Lights Camera Action

"... Miss Quinn? Miss Quinn?"

Her head bore heavy, but Jonathan's never-ceasing calls kept her in check of the situation she was in. A slight shock of her hand and twitching eyes was enough for him to calm down.

She let out a groan; even with eyes closed, all she could hear was the sudden rustles of a plastic.

"It must have been a terrible nightmare, Miss Quinn. I have packed some painkillers in case of emergency."

"What—Did something happen?"

"You were mumbling inaudibly, and you started to squirm in your seat, so I thought of pulling the car up and checked your condition."

"Ahh! I see…" She tried to shift her position, but the sore that bloomed from her nape ensnared her to do so. In return, she let out a moan, kneading her nape. "Let me have it."

Jonathan grabbed a water bottle in a safe vessel together with the painkiller and gave it to her—hands held up, waiting since she didn't want to open her eyes.

Upon taking medication, she heaved a deep sigh and thought about the dreams she had.

It was quiet but leaned more to serene than eerie; Jonathan was patient enough to look after and tend to Nathalie's needs.

"This isn't the first time you saw me in this situation, Jonathan."

"Indeed, Miss Quinn."

Nathalie took a glimpse on his profile; seeing how he neither frowned nor smirked from her caused a smile on her face.

'He's not even apprehensive to my predicament ever since…'

Withal, she began to clear her throat. "Don't you feel weird about this, Jonathan?"

"Quite a sleep talking, but I'm impressed like you're in a screenplay."

A hearty laugh erupted from her lips while closing her eyes in relief. "I was also active in the theater club back in the day."

Jonathan wasn't the type of a person who would read books, but since he was with her; he got the opportunity to do so, and even a person like him got to enjoy her story, and at this point, he was one of the few people who knew about her peculiar illness.

"Where are we?"

"We are a couple of miles away from Littletwig Village, Miss Quinn. It's quarter past nine as well."

The moment she heard the time, she snapped her eyes and sat upright from her cozy seat. "Jonathan! Go!"

"Without delay." He revved back the engine up and drove off the car in an instant. Her vision was slightly obscured but manageable. She arched her neck, gazing at the starry night sky.

'Again, that was so surreal. It's not the first time I had such a dream, but it was getting more depressing. Why now?'

She couldn't help but drink again from the bottled water in her grasp. Her train of thoughts allowed her to drink hasty, making pints of water trickle down her ivory skin. Drop after drop, on her dress, had the water plopped.

It took her quite a while as she noticed the water that splashed her thighs, stopping her from drinking. But then again, she was amazed at how her dress was nowhere damp or moist.

'This, too, is another issue. I feel like I'm going insane from this. I should've gotten another appointment and get myself checked.'

Meanwhile, as soon as they entered the Littletwig Village, Jonathan kept the light beam low and did whatever he could to get less attention from the onlookers.

He could only advance in a hot chase to lose track of them as it was inevitable for them to notice at first glance.

Her constant woes caused her to lose all of her attention from her surroundings; if not for Jonathan telling her that she was several blocks away from her home, she wouldn't notice one bit.

It was winter, but surprisingly, it hadn't snowed for twelve days.

"You can park that car there, and it's safe." Nathalie pointed in the direction of a small lot that could conceal the car from unwanted attention. The two two-story houses could give the small lot a claustrophobic effect to anyone driving, but both knew better.

It was a small price to pay.

Jonathan parked with excellent proficiency, and the two of them got out at the same time. She turned her head and gave him a look.

"You know the drill."

"Yes, Miss Quinn—"

"Nat..."

"Right, Nat..."

"Really, bruh." Nathalie breathed out of sarcasm with her eyes stopping the urge to roll sideways.

She took a strut and moved inches towards him; upon closer look, he averted his gaze with a slight blush. This earned her a hearty laugh.

'He's so easy to fluster; I can't— How much more if I have to tease him? We have done and practiced this several times, and he's still at it.'

Even so, she cleared her throat. "Get it together, Jonathan. Don't tell me you caught feelings all this time?"

While they were at it, her arm slinked to his like any normal couple would do as they shuffle across the street.

This gave a repulsed gesture from Jonathan. "No! How could I even, Miss Quinn—"

"Dear…"

"Ahh! Yes, dear … No! Nat! Please don't joke about that; I have a girlfriend already."

Right then and there, she lost it. A round of giggle escaped her lips. "I know, I know; I'm sorry, alright? It must have been hard for you not to spend with her this new year."

"Not really, she's spending the new year with her family. So all's good."

"I see. I shall give you incentives more than I gave to Theodore and the rest."

Nathalie, as much as she wanted to pat his head, had to stop soon as her gaze laid on his head.

"Nice!" He pumped a fist in the air.

"Then make it count! If this is to work, we need to convince them as we are lovers."

"You can count on me."

"Almost there. Now, let's get this act real, okay?" Nathalie mused, and Jonathan nodded in glee.

"You need to have this first." He took off his jacket for her to latch on to her shoulders. "It's cold outside."

This time she was speechless.