Our Heart - The Greatest Showman {Book 2 of "One Heart"}

Chapter 64

Phillip's Pov 

The last vestiges of the setting sun disappeared over the horizon, the copper hues giving way to a dusty purple scattered with the occasional glitter of a faraway star. The distant skyline stood silhouetted against a velvety sky, the golden dusk enveloped by the twilight sky as I walked into the circus tent. 

The crowds, that I am guessing where there from saying goodbye to a parting ship, were slowly disappearing away from the docks and back into the night life of the city. 

Pushing back the opening of the tent I walked inside to a pretty bare stage. Barnum, myself and a few others spent a few days cleaning up all of the damage from everything but it was slowly returning to it's original familiar status. 

The stage was basically empty, nothing flashy or colourful, except for a trapeze which had been left out as well as a thing piece of wire which stretched from one pole to the another.  With my single lantern, I quickly paced around the circumference of the stage, lighting candles and placing them in their appropriate lanterns.

I allowed my fingertips to graze the tightrope as I walked by it, letting my fingers feel the wire; the width of it alone has always been enough to keep me away from it. Then again, the depth perception of it hasn't really beckoned me to come closer. 

"Are you sure you should be touching that?" 

I smiled as I turned around to see Lizzy standing just in front of the entrance. She gently placed her own lantern down in the middle of the floor before she walked over to where I was standing. Lizzy twisted her brown hair up on top of her head (somehow with out and ribbon or anything to kept it tight - it always baffles me when she is able to do that and it just stays in place) and folded her blue coat up, hanging it of a spa sandbag hook. 

Pulling herself up onto the wire, she held her arms out slightly just to get accustomed to the wire again. 

"Are you sure you should..." 

"I'll be fine Phillip." Lizzy told me as she paced back and forth on the wire before deciding somewhere roughly in the middle, that she was going to stop. 

"I've been thinking recently. About Us. About our lives. And we are never going to have a normal life Phillip. I mean there is always something happening isn't there? Whether it be circus or personal." She spoke softly. She wasn't angry or accusing anyone of anything. Just simply speaking. Stating what we both have come to known as truth. 

"But," She continued, letting her eyes fall onto mine. "That doesn't mean we can't have a life. I mean we haven't gone away together. And as for the circus, Lettie said that she would be fully prepared to run it all so we wouldn't have to worry." 

Lizzy lowered to sit on the wire, again do not know how she does it, and pulls out a crumple piece of paper from her dress pocket, handing it to me. 

I smooth out the paper in my hand, looking at the ticket that had unfolded in my hand. 

"A boat ticket?" I found myself questioning. 

"A present from Megan."

"And you want to go?"

"Only if you want to as well. But I just thought maybe we could get away from it all for a little while. See something new. Have time to ourselves without anything. With just us." Her last words came down to a whisper. 

"Sound perfect." I feel a smile, a genuine smile, paint itself onto my face. Lizzy smiled as well. Her smile shined like the stars in the sky, with no bright city lights to dim them. It was like the sun opened its eager light to shine about her. 

A light in the dark. 

Bouncing herself back onto the wire she held out her hand for me, wedding ring sparkling in the lantern's light. 

I shook my head. "No, we both know how it's going to end if I get up on that wire."

 Lizzy laughed. "I wouldn't let you fall." 

"No. No. No. The height and the wire. It's just not a good combination for me." I responded, feeling myself laugh out as well. Nerves or humour I don't exactly know. 

"Oh Come on! Do you trust me?"

Her eyes sparkled with mischief but I couldn't help myself as she pulled me up onto the wire.