!" Charlotte began, "the women just stand there and scream."

"It's stupid and sexist," Bella shook her head.

The door opened and the zombies flooded in, which made Bella hug Henry more out of fear.

"Oh no! They unlocked the door!" Jasper gasped and grabbed Henry's arm, "I'm filled with fear."

Bella and Charlotte yelled again and the zombies covered ears, while Henry cringed.

Suddenly, Zombie Jake stumbled into the store and Henry gave him a confused look.

"Why's my dad here?"

Bella let go of Henry and moved back with Jasper and Charlotte.

"I don't know, but it's scary," Jasper mentioned.

"Is it? Cuz why'd we go through that whole about the door being locked if zombies were inside the entire time?" Henry reasoned with him and Bella groaned at his intelligence.

"There's no time to ask reasonable questions because-" Jasper paused, "I'm a zombie!"

Jasper suddenly transformed into a zombie and pointed at the girls.

"And so are Bella and Charlotte!"

"Really?" Charlotte asked and got transformed into a zombie.

"Heck yes!" Bella laughed and got transformed into a zombie.

Henry gave his fiancé a stare before all the zombies surrounded him and clawed at his body. Instead of being scared, Henry was laughing at them tickling him and complaining about having to pee himself.

In real life, Schwoz was checking Henry's vital.

"He's not lying, his urinal levels are rising," Schwoz confirmed and on the monitor, Henry's urinal levels were increasing.

Jasper tried to add on to the story, but Henry had removed the visor and everyone else was protesting against Jasper's attempt to continue.

Bella's POV; Real Life

"Jasper, that's enough!" I exclaimed and Jasper gave up on trying.

"Now," my dad began. "does anybody... have any scary stories that could scare henry?!"

"No, they do not! Cuz I can't be scared!" Henry objected and I gave him a look.

"But I scare you?" I ask him and he shrugged.

"It's different with you," he remarked.

"How so?" I asked and he purposely averted his eyes from me.

"Airy, let's not talk about this, okay?" He told me and this had me worried.

"Henry, I think this is important to know," I reasoned with him and he once again looked away but had clear annoyance on his face. "Guys, can you leave us alone for a moment?"

I turned to the others and they had already began to leave. Once they left, I turned back to Henry, but he had his visor down.

"Henry-"

"What? I can't hear you, I'm in the story world!" He remarked and I clenched my fists at this.

"Henry, don't be like this!" I exclaimed with frustration, but he just ignored me.

"Sorry, what was that?!" He asked me and I groaned, walking up to the tank and lifted up his visor. "Bella-"

"You're being a huge piece of crap right now, and it's pissing me off," I gritted through my teeth and I could see the general worry in his eyes. His fearitol levels weren't rising, cuz the monitor wasn't beeping. "Why are you scared of me?"

It was dead silent for a few moments. Our eyes were locked onto each other for what felt like an eternity until he broke the silence with his worrisome voice.

"It's not you I'm scared of," he began and I leaned back with my entire body relaxing.

"Then what is it?" I asked him and he shook his head.

"I can't tell you," he sadly admits which makes me hop off the tank and fold my arms.

"When you're ready to tell me, I'll be upstairs," I told him in a monotone voice and headed upstairs without another word.

"Arabella, please," Henry begged and I ignored him as I stepped into the elevator. "I love you-"

The doors closed and I was met with a silence filled with sorrow and disappointment. A tear slipped down my cheek as I rode the elevator up to the store.

——

It's been a few hours since the incident with Henry and all I've been doing is thinking about what the heck he's scared of. It's me, but it's not me. Everyone is scared of me, but Henry is scared of me in a different way and I've been hurting my brain thinking about it.

Charlotte texted me saying they managed to scare Henry by putting him in a butterfly cocoon, which sounds hilarious. I got worried and ask if he's gonna be stuck like that forever, and Charlotte assured me that it's all for fun and that he will be free within an hour. So, I was thankful for that.

