( ACT ONE; CHAPTER SIX )

" someone new "

GEORGE WAS A POOL OF NERVES, FEET TAPPING ENDLESSLY ON ANYTHING THAT WAS BENEATH HIM. The second he got out of the car, paying the uber, his hands seemed to start shaking.

Outfit constructed by a mixture of Dream as well as his sister, bag over the shoulder containing stuff for the picnic, all he could do was pray he didn't get stood up. Even more than that, he was also terrified of the date going sour.

The place she had organized was a place he had never heard of. Well, he had heard of it, but it was in a part of Brighton he had never been to.

A new pair of vans, the white slip-ons, complimented the moderately tight pair of black, ripped jeans. Over that, he had a white t-shirt topped with a light washed denim jacket, the interior of it a thick fur layer.

It was safe to say it was an outfit he wouldn't of paired together, and it was out of his comfort zone; but having a more put together look boosted his confidence.

Inside of his bag, he had a floral quilt his mom had used in past picnics, as well as cans of coke and lemonade in addition to fresh bottled water. He had been indecisive on which, if any, deserts he should bring.

In the end, he decided on some of the bakery made Éclairs—they were something his mom typically brought home as a treat, a delicacy he had enjoyed since his childhood.

The closer he got to the public garden, gated in by a moss-cover stone wall, the more his senses heightened. He entered, an extensive breath of cold air blasting from his lungs. Through cold November air, he wandered off towards the sound of water rushing.

After a few seconds of going forward, his phone pinged. He looked down with the free hand that was not holding the strap of his bag in place. Cami had texted him. Look to your left :), she had said.

He did so, and saw off about a hundred feet from him, Cami holding her phone. It appeared she had been using her feet to brush some leaves out of the way, giving them a clear spot for a place to eat.

A grin formed on George's pale skin right away, feet carrying him to her naturally.

"Hi!" she greeted, waving at him. For the brief millisecond he had to reply, he got a good look at her.

Even with barely any makeup on, or at least that's what he could make out, she was as radiant as the blinks of sunlight on rainy days. Outfit styled to perfection, hair crafted like ocean waves, and eyes so cavernous he avoided staring too long.

"Hey! How on earth did you find this place?" he replied, gulping down as much assurance as he could find.

"You know, I have my ways. And considering this is your first picnic I had to find the best place. I'm surprised you found me so easily."

He chuckled, sitting down his bag and pulling out the tarp. She sat down the wooden basket to assist him to spread it out.

As they finished, they sat down and began unpacking.

"So exactly how many picnics have you been on before? You clearly have some experience." He muttered the last part.

Cami laughed timidly. "Well, I try to go on one at least once a month. They're really calming if you find the right place. And the right people."

Seeing a light pink on his cheeks, she simpered, pleased with herself.

"Yeah, I can tell. I brought water, coke, and some old-fashioned lemonade. Good with you?" he questioned, pulling out the drinks and placing them on the corner of the fleece.

"I love lemonade. Are you psychic or something?" she teased, grabbing a glance at him.

She pulled out a wooden tray, shaking contents of assorted meats and cheeses onto it from brown paper bags. There were other food types, too, but those made up the most of it. The meal seemed...luxurious.

In George's head, he took note: So that's why she texted asking if I was vegan.

"Damn, this is like, some sort of charcuterie board. Am I saying that right?"

That musical laughter effused from her once more. "Yeah, close enough. This is typically what people bring to picnics. Well, it's either stuff like this or premade meals, but that can get awkward. Because then it's like—what if one of us finishes too fast? With these we can just kinda snack, and we don't have to worry about eating faster or slower."

Her rambling did bring up an excellent point, to which George nodded in agreement with. "I've never thought about that."

"See? Big brain." She knocked on her head with her knuckles, causing both to chuckle.

"Oh," George began, digging through his bag, "I brought these Éclairs. My mom has brought them home since I was like...seven. They're amazing."

Camille's eyes lit up, and she clapped her hands together.

"They look good as hell! Here, put them here," she directed, pointing to the remaining empty spot on the wooden board.

Small talk was easy when discussing the food during the time they started to eat, but slowly it got more personal.

"So you're American. How'd you end up in Brighton?" he inquired. It was the question he had been meaning to ask for awhile.

"Well, it's a long story. My whole family is from Colmar, France. But during my mom's semester abroad in college, she went to America, and met the guy who she would eventually marry. They had me, and raised me in Richmond, Virginia.

"Once I got to college I did my own semester abroad and came here, and fell in love with the place. So when I graduated in May, I decided to move here. It took lots of convincing but I've been happy here ever since."

George, seemingly impressed, nodded aloud with her story.

"So are you fluent in French? Like does the rest of your family still live in Colmar?"

"Oui, je parle couramment le français. C'est en fait ma langue seconde."

