His innocent wife is a dangerous hacker.-Chapter 644 Movie time

When the doorbell rang at Dom’s apartment, Bella was in the middle of arguing with Scarlett about whether pineapple belonged on pizza. Dom was on his third slice of mushroom, nodding along like he agreed with both of them. Jace was quietly building a pillow fort in the corner, stacking cushions with the precision of someone who had done this many times before. Hazel was sitting on the couch, pretending to be above the chaos, but she’d already claimed the best, fluffiest, warmest blanket and wrapped herself in it so completely that only her face and hands were visible.

"I’ll get it," Bella said, already moving toward the door. She pulled it open and stopped.

Leo stood in the doorway. Jay was behind him, grinning like he’d just won something.

Bella’s face lit up. Her whole face. Like someone had turned on a light behind her eyes. "Leo!"

She launched herself at him before he could say anything, wrapping her arms around his neck, pulling him down so she could kiss his cheek. Then his other cheek. Then his forehead. Then his lips.

Leo’s face went red. Not a subtle pink, but a deep, unmistakable crimson that crept up from his collar to the tips of his ears. His hands hovered awkwardly at her waist for a moment before settling there.

Bella pulled back, beaming. "You came!"

Leo cleared his throat. He was looking at the floor, at the ceiling, anywhere but at the group of people staring at them from inside the apartment. His jaw worked like he was searching for something dignified to say. "You were here."

"So you came." Bella kissed his cheek again, just to watch him blush more.

Jay pushed past them, already toeing off his shoes with the enthusiasm of someone making himself at home. "He was so jealous. You should have seen him. I’ve never seen him move so fast. He practically ran to the car."

"I did not run."

"You speed-walked. Aggressively. With purpose. I had to jog to keep up."

Leo shot him a look that could have melted steel. Jay was unbothered, already surveying the living room like he was planning his spot.

Bella laughed, pulling Leo inside. "Come on. We’re watching a movie. Dom has snacks. Scar is being wrong about pineapple."

"I’m not wrong," Scarlett called from the couch, her voice carrying across the room. "Pineapple is a crime against pizza. It’s a fruit. It doesn’t belong. I will die on this hill."

"It’s a fruit," Dom said, gesturing with his pizza slice. "Tomatoes are fruits. No one complains about tomatoes."

"Tomatoes are savory."

"Pineapple is also savory when you cook it. The sweetness balances with the salt. It’s basic culinary science."

"You’re wrong."

"I’m right. Bella, tell her she’s wrong."

Bella held up her hands. "I’m staying out of this."

"You started it," Scarlett accused.

"I said I liked pineapple on pizza one time. Three years ago. You’ve never let it go."

"It’s my moral obligation."

"You’re both wrong," Jace said from inside his pillow fort, his voice slightly muffled by the cushions surrounding him. "The best pizza is plain cheese. No arguments. No toppings. Just cheese."

Dom gasped, clutching his chest like he’d been personally wounded. "Plain cheese? You’re a monster. A soulless monster."

"I’m efficient."

"You’re boring."

"Boring is reliable."

Hazel was watching Leo, her expression unreadable, her blanket pulled up to her chin. "Didn’t think you were the sleepover type."

Leo shrugged, his hands in his pockets. "I’m not."

"Then why are you here?"

He looked at Bella. She was already on the couch, patting the cushion beside her, her smile wide, her eyes bright. She had kicked off her shoes and tucked her feet under her, making space for him like it was the most natural thing in the world.

"Hazel," Dom said, handing Leo a slice of pizza before he could answer. "Eat. Movie’s starting. No talking during the opening credits. It’s a rule."

Leo took the pizza. Sat beside Bella. Let her lean against his shoulder, her hand finding his under the blanket. The blanket was soft, some kind of fleece, and warm from where she’d been sitting. He didn’t move his hand. Didn’t want to.

Jay threw himself onto the floor next to Jace’s pillow fort, grabbing a handful of chips from the bowl on the coffee table. "What are we watching?"

"Adventure movie," Dom said, settling onto the couch beside Hazel. He was careful about the distance, close enough to share the blanket if she wanted, far enough to give her space. "Survivors. Mutant beasts. Labs. It’s got everything. Explosions. Dramatic speeches. A hero who doesn’t listen to anyone and somehow saves the day anyway."

"It’s unrealistic," Jace said.

"That’s why it’s fun. You’re supposed to turn your brain off and enjoy it."

"I don’t know how to turn my brain off."

"That’s a you problem."

The movie started. The opening scene was dark, moody, scientists in white coats doing things they shouldn’t. Rows of glass containers filled with green liquid. Warnings flashing on screens. Someone said "What have we done?" and then the beasts appeared, fast, snarling, impossible creatures that moved like shadows.

Leo watched. The survivors ran, climbed, fought. They crashed through windows and jumped off buildings. The beasts cornered them against a fence, and the main character did a backflip off a moving vehicle and shot the creature mid-air, landing perfectly on the other side without looking at the explosion behind her.

Leo’s brow furrowed. "That’s not possible."

"It’s a movie," Bella said, her voice muffled against his shoulder.

"The physics are wrong. The trajectory of that jump, the recoil from the shot, the landing angle. She would have broken her legs."

"It’s a movie, Leo."

"The car was moving at least forty miles per hour. Even if she made the jump, the impact would have—"

Bella pressed a finger to his lips. "Shh. Watching."

He went quiet. His lips pressed against her finger, warm and still.

She smiled and let her hand drop back to his.