Chapter 17: The Princess Bride

Kate leaned back against Aidan’s chest and smiled contentedly, feeling him tighten his arms around her with a gentle squeeze. Today was supposed to be his first day of band rehearsal in preparation for the upcoming tour, but Kate had convinced him to take one more day off to recuperate from his injury.

She’d expected him to protest, but he hadn’t put up much of a fight. He’d been content enough to spend the day cuddling with her on the couch, watching movies on hotel pay-per-view. He’d wanted some Will Ferrell comedy, but he’d given in gracefully when she found one of her all-time favorites on the menu: The Princess Bride.

“I haven’t seen this in years,” she said now with a sigh. “I forgot how much I love this movie.”

“I remember,” he replied.

“Do you?” She turned her neck to look at his face for a moment.

“Please,” he said with a chuckle. “You used to force me to watch this with you every single time I was sick.”

“I did not force you!” she protested. “You like this movie too!”

He smiled at her and shrugged.

“Really?” She furrowed her forehead at him. “Do you not want to watch this?”

“No, no,” he said, taking his eyes away from the screen for a moment to look down at her. “I like watching you watch it.”

She turned back toward the TV. “What does that mean?” she asked.

“You have a thing for the stable boy,” he said. “I know how he gets you all hot and bothered.”

She giggled. “He is yummy."

She could sense him rolling his eyes behind her. “He’s OK.”

“Don’t be jealous, Aidan.”

He pressed his lips to the top of her head for a moment. “What is it about him anyway?” he mused. “Is it the mustache?”

She felt him lift his arm and idly trace his finger above his own upper lip.

“Oh no,” she said, turning back around and pulling his hand away from his face.  “You are not growing a mustache. Don’t you dare!“

“I look good with a mustache!”

“You look terrible with a mustache.”

“You’re just culturally ignorant,” he said, narrowing his eyes at her. “Everyone knows it’s a nod to Freddie Mercury.”

She narrowed her own eyes and glared back at him before twisting to face the screen again. “More like a nod to Super Mario Brothers."

She crossed her arms in front of her chest in feigned indignation, but she felt his shoulders shaking with silent laughter behind her, and she couldn't prevent the corners of her mouth from curving upward.

“Oh look,” he said after a moment. “Here comes your favorite part.”

She glanced up at him again, before turning back to watch the scene where Buttercup sends her true love tumbling head over heels down the side of a steep hill.

“Seriously?” she said, after the lovers’ kiss was rudely interrupted by a cut-away to the annoying grandson. “Aidan, how do you remember my favorite scene?”

“I know what you like,” he muttered. “Beat a guy up ‘til he’s reduced to nothing but a bloody pulp, and he still comes back for more. That’s your idea of romance.”

She turned around again and put one hand on his cheek, cupping his face. “Awww,” she said in a little girl’s voice. “Did somebody get a boo-boo?”

He stuck out his lower lip and nodded at her pathetically. “Yes, I did.”

“Here, let me kiss it and make it better—“

***

“—Wait a minute! Wait a minute!”

Aidan’s granddaughter squirmed on his lap, where she had settled in to listen to the story he and Kate were taking turns telling. “I thought this was the story of when you got grandma to marry you,” she said.

“It is!” he replied.

“Well, when do you get to the good part?” she asked. “It’s been like an hour now, and we’re still on the first day!”

“Second day,” Kate corrected.

“And you keep stopping to talk to each other about stupid movies I never heard of,” her granddaughter complained.

“You never heard of The Princess Bride?” Kate asked, looking at her in astonishment. “You would love that movie!”

“Yeah, yeah.” Aidan rolled his eyes. “We all know your grandma had the hots for that guy. What was that actor?”

“Cary Ewles,” Kate sighed.

“Hmmm.” Aidan scowled at her. “Did you ever go to bed with Cary Ewles, Grandma?”

“Don’t be a wise-ass, Grandpa."

The little girl on Aidan’s lap kicked her legs impatiently. “Tell the story!”

“OK, OK,” Aidan said, pausing for a moment to think. “Well, I think it was a few days later before the next time I proposed.”

Kate buried her face in her hands. “Was that the time you threw the ring at me?”

“No,” Aidan chuckled back at her. “We aren’t there yet.”

Kate looked up at him, confused.

“You don’t remember?” he asked. “The time I gave you my credit card and sent you shopping on Rodeo Drive?”