"I hate this." Artemis muttered, rubbing
her aching forehead as she squeezed her now sightless eyes shut. It made no
difference because even when they were open, she it was all dark. "Could you
um, could you read it back again."
"Absolutely,"
Will's reassuring voice came from beside her on the couch. He read the
paragraph aloud from the notebook, once more but the sound of it grated at her
ears.
"No, no, it's…it's wrong."
"What do you needme to change?"
"I don't know!"Artemis threw her pencil she was fiddling with pointlessly and surged to her feet. Will said nothing as she began to pace in the living room that he had
helped her empty so she could walk back and forth without hitting things she
couldn't see. "I can't…see it."
"Art, we're doing good here. You seemed to enjoy creating the world the story is going to take place. How about we just finish the prologue and call it a day. I have a date at six anyway."
"Oh, right," Art went to plop back down, but before she could she felt his fingers on her waist to push her over a few inches before she fell back so she didn't sit on him again. She muttered an apology as she pulled her legs up beneath her, feeling her foot brush his knee. "Jessica, right? You two still going strong, then? You haven't really talked about her much lately. I wasn't even sure you two were
still dating."
"Yeah, we're good. We're going to go watch that new movie tonight-" his sentence cut out and she could feel his deep wince, hearing the paper crinkle as his hand tightened around the notebook. It was odd, being so entuned with the slightest things, the changes in his emotions she had never been aware of before.
"Will, we've talked about this." She gently scolded, nudging him with her toe playfully, but heard him sigh quietly and erase the mark she had accidentally made him make by hitting his elbow. "You don't have to watch every word you say around me. I still watch movies, or well…listen to them. The ones I know by heart anyway. It's almost like I can see again in a way."
"I know. I just, I dunno," she heard him shrug, "I miss when you used to come along and hang out."
"Yes, so I can create a third wheel," she sarcastically sighed with longing, "those were the days."
"Come on, it wasn't that bad, Art. I always paid attention to you, and we talked a lot."
"Oh, I don't mean me," Artemis laid a hand softly on her chest with a smirk, "I'm talking about your new girlfriend. I'm sure she's psyched I'm not invading on your dates. She gets you all to herself and doesn't have decipher all of our inside jokes."
"Actually," Will's tone changed into a particular one, "Jess wants to meet you."
This made Artemis stiffen, feeling her nose curling up. "Me? Why?"
"She says I talk about you too much for her to not meet you. She knows that you're…well-"
"Blind?" Artemis still couldn't understand why he always hesitated to say the word.
"Yeah, and that I help you a lot, so we spend a lot of time together. She just wants to meet you."
"Great, that's just what I need, another one of your jealous girlfriends glaring at me, or worse, being polite out sympathy while glaring at me when you aren't looking thinking I can't see it."
"She's not like that, Art. Jess is actually really cool. I think you'd like her. I mean, I know I do."
Artemis sighed, rubbing her eyes she no longer needed glasses for. "Of course, you like her, Will, she's your girlfriend. I'd hope you actually like her."
His rumbling chuckle made her grin automatically. It always did.
"She wouldn't be my girlfriend, much less of a year, if I didn't like her. I can't believe you haven't met her yet."
"Yeah, well, I've been preoccupied." She muttered, thinking of how drastically her entire world had changed since the year before. The decline of ability to see had been so drastic and steep, steeper than the doctor had anticipated, leaving her
completely blind within a year. None of the techniques they had attempted had
helped, as if she was jailed to this fate.
"You've been hiding." Will admonished in his own gentle, yet brutally honest way that she had always admired him. But not in that moment, because she knew he was right.
"It's just…taking a while to adjust." She shrugged a shoulder, once again having to fight the overwhelming amount of panic that threatened to wash her when she came to the realization that this wasn't temporary.
She would never see color again, never see the landscapes she had used to love to paint, never see another word to read.
"I know," Will patted her foot reassuringly. "But I also think that maybe it's time to go out in the world again. Why don't you come with me and Jess tonight? I know…it's a movie, and now I realize I wasn't thinking…"
"I still like movies, Will," she laughed.
"Well, then come with us. I'll describe everything happening."
"Oh, yes, the other people in the theatre will just love that. I'm sure your girlfriend will be thrilled to have a third person joining you're outing at the last minute as
well."
"We'll sit in the back row. I'll ask her." She heard him quickly pick up his phone from the coffee table.
"No, Will, come on,"
"I'm asking, just a minute." The sound of his thumbs hitting the screen followed the statement.
"This is ridiculous. Having a blind person coming as a third person on a date with you to a movie. You realize how stupid this sounds right?
"Yes, I am fully aware, but you need to get out of this apartment. I think it'll be good for you."
The thought being out in public, bumping into things, not knowing what was around her, the noise and the array of smells…it was horrifying. She didn't know how to tell William that, though. He was trying so hard to help. He didn't have to do half the things he had done for her, but he had without complaint, without request. He had just been there, like he always was.
Almost as soon as she heard him send his message, she heard a ding indicating a reply, surprising her. She waited as Will read it and knew when he was about to speak when she heard him take a shallow breath.
"She said 'yes, absolutely, I would love to meet Art.' See, told you. So, will you come?"
"I dunno," Artemis grumbled indecisively, "you know I don't like going out."
"Please," William pleaded in that boyish tone, and she knew that he had that grin that matched it that always broke her resistance. She'd never see it again, though. "You'll have fun, I'll make sure of it. You know I always do."
"Yeah, but isn't the purpose of a date for you to make sure your girlfriend has a good time, not your friend? I don't want to cause problems between you to. I've done enough of that." She muttered the last sentence under her breath. Somehow, she had inadvertently come between Will and every girl he had dated, because the girl would get jealous of their friendship and closeness. She didn't want to cause anymore problems for him. He was her best friend. She wanted him to be happy. That's all she wanted.
"You won't. Like I said, Jess isn't like that. That's why I like her so much. I really want you to meet her, and her, you. I mean, I think it's getting pretty serious between us."
"O-oh," she drew out the word with a purposefully teasing lilt and smirked, attempting to ignore the weird feeling that shifted in her stomach, "serious, huh? Serious enough for her to meet the blind best friend that you spend all your other free time with, huh? See if she can handle it without bolting."
"If putting it like that will get you to come with, then fine." She could imagine his firm, obstinate, single nod with the declaration. She knew him so well that she
didn't have to see to know when he did something like that, just by the tone of
his voice, knew his facial expressions, practically knew what he was thinking.
Though, there were these odd moments that she wouldn't have a clue what was on his mind.
"You really want me to come that bad?"
"Yes." No hesitation in his answer, quick and precise.
She sighed, knowing she would regret it, and nodded reluctantly. "Fine. But you're going to have to help me pick out something to wear."
"You sure about that?" He chuckled. "Remember last time I picked something out?"
"Well, I can't see it, so I don't really care. Just make sure it at least looks decent."
"If that's what it takes, then absolutely." She heard that victorious, relieved smile in his voice as he patted her foot before he grabbed up his phone again to let Jessica know.
Artemis rolled her eyes and shook her head. Tonight, was going to be horrible. But if made Will happy, if just for a little while, then it would be worth it.