MARTIN SCORSESE'S SHUTTER Island played in the background on the tv as the recently acquainted group of friends chatted along the few couches and armchairs. To the left by the window, Chris and Shannon were huddled close together with a blanket tossed over their legs, Darcy on the other end of the sofa with her legs crossed before her. Flo was lying across the armchair in the middle, and to the far right, by the entrance to the room, Arthur and Evelyn were relaxing on the second couch.
While Evelyn was sitting sideways so she could watch the movie and occasionally respond to a question or statement thrown across the room, Arthur had his knees pulled up close to his chest in a similar way to how he was seated when the two met with his phone in front of his eyes. She didn't mean to pry, but when her eyes flicked down from the tv, they unintentionally landed on his bright screen. The blonde had to stifle a laugh, because the boy was leant forward staring intently at a TikTok about chess moves.
✿.｡.:* ☆:**:. .:**:.☆*.:｡.✿
eviebradshaw updated their instagram story
✿.｡.:* ☆:**:. .:**:.☆*.:｡.✿
ONCE THE NOTIFICATION of being tagged in Evelyn's instagram story popped up at the top of his phone, Arthur immediately swiveled his head to stare suspiciously in her direction. The girl, having locked eyes with him for a brief moment, began to rub the back of her neck as she swiftly turned her head, seemingly finding the roof to be particularly interesting. He let out a quiet laugh mixed with a scoff before he actually clicked on the icon and seen the picture of himself and the video of chess playing on his phone.
"How long were you watching that?" He asked lightly as he turned back around to face the blonde, a grin gracing his face. She shrugged.
"I wasn't watching the entire time, I just noticed that in the time it took Leonardo DiCaprio to interview three different patients, you were still watching the same video. That's insane," Evelyn expressed passionately, yet she remained quiet. She was aware of the others in the room chatting between themselves and paying attention to the film - unlike the two on the furthest couch.
Arthur laughed gently. "Okay, and I find it insane that you wake up at two in the morning to bake cookies. Cookies!"
"I bake other things," she tried to argue. Arthur only stared at her in response, raising his brow. She sighed in defeat. "Okay, fine. I see your point."
"Thank you," he said. "And chess is fun, thank you very much."
Evelyn almost felt like she'd chocked. "I'm sorry . . . what?"
"Not that I was eavesdropping," Flo said from the armchair beside the two, glancing over with a grimace. "But did I just hear Arthur say chess and fun in the same sentence again?"
"Again?" Evelyn exasperated. She looked over to the culprit, watching him roll his eyes as he leant his head back against the top of the sofa cushions with a smile. "Wait, were you playing chess when I walked into the room at the party?"
He shot her a look, a completely, irresistibly guilty look. Evelyn's mouth dropped. "I can't believe that . . . I didn't really know people like that actually existed."
Arthur shot up with a loud laugh, mouth wide in a grin. "What do you mean?" He asked incredulously, causing Evelyn and Florence to throw their heads back in laughter. The other three looked over with concern, Darcy's laughter almost bubbling up at the mere sight.
"No, no," Evelyn hurried to say as she continued to laugh, reaching forward to lay a hand on the man's shoulder. "Nothing against you, I think it's cute, I've just never met someone who genuinely loves chess."
Arthur didn't know what to say. With her hand on his shoulder, that feeling that erupted beneath his skin, on his skin, all because of a touch, left his mind in a useless puddle - disarranged. And he couldn't forget about the fact she'd called him cute. Typically, he wouldn't care less, but coming from her, Evelyn, it didn't sound real. The boy only continued to laugh, pretending not to notice the way her fingers lingered with their touch before disappearing entirely. He pushed all his energy towards hiding the disappointment that crossed his muddled mind when she pulled away.
An hour later, they'd switched the movie to Flo's recommendation, Tangled. Of course, Evelyn had seen the film at least fourteen times, but she was just as excited to watch it as she grabbed a spare blanket from the floor beside her, draped it over her knees, and adjusted her spot on the couch.
In the end, she ended up resting her head on a pillow leaning against the arm of the sofa, her back flat against the couch while her legs were bent in a way that left her knees in the air. This was so Arthur could lie down too, leaning his back against her knees comfortably. Without them noticing, Chris and Shannon shared a look. They could see exactly what the two in question couldn't.
