Chapter Twenty-Nine
Sophie
“Tell me that was the best movie you’ve ever watched in your life,” I tell Damian as the rest of the guests start piling out of the theater.
He munches on the last bit of popcorn from the tub.
I tear my eyes away from it, remembering how our hands touched when we both reached for popcorn.
I should have expected it because that’s like the most cliché thing to happen in romance books, but I was too absorbed in the beautiful movie.
There’s no way I can forget the spark that traveled up my arm. I swear I can still feel it now.
“It was definitely romantic,” he says. “The hero and heroine fought everything they had to be together, which shows how much they loved each other. I was on the edge of my seat when their lives were constantly put in danger. The side characters were entertaining and the costumes were great. I’d say it was a solid movie. ”
“Solid movie?” I slide down in my seat with my head falling to the side. “In case you’re wondering, you just killed me.”
He lifts a brow. “It was the most amazing movie I’ve ever seen in my life and nothing can ever or will ever compare to it as long as the world still spins on its axis.”
I grin. “Much better. See, was that so hard?”
He laughs as we gather our things. I notice him rub his hand along the art kit I “bought” for him (I’m so going to pay him back somehow). He has this warm smile on his face, like it’s been a while since someone did something kind to him.
Why does that make me feel so warm?
“Where to next?” I say as we get up. “Are you hungry?”
“Starving.”
“Me, too. Pizza? Burgers? I’m kind of in the mood for burgers.”
“Same.” He checks his phone. “We have an hour and a half before curfew. Plenty of time.”
“Especially on your bike. Ooh, I get to wear Pinky again!”
“Pinky?”
“Don’t you like it?”
“It should sound more…epic. Like Queen Rose.”
“Queen Rose? I love it.”
He seems pleased with himself. “I can come up with good ideas, too.”
We leave the theater and climb onto the bike, with me holding onto the bag of goodies like there are diamonds in there. We choose a diner closer to the school so our drive there would be faster after we eat.
We order burgers, fries, onion rings, and a jumbo cookie that we’ll split. Then we continue discussing the movie while we eat. Damian doesn’t make it a habit to watch romance movies, but he admits that he was surprised by how much he enjoyed the movie.
“So I’ll send over a list of movies you should catch up on,” I say as I dip a fry in ketchup and throw it into my mouth. “Then I’ll grill you over every last detail.”
He frowns. “Why does that sound like a prison sentence?”
“Well, you’re an expert on prison sentences, having spent lots of time behind bars.”
“Ha. Good one.”
“I’m serious, though.” I take another bite of my burger. “You should watch more romance movies. You’ll be surprised again by how much you enjoy them.”
“Hmm.” He chomps down an onion ring.
“Admit that a romance like the one from the movie can’t ever happen in real life. Hence, books are better than real life.”
“Sure, I can admit that one might never experience a fantasy romance like the movie,” he says. “There are no evil witches or dragons, or elixirs that can magically heal someone from poison. But the romance itself can be experienced in real life.”
I hold up my hand. “Let’s not argue about it. But I win again.” I wink.
He laughs before shaking his head.
When we realize we need to be at school in forty minutes, we finish up and then hop back on the bike.
Damian offers to park closer to the dorms so we won’t have to walk a lot in the dark and cold, but I assure him it’s okay.
I appreciate how many favors he did for me today and want him to put himself first for a change.
“Are you going to start the kit tonight?” I ask as we make our way to the dorms. He’s clutching the bag with his gift while I carry the other bag and Queen Rose.
“I don’t know. I don’t think my tutor would appreciate me pushing away my homework.”
I gasp as I freeze in place. “You’re right! We left after our session and didn’t have a chance to do our homework. Shoot.”
“It’s okay. You did such a great job explaining the material that I’m sure I’ll finish before bed.”
“You’d better,” I say. “Or there are no more fun activities again.”
He pouts.
We reach the girls’ dorm and face each other.
“I had tons of fun, Damian,” I tell him with a smile. “Thanks so much for the surprise. And thanks for all this awesome stuff.” I gesture to my bag.
