After a 45 minute wild ride, and at a little past two in the afternoon, Margaret and Arthur arrived at the underground parking space of the Grand Central Plaza. The biggest commercial building, located right in the heart of the city.
Margaret had to admit, Arthur doesn't own that bike just for show and that thing wasn't called a 'beast' for nothing. She could understand why the guys at university would cry with envy. She couldn't speak about driving it, but riding it had been an amazing experience for her.
Margaret could still feel the thrill as they zoomed past others and dodged traffic smoothly, as the cold autumn wind brushed against them. They just reached the place but Margaret was already looking forward to the ride back as she made a mental note to thank Arthur for this small adventure later.
Arthur parked his bike and they entered the 20 floor building through the elevator underground. They went straight to the second floor which was completely dedicated to books; and as expected, Margaret found her prize in just the second store and she nearly wept tears of joy.
While the books were being packed and billed, Margaret took the chance to explore the store as Arthur already disappeared somewhere behind the giant book racks. And as she was browsing through various racks with different tags, her eyes caught something familiar in 'Hot and Popular' category.
She walked close to inspect it and gasped when she read the title.
[Courage and Kindness Volume II]
Breath Margaret, breathe.
She forcefully calmed herself and took the book into her trembling hands as she admired the beautiful cover with dazzling eyes.
Sometime ago in her first year, as Margaret was casually looking through the book stores in city square, she found the first volume on open display. There was only one last copy left and Margaret picked it up in a daze. She decided to take a chance on it, and it didn't take long for her to get hooked to it. She read the 102 chapters of the whole volume in just two days and re-read it many more times ever since.
But she could never find the second volume anywhere in the city square no matter how many stores she searched. And as she couldn't find any news about the release of second volume anywhere, she resigned herself to wait and then eventually forgot about it. But she didn't think she would unexpectedly find it here today.
Margaret instantly decided she would buy it and read it, tonight. She still couldn't believe she was actually holding the second volume in her hands. She closed her eyes with contentment as she gently rubbed her cheeks on it. Then realization struck her like a thunder bolt as she snapped her eyes open and shuffled her bag and fished out her wallet.
The light in her eyes dimmed and her heart broke at her poverty. She only had a few trinkets left and moreover, she only bought the first two volumes of literature study material. And, even if she were to return those, she still couldn't afford her favorite novel.
She never thought she would buy anything else so Margaret only brought enough money to buy her literature books and not more. But who would've thought she'd face such a cruel situation here?
Dammit, why was it so expensive? The first volume was less than half the price of the second volume. Well, it must've gained recognition and became popular so the price hike, but still...
Margaret sighed and put the book back in the rack and walked away with a heavy heart. She could gather her savings to buy it, but could she find it in city square? Because, she couldn't possibly ask Arthur to bring her here again.
'And I thought I was lucky, how ironic.'
She stumbled her way to the reception desk and waited there for her order. The next moment, a store employee brought a few packages and dropped them on the counter.
"Here is your order, Ms. Laurence." The receptionist smiled and pushed the package towards her. She took the small brown package and stuffed it into her bag, mumbling a 'thank you'.
"Your order is ready, Mr. Bridge." Margaret heard the receptionist again and looked back as Arthur walked up to the counter and took his package. He then turned to her with his package in hand and Margaret pushed her bag forward as he shoved it into her bag full of books.
She had three books which she was supposed to return at the library and two volumes of literature material and quite possibly two more books in Arthur's package. So heavy!
"Shall we go back?" Arthur asked, following behind her as they exited the book store.
Margaret scrunched up her nose and clasped her hands together as she turned to him. "Could we possibly look around for a tiny bit?" She requested in her sweetest tone, trying her best to appear cute and hoping for a positive reply.
She came here once before but she didn't get to see everything, well, the building has 20 floors after all.
"Are you sure?" Arthur raised his brow and looked at her ankle with doubt.
Margaret huffed and crossed her arms. "Yes, I'm sure."
Well, she was limping, but that doesn't mean she wanted to be treated like a patient just because of a brace. Margaret was the most fit and healthy person she knew, No pun intended.
"Alright, let me take that." He nodded and grabbed her bag as he slid it off her shoulder. Margaret gave him the bag and watched as he slung it across his shoulders then spoke again. "Lead the way." He stretched his hand forward in a gentlemanly manner, his lips twitching into a tight smile.
Margaret flashed him a big grin and walked forward as Arthur followed behind like a sweet little kid.
