—forewarning—
if you haven't read 'make it count' yet, then i suggest you read that book first because this chapter contains minor spoilers.
if it's the other way around−i just want to clear some things up. paige and arthur will be in the town of fairville (fiction situation), which is next to bradbury city (where they are from). next to fairville town is sheldon (where belle hastings of make it count and cain hamilton are from), next to that is the city of rockstring (where trent and amber from prank call are from). if you're confused, that's okay. you are not required to understand it anyway since, ultimately, they are all stand-alone books.
anywho, i hope you enjoy this chapter just how much I enjoyed writing it. no sleep, expect errors.
sky
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—twelve—
the best night
PAIGE LEANED AGAINST the door side of the passenger's seat and glimpsed at the side mirror, following the trail of the gravel as the road unfurled behind them. They were almost half an hour into the drive and she'd wondered where Arthur was taking her.
"We're almost there," Arthur's voice ripped just above the low hum of the radio inside the truck; it was as if he'd heard her thoughts. "Don't act all so fidgety. It's not like I'm going to kill you or anything."
When Paige shifted her attention back to him, he had a faint smirk on his lips and a gleam of humor in his eyes.
She jerked her shoulder, making a smile of her own. "It's not that," she retorted, leaning back against her seat. "I haven't seen this part of the city before. I'm excited about this actually. I hardly ever go out so just let me be."
"It's not part of the city per se. We're basically out of it and we're entering a small town just before the next city to ours, which is Rockstring," apprised Arthur. He was quiet for a fraction of a moment, his eyes glued out front, but his expression was a wistful one. "I'm sorry."
She creased her eyebrows together, shifting her side to him. "Why?"
He shrugged in a nonchalant manner. "You know, because, you hardly ever go out."
Paige couldn't help but express mirth at the irony of his words. "It's alright. It's just how things are for me. How about you?"
"What about me?"
"Well..." she waffled a bit, and then went for, "Isn't your family also, like, owns this big company or something?"
His lips tilted up into a smile. But he had a strange, fleeting frown on his face that Paige wasn't even sure if it was there to begin with. "I'm a guy, Paige. I can protect myself even if I go out alone. That must be challenging for you on a day-to-day basis."
"Oh, you have no idea," she murmured. "Sometimes, I can't help but think about what it's like to live a normal life. But...people would've called me an ungrateful heir by then. Some wanted to be in my position while I, a Cadwyn, don't feel like being a part of it."
"I understand. It's not so easy, after all," replied Arthur with a sigh. "Don't worry, we can go out if both of us aren't doing anything. But I would appreciate it if you won't go out alone. You can call me, or even Jouwee."
She nodded. "Okay."
"Oh, I almost forgot..." he paused, as he momentarily focused his attention on steering the wheel to the left, and Paige could see scintillating lights across the distance, a faint noise echoing through the night, "have you been to the doctor's?"
Paige nibbled her lip. "Um, no. Not yet. I'll visit the family doctor by tomorrow, I think. Right before I go to work."
She had to fight the urge to flinch at the unamused expression on Arthur's face. "You think. No, Paige. You must, alright? I know you've been holding this up. I get it, you're scared and I'm sorry about what happened to your grandfather, but you have to listen to me on this one."
"Hey." Paige reached for his arm and she felt his taut muscles under her touch. His jaw had been wired shut but eased the moment she touched him. "Hey," she called again, and he swept his eyes to her halfway, before she continued, "I will. Don't worry about it. It's just, sometimes, I feel like throwing up when I try to go in, you know? I hate seeing the walls, the mixed smell of blood, and tears, and death. I feel like something's crawling on my skin. It's just like those times I visited my grandfather when he was already bedridden."
It was only when Arthur halt the car in its tracks, let a deep sigh loose, and withdrew his fingers free of the hand wheel, when Paige grasped the fact that she had been trembling; and she looked down at his hand toppled on top of hers, which was still resting on his forearm. She held him firmly, his coat crinkling beneath her fingers.
