The Royal Invitation
Chapter 14
Alex’s POV:
"Espresso for the princess," I stated with a buoyant grin, handing a to-go cup in Aerowyn's direction before taking a sip of my own.
"Well aren't you chipper this morning," she giggled, beaming back at me.
It had become something of a routine since our 6am encounter back in Dalewin that Aerowyn and I met up each morning for a walk, which is how I found myself wandering the city of Atlanta before the sun had even risen.
"I found something back in the department store," I explained rather enigmatically.
Aerowyn raised an eyebrow slightly, narrowing her eyes as she stared back at me quizzically. I smirked, taking a seat on the nearest bench as I awaited the sunrise. We had found a valley not far from the city centre where we were playing, so we figured we'd take the hike and see the city in all its glory.
"Hey, you can't just leave me questioning," Aerowyn spoke, taking a seat beside me. "What did you find?"
I turned to look at her, feigning to think it through like it was some life altering decision. I mean, it definitely was, I was about to change Aerowyn's life as well as the future of her entire kingdom.
"Okay, okay, do you remember our dinner date back in Jacksonville?"
"Yes.." She replied, nodding slowly.
I grinned, pulling the thin, packaged box from my bag. Toy Story. The single best comical adventure movie of all time, a movie of which Aerowyn has yet to see. It was actually ludicrous that she hadn’t watched such a classic.
"You didn't!" She exclaimed, snatching the DVD from my hands.
"Oh, I did."
She nudged me in the arm playfully, smiling briefly at me before returning to inspecting the case. I watched patiently, admiring the way she examined the movie as though checking to see as if it was worthy of the two hours spent watching. The smile against her lips told me she thought so.
"I figured we could watch it tonight," her eyebrows arched as I spoke, "but only if you want to."
"Only if you make me a deal."
"Okay..." I replied skeptically.
"Once we are back in Dalewin, we watch a movie of my choice." She added, staring back at me expectantly.
"Deal," I accepted, holding my hand out to shake on it. She took it, shaking fervently before turning to face the sunrise.
The array of oranges and pinks all merged together as the sun began to rise in the distance. I took a sip of my coffee, taking in the views I had so irresponsibly missed over the last years of touring. I had hit almost every state throughout America, and not once woke up early enough to see the sunrise. I guess you could say Aerowyn was having a good influence on me.
Within half an hour, we were making our way back down the valley and into the city. Like usual, I followed behind whilst Aerowyn skipped off, snapping pictures of anything and everything. It usually consisted of buildings and street signs, but occasionally she would spontaneously turn around and demand a picture of me. Soon enough I was determined to get back at her and take some pictures of my own, plus, she owed it to me from way back when we had our second encounter. I'd get revenge eventually.
After half an hour of promenading around the city, avoiding the early morning rush as we did, we finally made it back to the arena where we were playing tonight's show. The guys were still asleep, as expected after their long night in the city, so Winny and I found our way to the grass verge just above the parking lot.
"So, have you decided which movie we'll be watching back in Dalewin?" I asked, slumping down beside Aerowyn who had already taken a seat on the grass.
"I have," she stated rather matter-of-factly, "but that's for me to know and you to find out."
"Well if it isn't the Princess of Dalewin, toying with a common boy," I mocked with a smirk.
"Oh, don't you know? He's the lead singer of a world famous band," she retorted, emphasising the last part. I rolled my eyes, to which she giggled playfully. Lighthearted taunting seemed to be our thing now, so not a conversation went by without some sort of mocking.
We sat on the grass for a little longer before retreating to the bus in time for the guys to be waking up. From that point onwards I was back and forth between the bus and the venue. The rest of the morning was spent in sound check, and then there was rehearsal with meet and greet ensuing. Before long we were on stage, playing our set. It wasn't until after all that that I actually had the chance to sit down, only to be immediately pulled away by Aerowyn.
"Wait, where are we going?" I asked, watching as she dragged me along without another word. She had just randomly showed up after disappearing during Blink-182's set, and now she wasn't saying a word. "Winny," I added to which she stopped and turned to face me.
"How many times do I have to tell you to live a little, Gaskarth?" She asked, tilting her head to the left slightly.
"How many times do I have to ask you where we are going?" I retorted; she sighed, tugging my hand a final time until the sight behind the wall was in view.
"I had a few hours on my hand, and I've always wanted a movie night in the moonlight, so why not?" She stated whilst I continued to gape at her work. There was a plaid blanket laid on the ground with a small box placed in the middle, projecting the front cover of Toy Story on the screen.
"Isn't it supposed to be the guy who sets up the magical setting to wow the girl?" I asked, turning back to Aerowyn who was merely watching me with a smile.
