Hi Guys and welcome to Chapter 13 of WILTW. I wanted to thank everyone for the support on the last chapter, it was amazing, and I was glad to see you all liked it. So, let's see what happens next :D
I woke up the next morning, with the sun glaring into my eyes. I rolled over, turning to face Carlos, and the memory of last night came flooding back as I did so. 'That was a good night' I thought to myself, before rolling back over and checking the time. 7:30Am. Luckily, it was a Saturday, so we were in no rush to go anywhere. I knew Carlos loved to sleep in when he had the chance, however when I'm awake, I'm awake, with no chance of getting back to sleep, so I thought I'd start to read a book, waiting for him to get up. I slowly tried to remove my arm from under him, but it resulted in him groaning, and rolling over causing him to wake up. "Morning my King" he grumbled, slowly opening his eyes.
"Morning Pup" I responded, kiss him on the forehead.
"What time is it?" he grumbled again, now shielding his eyes from the sunlight.
"Its 7:30" I replied, with that 'I'm sorry' look on my face. He just chuckled, before sitting up in the bed.
"Wanna shower together?" he asked, with a rather cheeky smile of his face.
"Oh, I don't know." I started to joke, before he pulled me into a deep kiss. He pulled out first, smiling as he got out of bed, and made his way over to the shower. "I suppose I could spare a few minutes" I replied, following him in. The shower lasted about 10-15 minutes, with us rubbing the shower gel into each other's bodies, and shampooing each other's hair, and maybe a kissing session or two.
Anyway, we dried each other off, got dressed and made our way down to the cafeteria, by this point, it was about 8:00am. The group was still sat around, some had just joined them with a fresh breakfast whilst others had looked like they had finished. Carlos and I grabbed some food from the café, before joining them at the table. "Morning guys" I said, sitting next to Lonnie, with Carlos to my right.
"Morning lovebirds" Jay spoke up first. I saw Jay nudge Lonnie, and then she spoke up.
"You do know the walls aren't sound proof right" she said, causing Carlos and I to choke on our food, and both going into a deep blush as we did so.
"Y-You heard us?" I finally asked, causing everyone to break into a fit of laughter around us.
"Well no, but that facial expression told us all we need to know" Jay replied, causing us to blush even deeper.
"Don't be ashamed, it's perfectly natural" Lonnie continued to joke, and I had already planned my response.
"I wouldn't say you're innocent either" I responded, causing Jay to choke on his food.
"Care to tell everyone" Carlos chimed in, Lonnie and Jay now blushing. Everyone turned to the pair of them, waiting for their response.
"Ugh, fine. We've been seeing each other since Jay first arrived" Lonnie confessed, and causing Jane and Evie to look at each other, exchanging an "aww." Doug spoke up next.
"I'm sure you all know, but it's the same with Evie and me" he confessed, a smile growing on both their faces. Carlos and I turned to each other, before looking at Mal and Audrey. They both blushed, with was uncommon for Mal, and then the two girls looked at each other, both nodding.
"Mal and I have been spending a little time together as well" Audrey chimed up, causing everyone else to do a double take. "I know, shocker" Mal added, causing everyone to chorus another "aww."
Jane spoke up next, "Well, I'm as single as ever" she joked, everyone turning and placing their hand on hers.
"Don't worry Jane, you'll find someone" I spoke up, and almost like magic, someone approached the table.
"Hi Jane" he began, everyone turning and staring at him. He flinched a little as we did so, but he continued anyway. I studied him as he spoke. He had short blonde hair, and was a build similar to me. I recognised him from the schools tourney team, but I allowed him to continue. "I just wanted to say that I really enjoyed dancing with you last night." He said, causing Jane to blush.
"Yeah, me too. I mean, I enjoyed dancing with you. Maybe we could do it again sometime?" she stumbled, trying to remain as cool as possible, and he blushed back.
"Yeah, I'd like that" he replied, Jane now smiling as well.
"Why don't you join us?" I asked, motioning to the table and the empty seat next to Jane.
"I suppose I can't refuse the King's offer" he said, sitting down awkwardly next to Jane, as she just stared at me. Everyone stared back at her, and she quickly clicked.
