𝐓𝐎 𝐁𝐄 𝐋𝐎𝐕𝐄𝐃

should i tell her?

dina's pov:

i rubbed ellie's hand with my thumb as we roamed the park alone, talia went on to do her own thing.

ellie's been nonstop bragging about how much better she is than me at the arcade games scattered across the park, i know she's lying though.

(she's totally not.)

i dragged her along the sidewalk as we walked through a couple stores, not buying anything but just for fun.

"don't move, alright?" i instruct ellie, kissing her before walking inside a store.

i roamed around for a bit, specially looking at the different t shirts.

one really caught my eye though, hung above a couple racks of clothing sat a dark grey mandalorian tee, 'galaxy's best dad' printed around the photo of him.

i grabbed it off the hanger chuckling to myself before heading over to the checkout, grabbing a piece of candy as the woman on the other side of the counter scanned my items.

"have a wonderful day!" she smiled, handing me the bag.

i turned around, waving as i left the store. ellie leaned against the brick wall scrolling on her phone.

"here," i say handing her the bag, she peeked in but didn't fully open it. "open it, dummy." i chuckle.

"in front of all these people?"

"yes, in front of all these people. now hurry up." i watched as she slowly opened the bag, pulling out the shirt. "what the fuck is wrong with you?"

"world's best dad, really?" she holds back a laugh, admiring the amazing shirt i just bought. "yeah, the father of our build-a-bear."

she shook her head embarrassingly as she stuffed the shirt back into it's bag, continuing to walk around.

my stomach was starting to growl, the smell of freshly baked pastries didn't help either. "you hungry?" i ask ellie, and she nods.

i grabbed my phone looking up the nearest place to grab a quick snack, finding one that we both liked.

we agreed on some beach club marketplace a little ways down, maybe about a ten minute walk.

we arrived, the two of us staring up at the menu. "what catches your eye?" i ask, and she points to the kid's menu turkey sandwich.

i ordered for her like i always do before settling with a simple sandwich aswell, a sprite on the side.

"your total comes to $18.78," the cashier says, and i hand her a $20 bill. "keep the change, thanks."

i turned around watching as ellie followed a couple seagulls around, jumping at them and making them fly away.

of course i sat and admired her for awhile. i've always loved watching her have a good time.

"come on, let's go." i say pulling a chair out from one of the tables and sitting across from her. "so," i drag out.

"i wanna get to know you more."

she furrows her eyebrows, "don't you know me enough already?"

"not enough for my liking, no."

she sighs, "of course."

a cast member came over with our sandwiches, placing them on the table followed by some cutlery. "i'm waiting." i smile, taking a bite.

"well uh, i really like space i don't know."

"what about space?"

"everything, i specifically love saturn. oh my god the rings are so fucking cool, did you know that saturn is the only planet in the solar system that's less dense than water?"

i smile as she goes on a rant about random saturn facts, watching as her smile grows bigger and bigger. "sorry, did i say too much?" she quiets down.

"not enough, angel. keep going."

she smiles once again, covering her mouth with her hand as she did so.

ellie's pov:

"i'd love to see saturn some day, like up close in person. i want to touch it."

dina chuckles taking another bite from her food. "i'll take you there in a few years, watch me."

a few years? yeah, i'm not gonna be here that long.

all i did was chuckle as she tilted her head, she probably thought i took her seriously. "what's so funny?" she asks.

"nothing, just thinking."

i finally decide to take a bite of mine, i've been staring at it for awhile but it's getting hard to resist.

"i'd love to go to space someday aswell, it really fascinates me." dina adds on, keeping the conversation going.

"we should be astronauts together when we get older." she suggests, tossing her paper in the trash.

"pfft, i wish." i scoff.

the fact that she's so unaware by the face that i'm in fact not gonna get older repulses me, i hate that she doesn't know.

should i tell her?

it's crazy how she hasn't gotten a single hint yet about what i'm planning.

i mean i'm sure she knows but she hasn't really said anything about it.

whatever, i don't wanna ruin the moment. i'm just gonna let her enjoy her time with me while she can, that way at least she got something from me.

"we should go check out our hotel, yeah?" dina stands up fixing her headband.

all i did was nod, following close behind.

—

we finally made it out of the park, dina's parents met us in the parking lot so we didn't have to walk.

"so, how was it?" her dad asks looking up at us while her mom laid against the window. "fun, i'm tired as hell though." dina chuckles.

"what about you, ellie?" he turns to look at me through the rear view mirror. "fun," was all i said.

not much was said the entire car ride, her dad's music broke the silence as we drove. "how much longer?" i turn to dina, checking the time on her phone.

"a couple minutes." her dad showed me the gps.

we finally arrived at the hotel, i grabbed my suitcase from the trunk as i began to drag it inside.

dina's parents weren't staying for that long, just to help us get settled in before leaving again.

i was in charge of the keycard thing, it took me awhile to get used to but i got the hand of it after awhile.

"you ready?" dina says, holding my suitcase. i nod, opening the door.

the hotel room had one bed, i assumed she was the one who requested that. it had a couch aswell so i guess that's the one i'll be taking.

"you're sleeping here with me, by the way." she says spreading out on the mattress. "fine," as all i said. "but just for one night."

"one night? we're gonna be here for two weeks." she chuckles pulling me into bed with her.

"one week then, after that i'm taking the couch."

i heard her sigh dramatically as we laid side by side, the sunlight beaming onto us.

"you're so pretty," dina compliments, pulling a strand of hair behind me ear as i scoffed. "yeah, sure."

"i'm serious, your literally perfect."

i turn over, embarrassed. "okay, enough with the sweet talk. i'm too tired for this."

"whatever, you know i'm right though." she shrugs before turning over, eventually falling asleep.

"if that's what you believe i'm all for it."

1,197 words.