Aurora Lockheart was once the sunshine girl-bright, kind, and full of life. But one night changed everything, leaving her a shadow of who she used to be.
A year later, just as she's beginning to think she'll never find her way back, her ex-best fr...
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As we walked away from the ticket counter, Gibsie was still grumbling under his breath, clearly not over the whole ordeal. I smirked to myself, savoring the small victory. He was adorable when he pouted, not that I'd ever tell him that.
"You've got some nerve, you know that?" he muttered as I linked my arm through his.
I grinned up at him. "What can I say? I'm persuasive."
"You mean manipulative," he shot back, his voice laced with mock exasperation. "There's a difference."
"Is there, though?" I teased, leaning into him slightly as we walked toward the concession stand. "I mean, you were going to hate whatever I picked, so why not go all in?"
Gibsie stopped walking for a second, staring down at me like he couldn't quite believe what he was hearing. "You actually take pleasure in this, don't you?"
I shrugged, feigning innocence. "I don't know what you're talking about."
He narrowed his eyes at me, but there was a hint of amusement in them now. "Yeah, right. I'm onto you, Aurora."
"Good." I tugged him forward. "Now let's get snacks. I need sugar."
Johnny and Shannon caught up with us at the concession stand, Shannon bouncing on her toes like she couldn't wait to dig into a mountain of sweets. Johnny, as always, looked more relaxed, but his eyes were scanning the area like he was half expecting some sort of disaster to strike.
"How much popcorn is too much popcorn?" Shannon mused, squinting at the options on the menu.
"There's no such thing as too much," I said. "Trust me, we need the big bucket."
"Agreed," Gibsie grumbled. "If I'm gonna sit through another chick flick, I'm gonna need something to keep me from dying of boredom."
Shannon snickered. "C'mon, it's not gonna be that bad."
Gibsie shot her a dark look. "I thought we were on the same team here."
"Sorry," she shrugged. "But Rory's movies always have good music."
Johnny gave me a knowing look. "She's got you all trained, doesn't she?"
I winked at him. "I prefer the term influential."
"Call it whatever you want," Gibsie muttered, stuffing his hands in his pockets. "I'm a victim here."
"Hey, you're gonna love it," I said, giving him a playful nudge. "You might even cry again."
His face scrunched up in disgust. "Never happening."
"You said that last time, remember?" I wiggled my eyebrows. "And then you bawled your eyes out."
"Traitor," he grumbled, his ears turning pink. "I trusted you."
I laughed, leaning against the counter as we waited for our food. "It's okay to feel things, you know."
