“I’ve never watched a movie.”
“How is that possible?”
He trails his thumb along my jaw, more interested in touching my face than in answering.
“When my father was alive, he never allowed it. After his death, it was already at the bottom of my priorities.”
I kiss his jaw. “It’s okay. There’s a first time for everything. And since you don’t have a favorite, let me pick.”
I tap at the remote, and the movie menu appears on screen.
I tilt my head back to look at him. “What do you like? Action? Drama? Thriller? Romance?”
“Your favorite movie.”
“I have many favorites.”
Then an idea lights up in my head.
I grin. “It would be a shame if I didn’t show you a fairytale.”
He smiles. From the way he’s watching me, I can tell the smile isn’t for the words. I wouldn’t be surprised if he didn’t even hear what I said. I can’t complain, not when he looks at me like this, sending endless flutters through my heart.
I kiss his dimple. “I love you.”
He kisses my lips. “I love you too.”
I snuggle closer to him and type Beauty and the Beast into the remote.
“It’s my favorite fairytale. You’ll love it.” I giggle.
The movie starts, it’s the latest live-action adaptation of the classic tale.
He watches with far more attention than I expected. The story must have grabbed him, and why wouldn’t it? It’s Beauty and the Beast, after all.
I keep glancing at him, checking his reactions. His face barely changes throughout, until the ending, when the beast transforms into a prince. That earns a frown.
When it ends, I sit up and turn to face him.
“So? Did you like it?”
“No.” The frown remains.
“Why not? You looked totally into it, man.” I clutch my chest in exaggerated shock.
“She didn’t know he would change. She loved him for what he was. But they made it seem like she became happier when he changed.” He pauses. “Why would someone who loves you for who you are feel happy after you lose that part completely?”
His eyes bore into mine. “Or is that how it works? The beauty loves the beast expecting him to become someone else? If that’s true, then she loved the idea of what he could become, not him.”
“I don’t think so. If it were me, I’d have cried over the change. The beast was hot.” I chuckle. “And I loved the abandoned palace more than what it became. Maybe Belle cried too, but she loved him, so she adjusted.”
My face turns serious as the thought that’s been sitting in my brain like a thorn pricks again.
I take his hand in both of mine.
“I don’t want anything about you to change, Salvario. I love you for who you are. I love you—with your monsters.But I do want you to change one thing. It’s not your identity, so it’s not a big deal.”
“What?”
