I'd like to apologize for such a late update, forgive me

"You know," Arturia smiled, "You really didn't have to buy it for me."

"Well," Diarmuid returned the gesture. "You were staring at it a couple of times."

Arturia glanced at the blue ball of cotton candy, her eyes almost as wide as it. Her smile grew on her face as she looked over at the young man. "Thank you. I'm sorry I made you buy it, it was rather unfair."

"I don't mind; I'm glad that you're smiling."

She blinked.

"You weren't smiling after running your errands, and I thought you needed a pick-me-up." Shyly, he turned away from her, rubbing the back of his neck.

Arturia giggled. "Thank you. I really appreciate it. It really made my evening."

Diarmuid turned back to her and smiled. "I'm glad."

"So," she spoke as she ate a bit of the cotton candy, the sweet treat melted in her mouth, "did you want to keep going around?"

Diarmuid nodded. "Only if you wanted. I kind of wanted to try a few rides...if that's okay with you."

"For sure! It's been a while since I went to a festival. In fact, I don't think I can even remember the last time I went on rides..."

"Well, this isn't that extravagant. I'm sure the ones in London are a million times better than this one, sorry you have to settle for this."

Arturia shook her head. "Not true. I like this one best since you're here, it makes it a million times more enjoyable."

Diarmuid coughed violently. He had to stop and rest his hands on his knees.

"Oh gosh, are you alright?" Arturia landed a hand on his shoulder, leaning down towards him. "Do you need water?"

He shook his head as he cleared his throat. "Sorry, it's just...you surprised me there."

Arturia couldn't help but smile. Her head tilted to her right, and she giggled. "You're a good friend of mine, and I'm glad I met you."

"That should be my line," he laughed. "I'm the one who's glad to have met you. You're very strong and sincere; I admire you a lot."

Arturia's smile fell. She looked away from the young man and stared at the Ferris Wheel. A coil of dread was forming in her gut again. Softly, almost wishing she could go unheard, she spoke. "You wouldn't say that if you knew who I was." Her voice came barely above a whisper and was drowned by the loud chatter of the festival crowd, kept unheard from Diarmuid's part.

"Sorry," he smiled, "I couldn't hear you."

Arturia shook her head. "It's nothing."

He nibbled his lip. "You don't have to tell me everything, Artie, but just know I'm here when you want to talk." He could see her change of mood, and he didn't like it. He much preferred her smiles and giggles; they made his heart flutter. Her frowns and empty eyes, on the other hand, made him want to wrap his arms around her.

She smiled at him. "You're always so sweet, thank you."

"I'm always at your service." Diarmuid took her hand in his.

Arturia gently squeezed his hand. "I don't think I'll ever be able to fathom why you're so kind to me, but I really appreciate it."

They continued walking towards the rides, hand in hand, not fazed by this small form of intimacy. The night was spent with laughter and excitement as they went from ride to ride.

Arturia would have admitted it was the most fun she'd had in months.

"Should we try the Ferris Wheel?" Diarmuid asked once they had tried every ride at least twice (there really wasn't that many).

Arturia looked at the big town square's clock, noting it was nearly midnight. "I don't want to make you drive back so late."

Diarmuid shook his head. "Oh, don't worry; it won't take us that long to get home, plus, if I need to rest, we can just pull over for a few minutes."

"Are you sure that's okay?"

"Yeah, it really shouldn't be a problem. Unless you want to book a room and spend the night here? It's already quite late, and the Ferris Wheel ride is only about three minutes." He furrowed his brows and rubbed the back of his neck. Arturia noticed how shy he got all of a sudden.

"Well, if you want to stay the night, that's okay with me. It's actually sort of nice because we get to enjoy more time here. But are any places open to take us in?"

"Yeah, they usually stay open late when there's a festival."

Arturia nodded. "Then it's settled, we can stay afterwards. How about we try that Ferris Wheel now, huh?"

Diarmuid smiled brightly and nodded. "Let's go!" He took her hand once more and led her towards their last ride of the night.

The festival was already rather empty, the people had begun trickling home past eleven, and there were only teens and young adults around, which meant there was barely a line to the Ferris Wheel, and they got on pretty quickly. As soon as the ride started, the carnival speakers fell silent.

"Oh, I think they're going to light some fireworks!" Diarmuid turned to Arturia. He hadn't really realized that he was still holding her hand and the fact that the Ferris Wheel cart made them sit closer together.

"Really?" Arturia's eyes sparkled. "I love fireworks!"

It was the high pitched sound of a firework and the dazzling lights that caught their attention. The fireworks had begun with a boom. Green, blue, red, large, and small; they came. Boom after boom, after boom, Arturia and Diarmuid stared at the sparkling fireworks with awe and amazement.

Arturia's small cute gasps as she stared up at the colourful skies caught Diarmuid's eyes.

