Park Bench (Prinxiety AU)

Chapter 18 - Roman

December 1

     "There are fewer stars in the sky than reasons I love you," I said, staring at Virgil. He glanced at me briefly, before turning his attention back to the stapled pages on his lap. I sighed and shook my head, running my hand over my face. "There are fewer stars in the sky-"

     "Weird emphasis," he said suddenly.

     I sighed again, throwing my script onto my carpeted bedroom floor. "That's it, I'm done, I quit," I huffed. Dramatically, I fell backwards onto my bed, landing next to Virgil.

     "Since when were you the anxious one?"

     "Auditions are hard." I sat up and glared at him. "You wouldn't get it."

     He raised an eyebrow. "I wouldn't get... being anxious?" I tried not to sigh again as I looked away. He gently set his copy of the script in between us. "Listen, Roman," he said. Confused, I met his eyes. He never called me Roman. "You're putting too much pressure on yourself, and that's coming from me." His little laugh made me smile, and I turned to face him completely. "I know that you want to get this right. I understand that. But this is just the rehearsal, and you're not being judged here." He nudged the script towards me, and I picked it up. "Now. The lights are up. It's peak tension. You look into the eyes of the lead and say..."

     I bit down my smile and tried to put myself back in character. "There are fewer stars in the sky than reasons I love you," I said carefully, not taking my eyes off his.

     "Good," he said. "That was good. See?" All I could do was nod. How did he do that?

     He stood and walked to my window. It was like a beautiful Christmas card out there; glowing streetlights muted by a sheet of falling snow. It was the kind of picturesque view that made the frozen loneliness of winter seem so... warm.

     "It's getting late," he said. "Should I go?"

     I stood up and walked over to him to get a better look outside. "You could..."

     "Or...?"

     "Or... Disney?"

     He laughed and nodded. "Okay. Just one movie though."

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December 2

     That morning was something new. When I woke up next to him on my pull-out couch, his face being the first thing I saw in the morning, his quiet, awkward "Hey," when he realized I was awake, it felt like waking up to a world that could do no wrong.

     He was sitting up next to me, our shared blanket covering only his lap. His sweater was draped over the back of the couch. He was still wearing his t-shirt from yesterday because he refused to borrow pyjamas when I offered. I took notice of his phone in his hands. I caught a glimpse of my name on his screen before he set it down on the coffee table, which was pushed over to his side of the mattress. "Who were you texting?" I asked suspiciously. He glanced down at me but quickly averted his eyes.

     "Patton," he said, shrugging.

     "What about?"

     He hesitated for a moment. "Uh... lunch." I frowned as he pulled his sweater back around his shoulders and stood. "I'll go, uh, take Peanut outside," he mumbled. I watched him walk out of the room. A tiny noise caught my attention. Virgil's phone had buzzed on the table. I glanced between it and the door. It wouldn't be right to look. He'd surely hate me if I did. That being said, if he really didn't want me looking, he wouldn't have left it... right? Plus, he was definitely talking about me. I had no doubt about that. But I couldn't just invade his privacy like that. Still, the moment I heard the backdoor close, I jumped over and grabbed it. Just one look wouldn't hurt.

     On his screen was one notification. It was a text from Patton, so Virgil had been truthful there, but it clearly wasn't about lunch. It simply said 'I'm sure he'd understand'. That was it, that was all I could get. Before I could even consider trying to figure out his pin, I dropped the phone. What were they talking about? What would I understand?

     I stood up and made my way to the backdoor. Outside, Virgil was standing under my deck's overhang and watching Peanut run through the snow, which had risen about two feet overnight. For a moment I debated on going out there with him, but he turned around and saw me before I opened the door. We stared at each other for a few seconds. Then, he smiled and shook his head, turning back around. I slipped on my boots and grabbed Virgil's jacket from the dining table. It was mine from a few years prior, but I insisted he take it when he refused to buy one for himself. I opened the door and walked out to him.

     Surprisingly, when I held it out to him, he accepted it right away and put it on without protest. Most of the time he would have offered it to me first, seeing as I was only wearing a t-shirt. I wasn't sure whether to be offended or proud. I didn't get the chance to decide. "I think..." he started, leaning on the wooden railing in front of him. "And, you can totally disagree with this."

     Between this and Patton's text, I was suddenly feeling quite nervous. Maybe it was just the way he avoided my gaze as I leaned next to him.

     "I think we should stop meeting at the park every day," he said finally. It took a moment to process his words, but when I did, I released a relieved breath. "Until spring, at least. I know we haven't gone there in a few days, but I just want to be sure."

     Before I could stop myself, I spoke. "Is that what you were talking to Patton about?" Instantly my hand slapped over my mouth, but it was too late.

     "No," he said calmly, but then he jumped back. "Wait, what? What do you mean? What did you see?" he asked quickly.

     "Me? Seeing something? No. Nothing. What was there to see? I saw nothing," I responded. He ran a hand through his hair, shaking his head. "Okay, fine, I may have snooped and seen a message from Patton. It was foolish of me, I know."

     "What... What did it say?"

     "Um, something about me understanding something?" I tried to recall the exact words, but they had completely fled my mind. "Are you mad at me?" I asked weakly, frowning.

     He looked at me. "That's all you saw?" he asked. I nodded. After a moment, he took a deep breath and tried to fix his hair. "I'm not mad, but..."

     "But?"

     "But that was a pretty messed up thing to do."

     "I know." Never before had I felt so guilty for something like that. The disappointed look in his eyes made me feel completely and utterly defeated.

     Peanut jumped up onto the deck and Virgil kneeled down to pet him. "You literally adopted me a dog, so you get a free pass, Princey. But just this once. And don't ever-" he stood up, standing right in front of me. "Ever," he leaned in a little closer. I felt my face heat up at the sudden proximity. Even the air around us seemed to grow warmer. "Mess with my things again."

     Before I could even figure out what was happening, he smushed a fistful of snow into my face.

     I deserved that.