Flight risk. [h.s]

037.

★

Nearly one month later...

I can't look at the stars without thinking of Arlie which is inconvenient because the stars are out every single night.

Sitting in the car with the radio softly playing in the background, the parking lot is dark with only two street lights illuminating small areas of the lot.

My fingers tap into the leather steering wheel as I tap my foot gently in time to the music as I wait.

Arls was in a meeting with Cooper and her manager, publicist and other people on her team. They were discussing her taking a sabbatical from acting for a couple of months while she continues to get her life back on track.

In order to come on tour with me, she has to step back from any prior commitments that she has made which means exiting a few contracts that have already been signed.

The four of us; myself, Arls, Pri and Cooper have come to the decision that Arlie is going to come on tour with me. Priya, Cooper and Akira will take it in turns to join different legs of the tour to help me watch her.

However, while Arlie is coming on tour, the deal is that if she relapses again then she has to go to rehab. She has agreed to this which gives me a little peace of mind and still all the while I am apprehensive.

Looking through the windscreen to see the bright shining stars, I take a deep breath. "She's going to be fine, right?"

Talking to no one in particular and I guess at the same time I am hoping some kind of guardian angel is listening to me and nodding along in agreement.

"We're going to be fine. She's going to come on tour with me and everything will be okay, right?"

Just as I part my lips to blindly speak into the void again, something catches my eye in the distance. A figure walking towards the car with small steps that are a tad timid in nature.

I notice quickly that it is Arls. The closer she gets to the car, the more her lips twist into a gentle smile that has me scrunching my nose up in retaliation.

In a white hoodie and a pair of bottle green cycling shorts, her hands are tufted into a thick pocket. A tote bag sits on her shoulder as she lifts her hand and flashes me a little wave as she approaches her side of the car.

Switching on the ignition, she is illuminated by the headlights that automatically flick on and nearly blind her. Her eyes glow a pale brown from the luminosity of the LED headlights.

It's strange how they become almost clear, sort of like a chunk of amber that is fiery and bold. She smiles with her eyes when she is genuinely grinning and I think it is something that I love most about her.

I lift my hand back in reply before taking a deep breath and following her body as she rounds the side of the car and pops open the passenger door.

"Hi," She slips into the seat, dropping her bag at her feet and flashing me another small smile.