𝒪𝓊𝓇 𝒷ℴ𝓃𝒹

Movie night

Author POV:

"So, what are we going to watch?" Mira asked while grabbing extra blankets and pillows from Anne's closet.

"I'm not sure. I'll check Netflix," Anne replied, turning on her computer. As soon as she opened Netflix, her recommendations were flooded with dramas.

"I'm going to kill that brat," she muttered through gritted teeth.

"Calm down, Anne. It's not a big deal. We can find something interesting. How about some holiday adventure movies?" Mira suggested, trying to defuse Anne's irritation.

"Not interested. What else?" Anne replied, clearly annoyed. She had never enjoyed Lily's taste in soap operas, though Mira didn't mind them.

"How about soulmate movies? It could be interesting to hear some soulmate stories," Mira said, placing the laptop on her lap.

"I don't think so," Anne said, starting to arrange the blankets and pillows to make a fort.

Mira looked up from the screen, her eyes twinkling. "Do you think we'll find our soulmates in Korea?" she asked dreamily.

Anne paused for a moment before answering. "I doubt it. I think our soulmates are here, and I feel great about running away," she huffed, fluffing a pillow.

"Stop it. I know why you don't want to find them, but you must be curious about who they are," Mira insisted, still browsing the options.

"Wrong assumptions. Did you find anything interesting in that sea of dramas?" Anne said, eager to change the topic.

"I think I found one. No, it's too cheesy. Let's watch some Marvel movies instead."

"Marvel is always our go-to. 'Iron Man 1' is worth rewatching," Anne agreed.

"Of course, the iconic movie," Mira chuckled, closing the Netflix app. "I'm going to grab some drinks. Want anything?"

"Water will do, thanks," Anne replied lazily, scrolling through her Instagram feed. Bored, she started the movie.

"Yaa, Dambul, how dare you start it without me?!" Mira yelled upon returning with the beverages. "No drinks for you."

Mira sat next to Anne, pretending to be annoyed.

"Are you going to leave me dehydrated all movie night?" Anne pouted.

"Okay, you win. Here's your water. Try to stay alive," Mira said with mock sarcasm.

"Thanks, little one," Anne said, ruffling Mira's hair.

"You know you're just four days older than me, right? Stop treating me like James," Mira grumbled.

"I think it counts," Anne chuckled. "Okay, I'll restart the movie. Satisfied?"

Mira nodded and settled in. "Then come here, Mimi," Anne said, opening her arms for a hug. Mira sat closer, laying her head in Anne's lap for a better view of the small screen.

Anne opened a pack of Doritos and placed it within reach. Despite having watched "Iron Man" countless times, it felt like the first. After the movie, they decided to watch "The Avengers" too, completely forgetting about Anne's mom's plans for the next day.

The second movie was longer, and by the time Anne checked the clock, it was half past 2 a.m. She glanced down to see Mira sleeping peacefully in her lap. Carefully, she turned off the laptop, covered them with a blanket, and dozed off.

~In the morning~

"Rise and shine, sleeping beasts. It's almost 9 a.m."

A voice boomed as Anne's mom entered the room. For a moment, she awed at the cute scene of the best friends cuddled under the blanket tent.

It was just for a moment. Remembering her purpose, she pulled the blanket off them and yelled again.

Mira woke up almost instantly, but Anne was sound asleep.

"Breakfast is ready!" Anne's mom said with a playful grin.

"Food?" Anne opened her eyes instantly and sat up, not fully awake. Mira and Anne's mom laughed loudly at her half-asleep state, searching for food with her eyes.

"Yes, yes, food," her mom giggled. "Hurry up if you want to eat some pancakes, because I feel like your brother and sister will eat them all if you don't show up on time."

Mira rushed to the bathroom, and Anne laughed at her. When she realized it was her turn to use the bathroom first this time, she yelled after her, only hearing loud giggles in response.

"Mira, hurry up. We have one hour before going out," Anne said with a tired voice, knowing that Mira takes more than 30 minutes to get ready. She decided to lie down for a bit until her best friend finished her singing performance in the shower. But she didn't notice when she closed her eyes and fell back asleep.

Suddenly, she felt something cold on her cheek and opened her eyes to see her brother James laughing.

"James! What are you doing?!" Anne screamed, sitting up straight. She saw her brother quickly running away, still laughing. She looked down and noticed a piece of frozen pepper, realizing it was the weapon of the assault.

"You rascal! No sweets for a week!" Anne shouted after him.

"I see his methods of waking you up also work," she heard Mira chuckle, coming out of the bathroom fully dressed.

"I'll beat your ass if you don't shut up," Anne grumbled, walking to the bathroom while tying her hair into a ponytail. She quickly took a shower, got dressed, and exited her room.

Heading to the kitchen, her nose caught the sweet smell of pancakes, making her rush to the kitchen, worried about her portion of the sweet breakfast. She was right to do so because James and Lilly were staring at her plate, which had one lonely pancake with some sour cream on it.

"Again? Really? You have your pancakes; your portion is even bigger than mine!" Anne whined, looking at her nearly empty plate.

"Good morning," her father said as she walked past him to make herself some coffee. He pecked her cheek before returning to his phone.

"Mom warned you, didn't she? Your pancakes fought bravely but were unable to win against James' hungry mouth," Lilly exaggerated while adding jam to her plate.

"You mean you didn't eat any?" Anne raised an eyebrow at her.

"I didn't say that. They were delicious."

Her mom rolled her eyes and looked at Anne. "They are young; give them a break. Also, I did warn you. Do you want me to make you something else? You should eat something before going out," she asked, walking over to the fridge.

"No thanks, Mom. I'll just have my two shots of coffee and a yogurt," Anne said.

"Okay, we are already a bit late. If we want the shopping center to be less crowded, we should leave in ten minutes," her mom said, turning to dress James. Then she turned to her husband. "You and James will go to the entertainment center while we are at the mall, alright?"

"Yes, honey. Do you want me to drop you off at the mall on our way?"

"There's no need; I've already called a taxi. Lilly, Anne, Mira, make sure to take your phones and wallets just in case you get lost. Also, check to see if your phones are charged enough for the whole day."

"Alright, taxi is here. James, behave unless you want me to cut off your screen time," Anne's mom said sternly.

"Okay, Mommy," James replied cutely, still focused on his tablet.

"Goodbye, Dad," Lilly said, pecking her father's cheek and following Mira out of the house.

Anne sat in the shotgun seat, headphones in her ears, hoping to have fun today.