"I guess you can say it's a thank you for bringing me with you," she added, nodding to the blanket as she made her own way to sit down. I followed suit, taking a seat beside her. The movie was soon started and we sat, watching it together. Well, I wasn’t exactly watching it the way you’d think. I spent most of the movie turning my gaze to Aerowyn to watch her reactions. She was in a constant state of either awe or anguish. I didn’t blame her--Toy Story does that to people.
Within an hour and a half, the final scene came to an end and Aerowyn turned to me, her face, frankly, astounded. I couldn’t quite pinpoint whether it was a bad kind of astounded, or a good, but by the smile tugging at her pink lips, I was left to assume the latter.
“That was an emotional rollercoaster,” she stated, turning the projector off before leaning back on her elbows.
“It gets worse,” I replied, to which she raised an eyebrow, “there’s another two movies.”
“No!” She yelled, grabbing my arm as she stared at me, bewildered. I nodded and she shook her head judiciously.
"You have to see the other two now. It's, like, the law." I replied, my lips curling into a smirk.
"Way to be numbskull, Gaskarth," she bit back, feigning annoyance.
"A numbskull?" I snickered, judging her choice of insult.
"It's a politer way of saying you're an ass," she stated with a nod.
"I, an ass?" I asked, tilting my head to the side though still laughing at her insinuation.
"Yes," she started, almost glaring at me, "you're a real ass Alex Gaskarth."
"Oh, I do try," I winked, to which she allowed a small smile to graze her lips. No matter how much I annoyed her on a daily basis, I was, and remained to be, one of her favourite 'co-workers'; that much was apparent. She wouldn't be here on tour, otherwise.
"We should probably head back to the bus," Aerowyn spoke up, pushing herself up from the blanket as she picked up the projector. I nodded and followed in suit, collecting both the blanket and the sheet we had watched the movie on before followed Aerowyn back to the bus lot.
By the time we got back, the boys were already well passed tipsy, and verging drunk. Aerowyn and I joined for a few hours, but just after midnight we were all climbing into our bunks, ready to call it a night. The late nights were a pretty endless series on tour, but the occasional earlier night was needed.
I pulled my duvet over my body, resting my head against my arm as my eyes wandered to the bunk opposite me. I stared back at the familiar blue eyes, realising Aerowyn was already staring back at me.
She shot a small smile in my direction, which I returned before closing my eyes. Before I knew it I was asleep, the excitement bubbling inside me as I awaited my eight am walk that morning.
"Espresso for the princess," I stated with a buoyant grin, handing a to-go cup in Aerowyn's direction before taking a sip of my own.
"Well aren't you chipper this morning," she giggled, beaming back at me.
It had become something of a routine since our 6am encounter back in Dalewin that Aerowyn and I met up each morning for a walk, which is how I found myself wandering the city of Atlanta before the sun had even risen.
"I found something back in the department store," I explained rather enigmatically.
Aerowyn raised an eyebrow slightly, narrowing her eyes as she stared back at me quizzically. I smirked, taking a seat on the nearest bench as I awaited the sunrise. We had found a valley not far from the city centre where we were playing, so we figured we'd take the hike and see the city in all its glory.
"Hey, you can't just leave me questioning," Aerowyn spoke, taking a seat beside me. "What did you find?"
I turned to look at her, feigning to think it through like it was some life altering decision. I mean, it definitely was, I was about to change Aerowyn's life as well as the future of her entire kingdom.
"Okay, okay, do you remember our dinner date back in Jacksonville?"
"Yes.." She replied, nodding slowly.
I grinned, pulling the thin, packaged box from my bag. Toy Story. The single best comical adventure movie of all time, a movie of which Aerowyn has yet to see. It was actually ludicrous that she hadn’t watched such a classic.
"You didn't!" She exclaimed, snatching the DVD from my hands.
"Oh, I did."
She nudged me in the arm playfully, smiling briefly at me before returning to inspecting the case. I watched patiently, admiring the way she examined the movie as though checking to see as if it was worthy of the two hours spent watching. The smile against her lips told me she thought so.
"I figured we could watch it tonight," her eyebrows arched as I spoke, "but only if you want to."
"Only if you make me a deal."
"Okay..." I replied skeptically.
"Once we are back in Dalewin, we watch a movie of my choice." She added, staring back at me expectantly.
"Deal," I accepted, holding my hand out to shake on it. She took it, shaking fervently before turning to face the sunrise.
The array of oranges and pinks all merged together as the sun began to rise in the distance. I took a sip of my coffee, taking in the views I had so irresponsibly missed over the last years of touring. I had hit almost every state throughout America, and not once woke up early enough to see the sunrise. I guess you could say Aerowyn was having a good influence on me.
