"You are summer to my winter heart."

-Gemma Troy

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A short talk with his mom last night confirmed Ivan's suspicions about the twins.

Mrs. Moore told him that the twins had been a part of his life.

Something had happened to him, but that "something" didn't have a name.

His mom had even explained that she didn't want to discuss the past details because they hurt immensely.

What shocked him was the fact that she had admitted her demands being ridiculous at times.

She also added that she loved him, despite all the rules and strictness. That she only wanted the best for him.

Ivan took a deep breath. Things with his mom were okay after so long, he felt.

There was only one thing left to do.

He smirked slightly. He knew he had already practiced the dancing scene with Elena.

But one more time wouldn't hurt, would it?

He scanned the faces of his classmates. Ashley was chatting with Sarah, Riva and Ruby were laughing at something.

Max stood beside Kate, holding hands with her. Neither of them had talked to each other since morning and Ivan found it strange.

He shook his head and glanced at Elena, who stood a little away from him.

Her face looked unhappy as it hadn't been greeted by its bunny teeth.

Ivan knew Elena was upset about the accusations he had placed on her and Kate.

He smiled thinking that she cared a lot about him. He did too, and that's why he would stop being cold.

Although the twins loved teasing him with their silly pranks, they were mostly harmless.

After he had recollected everything with a cool head, he felt the twins wouldn't try to insult him.

They cared about him even in those times when all he had done was to push them away.

He sighed and walked towards Max and Kate. "Sing 'Once Upon A Dream'."

They raised their eyebrows at him.

"Haven't we already practiced that, dude?" Max asked.

Ivan nodded. "Do so for perfection's sake."

"Why don't you just admit you want El in your arms?" Kate asked, trying to keep her thin lips from smiling.

"Again," she added, passing him a tiny grin.

Way to rub it in, Mini Snarky.

Ivan found Max wiggling his eyebrows. He knew his bestie was asking for confirmation.

Ivan nodded reluctantly and rolled his eyes when Max whistled. Kate tried to do the same but could only release air.

"Stop it, guys. Just start singing, okay?"

Kate stepped forward and poked a finger in Ivan's cheek. "Woah! What a pretty shade of pink."

Ivan rolled his eyes when Max coughed, his green eyes twinkling.

At least, they weren't so serious like before.

Now, moving onto the important part.

Goal: make Elena smile.

He stepped towards her unsurely and ran a hand through his dark hair.

Were they at least presentable?

What if Elena disliked messy-haired dudes?

The coffee-eyed girl locked eyes with him, her lips in a thin line without their usual grin.

Damn, her being cold was the worst thing ever.

"Elena... El, we need to practice."

She nodded once and flipped the pages of the script.

He took the script and put it away with a shake of his head.

He wrapped his arms around her waist and swayed, earning a puzzled look from her.

He glanced at Max and Kate. Why weren't they singing?

"I love you."

Ivan's eyes widened as he stared at Elena's dark ones.

"What?" she asked, her palm covering her mouth.

Ivan looked at Max, who doubled over in laughter. He sobered up and mouthed, "Sorry."

"Don't mind him, he's just joking around," Ivan clarified, noticing Elena wasn't in her dancing position yet.

"What's going on?" she asked as she removed his hold from her waist.

Ivan placed a finger over her lips and pursed his lips when she removed it rather aggressively.

Snarky was mad then, really mad.

"I know you, I walked with you once upon a dream," Max sang in his soft voice.

Elena scoffed. "My bad luck."

Ivan looked at her amusedly.

"I know that look in your eyes is so familiar a gleam."

"Yeah, all I can see is ice," she muttered, still not holding him well.

Ivan held her hands and wrapped them around his neck. "Look into my eyes, El. Tell me, what do you see?"

He gazed at her unblinkingly, noticing her downcast eyes and pink ears.

"And I know that visions are seldom all they seem."

Ivan placed a hand over Elena's mouth before she could pass another comment.

Annoyed, her dark eyes glared at him as she pushed his palm away.

But he knew the glare was a liar, who tried to cover for his friend, blush.

He nuzzled her cheek. The sweeping of her eyelashes against his nose told him that she had closed her eyes like he had.