Charlotte, Jasper, and Piper went home, while my dad, Mary, and Schwoz went to bed. Mary stayed over because she wants to get used to being with my dad and Violet for the future. Mary is thinking of moving in with us but will keep her house in case something happens and we need to use it.

I sat behind the counter looking at my phone when Henry appeared from the back and we both froze.

"Hey," he greeted me and I sat up at his presence. "You alright?"

I nodded and put my phone down, "I think I should be asking you that."

"A little scarred from what happened, but I'm great," he said and I couldn't help but smile.

"Makes sense," I remark and look around, feeling an unsettling tension fill the space.

When something is bothering both of us, none of us speak up about it at first. Like I've mentioned before, communication is our worst trait and we have agreed to work on it.

"Can we talk about what the heck happened?" Henry asked me and I sighed with relief.

"Please," I begged and he chuckled, sitting on the counter in front of me. I stood up and lean toward him on the counter. "Cuz it's bothering me and we need to communicate more."

"I know," he agreed, knowing how much our communication sucks. "Let's not go down that road again."

"Don't plan on it," I remark and let out a small sigh. "What are you so scared of?"

"Oh, we're just gonna start? Okay," he awkwardly chuckled and I didn't move and waited for a reply. "Do you know how hard it is being a sidekick and living in constant fear that the person you love the most could get taken away from you in an instant?"

"Believe me, I know a similar feeling," I remark seriously and he lifted his brown eyes to meet mine. "Try dating a sidekick, who risks his life to save others and doesn't care about his own. You think it's easy for me to just sit it and wait for you to return when there's a small percent that you might not come back?"

I didn't realize the tears that were threatening to pour from my eyes, but I didn't care. Henry needed to know my fear.

Henry's entire body softened and he gave me a worried look.

"I'm so scared of losing you," I managed to get out and shake my head as I sat down again. "If you get hurt or don't come back, I don't know what I would do."

A silence entered the room and I let out a shaky breath as an uneasy feeling entered my body.

I saw Henry hop off the counter and my eyes shifted up to his face, which was filled with concern.

"I don't know what I would do if I lost you," he admitted and sighed softly. "Both of us have the same fear."

He's scared of me losing me like I'm scared of losing him.

"Fear of losing each other," I finished for him as I stood up and looked up into his glistening eyes.

He gently took my hands and brought one up to his lips. He kissed it softly and I felt myself smile at his gentleness.

"But, I think over these past five years, we've gotten pretty good at this whole 'not dying' thing," he grins and I chuckle, nodding.

"Yeah," I agreed, "and I plan to keep it that way."

"Same here," he said as I wrapped my arms around his torso and just rested my head against his chest. His arms wrapped around me tightly and held me close with his head resting on top of mine. "you won't lose me."

"and you won't lose me," I say and sigh.

"Ever."

——

I'm back! After three months, I've returned with amazing Henbella fluff and I've missed it. Incase y'all are wondering where the hell I've been, I was on a mental health break and needed time away to fix it. I have depression and anxiety and it gets really bad frequently, so when that does happen I need to step away and deal with it. Some ppl know this and some don't, so I appreciate those that didn't pressure me to update. And to those that didn't and bugged the hell out of me to update-

🖕

Anyway, the updates won't be as frequent, but I will try to update every week or two. I want to update and get this book done, so I can move on to other stories and work on them. This book is almost done, how crazy is that haha.

I apologize for the three month delay, I'm so sorry. It was mental health, then college started, then family shit, then my dance schedule, it's a whole bunch of stuff. Tysm for 2k followers, I appreciate it and ily all so much💖

I'm not gonna ramble much, but here's my social media if you want to be updated. I live stream on Instagram, so be sure to catch my streams. I do save my streams, so if you miss it, you can just watch it later.

Snapchat: Tammirose17
Instagram: dancing_angel888
Discord: Tammirose19#4100
Twitter: dreamyroses3 (it's a fan acc so you can follow me and watch me simp over ppl)

Shoutout too:
fvrgreedy GO READ HER STORY! GO READ IT! IT'S A HUNTER X HUNTER BOOK! ALSO FOLLOW HER NOW AYAGSGAGAGAGSA