- -
30 minutes later.
Margaret was very close to regretting her decision. She maybe healthy but she was not fit enough. She underestimated the place and it taught her a harsh lesson. The building was busy with masses of people moving around continuously, and if not for Arthur's quick reflexes, Margaret would've tasted floor for at least three times. And all the walking around was putting a lot of strain on her already sprained ankle.
And so they decided to take a break and relax in a restaurant on the 9th floor. Margaret was enjoying her vanilla ice cream ball, topped with chocolate and caramel sauce, while Arthur was content with his apple juice, or that's what she thought it was.
They've been in the building for almost an hour and still haven't even seen half of it. And now Margaret was having second thoughts on whether to continue the 'tour'.
She stared at Arthur in the opposite chair as he was quietly sipping on his drink. Margaret knew Arthur wasn't the person the rumors at the university portrayed him to be, but she didn't expect him to be this sweet, kind and gentle.
Margaret literally dragged the poor guy towards every little thing that caught her eye and he quietly accompanied her without a word of complaint. And he was still there, when he could be anywhere, doing something else.
She wished everyone at university could see this side of Arthur too, instead of blindly believing the rumors or the ridiculous stories spun by Tyler and his friends. Maybe then he wouldn't be in such a bad situation and the Dean wouldn't be forced to punish him for the things he didn't do.
Speaking of which…
"You were in Dean's office yesterday, right?" Margaret inquired, being a bit brave and hesitant. And to be honest, she expected him to choke on his drink with surprise and shock. But since it was Arthur, nothing of that sort happened. Instead he just stared at her with his blank gaze. "It's about the fight with Tyler and Paul, right?"
He stayed silent and turned his head to the side, and Margaret continued in a hurry. "I know you didn't hurt them." She admitted, and a look of surprise flashed through Arthur's blank gaze. He slowly turned to her and Margaret calmly added. "I mean, I don't believe it. You are a good guy, Arthur and even my mom says so."
Then something unbelievable happened, a spectacular scene unveiled in front of Margaret. She saw a smile form on Arthur's face; not just a twitch, but a full curve of his lips and a lively smile that sparked a glow in his dark eyes which knocked her breath away.
Margaret was stunned in daze for a second, before she woke up and spoke again. "Oh, so you can smile? Now, I can die without regrets." She exaggerated as she sighed and closed her eyes, placing her hands over her heart and dramatically leaned back in her chair as if she was ready to die any moment now.
She then heard a soft chuckle and glanced at Arthur, with a smile of her own. "Seriously, you should smile more often. It can break the hearts of girls in an instant and make you the heartthrob of the whole campus."
And you appear more friendly and less intimidating. She couldn't say that though; as she didn't want to shove a negative comment in a positive time.
Arthur left all his reservations behind as he replied her with a shrug of his shoulders and a rather cocky smirk. As she saw him, Margaret suddenly felt like that was the real Arthur Bridge. Casual, carefree, with a good amount of arrogance and cockiness. And no matter how she looked at him, he was just a normal 21 year old, but with a serious lack of social interaction skills.
'Well, I could teach him a lesson or two in that regard. That's not a serious problem.'
Wait, what was she talking about before?
Ah, Damn. She almost got distracted from the main topic, but it couldn't be helped, since she was her mother's daughter after all.
Margaret sat up straight and glanced at Arthur as he was silently sipping the last of his drink.
"So, what did Mr. Greenwood say?" She resumed, observing his face for any hints. But Arthur had the best poker face as he didn't even look up from his almost empty drink. So, Margaret tried to probe further. "Were you suspended? Were you? How long?"
No answer.
"A Week? Two?" Margaret continued, but Arthur remained quiet, not even a change in expression.
"Arthur…" she leaned on the table with a pout and he finally showed her some pity.
He pushed his empty glass to a side and answered in a monotone. "Don't worry about me, Margaret. I can take care of my problems myself."
Margaret sat up straight and looked at him."But, you are my partner and my… friend" she whispered the last word, hesitating whether she was allowed to call him that. But she quickly shook her head and shoved that topic aside and put on a smile. "And partners help each other. I know you didn't-"
"Your ice-cream is melting."
"Shoot!" Margaret instantly looked down, only to find her bowl empty. She tilted her head to the side and wondered. "Huh, I finished it already?" When did that happen?
"Then, let's head to the next floor." Arthur stood up, grabbed the messenger bag and slung it across his shoulder, ready to leave. Margaret opened her mouth to speak but he didn't give her the chance. "Or, do you want to go home?"
