The Carrero Heart - Beginning (Friends to Lovers)

“Okay, what about The Princess Bride?” I blink at him hopefully. My love of retro classics is my only weakness, besides shoes and clothes that is … oh and sugar, and junk food. So, I may have a lot of vices besides old movies. Shoot me.

“You do know you are not an eighties kid, right? That your weird love of crazily old movies for someone so young is abnormal?” Arrick walks back to me carrying hot mugs and I turn to follow his progress when he gets back around beside me, moving to let him sit down and then curl back up close to him when he slides back. He runs his arm along the back of the chair over my head, so I have his armpit in my face. It’s just as well he always smells good.

“I hung about with an old man through my most important developmental years, and he must have rubbed off on me.” I throw back deadpan at him, met with a palm in the face which squashes my nose as he smears what’s left of my makeup further down with the motion.

“Hey!” I slap it away, that annoying person he can be starting to come out now all the emotional serious stuff is out of the way. This is the real him that I miss. The infuriating brother figure, annoyingly immature at times, despite his overall Mr. Mature. persona. That dude who holds me down and tickles me to death until I yield. The one who opened my world to a whole host of annoying behaviors and practical jokes at my expense.

“Less of the old … I happen to not even be in my prime yet.” He settles back and lifts his mug with his free hand before returning to the armpit in the face pose, taking a drink of coffee I know will be like tar. He takes his black, super strong and with no sugar; disgusting if you ask me. I like mine with cream and sweet, and he always makes it perfectly.

“Still getting on in years, soon be losing this, developing a man podge and wearing house slippers.” I pat his very firm and toned flat abdomen in jest with a raised brow of knowingness.

food baby will happen to you long before it happens to me, seeing as you’re the one with a sugar addiction and an allergy to the gym.” He slides his mug back down, picks up the remote and starts scrolling

I have always been pretty lucky that I have an athletic shape and fast metabolism. Despite

I now tower over him with a flat expression and prods me in the stomach. I flinch and collapse back down with an ‘ooft’ noise and shove him in the shoulder in outrage. Focusing on the screen and list of movie icons

tolerate either ‘The Dark Crystal’ or ‘Robin Hood, Men in Tights’. You choose.” He eyes me seriously; picking two movies from the list he has labeled ‘Sophie’s Crap’ saved to his TV because of me. I frown at the new caption on the list

favorite movie of all time!” I prod him in the cheek

picks the movie, pressing a button with the remote held up before throwing it down on the couch next to him and reaching for a folded throw. He hands me

and settled, curled up like a kid next to him and ready to find

get that inner creep of guilt once more that he should have

person in the whole entire world, even when you’re really mad at me.” I poke him again and this time he catches my finger and sticks it in his mouth with a completely satisfied look on his face. I squeal in disgust, yank my hand back fast and start wiping his saliva on his shirt in a frenzy of cringe, screwing up my face as he grins at me smugly. He knows how much I hate that, it’s worse than when he sticks his finger in my ear or that one time, he licked my face,

unmoved and doesn’t even acknowledge it. Mind you, with shoulders like his he doesn’t feel pain from girly little attempts