She Used Me for a Dare… Now I Own Her Mother

The younger woman clapped her hands together in delight. ”You guys should totally come with us! The Grandview has those giant vintage velvet seats, and the popcorn is genuinely incredible. Plus, I could use an ally when Liam inevitably rolls his eyes at the grand romantic gesture.”

?”I only roll my eyes at the unrealistic ones,” Liam protested with a helpless grin, though he looked just as thrilled by the prospect of impromptu company.

?Alex looked down at the woman wrapped around his arm, his thumb gently smoothing over the back of her hand. ”Well, Claudia? Looks like our date just found its destination.”

?”It seems it has,” Victoria murmured, her voice warm, perfectly content to let the world believe she was just an ordinary girl following a handsome man to a three o’clock matinee.

The streetcar wound steadily through the downtown corridor, humming along the rails as sleek corporate towers gave way to the brick facades and theaters of the historic district.

?Victoria leaned into Alex’s side, their fingers laced together against the varnished wooden bench.

Across from them, Liam and the younger woman debated the merits of sweet versus salty popcorn, their lighthearted banter blending with the roll of steel wheels beneath the floorboards.

?Through the open window, the afternoon sun filtered down through the roadside trees in warm, dappled patches.

Victoria watched storefronts and crowded cafe patios slip behind them in a steady, easy glide. A fresh breeze swept into the cabin, carrying the faint aroma of roasted coffee and stirring the loose hair along her neck.

She didn’t check a watch, nor did she scan the crosswalks for threats. She simply leaned her weight into the man beside her and let the gentle sway of the car carry them forward.

?When the streetcar chimed to a halt, the Grandview Theater came into view across the avenue in all its vintage grandeur. A preserved jewel of classic art deco architecture, its carved stone facade and towering neon marquee cut a striking silhouette against the afternoon sky, glowing with an effortless, old-world elegance.

?The doors slid open with a soft hiss of air brakes, and the four of them stepped down onto the sunlit platform.

The younger woman wasted no time, taking Liam by the sleeve and eagerly leading the way across the pedestrian crosswalk toward the theater’s glowing marquee. Alex and Victoria followed close behind, their hands still comfortably joined.

Flanking the Grandview’s polished brass doors were towering, backlit glass frames displaying the official posters for Accidentally Yours.

Both Alex and Victoria instantly recognized the faces splashed across the glossy prints. The two leads were seasoned actors whose past thrillers and prestige dramas were familiar to almost everyone, including them. Seeing the pair trade their usual intense, high-stakes roles for an airport-terminal romance explained why the film had become such a cultural sensation.

As Liam pulled open the heavy glass entrance, the sheer scale of the turnout became impossible to ignore.

The lobby was packed wall to wall. Even though the film was well into its second weekend, glowing word-of-mouth had turned it into a runaway hit. Groups of college students, couples on dates, and casual moviegoers crowded the art-deco foyer, their chatter rising in a lively hum beneath vintage chandeliers while the warm, unmistakable scent of buttered popcorn hung thick in the air.

The younger woman froze just past the entrance, staring at the snaking queues leading to the ticket counters with wide, indignant eyes.

”Are you kidding me?” she groaned, throwing her hands up in defeat as she turned to Liam. ”It’s well past the second weekend! I specifically picked a three o’clock afternoon screening so we wouldn’t have to deal with the opening-night mob, and half the state still had the exact same idea!”

Liam gave an easy chuckle, slinging an arm around her. ”Don’t look at me, babe. You’re the one who told me the reviews swore it was the funniest movie of the year.”

Behind them, Victoria took in the buzzing room, listening to the girl’s frustrated complaint with an amused, lively smile playing on her lips.

”Complaining won’t save our seats,” Victoria broke in, a spark of playful urgency lighting up her eyes. ”Look at that middle line moving—if we keep talking, they’re going to sell out completely. Move!”

Before Alex could even offer a witty retort, she gripped his hand tight and pulled him forward, practically dragging him into a swift jog across the polished terrazzo floor.

For Madame Blackwood, hurrying for anyone or anything was unthinkable. Power meant everyone else waited for her; authority meant moving with deliberate, unhurried precision. Yet here she was, weaving through the crowded foyer with a breathless grin, dodging around a velvet stanchion, and sliding them into the tail end of the box office queue just a split second ahead of three chatting college students.

A breathless, delighted laugh escaped her lips as she planted her feet on the floor, her fingers still locked firmly around Alex’s hand.

Alex let himself be pulled along with an amused chuckle, looking down at her flushed, animated face. ”I didn’t realize you were so competitive about matinee seating.”

”I am when I want to see a movie,” Victoria whispered back, her chest rising and falling with a quiet, electric thrill.

Her heart was thumping against her ribs from pure, untamed excitement.

In her entire life, she had never had to rush to beat someone to a line. She had never known the small, absurd victory of getting a spot before strangers took it. It was completely undignified, entirely trivial, and the most exhilarating thing she had done in years.

A second later, Liam and the younger Victoria hurried up behind them, panting with laughter as they fell into line right at their heels.

?”Damn, Claudia,” the younger girl laughed, clutching Liam’s arm as she caught her breath. ”You’re fast! Remind me never to challenge you to a sprint.”

