like real people do./ arvin russell

1.4

"harry make sure your bag is packed with everything you need before we leave!"

a small "okay mom" with full sarcasm was thrown at me which caused a half asleep arvin to burst out into a fit of laughter. we decided to leave around 6am so we'd get to the house and unpacked before the carnival opened, and of course, none of us got any sleep.

"shut up and go help him please"

"ooo yes ma'am"

i chuckled and watch arvin jog to harry's room, they would both be the absolute death of me and there was no doubt about that. i had finished packing snacks for the road and my bag just in time for the sun to start rising. it was nearing 6am when we had finally gotten everything and everyone, and yes that includes our dog spiderman also. why was our dog named spiderman? well because harry had been obsessed with spiderman since he first laid eyes on the comic.

"alright i made sure to leave the other russells a message that if they need us we'll be out of town but there is a spare key under the mat, harry has his bag and you have yours, mine is in the back and we got all of spideys toys and treats, correct?"

"correct...baby, calm down, just enjoy the ride alright?"

i nodded and laid back to relax, arvin placed one hand on my inner thigh and the other on the steering wheel, driving us to the destination that lay ahead.

30 minutes in and harry was passed out with the dog in his lap, leaving arvin and i alone with the radio and our thoughts.

"you know you're gonna be a great momma someday.."

i smiled at the thought of it, being around a bunch of little arvins and natalias waiting for arvin to get home, he'd be working happily somewhere and we'd be in a small town like knockemstiff, harry would be on his own, living his own life and we'd all be happier and better off, it was perfect but it felt so far away.

"and you are gonna be a great daddy, any kid would be lucky to have you around.."

he smiled at me, squeezing my thigh gently, i was scared for the future, arvin and i were turning 20 at the end of may and harry was turning 13 in june, it made me realize that time wasn't gonna stop no matter what and this whole "letting god play it out" isn't working like i thought it would.

"hey arvin?"

"hmm?"

i played with the ring on arvins finger, smiling softly at it before speaking once again.

"would you ever want to have a family with me?"

at this point in our trip, i knew we were close to knockemstiff because we passed by a small little cabin we had passed before arriving last time. arvin took a while to answer, which made my anxiety rise but i ignored it and kept playing with his hand that was still place on my thigh.

"can i be honest with you doll?"

"of course arvin.."

okay, anxiety has officially risen above the max. even after 5 months or so, i still had a hard time figuring out arvins emotions, he spent so long hiding them to where even though sometimes he lets them out, he still hides them pretty well.

"you could be pregnant right now and find out, let's say a week from now and you're terrified and when you tell me you expect the worse but i would...gosh i would be so excited to finally have a kid of my own, i mean, even taking care of harry with you makes me want to have a kid...i mean, imagine me, arvin eugene russell, the son of someone like my dad...having a kid, and with you, the girl ive loved since i was like 8?! i don't know about you but that seems like a perfect life, i would love to have a family with you someday, whether it be today, tomorrow or six years from now...i'd only want that life with you.."

i tried not to let my emotions get to me, wiping my eyes with a small chuckle.

arvin and i talked more about everything, but soon, we had arrived to knockemstiff, arvin had to get the keys but for some reason it took longer than the first time we had arrived, i shook the thought away as he got back into the car with a smile.

when we arrived at the house, arvin and i moved everything in before we woke harry up. he, of course, didn't want to wake up, so arvin ended up carrying him in on his waist while i put spidey on the leash and walked him around to go to the bathroom.

"hey hun, i think harry's gonna be asleep for a while, his head feels warmer than usual, so i gave him some medicine and let him rest."

arvin had walked down to where i was standing with spidey, looking out into the small town.

"i'm sure he'll be fine, he rarely gets sick and when he does it usually passes by the time he wakes up"

arvin nodded, but he knew that i was thinking about something else, something away from knockemstiff and harry being sick.

"what's wrong doll?"

"arvin...we drove through this whole town to get to the house and there was no carnival in sight...why did you bring us here..?"

arvin rubbed his face, trying not to look me directly in the eyes, i couldn't tell if he was going to make up some lie or not, it wasn't like him but it wasn't against him either.

he grabbed my hand and led me back inside, our bags were in our respected rooms and spideys stuff was all in the living room scattered about, i took his leash off and followed arvin into the kitchen.

"boss didn't give me the weekend off...i quit because i knew i wasn't happy there and i didn't want you to be disappointed in me so.."

i shook my head, i had waited four months for him to finally quit to do something he'd actually enjoyed and he thought I'd be mad?

"arvin...why would i be disappointed..?"

he sighed, running his fingers through his hair, looking anywhere but where i was standing, the same numb expression going back over his face.

"because i enlisted into the army.."

...
A/N:

remember when i said there'd be a plot twist? yeah- this is only the beginning... 😃