𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐑𝐓-𝐒𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐄𝐃; arthurtv

five

Before her nagging mind kept her from doing something any longer, the blonde reached forward and knocked loudly on the door. Immediately, she retracted her hand and held them behind her back, whistling a light tune to try and calm herself down. Why was she so nervous? It was just Arthur. Arthur.

"Hello?" Evelyn heard from behind her. She instantly span around, lips straightened from her inner nerves as her eyes widened. Walking up the front path was another woman who looked to be around the same age as her, with darker hair tied back in a ponytail and a bag dangling from her hand. "Are you Evelyn?"

The blonde by the door failed to hide her surprise. "Yeah . . . yeah, I am. Sorry, who are you?" She asked, making sure her tone was as polite as possible. The girl approaching her laughed.

"I'm Shannon, I'm Chris' girlfriend . . . the one you called a chipmunk," she explained, urging a laugh out of the blonde as she reached her side.

"That must have really hit him deep, but it's lovely to meet you," Evelyn smiled with a tilt of her head.

Shannon nodded eagerly. "You too, and yes, because he knows it's true. He does really look like a chipmunk," Shannon laughed. "And also, nobody in this house knows how to answer doors, so just walk in."

Shannon lead the way, reaching forward to open the door as Evelyn flushed with embarrassment. Just as the door swung open, the pattering of steps filled their ears, both girls looking up to see Florence running down the hallway.

"Sorry, I was coming!" She shouted as both Shannon and Evelyn stepped inside, both adorning bright smiles. "Oh, Evelyn, oh my god, you look beautiful!"

Florence immediately stepped forward and pulled the nervous blonde into a hug. Evelyn gently wrapped her arms around her as she grinned, her anxiety suddenly disappearing at the friendliness of all the strangers.

"Thank you, you look gorgeous too!" She said before they both pulled away, Florence giving Shannon a quick hug before leading the two down the hall. However, before they could get very far, a dog came sprinting down the wooden floorboards, instantly jumping onto Evelyn's legs. "Oh, hello."

Shannon laughed as Evelyn leant down to pat the fluffy dog, Florence groaning in annoyance. "I've been trying to teach him not to do that!" She sighed, placing her hands on her hips as she watched her dog jump all over Evelyn to the point where she just let him.

"What's his name?" She asked, looking up at the girl in front of her looking mildly annoyed, yet she could tell it was harmless.

"Emery, he's a golden retriever-german shepherd," she said. Evelyn's entire face softened, letting a soft aww escape her lips as she stood up.

"That's adorable," she whispered, smiling down at the playful dog. Shannon shook her head as a gentle laugh passed through her mouth before she placed a hand on the back of Evelyn's shoulder and led her forward. "Who else is coming?"

"Uh, Chris will be here soon, he was running a bit late. Darcy's here, she lives here too, and that's it. Not that many people, so don't worry," Shannon explained as they walked past some of the open doors.

"Oh, Arthur," Florence sang as she skipped in front of the two girls. Evelyn had to bite her lip to hide her laughter. "Come hither, please."

The boy hummed in the distance as the three girls entered the kitchen and dining area of the house, not immediately looking up from stirring his pot of pasta cooking on the stove. However, when he saw three people walking into the room out of the corner of his eye, he glanced up, his neutral expression immediately switching to a joyous one once he locked eyes with the familiar blonde.