Message In A Bottle

Nov 23

the trio (3)

November 23. 7:10am.

Fred: sssssorrey I might be running late I slept through alarm

Conner: no worries bro

Alex (me): so long you're not late for dinner tonight /j

Fred: how could I miss pre thanksgiving with the baileys (beloved)

Conner: awwww

-

It had been a few days since Alex returned from Scotland she'd literally never felt better. In fact, she currently felt amazing. Of course, family and friends attributed her sudden joy to her trip, but Alex knew the truth. One she was currently concealing at the moment.

It was a cold November morning, and Alex and Conner's cheeks were flushed as they stood outside waiting for Fred. But Alex barely cared about the cold. She was so ecstatic that she almost forgot Thanksgiving was tomorrow. Alex played the sweet moment that was the source of her happiness again and again in her mind like it was her favourite film:

Back in Scotland, Arthur and Alex had been tiptoeing around the line for days now, getting closer with every workshop and every bus ride that they spent next to each other. It was obvious that they got on instantly well with the kind of chemistry only described in books and movies. They would both be stupid to run away from it.

Arthur learned more about Alex and she even told him about the Rook situation last year. Alex spilled out her insecurities and stress to Arthur, and even though Arthur seemed so majestic and amazing, he keenly related to her as well. And Alex learned that Arthur was supposed to inherit his family's legacy and he had a lot to live up to.

Were they going on dates? Alex thought they were. In cafés, eating ice cream, going on walks, photographing each other at scenic spots, him walking her back to her dorm... they spent almost every waking moment together. And even though Alex was an introvert who occasionally felt the need to temporarily hide from her closest friends (Conner and Fred in particular), she didn't mind Arthur. He was the only exception.

And while Alex usually didn't like breaking rules (it caused too much stress), again Arthur was the only exception. He asked for her to meet him at night in a room that he knew would be open. Alex, trembling and with a (hopeful) idea of what it could be, accepted.

Even with the heater on, the room was still chilly. Alex wrapped Fred's green scarf tighter around her neck (the one he'd given her in middle school), but Arthur was kind enough to offer his jacket. The thick fabric smothered Alex and it even smelled like him— masculine and aftershave and firewood. Suddenly the room wasn't so chilly anymore.

They both admired the stars gleaming in the clear sky. "It's wonderful how light pollution here hasn't affected the night view much," Arthur stated to start the conversation. "There's so much beauty we're missing if we don't know the right place to look."

"Yeah, you're right." Alex focused on the soft, shiny moonlight slipping into the room. Arthur's gaze lingered on her figure, like she was the beauty he was missing.

It was easy for them to chat even though they'd spent so much time talking for the past week. Alex wasn't sure how Arthur kept on bringing up topics but she admired the easy way he connected with her.

"They want great things from me," Arthur admitted after a while (they were trespassing into the deep talk territory). "My family and my mentor Merlin. It's my destiny. They have this predestined path that they set up for me, and I'm supposed to follow it."