Vicky and Brian were in Alice's room. Vicky had Alice on her lap, gently feeding her milk. The two of them stared at Vicky's phone, which was playing Cinderella.
"I love you," the prince said to Ella, right before they kissed.
Vicky who was nearby, quickly closed Alice's eyes as she and Brian giggled.
"Stop laughing," she said, lightly smacking Brian's arm.
"How could you show that to a baby who's not even a year old? She doesn't understand what's going on. All she sees is her mommy and daddy," he said, still smiling.
"She might understand," Vicky argued.
"She can't understand what they're doing," Brian replied, a little more seriously.
Then Vicky suddenly leaned in and kissed him. "Is she going to understand that too?" she asked, her cheeks turning a little pink.
"No," Brian whispered before kissing her back.
Alice looked up at them, giggling and clapping her hands.
"Ahem." Alva walked in, making both of them freeze. "I just came to check on Alice, who seems to be enjoying your little show."
"No, we—" Vicky started.
"Uhm—" Brian fumbled.
"We're just acting out a movie for prom," he blurted.
"Okay, if that's the case, you both can continue," Alva said with a smirk as she walked out.
"Uhm… let's continue," Vicky said.
Brian leaned in like he was going to kiss her again.
"I wasn't talking about that!" she said, hitting his chest playfully.
He scratched the back of his head, chuckling. "Oh…"
"Why don't we just act out Cinderella now that we've finished watching it?" she suggested.
"Okay," he agreed, still a little flustered.
They performed their little play, and just as they were about to kiss at the ending, Alice clapped. Their lips were so close they could feel each other's breath—soft, warm, and sweet.
***
"Cut! Hey, nice acting. But aren't you being a bit too harsh on Cinderella? Cinderella's sister wasn't like this," Nathaniel said as Tessy and Jess giggled.
"So, Brian, after this scene, you both will have a dance, and then you'll propose to her," the director added.
"Got it," Brian replied.
"Now, action!"
"Ella, will you marry me?" he asked, kneeling on one knee.
"Yes," Vicky said.
"Cut! Vicky, you look too stiff. Can you smile a little more?"
"That's it."
"Yes, I will marry you—but first, we have to visit my family…"
Riding Gg!
The school bell rang.
"Okay, we got it. Time's up. Prom is in a few days, so tomorrow you'll all be here choosing your outfits," the director said.
"Yes!" they chorused, and everyone left.
****
After rehearsal...
"Are you coming today?" Vicky asked.
Brian shook his head. "My mom..."
"Oh... what about tomorrow?" she asked again.
"Our costume fitting," he replied.
"Okay... what about the next day?"
"That's our prom."
"Oh, right," Vicky said, then just walked away. Brian could tell something was off.
Vicky headed home, only to see Tim with another girl again. "When is he going to change? Is it when he dies?" she muttered under her breath. She took a long, relaxing bath, then sat on her bed, holding her phone and texting Brian, wondering if he'd ask her out.
But something about it felt weird. What if he doesn't reply? What if he ghosts me? Vicky grew anxious. Her thoughts ran wild. In the end, she deleted the message and walked to Alice's room. When she got there, she saw Alva sitting with Alice.
She entered the room with a big smile—a beautiful one—but anyone who looked closely could see it wasn't real. She was hiding her pain.
"Hi, Alice," she said, giving her a gentle shake. Alice giggled.
"What's wrong?" Alva asked, her brows raised.
"Nothing," Vicky replied, but Alva wasn't convinced.
"Is it about school... love and drama?" Alva asked. Vicky gave a small nod.
"You like a boy at school?" Alva asked again.
"I can't tell if he likes me... or loves me, but..."
"You want him to be with you?" Alva guessed.
Vicky nodded slowly, like a sheep caught in headlights.
"So who's the boy?"
"Uhmm..."
"Brian?" Alva said.
Vicky nodded again, even more sluggishly.
"Does he love you?"
"I don't know. I don't think he does… He hasn't asked me out yet," she said, looking down.
"Don't be sad. Brian's a fool. I'll try to talk to him—"
"No, don't!" Vicky cut in quickly.
"Okay," Alva said softly.
"So, tell me, how did you and my brother fall in love?" Vicky asked.
"Actually, he was so cold to me at first I thought he was gay. I really hated him. But as I got to know him, I realized he was just a sweet little boy."
"Cody was always cold to our father," Vicky said, remembering the past. "He used to cover for Tim and me when our dad got home. He even worked as a delivery boy and got into an accident... There was a girl he liked before, but he caught her cheating with a customer. After the accident, he ran away from home because he told my dad he wanted to become a musician—just like my Korean idols."
"BTS? You know them?" Alva asked, eyes wide.
"Yeah, who doesn't? Who's your bias?"
"Min Yoongi. And my bias wrecker? All of them."
"Same here! But my bias is Jungkook," Vicky smiled.
"So, after Cody ran away, he made a lot of money and became friends with Kyle. Kyle had a similar past. They became best friends and eventually built a company together."
"I remember the first time I saw you looking for him..."
"Yeah. That girl in the hoodie? That was me. I was shocked to see a girl at Cody's place. I came to check on him… to tell him I missed him. But when I saw you, I gasped so loud I nearly fainted," she laughed.
"Haha. Can you tell me about Cody's habits when he was a kid?"
"He had a lot," Vicky said fondly. "Nose crunching, smirking, laughing with his gummy smile, puffing his cheeks, rubbing his stomach, making little paw gestures, knitting sweaters for Tim and me whenever the winter came unexpectedly... He'd run like a baby, always ruffling his hair, pouting a lot. He loved basketball—and his favorite fruit is tangerine."
"Yeah, I noticed all the basketballs in the basement," Alva said.
"Hmm."
"Cody's really cute. Just like Alice."
"Yeah, she is."
"So, are you ready for costume day tomorrow?"
"I hope so."
"Cody, Tim, and Alice will all be there, sitting in the audience, cheering you on at prom."
"Okay... but I really don't want to see Tim. He's so annoying," Vicky said, making Alva chuckle