Rorik’s small round ears pricked. “Weird?”
His tone was strangled, like he was insulted but managed to rein it in at the last second.
“Yeah, dude, it’s weird. I’m an alpha, not, like, your boss,” I explained.
Rorik stared blankly, as if I’d told him the moon was made of cheese.
If that’s what he thinks, his beliefs are kinda screwy,I thought.Unless I’m reading way too deep into it…
I took a sip of my own water. “Hey, you must be burning up under that fur coat. You sure you don’t wanna shift?”
Rorik groaned. “You and the man in the horrible shirt keep reminding me I’m allowed to shift.”
I nearly spat the water all over him as laughter bubbled out of me. “Horrible shirt? You mean Gaius?”
His lower lip jutted out in a cute bear pout. “Yes. He was the strangest person I’ve ever met.”
I laughed harder at the serious yet baffled look on Rorik’s face. “Yeah, he’s zany. Don’t tell him I said this, but he reminds me of Eggman from the Sonic movies. Except not an evil scientist. The third one was so freakin’ funny. Have you seen any of them?”
Rorik seemed like a serious guy. Was he even into comedies? Maybe he preferred dramas, or action films. In any case, I’d successfully brought up my greatest passion—and the object of my hoard. I mentally patted myself on the back for my smooth conversation skills. Movies were always a great starting point, since everybody had a favorite they were eager to gush about.
But Rorik had a blank look on his face that morphed into discomfort the longer I stared at him. The silence went on for so long it became painfully awkward.
Finally, Rorik mumbled, “I have… never seen a movie.”
I dropped my cup. Water splashed across my shoes.
“You—”
Words failed me. I waved my hands around like a lunatic, unable to express my disbelief. There was no way that was true. How was that even possible in this day and age? DVDs existed. Streaming existed. Hell, maybe his family had some VHS tapes kicking around.
My shock took a sharp turn into denial. “You’re joking, right?” I managed to say through an unhinged laugh.
Rorik’s expression was unchanged. “No.”
I searched his face, wanting to see any indication that he was lying. But all I saw was stoic sincerity.
“You have never watched a movie,” I repeated. The words felt like sacrilege. It was like Rorik told me he’d never breathed air.
“No,” Rorik confirmed.
By now, the crowd had drifted vaguely in our direction. They stayed a healthy distance away but were clearly eavesdropping. A few contestants muttered about Rorik, shooting him judgmental glares.
Defensiveness flared within me as brightly as a flame. Rorik was a rude bear—and had apparently never seen a movie, what thefuck—but he wasmyrude-and-never-seen-a-movie bear, dammit.
If Rorik had been in human form, I would’ve grabbed his arm and dragged him to my room for a movie marathon, but it’s impossible to drag a polar bear anywhere.
I leaned in close so only he could hear my quiet, conspiratorial words.
“Okay. Here’s what we’re gonna do. Meet me at the edge of the forest tonight around ten.” With a grin, I added, “I’ll take you back to my room. It’ll be fun.”
Rorik’s eyes widened until the blackness was edged in white. They gleamed with excitement, which he quickly subdued.
Oh, he’s adorable when he tries to hide his feelings,I thought wistfully.
Rorik gave a solemn nod.
“I will be there,” he promised.
