SUAW Workbook

Date of Fate: Scene 2

Jean rummaged through the cabinets just as Winter came around the corner, zombie-walking to the freshly brewed coffee.

"Where are you going so early in the morning? It's, like...5am?" she mumbled while opening a cabinet, hitting Jean's shoulder with it in the process. Jean rolled his eyes at that, but he knew better than to get between Winter and her coffee.

"Sky wanted to see the sunrise over Lake Ricco—you know, for research—and I said I'd show him to the best place to view it." Jean avoided Winter's elbow as he finally found what he was looking for, a box of energy bars. "Going for a run?"

"Might as well since you woke me up with that god-awful shower. When are you gonna call the landlord to fix it?"

Jean huffed as he shoved the box into his backpack along with a couple water bottles. "Why do I have to do everything around here?"

"Because the landlord likes you best."

"Maybe if you all weren't such little shits, she'd like you, too." Jean hefted the bag onto his shoulder. "Leave coffee for the rest of them, oatmeal is on the stove, and don't burn the apartment down. Oh, and make sure you tell Marshal he's the best boy for me and to tell Dan to go to hell."

"Will do. Bye, Mom~!" She raised her cup in support. "Be bi and do crimes, twink."

He wasn't going to before, but... "I'm taking your jacket, too."

"Hold on, that wasn't part of this—"

Jean slammed the door shut before he could hear the rest of it, a light green windbreaker in hand.

*****

Jean didn't bring up how Sky kept glancing into the mirror. He drove carefully around the winding roads, headlights turned to high beams. The sky was becoming lighter, however, as sunrise approached. At least they wouldn't be hiking in pitch black. But nonetheless, Jean had still packed a flashlight, requesting Sky do the same. He parked along the side of the road next to a sign that said 'Trail 3.'

"And this is where we begin," he said, turning the car off. He turned to look at Sky only to find the other looking out the window unsure. "Something wrong?"

"Isn't it still a bit dark?"

"Maybe a little, but the place you mentioned is a 45-minute hike from here." Jean readied himself to start the car again. "There's another trail that leads directly to the lake if you prefer that?"

"No, no." Sky looked at Jean and smiled. "You said you hike here all the time, so I trust you know where you're going."

Jean firmly pushed aside any fluttering feeling he felt to be processed later, but he still found himself smiling back. With that said, they got out of the car-Jean's car, since there was no way Sky's rental could've made it up this far-and grabbed their things. Understandably, Sky hadn't exactly anticipated going on a hike while on a research trip, but...was Sky wearing a tweed jacket of all things? Jean voiced his concerns once he had been caught staring.

"Do you, uh...are you gonna wear that hiking?" Jean tugged at his own hoodie. "You can wear this instead if you'd like? I brought another coat just in case, but it isn't so cold out here."

"Nah, I'll be fine." Sky looped a camera bag over his shoulder. They had already discussed earlier that Jean would carry the necessities while Sky carried his gear. Sky then added with a grin, "Wouldn't want to mess up your aesthetic."

Jean snorted. "If you insist. Ready?"

Sky went to stand next to Jean and nodded. If he were being honest, Jean still couldn't get over the fact he was actually taller than Sky. From the photos, he thought Sky stood over 6-feet-tall. Not that Jean was complaining, but it didn't help the surreal feeling that Sky happened to be in his little college town by chance.

Maybe this is why the app is called Date of Fate, Jean thought as he led the way. As he said before, this was a trail he had walked a hundred times before. It was one with no steep inclines and was well maintained, and it was honestly one of the main reasons he chose his college to begin with.

They made it to the location faster than Jean had anticipated. From what Sky had told him previously, there weren't many hiking trails around where he lived beside the paved ones. Perhaps Jean was too quick to assume Sky wouldn't have been able to keep up with his usual pace, and thus said the hike would take 45 minutes. Sky, however, proved him otherwise and even maintained easy conversation the entire way with no hints of being out of breath. It distracted Jean enough that he didn't realize he was walking at quite a brisk pace. But they were here now, and they had even beaten the sun.

Sky walked forward and up to the ledge they stood on, pulling out his camera as the sun began to rise above the trees and reflect onto the lake below. Jean, meanwhile, slid his backpack off his shoulders and sat down on the exposed root of a tree.

"You weren't kidding when you said this was the best view," Sky said as he turned to look back at Jean. "I think this may even be the very spot described in the book."

"Glad I could help, then." Jean paused, taking a long drink of water. "What's the book about exactly?"

"It tells the story of an actress who moved from a small town to the big city of LA and all of her struggles doing so." Having gotten all the shots he needed, he moved away from the ledge back to where Jean sat. Sky nodded his thanks when Jean offered him the other water bottle and took it. "Half of the story is spent in the little town as it shows how and why she came to her decision."

"So it's a biography?"

"Not quite, but the author did state it was very close to her own story, but instead of talking about the struggles of a writer, she chose to write her frustrations through the eyes of an actress and all the controversies of Hollywood."

Their talking ceased as they continued to watch the sunrise, neither of them feeling the need to fill the silence. It was...peaceful, to say the least, and Jean found himself enjoying it more than he thought he would. He thought it would be awkward to actually spend planned one-on-one time with a person he had only been talking to online before this, and it had only been a week since Sky had been here.

"Can I ask you a question, Sky?" Jean found himself asking idly.

Sky shrugged before leaning back on his hands. "Sure. Might as well chat as we rest before heading to the waterfall."

"How do you choose...what you write? From what I've heard and seen, you like sharing stories that maybe wouldn't be told otherwise. How do you find them?"

Sky blinked in surprise at Jean's question, and Jean absolutely did not blush as a warm smile spread across his face.

"It's almost a gut instinct if that makes sense. Sometimes I walk through libraries or bookstores to see what's on the shelf, and then I pick up whatever I'm drawn to. In this case, however..." Sky sighed. "I relate to this one a bit more."

Jean nodded his head slowly, momentarily wondering if he should ask Sky to elaborate or not. He had heard a little bit about the Barlows from the tabloids, but there had to be more than the extravagant lifestyle and drama. If anything, Sky struck him as the person who didn't want any of that.

That wasn't his business, however. Instead, he chose to enjoy the moment for what it was.