“No problem. I hope you enjoy them, especially the special edition books.”
“Oh, I will.”
We stand there in silence. The guard outside the dorm watches us carefully. Well, watches Damian. Maybe he thinks he’ll try to sneak in with me or something?
“Oh, here.” I hold out the helmet.
He shakes his head as he pushes it to me. “You keep it.”
“Are you sure? What if you’ll need it?”
“I’d prefer not to wear the pink one.”
“I meant for another girl.”
“You’re the only girl who’s going to ride with me.” When he realizes what he said, his eyes widen. “I just mean I won’t have a girlfriend any time soon.”
“I know what you meant,” I say with a laugh. “Okay, thanks. I’ll hold on to her for now.”
“Okay.”
We stand there again.
I want to hug him, but I’m not sure he’ll like it. So I give him another smile and say, “Good night.”
“Good night, Sophie.”
I look over my shoulder and smile one more time before heading inside.
As soon as I unlock the door to my room, Raven jumps to her feet. “Finally! I was starting to get worried. It’s almost curfew. Didn’t you get our texts?”
“Oh, I didn’t check my phone.” I place my stuff on the bed and check my phone. I have a few missed calls and texts from my friends.
Raven is eyeing the helmet with suspicion. “What is that?”
“Her name is Queen Rose. Damian bought it for me. Well, it’s not for me. It’s for any girl who’ll ride on his bike. He let me pick it out.”
“Nice. Did you guys have fun?”
“The best!” After placing the helmet on my night table, I jump onto my bed with my bag of goodies. “Thanks for helping him choose a movie. The theater had a special viewing of it and had the place all decked out in its themes. Look what Damian bought me.” I unload the stuff from my bag.
“He bought all this for you?” she asks as she joins me on the bed.
“I would have paid for it myself if I weren’t locked out of my card,” I grumble.
“Oh, right. Wow, this stuff is great. It was nice of him to pay for them.”
“He went out of his way to make the night special for me. I think he feels guilty about the whole Axel thing. Even though I told him a million times it wasn’t his fault.”
“Are you sure it’s guilt he feels?” she asks with an arched brow.
I roll my eyes. “Don’t make this into something it’s not. He just told me tonight that he doesn’t ever want a girlfriend. You want to know what I chose for him?”
“Sure.”
I tell her about the art kit and she smiles. “That’s the perfect present for him.”
“Right? And he seems to really like it.”
“I’m glad you’re feeling better,” she says as she wraps her arm around me.
“Thanks. I’m totally over the whole Axel thing. Now, I need to finish up my homework.”
Her eyes pop wide open. “Sophie Reed went to have fun without finishing her homework? How is the moon still suspended in space?”
I laugh. “Very funny.”
I settle down at my desk and take out my homework. When I’m almost done, I receive a picture message from Damian. It’s a drawing of one of the characters from the movie, and oh my gosh, it’s amazing.
Sophie: Breathtaking! Is that from the kit?
Damian: Yeah. They start it out for the user, but I basically did all of it.
Sophie: Nice.
Damian: Thanks again for it.
Sophie: Wait, aren’t you supposed to be doing your homework?
Damian: It’s break time.
Sophie: Do I need to march over and confiscate your gift?
Damian: Let’s see you break into my mom’s apartment.
Sophie: Is there a guard there?
Damian: Of course. And he’s nearly impossible to get past.
Sophie: I’m sure I can charm him.
Damian: Would you really risk your perfect record for that?
Sophie: Ugh, no. You’re not worth it.
Damian: Thank you.
Sophie: You’re welcome.
“Why are you smiling like that?” Raven asks, yanking me back to the real world. “Are you texting Damian?”
“He’s just being a pain.”
“I’m sure.” She bites the back of her pencil as she focuses on her lyrics notebook.
Damian: I’m basically done my homework. But I need to finish it now. Good night again.
Sophie: Good night.
I wrap up my homework and hop into the shower. The entire time, I replay the events that took place tonight, and my lips lift into a large smile.