AllFreeNovel
Share Us
The theater is dark when we walk in, the scent of popcorn slapping me in the face as I search for our seats. Grimm surveys the room and cocks his head at the large screen up front where a commercial for sparkling water is playing, but he follows along as if the darkness doesn’t hinder him at all.
“This is us,” I tell him, giving him the choice of which seat he’d prefer.
After glancing around and realizing that there are people assigned right next to us, he picks the seat next to the aisle. Which is fine, I don’t mind.
I scooch to my assigned spot and plop down. Pulling the bottom half of my retractable seat up to prop my legs, I wriggle until I’m cozy.
Grimm, however, is still standing and staring at his seat. Enough light flashes from the screen that I can see his brow furrow. He pulls at the seat bottom with one finger. It doesn’t budge.
“You have to sit down first and then pull it up.”
Reaching over, I show him where the lever hides between the cushion and arm partition and then pat his seat to get him to join me. He sits down, but he doesn’t pull the lever slow enough, so it jolts his legs upward, and for the first time ever it somehow launches someone right out of their seat.
“Wretched thing,” he curses, his irritated frown only growing as he stares at the chair with great suspicion.
A giggle wells in my throat. I can’t hold it back, and it blossoms into a laugh that makes him scowl.
“I’m sorry. I forgot to tell you that you have to pull it slowly. Here, let me help.”
He sits quickly after I push the seat down, his pockets bouncing heavily as he plops back into the chair.
“I do not like this.”
“Give it a chance,” I whisper.
“I have, and so far all you have done is stuff me with contraband and made me sit in this awful contraption.”
I glance at him earnestly. The poor Reaper looks lost for words and offended by this whole experience, but I can’t help but laugh again.
“It was kind of funny,” I tease with a smirk.
“It was not.”
His scowl deepens. It somehow accentuates his features, like his sharp jawline, which juts irritably at me.
“You look cute in your hat,” I tell him, trying to cheer him up. And trying to force myself to look at something else besides his face. “Very handsome.”
Hesitantly, he touches the ball of his hat, his fingers caressing the white poof almost reverently. Which makes me think he likes it.
“It is a silly thing to wear.”
“No, it’s not,” I say. “But if you hate it so much, you can take it off now that we’re indoors.”
I reach over to help take his off, but he gently bats my hand away as a flicker of indecision lights his eyes.
“It’s cold in here,” he mutters, and then pulls the hat further down on his head, securing it firmly.
I bite my lips and hide my amused smile. Didn’t he say Reapers don’t get cold?
“Shhhh, the movie is starting soon,” an annoyed voice in the row behind us complains, but Grimm turns around and growls at them. Which amuses me, because since the cafe, he’s been a decent date, even though he’s very intent on not losing this deal we have.
Pulling his hand over to me, I rest it on my thigh and snuggle as close to him as I can, given that there’s a small barrier between our seats.
His entire body tenses, and I get the impression he’s seconds away from bolting to his feet. Calmly patting his hand, I bring my lips to his ear.
“Relax. It’s okay to snuggle at the movies. People do it all the time. Some people do a lot more than cuddle, but that’s only if you’re in the very back row.”
As soon as the words come out of my mouth, Grimm is already asking a question, so there’s no time for me to process the shock of having insinuated foreplay with a Grim Reaper.