It was then that Paige took hold of the situation that maybe she was normal, just like Arthur and everybody else, after all. Arthur had battles of his own, but she was no different. They'd paired off without fully understanding each other, but somehow, she could feel it in her heart that they were in this together.
"It's okay," Arthur hushed, rubbing her hand in a consoling manner, "it's okay."
Paige's lips quivered when she gazed up at him, her heart swelling in gratitude that he was there. When Arthur cupped her face in his hand, her eyes started to well but she'd tried to ease back a sob.
"I'm sorry."
He shook his head as he closed his eyes. When he opened them again, there was already a look flooding down his face that warmed her like a blanket of solace. "Don't be," he said in a quiet tone. "It's okay to feel scared. It's alright to feel like you can't do something out of fear. It doesn't mean you're impaired. It's what makes you human. And Paige," he paused and, intently, his green gaze bore into hers and she'd shivered at the way he looked at her−tonight, not out of fear, but from how he made her feel, "whenever you're terrified, and whenever you feel like you're in danger, I swear there's no safer place than right here beside me."
He pulled her into a tight hug, and she lulled herself into his arms, the scent of his wintry, masculine perfume wafting in her nose.
And then she felt−secured.
Just like that.
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They'd lingered there for a minute or so, kept themselves in check first, before Arthur resumed the drive to the drive-in theater just meters off. It had the words Ring Road at the topmost part of the signboard in an athletic-esque font and were also in big, bright red letters.
The words below were the movies that would be showing that night: Pretty in Pink and Notting Hill. Underneath the board was a red arrow, lined with yellow light bulbs that said, 'Drive In!'. And so they did, but only fully entering after they'd paid their double-feature tickets.
Paige perked up at the increasing sounds of muffled voices of people, the scent of some food grilling or steaming, and the heavy blast of outdoor speakers.
Not so soon when they slowly entered into what seemed like an old, abandoned playing field. It looked like a school that was active not until the forties that Paige couldn't help but feel like she was traveling back in time. There were still some buildings around the plain, but they already looked rickety that she might as well kick them all to finally collapse.
Paige's eyes were wide, a shameless squeal coming out of her mouth as she traveled her eyes around. "Oh, my god. I've never tried this before! This is so nostalgic, Art."
Arthur smirked. "I'm glad you liked it. I think it'd be full house tonight."
They were pretty early at the venue but the outdoor theater was almost already full to the brim. However, they found a good spot which was close enough to the food stands at the right side of the place. The screen was showing some old music video at the moment as an intermission.
Arthur immediately led themselves to the said spot, but when they were close enough, Arthur stepped on the breaks when some kids ran across the path, making them lurch forward. Paige held her breath and gripped her fingers around Arthur's arm. When they recovered, Paige's eyes followed the three kids, two boys and one girl, who were currently attempting to do some cartwheels on the bed of grass.
She let out a chuckle when one of the boys tumbled down in an awkward angle, his body curled into a fetal position. The other kids laughed at him, and the girl, in her mirth, accidentally flipped her skirt up and the other unharmed boy practically gouge his eyes out in utter surprise. A woman hurried towards them, who seemed to be the mother of one of the kids, then dragged the girl behind her.
Paige grinned and shook her head.
Minutes later, Arthur finally parked his truck and, without a moment's hesitation, turned the lights and engine off so as not to disturb the other movie-goers the moment the movie starts. He pulled something from the backseat again, then Paige learned it was a portable radio.
"What's that for?" she asked in confusion as he flicked something on the back of it.
"Oh, um..." he continued tinkering, his eyebrows pinched together, minutely looking at the big screen meters off their spot, "it's a battery-powered radio. They use FM radios here to deliver the movie sound. That way we can watch inside the car without any interference from the outside noise, so."
"Oh." She watched him in amusement, and her chest was inflating with such an ineffable feeling. "How do you know about this?"