"But if I know you, I know what you'll do... you'll love me at once, the way you did once upon a dream."

"I wish," he heard her whisper.

As he created a little space between their faces, her lips claimed his attention.

His glance flicked back to her eyes, which shone at him softly.

He closed the distance between them, wanting to seal the bitterness of the past days with a sweet kiss, but stopped.

Standing next to them with his arms crossed, was the Drama teacher.

Ivan passed Elena a look, which was answered with a blink.

"Oh! Oh!" Elena said, trying to run, but Ivan held her wrist.

"I am awfully sorry. I didn't mean to frighten you," Ivan answered, looking sideways to take in the teacher's suspicious face.

"Oh, it wasn't that. It's just that you're a... a..." Elena said, her demeanor similar to Aurora, the Sleeping Beauty.

There was an innocence about her, Ivan felt as he stared into those dark, coffee-like orbs.

"You're a... a..." Elena repeated, her eyes darting to the left to indicate the teacher's presence.

"Yeah, right. I'm sorry." Ivan scratched his eyebrow.

Now, what was the next line?

"A stranger?" she whispered the prompt and masked it with a cough.

"A stranger?" Ivan repeated with a small sigh.

The Drama teacher, satisfied, or so Ivan felt, left the stage.

Ivan stroked his jaw, his eyebrows furrowed in concentration.

What was the next line?

He always practiced his lines countless times. He couldn't believe he had forgotten.

Learning was never easy for him. The hardest part was the fear that he'd forget them, which he usually did.

That was the main reason he kept memorizing lines from Disney movies. He did love watching them no doubt, but they also served as additional learning material.

A perk of being the Drama leader was that no one would ask him to enact his lines at that same moment, except the Drama teacher.

Today, Elena had saved him.

"A stranger?" Elena repeated his line, the Sleeping Beauty demeanor long gone.

"Don't you know we've met before?" Ivan said with a grin.

That was it, he remembered his line.

"Yes, I know we have," Elena said, a part of her jaw clenched. "When will you know?" she muttered.

He stroked her right cheek, but she backed away.

He held her shoulders and brought her closer.

As he tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, he took in the pain on her face.

He cupped her cheek and stroked his thumb over the soft skin in circles.

Her lips dragged his own towards them like a magnet, and soon he brushed against them.

There was definitely a spark.

He glanced at her face, her eyes were watery and cheeks pink.

He pecked her lips once, twice, and thrice, debating whether to grasp them between his or not.

He recalled Elena's words, "I bet you didn't even have your first kiss, Van."

The smirk had been intact on her face then, her eyes had held some knowledge, which he hadn't understood.

She was right. This was his first kiss and he wished he wouldn't be so clueless.

He broke the kiss, but his face was pulled back as Elena gently kissed him.

She buried her face in his chest and wrapped her arms around his neck.

He chuckled as he held her waist and kissed the back of her neck.

He hadn't been sure about many things in his life, but right now, he knew that Elena's face would be like a rose.

Red for 'blushes', red for passion, red for love?

The past, present, or future didn't matter for now. The girl in his embrace, its warmth, the tingles in his body, and the wide smile on his face were the only things important.

He liked the girl snuggled against his chest. What more could make a guy happy after knowing that his girl liked him back?

Under the lights, amongst his other classmates, the sparkles of Max and Kate's wide grins, the vanilla scent of Elena's hair, within her warm hold, Ivan had found belongingness.

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Hey, people! 💖 How are you all doing? I hope you're having a nice day/night.

I'm back with a new update after nine days. Anyone missed TAM? 😺

How was this update? To be honest, I was stuck with the dialogues, I wanted more of Elena and Ivan's "battle of words". But even after trying since three days, I couldn't get anything else other than this to write. So, I went ahead and completed writing today.

So, Ivan and Elena have kissed. Any thoughts on this? :D

What was your favorite part in this Episode (if any)?

Did you like this update? Choose one: yay/nay.

If you like this update and the previous ones, please do leave a vote by clicking on the star sign below. Thank you so much for reading. It means so much to me. 💗

Sneak-Peek of Episode 38:

Things get heated up between Max and Kate. Stay tuned for more. 🙈

Keep smiling! 💕
Lots of love❤💙
Sakina

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