𝐍𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐑 𝐄𝐍𝐃𝐈𝐍𝐆 ;; 𝒶𝓊𝒷𝓇𝑒𝓎 𝓍 𝓀𝑒𝓁 𝑜𝓃𝑒 𝓈𝒽𝑜𝓉𝓈

↳ 𝕔𝕚𝕟𝕕𝕖𝕣𝕖𝕝𝕝𝕒 𝕨𝕖𝕕𝕕𝕚𝕟𝕘 ・❥・: ̗̀➛

𝓉𝒽ℯ𝓇ℯ𝒻ℴ𝓇ℯ, 𝒾 𝒶𝓂 𝒷ℯ𝓉𝓉ℯ𝓇

┊ ┊ ┊ ┊

sᴀʟʟʏ ᴡᴀs ᴋᴇʟ's sister, but Aubrey basically adopted her. The once-a-baby girl was glued to her when discovering her hair was coloured bubblegum pink but was not edible, and she had been her role model ever since.

That was why Sally, who was now five years old, insisted on watching a movie with the 21-year-olds Aubrey and Kel, who were visiting for Faraway Town for a few weeks. They hadn't decided on what to watch, but with a five year old with them, they decided to watch her favourite Disney movie, Cinderella.

"She's watched Cinderella fifty times," Kel said as he and Aubrey prepared the snacks. "I've kept count. I'm sick of hearing about this poor girl that loses her shoe just to marry a prince because of it."

"Then it's a good thing I've only seen it 25 times," Aubrey replied to her boyfriend with a smile.

They were in Sally's room, prepared with blankets and snacks. Aubrey put her head on her boyfriend's shoulder and held his hand. It was the most she could do with Sally who insisted on sitting between them to prevent any cuddling between Aubrey and Kel so she could cuddle with Aubrey.

Throughout the movie, Kel would throw his sister fake angry looks when she decided to sit on Aubrey's lap and lean into her as she stroked her hair. Sally would give him a genuine smug look.

To annoy Kel, Aubrey put her head off Kel's shoulder and inched away from him. Kel responded with a playfully hurt look, but Sally gave him another genuine smug look.

When the movie was over, Sally looked at Aubrey and asked, "Aubrey, if...if you were Cinderella and, and Kel was Prince Charming, is he going to make everyone put on the...the shoe?"

"I don't know. Would you, Kel?" Aubrey looked at him and tilted her head.

Kel tapped Aubrey's nose. "I would remember how the love of my life looks like, so I wouldn't need to put shoes on everyone."

Sally shook her head. "He's lazy."

"Very lazy," agreed Aubrey.

"How am I lazy if I remember how you look and won't waste time finding you?"

"Because if you don't make every girl in the kingdom try on the shoe, I don't get locked up by my stepmom, I don't escape just as the people were about to leave, and I put the shoe on just in time to go to the castle and marry you! All because of your laziness."

"Aubrey, what is it called when...when dating people are not dating people?" asked Sally.

"When couples break up?"

"Is that what dating people is called?"

"I mean, I guess that's what you're trying to say."

"You and...and Kel break up."

"Is this a command or suggestion?" asked Kel.

"Maybe she's right," ignored Aubrey. "I need a man who's going to go through the whole kingdom to find me, even if he can remember exactly how I look like. If you can't be that man, then I'm sorry Kel, but I think it's time for us to split up."

Kel caught the joking tone in her voice and said with the same tone, "So you listen to my five-year-old sister instead of your boyfriend?"

Sally threw her arms around Aubrey. "I'm Aubrey's boyfriend!"

Kel took Aubrey's hand and pulled it to his chest. "No, I'm Aubrey's boyfriend, because I'm a boy."

"I have to be a boy?"

"Well, it has 'boy' in it."

"Then... Then I'm Aubrey's boy-girlfriend! Or... Or girl-boyfriend!"

"You mean you're her girlfriend."

"I'm Aubrey's girlfriend! And, and girls are better than boys!"

Kel gasped. "Are not!"

"Girls rule, boys drool! Right, Aubrey?" Sally looked up at her with expectant eyes.

"You better not side with her," said Kel. "Remember who you spent the last four years of your life dating."

Aubrey laughed. "I'm not picking sides. I'm enjoying this as an innocent bystander."

"'Innocent' alright. You're the reason why this whole argument started!"

"Me? If anything, Sally's the one who started it by obsessing over Cinderella."

"You know what? You're right. And you know what, Sally?" Kel's eyes flashed with mischievousness. "I'm telling."

Sally's eyes widened. "No..."

Kel smiled and cupped his hands around his mouth. "M—"

Sally clamped her hand over his mouth. Aubrey could hear Kel laugh behind her small hand.

"Don't tell," said Sally. "I'll... I'll break up with Aubrey if you don't tell."

Kel nodded, satisfied. "Yeah, break up with Aubrey. Leave me and my girlfriend alone."

Sally waved goodbye. "Bye-Bye, Aubrey."

"Now I have my girlfriend back." Kel wrapped his arms around Aubrey in a side hug.

Aubrey smiled at Sally. "It's okay, Sally. When your mama and papa let you, you're coming over to our house and we'll get married!"

"You can't get married!" argued Kel. "I have to marry you."

"Me and Aubrey are marrying! I'm telling Mama!" Sally bounced out of the room.

With no more five-year-olds in the room stopping them from cuddling, Kel pulled Aubrey closer and rested his head on his shoulder. "You won't get married to Sally, right?"

"Said who? We're gonna have a Cinderella wedding. I'm going to lose my shoe, and Sally's going to find it and make all the girls in the kingdom wear it just to find me. We're gonna get a ton of mice to wear suits, ride in a pumpkin carriage together, get a fairy godmother to make my wedding dress, and everything else Cinderella-related!"

"And who's gonna pay for all of that?"

"Kel, she's five. I'm 21. There's no way I would actually marry her. It's just pretend." Aubrey rustled his hair. "Don't tell me you're jealous of your five-year-old sister."

His eyes, even if they were mostly covered by his bangs, could still be seen moving to the side. "I'm not. I'm just making sure I'm ready to object at your Cinderella wedding."

Aubrey put a hand over her mouth, pretending to be shocked. "You wouldn't!"

Kel smiled mischievously at her. "You see if I don't. Then, I'll marry you, and we will have the Cinderella wedding."

Aubrey laughed, and Kel joined in a second later. Sally was protective of her role model, and Kel found it incredibly entertaining to get her to show that protectiveness. Aubrey went along with it, usually siding with Sally to annoy Kel. They liked joking about it they were alone and make small jokes about it, so she wasn't surprised at his response.

Still, she couldn't get the look in Kel's eye out of her mind that something he said wasn't a joke.

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𝚆𝚘𝚛𝚍 𝙲𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚝: 𝟷𝟷𝟸𝟶