After the initial character introductions and musical numbers, the plot thickened. Rorik was entranced. He gasped at every plot twist, laughed at every joke, and was spellbound by the beautiful animation. I held his hand, entangling our fingers. Every once in a while, he’d twitch in shock or squeeze my hand at particularly emotional moments. His honest reaction to everything in the film endeared him to me deeper than I already was. It meant a lot to me that he enjoyed watching this movie—any movie, really.
Our bowl of popcorn slowly vanished as the movie moved into its second half. The climax was coming up. Aurum was already half asleep. Once in a while, I saw Mylo nudge him awake.
On the other hand, the girls and Rorik were fully alert. When the big reveal occurred—that the main love interest was actually a villain—Rorik gasped. He sat forward abruptly, his brows furrowed and his mouth open in betrayed shock.
“What? No!” he cried. “Why did Johann do that to her?”
Any adult would’ve seen it coming from a mile away, but Rorik didn’t have decades of movie-watching experience. It was his first ever plot twist.
“Because he’s a mean dude,” I said sympathetically.
“But she didn’t deserve that,” Rorik argued. “I can’t believe this! Those other two friends, Andri or Jaki, would never do anything like that to her…”
I gave him a reassuring pat on the knee, then reached for the remote. “Do you wanna pause it and take a break?” I suggested.
“No!” Rorik, Kiara and Desiree all yelled at once.
I grinned and dropped the remote. “Okay, okay. Then keep watching.”
Rorik slumped back in his seat, arms crossed and pouting. I tried to contain my amusement as I put my arm across his shoulders and held him close. My poor grumpy, emotional bear. Maybe it was a good thing we never ended up finishingThe Land Before Time.He might’ve bawled his eyes out...
He got a break soon enough. The ice princess fell for herreallove interests—the two friends by her side, Andri and Jaki—and the baddie got a swift kick in the ass from karma. There was a big tearful make-up, a big party, and everything ended happily ever after.
As the credits rolled, Rorik slowly turned to me with wet eyes. “Ice Princessis incredible. I think it’s my new favorite movie.”
Aurum groan-laughed. “Oh, good. Now we can watch it even more.”
I shot my twin a silencing glare, then smiled at my mate. “Ignore him. You, me, and the girls can watch it anytime you want.”
Mylo chuckled warmly. “I’ll join in, too. I’m not a hater like Aurum.”
Aurum grumbled as he melted off the couch. “Guys, I’m not a hater. I just can’t listen to ‘Let It Snow’anymore. I’ll lose my freaking mind.” He yawned and got to his feet. “And with that over, I’m going to bed. It’s been a long day. Coming, Mylo?”
Mylo nodded, covering his mouth as he yawned, too. Then he gathered the sleepy girls from Rorik’s shoulders.
“They seemed very comfortable with their new uncle,” he pointed out, smiling. “See you guys tomorrow.”
Rorik beamed at the praise. When the two of us were alone, he turned shyly to me.
“So… when are we having our own?” he asked.
A huge grin broke out on my face. “How soon do you want to? ‘Cause I’m ready when you are.”
His dark eyes flashed. His tongue poked out, darting across his lips. In the electric silence that followed, my heart picked up speed.
Finally, Rorik asked in a low voice: “How tired are you?”
21
Rorik
As Saffron turnedthe heat down in his bedroom, I sat on the edge of the bed nervously. I remembered Aurum’s advice earlier about the rooms being soundproofed, and that gave me a tinge of relief, but I was still caught up in jitters.
“What’s up?” Saffron asked, jabbing the thermostat lower for my comfort. “You look really thoughtful for someone who’s about to get laid.”
I snorted. “Excuse me for being slightly nervous.”
His brows flew up. “You’re nervous?” He punched the button one last time, then sat next to me. “Why?”
