Page 91 of I Don't Need Your Romance

“What?” He throws over his shoulder as he heads to an escalator. “We can probably find everything upstairs.”

I know Damian is rich, but for him to spend so much money on me? Is he doing it out of guilt or because…what, exactly? Friends don’t spend hundreds of dollars on friends.

“Sophie,” he says. He’s already halfway up the escalator.

With an internal sigh, I step on it and go up to the second floor. Damian is already in the shop they set up, looking through various items. They are all in the theme of the movie. There are T-shirts and mugs and key chains, magnets, action figures, collectibles, puzzles, and they’re also selling a special edition hardcover of every book in the series.

Damian notices it, too, and quickly heads over there. He plucks the entire set off the shelf and waves it to me with a smile. He knows me well enough to know I am basically salivating over them.

“They’re so pretty,” I say when I join him.

“These are a given, right? What else do you want?”

“I’ll pay you back, Damian.”

“I told you not to worry about it.”

“I’m sure something will come up in the future,” I reason. “I’ll find opportunities to pay you back.”

“Exactly. You can choose something for me, too.”

“Ooh, I like that challenge. Okay.”

We have about half an hour before the movie starts. Even though this is my favorite movie in the entire world, I actually don’t have any of the items in the shop, except for old editions of the books, which they also sell here. By the time I’m done, with only minutes to spare, I’ve chosen for myself a T-shirt, the special edition books, a figurine with the hero and heroine in a romantic pose, a keychain of my favorite monster from the series—a frost dragon with three horns on its head—and a 3D puzzle of a castle.

The only thing is, what do I get for Damian?

“Sophie, the movie will start soon.”

“One second.” I don’t want to leave without a gift for him.

I quickly walk through the shop again, zeroing in on every item and looking for the perfect gift for him. Then I notice a shelf on the bottom that I missed before. When the words “art” catch my attention, I hurry over and pluck it off the shelf. It’s an art kit with all different kinds of activities. Some are on the childish side like color by number or connect the dots, but there are some advanced ones as well, such as drawing the characters from scratch and this stamp thing that looks pretty complicated.

I rush back to Damian and hold it out. “What do you think? Some parts might be too young, but this looks like fun.” I turn the page to the stamps. “And this should be relaxing.” I point to the advanced color-by-number part.

A large smile appears on Damian’s face as he takes it. “Where did you find it?”

“It was on a bottom shelf. Easy to miss. Do you like it?”

He envelops me in his arms. “I love it. Thanks. You really did find the perfect gift for me.”

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.”

“Solidmovie?” 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.