𝑯𝒆𝒓 𝒇𝒊𝒏𝒂𝒍 𝒈𝒊𝒇𝒕 𝒘𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒔𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒍𝒊𝒗𝒆𝒔.
Elizabeth Reid learned, at seventeen, that she was going to die. Diagnosed with terminal cancer, she's faced with a question that no one should have to answer.
How do you leave a mark on a wo...
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As we pulled into the drive-in, I felt the nerves bubbling in my stomach. Nathan found us a spot near the middle and parked the car.
"Right," he said, turning to me with a grin. "Let's get sorted, shall we?"
I nodded, watching as he fiddled with the radio, trying to find the right station for the film's audio. After a bit of static and what sounded like a country music station, he finally found it.
"Got it!" he said triumphantly.
While he was doing that, I took in our surroundings. Cars were parked around us, some with couples snuggled up in the front seats, others with families spreading picnic blankets in the back of their trucks. The massive screen loomed before us, showing adverts for the snack bar.
Nathan turned to the back seat, rummaging around in the mountain of snacks he'd brought. "Blanket first, I reckon," he said, pulling out a soft-looking fleece. "It might get chilly later."
He spread the blanket over our laps, and I tried not to overthink about how close we were sitting.
"Snacks next," he continued, turning back to the pile. "What do you fancy? We've got crisps, chocolate, those weird sour sweets you like..."
I couldn't help but laugh. "You remembered those?"
He looked at me like I was daft. "Course I did. You only go on about them every time we watch a film."
I felt a warmth in my chest that had nothing to do with the blanket. "Well, I'll have some of those in that case, please."
Nathan handed me the sweets and a bottle of juice, then grabbed some crisps for himself. As we settled in, munching on our snacks, I glanced at the screen again.
"So, 'Anyone But You'," I said. "Have you heard much about it?"
Nathan shook his head. "Not really. Just that it's supposed to be funny and romantic, I guess."
I nodded. "Yeah, I've been wanting to see it for ages. Glad we're finally getting the chance."
There was a moment of silence, and I could feel Nathan looking at me. When I turned to meet his gaze, there was something in his eyes I couldn't quite read.
"How's things been at home?" he asked softly. "You know, since... everything."
I felt my chest tighten a bit. We didn't talk about my illness much, not directly, anyway. But I suppose it was always there, hanging over us like a storm cloud.
"It's been..." I paused, trying to find the right words. "Tense, if I'm being honest. My sister hasn't been sleeping well. I can hear her crying at night sometimes."
Nathan's face fell. "Oh, Beth. I'm sorry."
I shrugged, trying to seem nonchalant. "It's not your fault. Mum and Dad aren't much better. I don't think they're sleeping much either."