Margaret shook her head as she slowly stood up. "Let's- Let's go to the next floor."
Maybe she was acting too familiar, and besides, he had no obligation to tell her anything. And maybe she should just be grateful he was wasting his Sunday for her and make the most out of it.
And with that thought, she decided to drop the subject and focus on the remaining floors.
As they stepped into the elevator, Margaret felt she saw a familiar silhouette in the crowd ahead. But before she could get another look to confirm her doubts, the elevator doors closed, cutting off her vision.
'Was that…her? No way, that'd be too much of a coincidence.' Margaret shook her head and sighed; she had been too stressed for the past few days so she must've mistook someone for someone else. She only caught a glimpse of a figure's back, and now that she pondered on it, she wasn't so sure of what she saw.
- -
They walked through the later floors blindly as Arthur went back to being his former moody self. And Margaret mentally scolded herself for taking things too far just when they were getting comfortable around each other.
As they were wandering through the 15th floor, Margaret noticed that every store there was dedicated to kids below 13. It was filled with Video-games and Toy stores; Costumes and Fancy dress boutiques; Photo booths; Reading sections and Libraries; Kids furniture stores and everything a kid needs until they reach teenage. It was all here.
Childhood… how nostalgic.
And before she realized, Margaret was in a toy store, looking through the shelves. Then her eyes caught sight of something familiar in a rack behind. She walked closer and a smile formed on her face as she got a clear look at it.
That there might just be a toy and lot smaller in size than the original, but that was it, alright. That ripped appearance and those massive tires, it fits the image.
Encased in a plastic box, fully colored in black with every small thing detailed to perfection, was the slightly-different-but-otherwise-same, toy version of Arthur's big bad bike.
Margaret grabbed the plastic case in her hands and turned back. "Hey, Arthur, come look at th-" She looked around and halted in mid-sentence as she found Arthur holding a big yellow teddy bear with a red bow-tie. It had a heart in its hands and it was nearly the size of Arthur himself.
But what stunned Margaret were his eyes, filled with affection and… She wondered, was that longing? He was gazing at it so intently; she could almost sense deep waves of anguish and melancholy enveloping him.
"Arthur." Margaret called out, her voice hoarse with unknown emotions. Arthur trembled, as if he broke out of a trance. He put the teddy bear back in its place and turned to her, his demeanor back to his calm self.
Margaret observed the changes in him and was at a loss for second. What was that just now?
Then she felt Arthur's gaze on her and cleared her thoughts. She lifted the plastic case in her hands towards him and spoke with a grin. "Look what I found."
Arthur looked at the plastic box and kept staring at it as if he didn't understand why or what she was trying to show him. Margaret let him stare for a while and then couldn't help but sigh. She hung her head helplessly and mumbled. "It's your beast."
If he wasn't confused before, he was then. Arthur raised his brows and tilted his head, looking at her with a puzzled expression. Margaret internally 'aww' ed at his innocent face before she cleared her throat and spelled it out. "Your bike."
Arthur's eyes glowed with realization and he took another look at the toy in her hands. A small smile came onto his features but soon it was replaced with a frown as he turned to Margaret. "What did you call it?"
"What?"
"The bike, you called it something else."
"Beast…?" Margaret hesitated, worried if she offended him again.
"Does it look that bad?" Arthur asked, with a troubled expression on his face.
"What? No!" Margaret denied, shaking her head as she put the tiny two-wheeler back in its rack. "That's what everyone at university calls it, so I did too." She explained as she turned around and began walking out of the store.
Arthur fell in step alongside her. "They call my bike, 'beast'?" he asked, with a hint of confusion and amusement.
"Wait, you didn't know?" Margaret was surprised. He didn't know that his equally popular bike had a nickname? Arthur shrugged his shoulders and Margaret continued to answer. "Yeah, they call it 'Black Beast' to be precise."
Arthur gave a light snort and shook his head in amusement. Margaret turned to him and spoke again. "Well then, what do you call it?"
"Me?" He smirked, that cocky yet sweet smirk as he answered with pride. "I call it Jewel."
"Jewel?" Margaret raised a brow and snorted. "How is it a 'Jewel'?" That humongous thing was best described as a beast or a monster. Calling it Jewel was a bit far-fetched.
"Yeah, because, it is my treasure." Arthur answered, as a mix of complicated feelings filled his eyes.