"Oh, this is Xander by the way" she said, smiling and blushing as she did so, everyone interested in what the pair of them had so say. Audrey was obviously the most interested, wanting to know every detail.
"So, how did you too meet?" she asked, everyone now intently listening to what would be said.
"Well, it was probably a couple weeks ago now" Xander began, looking at Jane, as she shrunk into her seat. "Jane was walking out of the Library with a bunch of books. I wasn't looking where I was going, and accidentally walked into her" he continued, Jane looking around, seeing everyone was involved with the story. "I helped her up, and since then, we've been talking, and last night at the party, he shared a little dance, and chatted" he finished, Jane now semi-comfortable with the situation.
"So tell us a bit about yourself" I asked, wanting to know exactly who he was. I knew that I knew him, but I didn't know who he was, get me?
"Well, I'm Rapunzel's son" he said, and it finally clicked. I knew him from my royal visits to Corona. "Umm, I'm on the schools tourney team, I play mostly in defence, but I'm more of a nerd than an athlete. I'm really into Geography and that's what I plan to study at university" he said, and I had an internal freak out. We didn't have long before school finished, and I had no real plans for the future. I mean, I was King, but that technically wasn't official until I was 21, allowing me to pursue an extended education if I chose to.
Anyway, the group continued to chat, and we all decided to spend the day together like usual. The whole group of us made our way outside, with Carlos suggesting we could spend the day at the beach, and everyone seemed to agree. I called the chauffeur and arranged for the limo to take us down to Belle harbour. Despite the name, it had the best beach in Auradon, although that could be up for dispute as I may be slightly biased. The driver had told us that he would be able 10 minutes, so it all gave us time to grab some swimming trunks, and pack a few things for the day.
The whole walk back to the room I was completely zoned out, thinking about Xander's comment of the future. It wasn't what I was going to do, but more about what would happen with Carlos and me. Carlos began to talk, but I was too deep in thought to respond properly. "Xander seemed nice, don't you think?" he began, but I wasn't really paying attention.
"Yeah" I responded, and he started to talk again.
"And by the looks of it, he makes Jane really happy" he said again, and ignored him once again.
"Yeah" I responded once again, still deep in through.
"Everyone seems to be pairing off, it's cute don't you think" he spoke again, and I responded with my usual
"Yeah"
"And I'm thinking about hosting a party where we sacrifice pigeons to the Chernabog" he spoke again, and I just responded with "Yeah," not really listening to what he said. "Ben" he said, slapping me on the arm as we got to the door of his room.
"Sorry" I said, unlocking the door for him.
"You haven't listened to a word I've said have you?" he asked, and I just looked at the floor.
"No, sorry" I replied, walking into the room, and grabbing some trunks and that from the drawers.
"What's up?" he asked, walking up behind me, and placing his hands around my waist.
"It's nothing" I replied, placing my hands onto his.
"Ok, but if you do want to talk, just let me know" he said, resting his head against my back. "I love you Ben. Did I mention that?" he continued, saying "'Did I mention' in a singing voice.
"Wow, you're not gonna let that go are you?" I joked back, pulling our shorts from the drawer. "Will these do?" I asked, as he nodded at the choice.
We headed out of the room, and met up with everyone at the front of the school. Lonnie had brought a beach ball with her, and Jay had various sports equipment in his hands. Doug and Evie had managed to pack a picnic basket for us all, whilst Audrey had packed a few towels.
"We all set?" I asked, ushering everyone towards the limo, and everyone nodded. The ten of us (Carlos, Audrey, Mal, Jay, Lonnie, Doug, Evie, Jane, Xander and I) squeezed into the back of the limo, and made our way down to the beach. The whole time, Carlos had snuggled into my chest, relaxing me slightly but a lot of racing through my mind. I knew that I wanted to be with Carlos, and he wanted to be with me, but would he be up for being King of Auradon as well? I mean, I didn't really have the choice but he did. Would that be the life that he wanted? I must have been lost in thought as before long, we pulled up at the beach.
