16 January, 1989
Marlene had never been more mad in her entire life.
Pelle tried, he tried, and tried, and tried. But he couldn't ever prevail over Oystein's stubbornness. No one ever could.
Now, because of that man she loves so, so much, she was alone. Utterly alone. On her fucking birthday; the first birthday she'd ever been separated from her twin ever. And she hated it. By God, did she ever hate the feeling that came over her in the morning.
For some reason that was completely beyond Marlene, all four of them were gone. Oystein had gotten some stupid invitation in the mail from one of his pen pals to play a 3 day long festival that had started the Sunday night before her birthday. He accepted it, of course. Any amount of exposure for the band was exposure.
When Oystein told the others the dates, Pelle nearly stabbed him. Of course, he couldn't tell anyone that it was Marlene's birthday, because that would expose his own birthday. Pelle had a battle within himself; to shoot himself between the eyes or shoot his sister. Neither choice won in his head and his response was pure insanity. He yelled at Oystein, told him that it was the most important time of the year, said that there was no way in Hell he'd go.
But he went.
He was gone.
Which left Marlene, sitting on her couch, phone to her ear, stomach rumbling and sun setting. Ginger and her family had gone away to see family for the holidays and she wouldn't be back till Friday, work was only seasonal, school was on holidays.
"All I'm saying is that you sound sad," William said gently, voice distorted by the telephone, but the kindness in his tone still shone through.
"I'm just bored," she defended.
Silence occupied the line for a second, before William spoke, "We can fix that."
"What do you wanna do?"
"I'll be over in ten."
The line went dead. Marlene was left at a blank, but with a hint of excitement in her stomach. Thank Christ she'd be able to get the fuck out of that stuffy flat she'd been inside all day. She didn't even care if Oystein would be pissed off that she'd be going out with William. He was the one who ditched her. Fuck him.
She was given ten minutes to pick her outfit. It wasn't the best outfit in the world, but it was warm and versatile. Whatever William wanted to do, Marlene was game for and ready for.
In the promised ten minutes, William rapped on her door. He was just as gorgeous now, when she opened the door, as he was on New Years. His hair was tousled from the breeze, but the deep almond brown absorbed the light around, giving him a warm aura. William was wearing a double breasted coat and slacks, which made him look very posh, but in the most attractive way possible.
"You look beautiful," he said in a quiet tone. Marlene smiled curtly and closed the door behind her, locking it, then leaving with the tall Swed.
"I don't much feel it tonight, but thank you," she told him as the descended the stairs to the ground floor.
William couldn't help the scoff that came up, "You're one of the most beautiful people I've ever seen in my life."
"Thank you," Marlene squeaked. Oystein never greeted her with that.
They got into William's car while still more or less on small talk. William drove a beautiful Datsun 28OZ that purred when it started. It was a bright orange colour and a sleek finish, with the most comfortable leather seats Marlene had ever sat on. William pulled out of her complex and began driving.
"So, where are we going?" She asked, curiosity still peaked.
The smile that formed on William's face made Marlene's stomach fill with a small bit of static. He changed gears, the car slowing then going faster than before going down an empty street. "I'm taking you to a pop up fair. It's the last night it's in Oslo."
"Oh." Marlene smiled so hard she had to look away. The static erupted tenfold, making Marlene cross her legs and pray that the car hadn't gotten a degree warmer. It was just so thoughtful. She'd loved fairs since she was a child; the rides that would make you nauseous, the candy, the lights, the ferris wheels.
She didn't know how it was possible that he seemed to know her so well, without really having met her.
The got to the fair grounds in under 10 minutes. Fathers pointed to William's car as they arrived, showing their children how beautiful cars can truly be. Teenagers looked upon the two of them enviously as they got out of the car, turning to look at their dates in a certain disappointed manner. But the fair still hustled and bustled as Marlene swooped in and paid for both admissions.
"Marls, I'm the one taking you out," William chuckled when they got through the gates with paper wrist bands on. For a fraction of a second, she was ready for Pelle to say something, but then she realized - he wasn't there.
"Think of that and a fairy floss as petrol money," Marlene shrugged, pulling William off to hop in the line of the Tilt-A-Whirl.
William just chuckled as the carny let them through the gate. The two of them found a pod that was empty and occupied it. Letting down the bar, William put it on their laps to hold onto before the ride started. The shifted their weight left and right, making the pod spin faster than all the others, their uncontrollable laughter louder than all the others.
As the night continued, the two went on all the rides they could - stopping for candy, and drinks, and popcorn every now and again, just to feel nauseous after the ride right after and swear to each other to stop eating candy for the night.
The air smelt of sugar and metal, the cold making the air heavy and the scents strong. Laughter and chatter occupied the sound barrier, along with the screaming children on the space ship rides that took them 20 feet off the ground. Everywhere she looked, bright faces of joy were all around, infectious to the point that neither Marlene nor William could stop smiling.
"I'm winning you that bear," William said as they got into the game section. He took your hand in his, whisking you off to the milk bottle toss, with a brightly coloured teddies on display.
"Welcome, Kids," the older man running the game said with a grand smile on his face. They both smiled back. "Are we in it for 3 balls for 2 kroner or 6 for 4?"
"I bet I could get you that bear with 3; have any faith in me?" William asked Marlene. She smiled.
"All the faith in the world."
William looked back toward the older man who was grinning at the two young adults. "Lets do 3 then."
"Be my guest."
The older man pulled out three balls as William pulled two kroner out of his wallet. They exchanged and watched as William tossed the first ball. It hit the top-most bottle, knocking the metal to the ground with a clang.
"Good shot!" The man encouraged. William threw the second ball, landing it right between the two middle bottles on the bottom, bringing the tower down entirely.
Marlene laughed, throwing her arms around William in excitement. It was just such an excellent shot and so well set up. The older man looked on to them, getting second-hand happiness from the display in front of him.
When Marlene took her arms away, William maintained an arm around her waist. Marlene happily picked out the bright purple bear with a heart shaped stitch in it's foot. The old man gave it to her with a smile, sending the two adults away with a wink and a bow of the head.
"God, it's so cute! Thank you," she gushed, holding the bear in front of them. "We have to name him."
"George Bearison?"
She couldn't help but smirk at him, William with his sweet smile on his lips. "Perfect."
A loud bang sounded from a couple hundred meters away, making them look that way, only to be met with an explosion of purples in the sky that perfectly matched George Bearison.
To end the night, the two of them walked over to the fireworks, watching with the crowd as the fair closed off it's final night in an array of light and love. The air smelt of explosive powder, but it was just such a welcome scent that Marlene hummed to herself, "This is the best day I've had in a long time."
"So, can I know why you were so sad earlier?" William asked as a sparkling fire cracker lit up. The crowd ooh'd at the sight.
Ah fuck it. "It's my birthday."
"Well," the handsome man began, running his hand through his brown locks, putting the other arm around her waist and bringing her closer. "I'm glad George and I made it a bit better."
Placing a sweet kiss atop Marlene's head, the two of them watched the fireworks with bright eyes and permanent smiles on their lips. Preoccupied with the exploding colours laid before them, neither even noticed that camera flash.
A/N: y'all must hate me lmao