Page 92 of I Don't Need Your Romance

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? Iloveit.”

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.