VIC'S VIEWPOINTS (Private)

Victim#2: Two Scoops of Parfait

"Buck up, mate!" Victor called as he led Noah down the dirt path from the clearing. "I don't want to upset His Buffness, Sir Malik, by keeping you out too late."

Noah chuckled at the moniker. "I told him he could work on his Youtube channel. He won't notice I'm not home for weeks." Noah sighed. "I still have high hopes you two will get along one day."

They reached the end of the trees, and the backyard of the old wood-framed house came into view.

The back door opened, and a red-headed whirlwind came running toward them. Victor reached out and scooped up the little girl, kissing her cheek noisily. "Hello, poppet. You've come to meet my friend, Noah?"

The child smiled through rosebud lips. "Hi, I'm Rosetta. Are you my prince?"

Noah blinked at the girl, a gentle smile playing on his lips. "I am but a commoner, Your Ladyship. And if I may be so bold... Your Ladyship will be the one to choose who is worthy of her."

"But you're perfect!" She scratched a freckled cheek. "Vic always said I could marry a prince, and he'd come from far away."

Victor put the child down as they continued to walk. "Noah already has his prince, love. Just wait a little longer." He pointed to the house. "Off you go, poppet."

Rosetta ran a few steps before turning back. "Noah, you'll always be my prince." With an angelic smile, the child turned and ran back to the house.

Victor threw a friendly arm around Noah's shoulders as they entered the house. "You silver-tongued devil. You've knocked her for six!"

Noah tensed under Vic's touch, then relaxed after reminding himself Vic was a friend. "Was I inappropriate? She seemed so wonderful, and I didn't want to spoil the fairy tale for her. I do this, too, when things get tough. I like to escape in imagination."

"I've always said you're a prince at heart."

Noah shrugged out of his coat after entering the house and walked in thick socks to park his shoes by the front door. His slender form, adorned in fitted dark jeans and a turtleneck sweater of cobalt blue, made him refined and almost noble.

The boys entered the bedroom, and Victor motioned Noah over to the desk where he'd placed two chairs in easy view of the computer screen. He logged into his Wattpad account, pulled up @chrysthh's story, and said, "Ready?" When Noah nodded, they began to read.

One hour later...

Victor turned on the recorder. "Welcome to Vic's Viewpoints with my special guest, Noah Davis. One day we'll get old Jasper in here." He motioned to Noah with a smile. "You do the honors, mate."

Noah cleared his throat. Reviews made him nervous. Novels were, more often than not, a part of a writer's soul. The immerse process of writing made it near impossible to separate the book from the writer. But he had an honor to uphold. "The book we're reviewing is called, Two Scoops of Parfait, even though the cover says Parfait," Noah said. "We're going to follow the several elements we think are important to a story."

Victor grinned at his friend. "And here we go..."

"ORIGINALITY deals with how unique the story is. At first glance, a reader might infer this is a typical boy-girl friendship story where the female friend hides her desire. But our author, clever girl that she is, throws in the anticipation of waiting for exam results from a Greek school system even though it's in the USA. An entirely new idea, along with the mystery of the hated girlfriend and what she has done. The mixture makes a delightful chaotic salad the reader will enjoy."