So This Is Love? {NYSM: J. Daniel Atlas}

Chapter 18

Daniel locked himself in his room after that for the next three hours while Merritt cried with laughter.

Both Henley and Jack congratulated Amber on managing to tick off Daniel and both asked if she had done anything to either of their rooms.

Amber laughed it off but gave them no clear answer before she proceeded to eat Daniel's lunch.

The afternoon passed quickly, with Amber trying to learn how to throw cards like Jack (and failing miserably), Merritt bursting out laughing every time he looked at the bookshelf, Amber trying to get Jack to tell her how he escaped death and Henley stinking up the whole apartment with her toenail polish.

She had just managed to convince Amber to let her paint her toes, when Daniel finally came out of his room.

"Seriously?" He snarled as he held up the empty paper bag that had once held a particularly delicious steak sandwich.

Amber glanced up at him from her position on the floor and smiled evilly.

"You can check the fridge for something if you're hungry, Atlas."

"I'm not hungry," he snapped waspishly back.

Henley glanced up at the magician and sent him a cold glare before returning to painting Amber's toenails petal pink.

"Quit being such a baby, Danny and go grab something to eat," she snapped, "You're more irritating that usual when you haven't eaten."

"She's right," Jack added as he looked up from his deck of cards.

Daniel sent him a nasty look and Jack shrugged before returning back to his deck.

"Just stating the truth," he muttered as he flicked his wrist which caused all the Queen cards in his hands to vanish.

Daniel began muttering under his breath as he stalked over to the fridge. His sock covered feet thudded against the floorboards, stomping louder than needed.

Amber felt a sinister smile make its way onto her face as she heard the fridge door open, Daniel sigh, then the fridge door close.

"So who's picking the movie tonight?" Henley asked breaking the silence.

"As long as it's not The Notebook again I don't care what we watch, Merritt announced as he placed his hat over his eyes.

"Ya know, I think Amber should pick the movie tonight," Jack commented out of the blue.

Both Henley and Amber glanced up at him, question in their eyes.

"Well, she had a pretty awesome prank today and I think it'd be cool if she picked one," Jack said shrugging again and refusing to look at her over his cards.

"Makes sense to me," Henley said flashing Amber a grin as she finished her painting with a flourish.

"So we're rewarding bad behavior now?" Daniel called irritably from the kitchen.

"Oh shut up, Danny," Merritt replied.

Amber stood slowly to her feet after thanking Henley and carefully made her way to the small black bookcase that held a slew of DVD's.

She tapped her chin thoughtfully as her eyes skimmed the titles.

"Oh look," she said in mock surprise, "Titanic!"

Merritt's eyes snapped open.

"No! NOT AGAIN! I thought we burned that disk when we had the chance!" He gasped at Jack.

Jack grinned at him before omitting slightly worried laugh at Amber.

"You're not really going to pick that are you?"

Amber raised an eyebrow at the young man and pulled the DVD from the shelf, looking at it carefully.

Merritt and Jack traded worried looks as she turned it over in her hands thoughtfully.

"This is your fault!" Merritt mouthed at Jack, "I told you to destroy it!"

"My fault?" Jack breathed back, "You said-"

"Nah," Amber said breaking up the boys. She glanced over at them and smirked. "Although it is fun watching you two bicker, romcoms aren't my thing."

She glanced at the bookcase, smirked slightly to herself and placed the movie back in a new spot.

"You little-"

"Danny, hush," Henley interrupted fiercely no even looking up from her pristinely painted ruby nails.

"Yeah Danny, hush," Merritt added with a wide grin.

Daniel shot him a murderous look and stood behind Amber as she continued pulling out DVDs and putting them back into new places. He would grab them quickly and with deft hands put them in their correct spots.

Daniel's breath ghosted over the back of Amber's head, tickling her neck as she reached for a new disk. Her heartbeat pulsed in her ears as his hand brushed hers to grab the newest misplaced movie (Ant-Man) and put it back in the correct spot.

Amber tried hard to ignore her burning face as she finally selected a movie free from the bookshelf.

"Beauty and The Beast?" Daniel said snidely, "What are you, eight?"

"Twenty eight and a half actually," she replied coolly as she turned around to put the disk in.

Daniel snorted and made his way over to a couch. Henley stretched out on the floor and used the back of the couch to lean against while Jack claimed the recliner.

When Amber turned around, she felt a sigh crawl up her throat.

The only seat left (apart from the floor) was beside her least favorite Horseman.

Daniel frowned at her and tried to stretch his legs out across the seat but she sat down before he could. He huffed and crossed his arms across his chest like a pouting child.

"Get over yourself, Atlas," Amber said rolling her eyes as the movie began to play.

"Shut up, Journey."

"You shush!"

"I'm not the one talking!"

"Atlas, your tongue is always wagging."

"And yours isn't?"

"BOTH OF YOU SHUT UP! IT'S STARTING!" Merritt roared.

Amber raised an eyebrow as the beginning credits began to roll.

"I never would've pinned you for the Disney princess movie type, McKinney," Daniel commented.

"There's a lot you don't know about me, Atlas," Merritt replied nastily, "Now do us all a favor and shut the crap up."

Daniel for once, obeyed and sat quietly as the movie began with Belle singing down the street.