"Did you ever think maybe I would just want to go to spend some time with you?" she asked. "I feel like the only thing we do anymore is sit around and watch movies.. we don't even go out to eat. Plus, I like when we get stopped at the top of the ferris wheel and you scoot in just a little closer to me because you are scared."
"Oh, so it is for purely selfish reasons?" Beca replied, closing the fridge and heading towards the pantry in search of some sort of sugar and caffiene. "What if I said that no matter how scared I go and get, I don't move any closer to you? Would you still wanna go to the stupid carnival then?"
"Of course. And you can stop looking for any soda pop. I'm almost there, so get your butt outside." She disconnected, leaving Beca holding the phone with a pout on her face. She put the phone back on its stand beore grabbing her bag and heading out onto the porch. Despite being the middle of August, South Carolina had remained fairly cool for the summer so far, and she was thankful she could wear her favorite shirt. She knew Aubrey loved the way it fit her, but sometimes it was just too hot for a t-shirt.
The sound of the old Ford pickup on the gravel caught her attention, and Aubrey had barely stopped the vehicle for Beca was climbing in, leaning across the seat to pull her girlfriend into a kiss. "I've missed you," she mumbled, their foreheads resting together. "Feels like I haven't seen you in forever."
Aubrey kissed her again. "It's been a whole two days. And I think you missed my truck more than me," she added, slightly jutting out her lower lip.
"Well, you know, it is a beautiful truck."
The blonde playfully pushed her girlfriend away, smiling as the brunette started messing with the radio, settling on some country-pop station. Aubrey had long since given up on getting the radio in the old truck to work, but Beca must have had a magic touch, because it always came to life when the other woman was in the vehicle. "We are going to the carnival," Aubrey stated, glancing to the passenger side of the truck, where Beca was tapping out the beat of the song on the dashboard.
"I figured." She stopped her drumming and looked at Aubrey for a moment, before smiling. "You want to know how much I love you?"
"Always do," she replied.
"I am gonna scoot close to you before we even get to the top of the ferris wheel," she mumbled, sliding across the bench seat to let Aubrey wrap her arm around her shoulders. The two remained silent until they pulled into the grassy parking area. "At least this time it looks like it might be worth it to get a wristband."
"I think today.. today we are just doing the ferris wheel," Aubrey said, taking Beca's hand as they walked to a ticket booth. The shorter woman looked watched the blonde carefully, trying to figure out why they drove all the way to the stupid carnival if they were just going to ride one ride. "Come on," she smirked, grabbing Beca's hand after snatching the tickets and leading the way to the ferris wheel.
"It seems a waste of drive time," Beca commented, taking a seat next to Aubrey in the gondola, snuggling close. "I don't mean it to sound like I am complaining," she added, "but we usually get the wristbands and you let me drag you on all the rides you hate."
"Tonight is a little bit more.. important," she mumbled, kissing the side of Becas head. "I have to ask you something really, really important."
Beca pulled back slightly, a confused look on her face. "Are you about to ask me to marry you?"
"No!" Aubrey said, her voice harsher than expected. Her face softened. "If I was, though, would that really be such a bad thing?"
"It wouldn't be bad at all."
"I'll file that away for future reference." She remained silent until the ride stopped with them at the top, their view of the carnival and surrounding fields completely unobstructed. "I can't stay in this town anymore, Beca. I need out of here, but I am not leaving without you. There are so many memories of a lifetime here, but the only ones worth keeping are the ones I have made with you. I want out of here.. somewhere out of this damned state." She took a deep breath. "I just need to hear you say that if I were to show up in your driveway and tell you to pack a bag because we are leaving.. I need to hear you say yes. I need to know that if it comes to that last minute escape, that you would say yes and come with me."
Beca remained silent until they were back at the truck. "Bree, when have I ever been able to say no to you?" she asked, her voice quiet as she leaned against the side of the vehicle, Aubrey leaning next to her.
"As far as I can remember, the only time you have ever told me no was when I said I was going to throw you in the lake," Aubrey smiled, obviously replaying the memory in her head.
The brunette smiled. "Exactly. Once. I said no to you once, and that record stands."
Aubrey looked at her for a moment before smiling. "You'll leave with me?"
"It's the truck," Beca replied, smirking before kissing her girlfriend. She pulled back just enough so their foreheads were touching. "Get me out of this town," she whispered.