Arthur placed the radio on the dashboard, a low static crackling through its speakers. Then he looked at her with an enthused smile. "Me and my family used to go here when we were still living somewhere in Rockstring City. Just minutes from here actually. But I was already attending a school in Bradbury, at Saint Michael, because Archer wanted me to get myself familiar with his work and lifestyle and all that so I've lived with him. I just moved out, though. I'm already twenty-one and it's weird."
Paige chuckled, but she didn't miss the way his expression shifted into an odd one. She knew all too well why. There was something so hostile dripping in his voice when she mentioned Archer but she tried to ignore it. "I see. Must be a fun family you guys have."
He let out a laugh, but he sounded other than happy, and he licked his lips at that. "Yeah, I guess so." He shook his head. "Anyway, I didn't bring other than biscuits. There are snack bars out there, though. What do you want to eat other than digestive biscuits?" She rolled her eyes yet grinning, and Arthur's smirk was barely unfazed. "Let me tell you a secret..."
Paige leaned over when Arthur beckoned her to do so, before he cupped one hand at the side of his mouth. "Drive-in theater is a dying business. So I can only smuggle biscuits in. It'd be a huge help for them if we buy something at the snack bar. But don't tell anyone that I brought some."
She nodded in merriment when Arthur prompted him to do so, and his serious face turned to a chuckle. This was one of those times where she could stare at him forever because of his almost non-existent laughs.
He flicked her chin and asked her again what foods she wanted, but not before he rounded the truck so that now he was stood next to her window, and she rolled the glass down.
"Just pepperoni pizza with barbecue sauce on the side, please," she said with a soft smile. "And orange fanta for my drink."
Arthur glowered. "Sodas are not allowed, miss." He lifted a finger when she opened her mouth to counter back. "Stomach problems, remember? Look," he pushed one of his hands in his coat and pulled out something from his pocket, revealing a pad of tablets that she was no stranger to, "I got you this before I picked you up, just in case. I'll just buy you water, alright?"
She sighed. But then immediately straightened up, a grateful tug glossing her lips. "Thank you, Arthur."
He returned his own, eyes crinkling at the corners. "No problem."
He then padded his way towards the snack bars. Before looking away, Paige watched him turning his head side to side before he went for a pizza kiosk.
She almost jumped in her seat when someone knocked at her door. "Yes?"
It was a group of young boys who were wearing football jerseys and she figured out they were some part of a charity, if the card boards they were holding with the words BH Lung Cancer Research Foundation was any indication.
One guy, who seemed to be the leader of them all, nodded at her politely with a small smile for a greeting. It was no daylight, but she could see that his smile didn't reach his eyes.
"Sorry to bother you," he said, running his fingers through his brown hair. "My name's Chase McMiller and we're the football team from Fairville High. We're here to ask for donations for the BH Foundation where we support the research for the prevention, treatment, and cure of lung cancer."
She was mum for a moment. Because she'd always wanted to donate for a charity but couldn't make up her mind which foundation to choose. She frowned and tilted her head. "That's really kind of you guys to work for the charity."
An african-american young guy slowly brushed the other guys off so he could fit his way into the ruck and walked up to her side. In her periphery, she saw Arthur carrying a box of pizza, a bag of drinks looped around his wrist on the other hand while balancing a box of popcorn on the said hand, and he'd scowled in alarm when he saw the guys huddled around her. She shook her head and gave him a meaningful look, before looking back at the black guy.
"Hi. My name's Doug. This guy here," he thumbed at Chase with a good-natured smile on his face, "he's the one who really talked us into this. Someone who's dear to us had suffered from lung cancer−"
"Had?"
"What's going on here?" It was Arthur, who'd already managed to get inside the truck. How, Paige had no single idea, and she momentarily watched him placing the items he got on the dashboard.
Paige shook her head. "It's alright. They're asking for donations for a charity program." She then turned back to them when an apologetic look. "Can I have your number, email, and your website, please? I was actually thinking of donating for a foundation."
"Awesome," Doug said, giving Chase a fist bump.
