[3] COME ON, EILEEN | A. TVEIT ✔️

1.5 skidding

"I feel like one of those overbearing parents sending my kid off to summer camp." Wilhelm said as they stood on the curb. "please don't come back with a twin, I don't think New York could handle two of you."

"It barely handles me alone."

as promised by him, and because of an unforeseen paint accident in his place, Wil had been staying over since Hugh visited the theater almost a week ago.

"that's true." his smile widened at the sight of a black sedan pulling up. "but your prince is here and I can't wait to hear every single detail about this date."

"it's not."

"shut up, it is."

HAVE HER BACK BEFORE MIDNIGHT OR I'LL HAVE YOUR HEAD was what they heard from Wil before finally setting out on their day. Aaron wore a navy sweater that she unintentionally matched with her own in a lighter shade.

"so what are our plans for the day?" Eileen asked before her mind got even more lost trying to understand why his crinkled smiling eyes were so overpowering.

"May is having us check out this place upstate that works with environmentally friendly wedding decor and they do everything: from center pieces to those flower curtains she wanted for back drop." a wild though appeared that one day it was gonna be his wedding. and by God she wanted the bride to be her. that thought alone was frightening due to being out of character from all that was within her, it signaled how a fundamental change was happening.

"and is it gonna take all day?" a plan began to formulate in her mind.

"probably until like three pm, why?" Aaron didn't miss how her eyes sparkled with mischief.

"I know just where we can go afterwards then."

"are you going to tell me?" he asked, though his mind knew the answer.

"nope."

just as she had analyzed him a few moments before, his eyes ran over her while a light turned red and her eyes were busy with looking for how her phone would connect to his car's Bluetooth. there was a certain childishness to her sweater that depicted a blue sky with green grass and some clouds, it made a usually stone faced woman look younger.

"fine, I'll annoy you with questions until you do."

"you can try."

he'd learned all about Eileen's short patience in their time together, it had been most amusing to see an indecisive child take their sweet time with choosing a pastry and in turn make them late for some other thing. but something only very close friends knew was that she loved being right more than most things.

so there would be a Wicked movie before he knew where she was taking them for an early dinner.

"favorite movie?"

"begin again with Keira Knightley. yours?" two could play thins game.

"meet the Robinsons. favorite color?"

"black but I look great in forest green. what's yours?"

"if you can't tell by the absurd amount of it I wear, navy." Aaron looked pleased with his little joke.

"it does bring out your eyes nicely." that was not meant to be said out loud.

"does it?"

they always did this dance with words when together, testing the waters of how the other felt.

"kinda, red does it much better."

New York State looked beautiful on winter, snow covering every available surface, even the very road their car was on. a small problem being it covered all of those nasty black ice patches that sent them skidding across the pavement for a few seconds.

"Aaron, look out!" Eileen hated how her voice sounded scared, instinctively reaching for his arm.

he looked at her for a split second before stillness hit them. luckily it had been a bank of fresh snow so they'd be fine to go on once there was calm again.

"Leen?"

Leen. a voice sounding as scared as her whole being felt reached out. Aaron took off his seatbelt and hers as well before tentatively placing his hands on her cheeks.

"Leen, look at me."

blue met green, never failing calm clashed with a sea of fearfulness and Eileen began to cry.

"I don't even know why I'm crying." her words were chopped up by small hiccups.

other than mom, she'd only ever cried in front of three people. Christy when they said goodbye to each other in the safety of a bedroom, Wilhelm held her as she wept over their eviction news inside the particularity of her office and then when Conroy had turned out to be a cheater. She despised crying and was this close to just walking back to NYC when another unexpected thing happened that day.

"Come here."

by now he had properly parked the car on the roadside and was free to hold her. his arms went around the woman with care, mindful of boundaries, and he felt certain pride in the way her hand stayed in his as their drive continued.

▼

BRIDEY
hey

are you in the right
mindset to receive news
that could possibly hurt
you?

(Eileen got into worry mode in a blink.)

SESTRA
when am I ever?

just hit me w it

BRIDEY
so I was just doing some
very mild stalking on Instagram
and saw one of Conroy's posts

yes, I still follow him from a
finsta so don't worry

and you're not gonna like where
he's at rn

SESTRA
OH MY GOD

HE'S  ACTUALLY RIGHT
BEHIND AARON IN LINE

PLEASE END MY EXISTENCE

LIKE RIGHT NOW

(her entire body filled with dread, Eileen breathed in deeply before analyzing the situation. it was simply too convenient for him to show up at her favorite place. she had mentioned to Hugh about her trip, they were discussing plans for time off as some rehearsal went on, and he must've surely not noticed how Conroy was an expert at prying for information without being obvious.)

SESTRA
if we're not back by
tomorrow

then come over bc I am in
jail.