Taken back by her sudden bilingual outburst, he stopped chewing the bite of bread in his mouth and blinked a few times. She busted out into a fit of giggles.

"I said "Yes, I am fluent in French. It's actually my second language." You should've seen the look on your face."

Both's noises of amusement combined together.

"Well I can't help it! French just sounds so...fancy. Like, how do you even...how do the letters...sound so eloquent?"

Camille shrugged, "I don't know, I guess I'll have to start teaching you."

He scoffed. "I doubt I have the ability to be that cool, but you can try. Maybe you can teach me during the movie marathon."

She nodded, smirking and biting into a dark red cherry. It left her lips a brilliant crimson, taking George's attention span for the briefest of moments.

"So about you and your rise to fame. What's up with that?" Her legs crossed as she asked the question.

Obviously the topic was bound to come up. George stopped eating temporarily and leaned back onto his shoulders, side profile lit up by the sun.

"I've always been in the gaming community. Mainly for Minecraft. And uh...I left it for awhile. But then my friend got super popular, so he brought me back in. We started making videos together, and now I have four million subscribers."

Cami seemed amazed, and motioned with her hand for him to keep going.

"Now theres a whole community of us. The friend that got me back into it is actually the most famous of most of them. He has twelve million."

Her chewing halted abruptly.

"Twelve....million? I thought four was insane, holy shit."

Worried, of course, that he had spooked her off, he sat up.

"Yeah, is that too weird? I get if-"

"No, that's sick! By the way, I would never be able to even pull off something like that. You've got major skills for that." She continued before he could answer, "And I'm sure you're probably wondering it, because I would, but I'm not using you for fame. It may not sound convincing, but it's a pinky promise."

He winced, watching her hold her pinky out to him. With a bit of cringe, he intertwined their fingers, locking in the covenant.

"You seem too nice to do that, so I wasn't worried. If anything I was thinking you'd ditch me for being some weird Minecraft nerd."

"The only people who think that are those who have either never played because they think they're unique or those who think being a plumber is a fun job. Not only is Minecraft a fun game, though I haven't played it much, but handling being famous is  intense. You deserve way more credit for that," she admitted, running a hand through her hair.

Oh, how he wanted to reach out, touch it for himself.

He shook the thought off, heart melting at how sincere her words were.

"Thanks. People forget that we're actual people. Not just the persona we have on during livestreams."

Her position shifted so she was laying on her stomach, head propped up on her elbows. It made George warm at how she was growing more comfortable with him.

"Makes sense. Like I said, I don't know how you do it. Being famous seems terrifying."

The conversation strut on, and became lighthearted all the while. Before either had even realized, they had been together chatting for over three hours. The sun was setting faster than they could register. So, knowing they had to gradually rap it up, they put most of the food away.

"You know, I'm glad you said something when you held the door for me. I was a little irked at first, I was like, 'What is this dude's motives?' But y'know, you've got quite the interesting life, George. I've enjoyed meeting you."

God, he was in love with the way she said his name. A bit of her French accent seemed to affect the roll of the G, and it was genuinely one of his greatest pleasures to hear.

All of the contents from their bags were packed up besides the blanket itself. All they had to do was pick that up, then they were good to go. He had even called his mom for a pickup. It really did suck having to wait so long to get a drivers license.

"I'm not even gonna lie, I was terrified. Like, I saw you a week before, and I was thinking that you were super...well, super pretty," he said sheepishly, stumbling over his syllables. "Then you ended up being really nice and I was wondering why you hadn't turned me down, but oh well. I'm glad you didn't."

Cami, too, was reddening. "You're not too bad yourself. And after such a good night, you know, I don't think I plan on turning you away."

Then they went silent, not uncomfortable with the quiet at all. They just remotely gazed at one another. The proximity between them was not decently close, but too far for either of them to make a move.

But they'd both be liars if they denied the magnetic force drawing their faces closer.

"I...I want to thank you. For the best picnic a man would ever ask for," he mumbled, finally getting to his feet.

Saddened, she as well faced the reality of the moment: they had to stop.

"Of course. It wouldn't of been complete without you. Just might be the best partner I've done this with."

He snickered, watching how opaline her teeth shown. The setting sun reflected off her eyes when she stood up, leveling just below his chin.

"Then I guess we'll have to do it again?"

"You guessed correctly."

( AUTHOR'S NOTE! )

oh em gee super long chapter to
end act one!! eep!! arent they just
great 😜😜😜

p.s. if i ever get the french wrong
i need someone to correct me!!
i beg!!!

anyway i hate school someone pls
stop me from murdering my teachers
(joking.......of course😅😅)

ALRIGHT NOW GO DRINK WATER
AND VOTE ON THIS CHAPTER!! I
LOVE YOU!!! :)

-cal