?”Desperate times,” Victoria countered with a radiant laugh, tucking a loose lock of hair behind her ear as she leaned back into Alex’s side.

?”Competitive streak,” Alex added with an easy grin, looping an arm around her shoulder and drawing her closer. ”Once she sets her eyes on a target, there’s no stopping her.”

?Victoria shot him a covert, mock-warning look, though the crinkle around her eyes betrayed her amusement.

?With the small victory claimed, the initial rush gave way to the steady, unhurried rhythm of the lobby. The box office queue crept forward in slow, rhythmic shuffles. With every step, the sound of tearing paper stubs, chattering patrons, and the mechanical hum of ticket printers grew closer.

For nearly ten minutes, the four of them moved inch by inch across the polished floor.

Liam and the younger woman kept up a running commentary on the various movie posters lining the lobby wall, while Victoria stayed nestled against Alex’s side, her fingers curled comfortably around his forearm.

She found herself watching the people around them with unhurried delight... the couple in front of them bickering playfully over candy choices, teenagers showing each other videos on their phones, and an elderly couple walking arm in arm toward the exit.

It was a rhythm of life she had only ever observed from behind tinted glass, and being right in the thick of it made the wait feel almost festive.

When they finally stepped up to the brass-framed ticket window, the clerk looked up with tired, sympathetic eyes.

”Looking for four?” Liam asked, leaning toward the small circular speaker grill. ”Tell me you’ve got four together somewhere that doesn’t require breaking our necks in the front row.”

The clerk tapped his screen, eyes narrowing at the digital seating chart. A low beat of suspense hung in the air.

”You got lucky,” the clerk said, nodding toward the monitor. ”A family reservation just expired two minutes ago in Auditorium Three. Row H, seats eight through eleven. Dead center, eye level with the screen.”

”Take them!” the younger Victoria gasped, slapping Liam’s shoulder in pure triumph. ”Take them right now before the system refreshes!”

Liam tapped his card against the reader with a triumphant grin, while Alex slid over his share of cash with an easy chuckle. A second later, the machine gave a rapid series of mechanical chirps, and four thick, glossy ticket stubs slid out onto the metal ledge.

Liam handed two over to Alex. ”Row H, center. That’s prime territory.”

Victoria took her stub from Alex, her thumb gently tracing the raised black ink showing Row H - Seat 9. A bright, uncontainable smile curved her lips. ”We actually got them.”

”Told you your sprint paid off,” Alex murmured close to her ear, giving her shoulder an affectionate squeeze.

Ticket stubs in hand, they pushed past the heavy glass interior doors into the main concessions concourse, where the rich, intoxicating aroma of roasted corn and warm melted butter hit them like a wall.

Directly above the long polished counter hung glowing vintage neon boards displaying the menu options, capped off by an absurdly named offering in bold crimson lettering: The Grandview Colossus Tub.

”Oh, absolutely,” the younger Victoria said, her eyes lighting up as she marched straight toward the counter. ”I don’t care if we don’t finish half of it. Liam, we’re getting the Colossus.”

”Babe, that bucket is the size of an oil drum,” Liam groaned, though there was zero resistance in his tone.

Victoria tilted her head, staring at the sheer proportions of the cardboard tub displayed on the upper shelf. It wasn’t a standard movie theater bag; it was a towering, striped cylinder that looked like it could hold several gallons of groceries.

She turned to Alex, her dark eyes sparkling with an eager, almost childlike challenge. ”Is that... real? Does a single person actually eat all of that?”

”Usually it takes an army,” Alex said, leaning his elbow casually on the counter with a roguish grin. ”Or two people who refuse to admit defeat. Should I order the small like a responsible adult, or do you want the full experience?”

Victoria didn’t hesitate for a single second. ”The Colossus. Extra butter.”

Alex laughed, thoroughly charmed by her complete lack of hesitation, and placed the order along with two massive fountain drinks.

A minute later, the counter attendant hauled two gigantic, steaming tubs of golden, butter-drenched popcorn from the warmer, setting them down on the counter with a heavy rustle.

Both women immediately claimed their respective tubs, wrapping their arms around the warm cardboard cylinders like prized trophies. The popcorn was piled so high it crowned above the rim in a fluffy, fragrant dome, dusting their fingers with salt and warmth.

”Look at this,” the younger Victoria laughed, cradling the giant tub against her hoodie like a newborn child. ”This is easily three pounds of pure butter. Claudia, if we survive this, we’re legends.”

”I have complete confidence in us,” Victoria declared, her laughter ringing out clear and unrestrained.

She plucked a warm, buttery kernel from the top of her tub, popping it into her mouth with evident satisfaction before offering one straight to Alex’s lips.

Alex leaned down, catching it between his teeth with a low chuckle, his free hand settling naturally against the small of her back as they turned toward the inner corridor.

Holding hands when possible, balancing oversized sodas in their cup caddies, and clutching their comically enormous tubs of popcorn, the four of them followed the glowing red signs down the plush, carpeted hallway.

As they parted the heavy velvet curtains of Auditorium Three, the ambient hum of pre-show chatter and the blue glow of the silver screen washed over them, welcoming them into the dark.