It was when the credits were rolling that people began to notice the sleeping girl.
"Uh, Arthur?" Chris asked, a deep husk to his voice noticeable that wasn't usually there. The boy hummed, slowly turning his head against the legs he was resting against with raised brows. "She's asleep."
"Who? Evelyn?" He asked, suddenly sitting up to look over the blanket that rested across her knees.
"Yes, you dumbass," Chris mumbled with furrowed brows, shaking his head at the man. Florence lightly laughed, immediately covering her mouth to keep from waking the girl.
"Shit, what do we do?" Arthur hissed, keeping his eyes trained on the blonde for a second longer before looking between the others. Shannon stifled a yawn. "Do I wake her?"
"No, are you kidding?" Darcy said as she stood up with a stretch. Everyone was speaking in whispers. "She's clearly tired. She can stay the night, it's no big deal."
"But what if she has work or something? What if she has plans?" Arthur asked quickly.
"Dude, chill," Chris laughed as he stood up too, Shannon following behind him. He patted him on the back as he passed. "If you're that worried stay in here with her."
Arthur only blinked, his mind running laps.
"We're gonna head off, thanks for tonight! Say hello to Evelyn in the morning for us, please," Shannon waved as her and Chris exited the room, Chris playfully blowing Arthur a kiss before laughing as he walked out of the room towards the front door. Arthur rolled his eyes.
When he turned around to look at the other two girls, the only girls being awake, he was met by wiggling eyebrows and wide smirks. Immediately, his face dropped. "No."
"Oh, yes," Darcy laughed. "I think someone-"
"No," Arthur said as he stood up, walking over to the shelf and grabbing a spare blanket out of the basket resting against it.
"Whatever you say," Flo said as her and Darcy began to leave the room. "Sweet dreams, lover boy."
"Ew," Arthur quietly laughed as they passed him, the man sending a grimace their way before walking over to the other couch in the room. He turned the tv off, leaving the kitchen light on to provide a small amount of light just incase. As he settled down on the sofa opposite the sleeping girl, he turned on his side, cheek pressed against the pillow, and just stared. It was only for a minute or two, but in the dull light, with her eyes closed and mind at peace, Arthur admired her like he hadn't before. No one was watching, so he stared, before he too fell into a deep sleep with a smile.
Only ten minutes later when Florence walked out of her room to get a drink of water, she peered into the lounge room just to check that everything was alright. She smiled to herself at the sight of Evelyn and Arthur peacefully sleeping on couches opposite each other. They had no idea.
That next morning, Evelyn woke up to the faint sound of a voice. A voice, but wasn't she alone? In her own bed, in her own home. No. She'd never made it home.
"Emery!" She heard a few metres from wherever she was, and before she could even open her eyes, she let out a surprised groan as something jumped onto her side.
She opened her eyes, finding herself to be staring up at Arthur. He had his phone in one hand, his other holding a steaming mug of something as he glared at whatever had jumped on the girl, standing a few feet away from the couch she was currently occupying. Quickly, she looked to the side, only to find Florence's dog hovering above her face, paws pressing into the blanket shielding her body from the fresh, morning air.
"Sorry, he's not well-trained," Arthur apologised tiredly. Evelyn noticed how unusually deep his voice was, it straining his vocal cords as he rubbed his eyes out of exhaustion with the hand holding his phone. Clearly, he wasn't the biggest fan of early mornings.
"Don't worry about it," she whispered as she reached up and smoothed her hand against the dog's fur. The animal nuzzled up to her palm, urging a light giggle from the girl. "I'm sorry for falling asleep, by the way. I didn't-"
"Lynn, you're fine," Arthur laughed as he quickly looked behind him before sitting down on the coffee table. "Here, I made you tea."
Immediately, she reached out for the mug, leaning on her side to gratefully grab it from his hands. She'd only blushed over the nickname for a few seconds - which was a new record. "Oh my god, thank you. You're amazing," she gushed as she peered into the mug, admiring the smooth liquid for a moment before taking a sip. She closed her eyes, humming in satisfaction. "Has anyone ever told you that you make the best tea?"
"Possibly," he laughed.
The morning continued on at the same, steady pace.
✿.｡.:* ☆:**:. .:**:.☆*.:｡.✿
arthurtv updated their instagram story
✿.｡.:* ☆:**:. .:**:.☆*.:｡.✿