Page 53 of Falling for the Grumpy Orc
The gnome operator of the game claps, tipping his hat before shouting loudly, “We have a winner!”
Cassidy cheers, and for the first time tonight, I feel something loosen in my chest. Maybe it’s the casual warmth of the festival, or maybe it’s her infectious joy seeping into my bones. The booth operator gestures toward the hanging prizes, but before I can select one, Cassidy points.
“That one,” she says, and I follow her gaze to a ridiculous stuffed sea otter with an oversized head and tiny, flippered paws.
I grab the plush prize and turn to Cassidy, expecting her to clutch it against her chest in triumph. Instead, she kneels beside the goblin girl, offering the toy with both hands.
“Here. I think this little otter belongs to you.”
The child’s green eyes widen as she looks up at her father for permission. When the man nods, she slowly, reverently, takes the stuffed animal from Cassidy’s hands.
“Thank you,” she whispers, hugging the otter tight.
Cassidy beams. “He looks happier with you already.”
The father shoots me an appreciative glance. “That was kind of you both.”
I clear my throat, scratching the back of my neck. “I'm sure the little sprout will put it to good use.”
Cassidy gives me another blinding smile, then she rises onto her toes and presses a kiss to my cheek.
“You get a prize, too,” she murmurs, her lips lingering just long enough to make my pulse thunder.
I stare down at her, dazed, warmth spreading through my chest. We continue walking, holding hands until she stops and points, bouncing on her toes like a toddler who ate too many candies. I follow her small hands as she points toward a darkened contraption, its name announced by a bright neon sign.
The Hall of Mirrors stands before me in all its horrifying glory.
“No way.”
But she jumps up and down, her hair moving along with her, and I feel myself melting inside. There's no way I can ever say no to that woman.
Not even forthis.
“Oh, comeon.” She tugs my sleeve. “It’ll be fun.”
“It’ll be stupid.”
She grins. “Exactly.”
Before I can dig my heels in, she’s already paying the entrance fee, dragging me inside. I growl, but she doesn't even seem to register my lack of enthusiasm.
The mirrors stretch and warp our reflections into grotesque shapes. Cassidy’s limbs impossibly long in one, my head enormous in another. She bursts into laughter, spinning to look at our distorted image from different angles.
I follow her along, begrudgingly chuckling at a few particularly grotesque reflections, then I catch a glimpse of myself.
The mirror in front of me doesn’t stretch or shrink me. It just reflects me. Towering. Powerful. Tusks prominent, broad shoulders. I'm the same orc I've been for two decades and yet I'm totally different.
Gone is the haunted gloom that usually stares back at me when I look into my own reflection, the male who seems so scarredby life that he puts all his efforts into scaring everyone away. In his place stands an orc whose eyes crinkle at the corners from smiling and whose lips seem to be curved up in a permanent, stupidly happy grin.
The orc Cassidy turned me into with her kiss, with her soft, delicious curves, and her contagious enthusiasm.
And I love everything about him.
A small hand tugs my sleeve.
I glance down at a human kid, no older than ten, staring up at me with wide, awed eyes.
“You look funny,” the kid declares.
