22.
chapter twenty-two
petulant child and
popcorn

"Mom, I swear, he's a walking disaster zone!"

"Says the one who was drooling over chocolate éclair and then m—"

"C-Chocolate éclair is such a luscious dessert, you dimbo!"

"And since when did humans turn into desserts, Koibito?"

"You're making me sound as if I'm a cannibal!"

"Who knows what you might be if I remove the verbal leash of personal space—"

"And you're a vampire! Bloodsucker!"

"Serena!"

Mom's voice cut us short, and I swallowed heavily before tearing my gaze away from Ash. Boy, was he a lava flow when he got mad. That quirk with his jaw and set teeth—

Snap out of it!

Mom sighed, shaking her head dismissively before setting down her teacup. "If I had known my house would turn into a theatre, I might have made those instant popcorn that have been lying around the house for way too long."

"Mom!"

"Mom-in-law!"

"Eh?!" I turned to Ash sharply, briefly fearing for the well-being of my neck. And the bond made him turn to me just as sharply.

Mom's gentle laughter broke our reverie. "I feel like I'm seeing the younger version of myself and your dad, hun," she mused, softly placing a hand on my shoulder. The yearning smile... it was back again, forcing my chest into the hollow ache I’d been accustomed to for years now.

My eyes flitted to Ash, but he was frowning. When Mom left to refill her cup of tea, he voiced what was bothering him, albeit in a whisper. "You're sad again."

I shrugged, offering him a small smile, but he could clearly see through my façade.

"What can I do to make you happy?" It wasn’t his smirk that had my heart jittery—rather, the earnest twinkle in his eye. "I'd do anything."

"Anything?" I breathed, an incoherent thought forming in my mind. He nodded, and Mom chose that moment to re-enter the scene. Smirking, I leaned against her, grasping her arm. "Mom, I have an idea to put those popcorn to good use! He gets to watch a movie with us."

Ash smiled, quickly grabbing the remote and slumping into the sofa, positioning himself on my other side. "It’s the highest privilege I could get, so you bet I’m using it to the very max!"

A few minutes into the movie, I realized that Ash was groping for my popcorn. Wordlessly, I snatched it away from him and placed it on my other side. But then Mom did the same, and I was forced to pause the movie.

"Why would you both finish your full tubs and come after mine?!"

Mom didn’t look amused. She simply raised her brow, as if to say that she'd always steal from me.

But Ash was another case. "I wasn’t stealing! I was merely... redistributing them!" he huffed, crossing his arms and pouting. He looked like an impossible petulant child, and as much as I hated to admit it, that melted my heart.

"You know what? I'm going to go make two tubs, and don't you dare touch mine until then!" I warned, shooting to my feet.

"Aye, ma'am!" they echoed, before a little chatter broke out between the two of them. Definitely not wanting to listen in, I busied myself in the kitchen.

Oh, how I hated waiting—right when the movie was taking an interesting turn.

Thankfully, there was a reason it was called instant popcorn. Balancing the two tubs, I returned, and the movie resumed.

Midway, I caught Ash's hand inching close on the sofa. My breath hitched. Was he doing it on purpose? Mom didn’t seem to have noticed. Her eyes were glued to the screen.

My gaze flitted to the boy beside me. The flickering lights of the television were accentuating his sharp features, only softening whenever he smirked or chuckled at something in the plot.

Personally, the plot of the movie was long gone from my mind—to the point where I found myself sneaking glances at my soulmate or his hand staying put on the sofa. Why wasn’t he attempting the first move?

"Serena," he breathed, so that only I could hear. But of course, Mom’s senses were sharp, especially when it came to matters regarding her daughter. His eyes were still concentrated on the movie, but I could feel the bond between us thrum with a feverish excitement. "You aren’t watching the movie."

I rolled my eyes at him in dismissal, although it was a lie. Determined not to let my cover be blown, I miserably and absent-mindedly watched the screen.

My mind was all over the place, jumping from thoughts of Dawn to how May and Drew had recently gotten close, to Misty’s constant complaints about Ash's friend, Gary, each time he dropped us home. Then came the inevitable thought of Mom’s impression of my soulmate—and the guy himself.

His somber, reserved attitude had chipped away to reveal a goofy, almost clumsy side of him that loved to tease me whenever he got the chance. Not that I minded it; I secretly loved the cheerful grins that were only reserved for me. My childhood dream was somehow being fulfilled, and I was loving every second of it.

"Serena." This time, it was Mom. She stood up, stretching and stifling a yawn. "You are going to continue this on without me. I’ve got some light reading to do before bed."

I nodded hesitantly. A part of me was unwilling to spend the night alone with this newly energized Ash, while the other, immature part was fangirling. "Good night, Mom."

"Good night, Mom-in-law!"

I blew out an annoyed rasp at Ash, done with his antics. But that only made him grin wider.

Mom smiled, sending a wave before she left upstairs. I didn’t miss the lingering gaze that conveyed yearning in her eyes. Even if she was an adult, deep down, she desired the closure that came with your soulmate.

"Serena, you're sad again."

I turned to Ash, shaking my head. The movie went on a short advertisement break at the perfect time. "I’m fine. Really."

His frown deepened, and his hand finally found mine. "I can sense it. The waves you’re sending me are slow, unlike the haphazard ones I felt when I caught you staring."

Heat flushed my cheeks, and I scoffed. "Oh, since when did your EQ turn up the scale?"

He shrugged, a smirk tugging at his lips. "Since I kissed you and drew your blood."

A soft sigh filled the atmosphere, and I dropped my head to his shoulder—more out of exhaustion than anything. The week had been hectic, and with Saturdays came the laze to slouch around. Not to mention, it was getting warmer here...

"You win," I mumbled, trying to shake the sleep from my eyes in vain. The movie was turning boring anyway. A little rest would do no harm. "But don’t let it get to your thick skull."

"Aye, Serena-chan," came his soft reply before the usual smugness crept in. "Feeling comfortable?"

As much as I would have denied the truth, I felt like a sloth too drained to come up with a counter. And so, I did the only sane thing I could muster. "Mhm-hmm."

I was about to squeal when Ash shifted, but then my sleep-struck mind began to catch on. Moreover, he scooted closer for me to be comfortable and began drawing absent patterns on my arm, lulling my eyes closed.

I barely registered his whisper over the chortles of the television. "Sweet dreams, Koibito."