( ACT TWO; CHAPTER NINE )

" what could've been "

A WEEK HAD PASSED, AND THE LONG AWAITED SECOND DATE HAD ARRIVED. Knowing they'd probably be inside more, George only wore a sweater and some jeans. Upon asking Dream what he should change about his outfit, the response he got was actually from Dream's sister. She insisted he put on a white collared shirt under the sweater. The order seemed strange, but if she said it, there must've been some truth behind it.

They agreed to meet at the museum around two in the afternoon, and both were there right on time. Well, he walked in and saw her waiting in the line to have her ticket be checked.

"Cami!" he called out, walking over. She turned around, face still covered by a mask.

Both of their eyes lit up, and he jogged a bit to get next to her before the people behind him could get in line.

"Hi," she uttered, voice meek.

"This place seems cool. I'm excited to see the art," he noted, observing the moving shapes and figures all over the walls around them, towering above them.

Truth be told, it was more than cool. It was hard to describe—the way it was set up. Nevertheless, the sights they were seeing were majestic.

"Yeah. I don't know if you saw it, but the sign over there says that we're allowed to take our masks off once we start the tour. We get to go on our own, but we have to follow the arrows on the floor. The rooms seem to be big, but they have a limit of five people per each one." While she explained, their turn to show their tickets came.

They stepped up, pulling out the printed slips of paper, and were given the go ahead to start into the first art "set."

The music playing in each room was loud, displaying a much different vibe than you'd see at an actual museum. Neither George nor Cami recognized the song, but it had a nice beat.

It took a significant amount of time to take in everything that was happening in the room, from watercolor whales swimming on one wall to the what looked like flowing water on another.

Just like George had said, the room was completely empty, and quite huge. The projectors came down from the ceiling, and appeared to be very high quality, even being able to rotate.

"Woah," Cami breathed out. Since they had entered, they had both taken off their masks; obviously, they made sure to stay distanced from anyone near them.

"This is insane," George mumbled. He wandered closer to the walls, reaching out and running his finger over the projection.

It was honestly trippy how the thing he was seeing looked so vividly real, yet it wasn't. The workers were right—it did practically feel like they were in the art. To add to that fact, the projections were also going onto to the visitors. George's and Cami's entire bodies were shades of blue like the movements around them.

"George, the baby whale is reflecting onto you!" Cami exclaimed, watching the animation go right over George's frame. He looked down at himself, raising his arms with shock.

Both started beaming, getting more and more into the art as they continued on. In the next room, they were greeted with a rainbow of colors, a whole new song playing. The rooms were divided with thick, metal doors, after all. Still, they didn't recognize the melody, but it was catchy.

"Is that supposed to be like a rainbow melting?" George questioned, walking over to one side of the room with the girl he adored right behind him.

"I guess so. Either way it's really cool," she replied.

There was another couple in the room, much older. The speakers were so loud that even if they wanted to, neither duo could hear the conversation of the other.

After looking around even more, they moved into the third room, which was the darkest one yet. The inspiration seemed to be fire, because the only light to be seen was an artistic animation of flames along the bottom of the wall.

"I can barely see," George teased, to which Cami scoffed and shoved his arm. He giggled in response. It didn't seem like it, but they had spent about ten minutes in each room, carefully observing the most minuscule of details.

When they entered the fourth room, the atmosphere was much different. They were the only two there, seeing as the couple from the past room had stayed longer. All around them were shades of red, indescribable shapes and figures being formed.

Finally a song came on that Cami and George recognized—"SLOW DANCING IN THE DARK," by Joji. It had a slow, rhythmic, romantic beat. Pulsing, and so, so loud. They enjoyed it.

Cami even hummed the tune quietly, swirling towards one side of the room and looking up at the art. It looked back on her, the crimson puffs reflecting off her bronze skin.

George was temporarily distracted by the movement, but Cami drew his attention like she always did. His eyes trained on her, his feet pulling his body towards her. She glanced at him once, then back to the wall behind them.

But she did a double take, noticing the adoring look in his eyes that gave her stomach a fluttery, high feeling. She smiled, just a bit, shooting him a wandering look.

Never before had George felt such a attraction to someone, such a force that it felt basically magnetic. Bodies decorated like dark cherries, they were now the closest they had ever been.

If the atmosphere had changed when they first walked in, now it was more different than ever.

His line of vision was her face, and her face only. Specifically the soft, plump lips that only flashed him a devious grin.

His breath sped up when her hands latched onto him, one on his bicep and the other on his side. Given the cue, he moved his own as well. He held the small of her back, beaming with the way she looked up at him.

It appeared they were so caught up in the moment that nothing had distracted them; they didn't even notice the other people in the room. His long eyelashes batted, begging to shut, begging to close the gap inbetween them.

However, while the beat dropped with the song, she pulled apart and sighed. His heart dropped, and a feeling of loss came over him for the briefest of seconds before coming back to reality.

"Sorry, I-"

She cut him off, "Don't worry about it. We have to go, though, there's people wanting to walk in."

He made an 'ah' noise and followed her into the next room. Her hand pulled his, and they stayed together before they parted to walk around the room on their own paths. It was a comforting thing, being together but also taking in their surroundings on their own.

George's heart was still pounding at what had just happened. Even while looking at the bright art around them, he was struck by her vivacity, how warm her touch was against his.

She was even more perfect up close, eyes bright and yearning. Now his mind implored more than ever for the feeling of her lips, and he could only hope he would receive it one day.

Until then, he was just stuck with the vision of what just happened, what could've been.

( AUTHOR'S NOTE! )

almost kiss scene oh em GEE i
liked writing this😵‍💫😵‍💫 but george
really needs to stop being such a
little wuss am i right 🥱🥱

IF YOU LIKED THIS consider
voting because that makes you a
real one on jah🥶💸🦍‼️🔫⛓😈

ok now go drink sum water because
hot bitches drink water !!! ily shawty
bae—now say it back ;)

-cal