"Thank you so much. I have a calling card. Here..." Chase plucked out something from the back pocket of his pants and then passed off the card. "This means so much to us, to me. You have no idea, Ma'am."
"Just Paige, please."
"Paige," he reworded hastily, before shooting her another grateful smile, "Really, thank you."
Soon, they said their goodbyes and she kept the calling card in her wallet and decided to call them sooner. Arthur's scowl had eased by then and it was changed to a softer one when he learned what the conversation was about. He told her how nice it was of her to do such a thing and pecked her on the cheek.
Pretty in Pink was done by the time Paige felt a little cold, considering that the weather was already chilly, even if they'd closed their windows almost all the way through. Arthur looped one arm around her so that he could rub his hand up and down her arm, before he shifted her meagerly so he could reach back for the brown plaid blanket he'd put there earlier.
Their seats where pulled back a little so that they could somehow ease their backs. Paige mouthed her thank you at him, feeling the need to snuggle as soon as he laid the blanket over their bodies, hovering over her as he checked if her side was completely covered.
"Still cold?" he asked.
Paige squinted one eye, making the figurative inch. "Just a little bit."
"Awesome," he said, with a playful smirk, and he cuddled in between the crook of her shoulder and neck, notwithstanding the fact that the gearshifter was practically stabbing his side. Paige chuckled and Arthur's head bobbed a little from the movement of her body. "Actually, it's stupid of me to ask you out and then bring you to a drive-in theater, although I thought the cold's bearable. I think you're just making excuses."
She rolled her eyes, one hand haphazardly reaching for the box of popcorn that was resting on her lap, just as Notting Hill started. It was one of her favorite movies ever but she couldn't remember the last time she saw it, so it felt like a breath of fresh again, especially now that she was with someone special.
"It's true, isn't it?" Arthur asked her moments later into the movie, while Paige kept on tugging the tips of his hair ever-so-softly. He'd probably felt the frown on her face that he continued on, "About what William Thacker said, 'To find someone you actually...love, who'll love you. The chances are always minuscule.'"
Her thoughts about Owen had involuntarily crossed her mind and she almost immediately threw them out of the window, never once looking back; although she liked Arthur a little too much that it felt like her heart was ripping at the seams until she was all dismantled. But love was such a big word that she feared for herself falling for someone who, in the end, couldn't love her back.
"We are all surrounded with people we love who loves us back, Art," she'd worded one eternity later, settling for a safer answer instead. "I think that's why we, humans, suffer a lot because we desire for something more. That's not to say we have to refrain from waiting for that someone we can spend the rest of our lives with; but for me, I finally realized that sometimes, the best thing we can do is wait and not settle for something less just because you're lonely. It's not minuscule. People are just in a rush to fall in love and ending up missing that one person who's right for them, you know?
"Before I met you, I was so dead-set on waiting for that someone. I don't go about with a guy just because they're cute or nice or whatever. I still believe in romance, I truly do. But it feels like my chances don't belong here. I don't belong here."
Arthur remained silent but gazed up at her, and she shot him a smile before easing her cheek back to the top of his head, smiling at the part where William and his friends and family were all cooped up into this one tiny car.
But then she felt him nudging her and she looked down at him again. The faint lights from their surrounding outside reflected in his eyes, his irises darkening and he had this smile on his face, so soft, so genuine, and so wonderful that she couldn't stop the deafening thump, thump, thump of her heart against her chest.
"Surreal, but nice."
She couldn't grasp for anything to say because his face was too close, she could almost see the freckles along his nose, her lips hovering above his that if she'd so much as move an inch down she could kiss him, and she hadn't recovered from her heartbeat yet, which was beating a mile away.
She felt strange so suddenly and she had no clue why. All she knew was that everything was so surreal, but nice−with him right there beside her, his arm locked around her body.
And all she could do was stare down at him with a burning, longing ache in the depths of her being, as he looked back at the screen like he'd never made her feel nothing less than surreal and nice.