"Ben?" I heard Carlos say, tugging on my shirt. I shook my head, snapping out of my thought process, and looking at him. "We're here" he said, getting out of the limousine, causing me to follow him. Everyone was astounded by the beauty of Belle's Harbour, but I was too preoccupied to notice. We managed to grab a rather secluded area of the beach, within an indent of the cliffs, and we set up shop. Audrey laid a few towels onto the sand, whilst Jay and Lonnie set up the net they had brought with them. Doug and Evie set up the picnic, with the aid of Xander and Jane. Carlos and I ended up giving Jay and Lonnie a hand with the net, but we mostly swapped from person to person.
We all shared the food out, Mal diving straight for the strawberry's and Carlos did the same with the chocolate. I did snag a few cookies before everyone else dove in, which cheered me up a little. Jay and Lonnie then challenged Xander and Jane to a volley ball game, which everyone else seemed ready to watch. Jane refused at first, but she was quick to 'change her mind.' Jay and Lonnie were 5 points up when Carlos asked me for a walk, calming he wanted to buy an ice cream. Being the caring boyfriend I am, I accepted walking him to the closest ice cream truck there is.
"Ben, please talk to me" he said, rather randomly in the middle of our conversation.
"I am talking to you" I replied, confused by his statement. We had just spent the walk talking about the volleyball game, it was a rather random statement.
"Then what's bothering you?" he asked, and I clicked to what he meant.
"No, it's nothing, don't worry about it" I said, looking down and dragging my feet through the sand. It was a clear indication that I was lying, but I did it anyway.
"Ben please. You can tell me anything." he replied, pulling that puppy dog face that he knew I couldn't resist. I let out a huff, as I began to tell him.
"It's just…I've been thinking about what Xander said" I replied, and his facial expression turned to confusion. "About what he wants to do after school, and it got me thinking about my future" I replied, and his facial expression clear up.
"Oh, so you don't know if you want to go to uni or not" he replied, and that was part of it, but not the whole thing.
"I've been thinking more about us" I replied and he clicked properly this time, taking my hand into his.
"Don't worry about us Ben. We'll survive. We always have, and we always will. I mean, we've been through some pretty intense stuff" he said, and it made me feel a lot better. He was right, I had nothing to fear. Carlos and I have survived so much. God he spelled me, and I still loved him. I ran out of him when he needed me the most, and he stilled loved me. "Now, what flavour ice cream are you getting to get. I'm thinking chocolate" he said, pulling me closer to the truck.
"I think I will join you on that" I replied, finally relaxing once again.
The rest of the day was fairly relaxing. Carlos and I bought an ice cream, and made our way back to the group, where Jane and Xander had managed score a few points, but not enough for win against Jay and Lonnie. They had challenged Doug and Evie to a game, but they refused, whereas Mal and Audrey seemed to agree. It was pretty even, with Mal and Audrey holding their own pretty well, but eventually Jay and Lonnie won. They offered Carlos and I a game, and suffice to say we managed to kick their asses, which made me quite proud. We must have spent at least 5 hours at the beach in total, and we all shared a romantic walk across the beach before we left.
Third Person:
By this point, the group were 2 weeks into April. Ben's birthday was on the 13th March, and about a moth had passed since his proclamation. (Yes, all of this happened in a month.) At the moment, the school was beginning the frenzy, which the VK's were unfamiliar with. Many students were rushing to and from the library with stacks upon stacks of book, and the cafeteria was slowly becoming quieter. Carlos was first to question the event, and Ben explained that exam season was approaching soon. This wasn't as big of an issue for the gang as their finals were next year, but some people still had exams. The time passed pretty quickly, and school continued until 21st July, when their summer holiday began.
Carlos POV-Saturday:
I was walking to Ben's room, collecting him for breakfast. He didn't meet me this morning, so I was wondering if he was ok. I knocked on the door, and heard him shout "Come in" through the door. I opened up, seeing his room was clear of most things. He was currently packing his clothes, and all his little keep-sakes were packed away. "Carlos, what are you doing here? I thought you'd be packing" he said, and I looked at him with confusion on my face.
"I have. I've packed a clean pair of socks and pants, plus a new t-shirt for tomorrow. I'll just wear the same jeans" I replied, and I saw him chuckle. "What? You invited me to stay at the castle for the night. Did I forget something?" I replied, going over what I had packed.