Within half an hour, we were making our way back down the valley and into the city. Like usual, I followed behind whilst Aerowyn skipped off, snapping pictures of anything and everything. It usually consisted of buildings and street signs, but occasionally she would spontaneously turn around and demand a picture of me. Soon enough I was determined to get back at her and take some pictures of my own, plus, she owed it to me from way back when we had our second encounter. I'd get revenge eventually.
After half an hour of promenading around the city, avoiding the early morning rush as we did, we finally made it back to the arena where we were playing tonight's show. The guys were still asleep, as expected after their long night in the city, so Winny and I found our way to the grass verge just above the parking lot.
"So, have you decided which movie we'll be watching back in Dalewin?" I asked, slumping down beside Aerowyn who had already taken a seat on the grass.
"I have," she stated rather matter-of-factly, "but that's for me to know and you to find out."
"Well if it isn't the Princess of Dalewin, toying with a common boy," I mocked with a smirk.
"Oh, don't you know? He's the lead singer of a world famous band," she retorted, emphasising the last part. I rolled my eyes, to which she giggled playfully. Lighthearted taunting seemed to be our thing now, so not a conversation went by without some sort of mocking.
We sat on the grass for a little longer before retreating to the bus in time for the guys to be waking up. From that point onwards I was back and forth between the bus and the venue. The rest of the morning was spent in sound check, and then there was rehearsal with meet and greet ensuing. Before long we were on stage, playing our set. It wasn't until after all that that I actually had the chance to sit down, only to be immediately pulled away by Aerowyn.
"Wait, where are we going?" I asked, watching as she dragged me along without another word. She had just randomly showed up after disappearing during Blink-182's set, and now she wasn't saying a word. "Winny," I added to which she stopped and turned to face me.
"How many times do I have to tell you to live a little, Gaskarth?" She asked, tilting her head to the left slightly.
"How many times do I have to ask you where we are going?" I retorted; she sighed, tugging my hand a final time until the sight behind the wall was in view.
"I had a few hours on my hand, and I've always wanted a movie night in the moonlight, so why not?" She stated whilst I continued to gape at her work. There was a plaid blanket laid on the ground with a small box placed in the middle, projecting the front cover of Toy Story on the screen.
"Isn't it supposed to be the guy who sets up the magical setting to wow the girl?" I asked, turning back to Aerowyn who was merely watching me with a smile.
"I guess you can say it's a thank you for bringing me with you," she added, nodding to the blanket as she made her own way to sit down. I followed suit, taking a seat beside her. The movie was soon started and we sat, watching it together. Well, I wasn’t exactly watching it the way you’d think. I spent most of the movie turning my gaze to Aerowyn to watch her reactions. She was in a constant state of either awe or anguish. I didn’t blame her--Toy Story does that to people.
Within an hour and a half, the final scene came to an end and Aerowyn turned to me, her face, frankly, astounded. I couldn’t quite pinpoint whether it was a bad kind of astounded, or a good, but by the smile tugging at her pink lips, I was left to assume the latter.
“That was an emotional rollercoaster,” she stated, turning the projector off before leaning back on her elbows.
“It gets worse,” I replied, to which she raised an eyebrow, “there’s another two movies.”
“No!” She yelled, grabbing my arm as she stared at me, bewildered. I nodded and she shook her head judiciously.
"You have to see the other two now. It's, like, the law." I replied, my lips curling into a smirk.
"Way to be numbskull, Gaskarth," she bit back, feigning annoyance.
"A numbskull?" I snickered, judging her choice of insult.
"It's a politer way of saying you're an ass," she stated with a nod.
"I, an ass?" I asked, tilting my head to the side though still laughing at her insinuation.
"Yes," she started, almost glaring at me, "you're a real ass Alex Gaskarth."
"Oh, I do try," I winked, to which she allowed a small smile to graze her lips. No matter how much I annoyed her on a daily basis, I was, and remained to be, one of her favourite 'co-workers'; that much was apparent. She wouldn't be here on tour, otherwise.
"We should probably head back to the bus," Aerowyn spoke up, pushing herself up from the blanket as she picked up the projector. I nodded and followed in suit, collecting both the blanket and the sheet we had watched the movie on before followed Aerowyn back to the bus lot.
By the time we got back, the boys were already well passed tipsy, and verging drunk. Aerowyn and I joined for a few hours, but just after midnight we were all climbing into our bunks, ready to call it a night. The late nights were a pretty endless series on tour, but the occasional earlier night was needed.
I pulled my duvet over my body, resting my head against my arm as my eyes wandered to the bunk opposite me. I stared back at the familiar blue eyes, realising Aerowyn was already staring back at me.
She shot a small smile in my direction, which I returned before closing my eyes. Before I knew it I was asleep, the excitement bubbling inside me as I awaited my eight am walk that morning.
Notes
AHOY NEW CHAPTERS ;)