Diarmuid couldn't help himself, and he looked over at Arturia. Her expression alone warmed his heart. The lights reflected off her face and lit it with a beautiful glow. Sure he'd always seemed to gravitate towards her, and he had already recognized he'd had feelings for her since their time under the stars, but in the flow of the fireworks he seemed to find determination.

"What is it?" Arturia asked once she caught his stare. She ran her free hand through her hair causing her bangs to cradle her face. "Do I have something on my face?" She asked again.

The loud explosion of a firework echoed and lit up the small Ferris Wheel cart.

"You're just...very beautiful." He mumbled in the silence.

Arturia laughed. "Who told you that lie?"

Diarmuid squeezed her hand before letting it go.

Arturia would be lying if she said she didn't miss his warmth. She sighed before making the effort of turning her head back to the fireworks.

Diarmuid stopped her with a hand on her cheek. "And who told you you weren't?" He mumbled.

The explosion of another firework caused Arturia to jump. "There's no need to flatter me, Dia. I'm not saying I'm ugly; I'm just saying I'm not that beautiful."

Slowly he shook his head. "You are that beautiful." He didn't know what coaxed him, but he brought her closer. "All I can see right now is you. You're just so beautiful."

Arturia's heart swelled in her chest. She felt about ready to explode. Instinctively, her eyes fluttered to a close as she felt his warm breath on her lips. Was it wrong that she wanted him to kiss her? Her heart pounded at the simple thought.

"Don't let anyone tell you that you aren't." He mumbled, and finally, he pressed his lips against hers.

It was as if she had waited her entire life for this moment. The butterflies in her stomach danced and her heart sent waves of warmth over her body. She could feel her whole body thumping.

She was so fixated on his soft lips, how did he get them so soft? Not even chapstick could save hers from cracking.

He pulled away. "I should've asked for your permission first, I'm sorry."

Arturia's eyes hesitantly fluttered open. She took in his expression; his brows were furrowed, a hand covered his mouth while his cheeks were set ablaze. "It's okay." She mumbled as she took his hands away from his face. "I very much enjoyed the kiss."

Diarmuid's eyes lit up.

"And," She too was blushing, "I also wouldn't mind if it happened again."

He gave a soft laugh and leaned in to kiss her on the cheek. He intertwined his fingers with hers and looked back out. The fireworks had stopped quite a while ago, and they remained silent for the rest of the ride.

They had looked through the small town for the right place to rent for the night. There was a small Bed and Breakfast that was surprisingly still open at the end of the road. It was a quaint little place with a painted burgundy roof and a white picket fence. It looked historical and rather aesthetic if one were to ask Arturia.

A little bell rang once Arturia and Diarmuid made their way inside the house. If the outside of the house was cute, the inside was even cuter; birch tables lined with silver trinkets and antiques decked out the place. Flowered wallpaper brightened the entrance, and a beautiful chandelier hung above them.

"Why hello there." An elderly lady approached them, she was dressed in floral prints, and her hair was up in an eloquent bun.

"Good evening," Arturia smiled.

The woman's gaze dropped to Diarmuid and Arturia's entertained hands, and she offered a smile. "Are you staying the night?"

"Yes, we were at the festival and lost track of time. It's a little too late to head home." Arturia replied as she slowly let go of Diarmuid's hand.

"Well, we don't have many rooms left, especially none for couples."

Diarmuid's cheeks lit up. "O-oh! Um, a room with two beds, please."

"Well, in that case, we have one left." The woman took out a few papers from the desk next to the entrance. "How long will you be staying?"

"Only tonight." Arturia replied.

The woman nodded. "Will you be staying for breakfast?"

Diarmuid and Arturia looked at each other. "Yes." They both replied.

"Okay, so just sign here, and I'll get the bill ready."

After some paperwork and paying, they were ushered to their room without a single problem. Arturia opened the door to the room and sighed in relief; there were two beds, each across from the other.

Diarmuid trailed behind her and waited until she chose a bed before he plopped down on the other and gave a loud groan. "Thank goodness for beds."

Arturia giggled and nodded. "What time should we wake up? Do you think Scatty wants us home by a certain time?"

Diarmuid has already called Scathacht and informed her that they would spend the night in the town and that they would be home at a reasonable hour. He also assured her that nothing would happen between Arturia and him, and they would head home as soon as they woke up.

He shook his head, burying his head into the soft pillow. "No, but it should be before sunset. We can leave after breakfast."

"Breakfast..." Arturia laid down on the bed; it wasn't the best bed she'd slept in, but it was comfortable, and it did the job. "I can't wait until breakfast."

Diarmuid smiled just as his eyes begun to close. They were beyond exhausted and didn't bother cleaning themselves up, even as Arturia wished to stand under a warm shower to ease her muscles.

They fell asleep without any more than a mumble 'goodnight.'