"Carlos, you're not staying for the night, you're staying for the holiday" I said, walking over to me, and pulling me into a hug.
"What do you mean by holiday" I replied, curious by this new word.
"You know, the summer holiday. Carlos, we've been planning what were gonna do for weeks. Like on Monday, we're going exploring" he replied, and that completely threw me.
"Ben, we've got school on Monday, we can't skip class for this 'holiday'" I replied, placing holiday in air quotes. He just looked at me and laughed.
"You have no clue what a holiday is do you?" he asked, and I just shook my head. "God, you're so cute when you pout" he replied, leading me over to the bed. "The holiday is when the school closes for a month or two, giving us some time off. We'll come back on the 5th September to start our final year" he finished.
"Wait, that's six weeks away" I exclaimed, and he nodded. "And we get all this time off, with nothing to do?" I asked, and he nodded once again.
"Remember, you agreed to stay at the castle with me for the holiday" he said, and I nodded in return.
"I'm gonna need more clothes" I replied, and he chuckled.
"Yeah. Here, help me finish off, and I'll help you after" he said, pulling himself of the bed, and continuing to pack.
We probably spent another 15 minutes in Ben's room, until his 5 suitcases were full. "God, you have a lot of stuff" I joked, dragging two of them behind me.
"Yeah, I need a new outfit for everyday apparently" he replied, dragging the other three behind him. I chuckled, before saying.
"God, I've only got five outfits. I just swap the tops around making them look new" I replied, and I heard him gasp.
"Tomorrow, we are going clothes shopping, and I am spoiling you. You need way more clothes" he said, and I just shook my head. His chauffeur helped us load the stuff into the limousine, and we headed back to my room. I grabbed a bin bag from the side of the room, and proceeded to fill it with the rest of my stuff. "Why are you throwing your clothes into the bin?" he asked, and I just chuckled.
"I'm not, this is my travelling bag" I replied, stuffing my clothes into it.
"Wait, you don't have a suit case?" he asked, staring at me kinda awkwardly. I shook my head.
"No, this is what I brought my stuff to Auradon in" I replied, tying a knot at the top of the bag, and throwing over my shoulder.
"God, I'm going to spoil you this holiday" he said, following me out of the room.
"As always, such a gentleman, my King" I replied, chuckling to myself as we made our way down to the limousine. I threw my bag into the back of the boot, before following Ben into the limousine. I was always amazed when I saw the castle, and I always gasped at the sigh. I could hear Ben chuckled as I did so.
"Welcome to your home for the next 6 weeks" he said, as we stepped out onto the royal staircase. Belle and Beast were waiting for us, and as usual I bowed to them.
"Carlos, you don't have to bow" I heard Beast chuckle.
"Yeah, you're family now dear" Belle spoke up, pulling me into a hug.
"All the more reason I do it" I joked back, returning the hug. We made our way up to Ben's bedroom, and started to plan our holiday out.
Tomorrow we were going shopping for clothes, which sounded like 'fun', then Sunday we decided to have a movie marathon, catching up on some films we hadn't seen. A lot of sequels were coming out in the cinema, so we decided to either watch or re-watch the first ones, so we knew what we were doing. After that, it was a lot of spending the day out at a certain place, like the beach or meeting up with our friends.
So, I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and this is where the story goes completely off the rails from the film, so be prepared for that. Ben had a small moment of panic regarding the future, and Carlos had no clue what a holiday was bless him. I'm sorry for all the dialog in this chapter, and I like to keep the different peoples separate hence all the short lines.
As I said earlier, thank you so much for the support on the last chapter, especially to Sexly Sango, White Collar Black Wolf, Ubeck and iSporticus1234 for leaving a review. You guys are always so inspiring, and always say such nice stuff, so thank you so much!
In terms of the other two stories I posted, I'm gonna see what the overall verdict is on Thursday, but I think I'm going to upload Business Intern. I had always planned to anyway, and now I've completed the story. FYI, I thought the ending to that was really cute, spoiler alert.
So, until Thursday TTFN :)