Aaah sorry for the long wait, I had some writer's block with this chapter. But this one is a bit long, so hopefully that'll make up for it.
Everyone stood outside the Blue Bayou, saying their goodbyes.
Paige spoke to Veronica, "Bring him back as soon as you're done, okay?"
"Of course!" Veronica feigned shock that Paige would suggest she'd do anything but.
Ralph hugged Walter, slipping the ring box from his own pocket to Walter's, and whispered in his ear, "Give it to her."
Walter was confused, until Ralph patted Walter's pocket and he felt the ring box. When Ralph pulled back, Walter looked at him in astonishment. How did he know... and how did he even pay for it... Veronica.
He felt himself blush. Was he that obvious? He looked at Veronica, and she gave him a knowing smirk, before guiding Ralph away.
Paige noticed the exchange, and wondered what could have possibly transpired between the three of them. She felt as if she had just intruded on a conversation about her. She tried to catch Walter's eye, but he avoided her gaze as he walked into the restaurant.
Before Ralph and Veronica left, Veronica told Ralph to wait, and got the attention of one of the servers. "Hey, so you see those two over there?" She motioned with her hands, and when the waiter nodded, she continued, "That's my daughter, and me and my grandson are playing a little game of matchmaker." She paused for dramatic effect before the big finish, "So if you don't mind, could you seat them in the most intimate, romantic table you have?" She pulled out a $50 from her purse and extended it to the waiter as she spoke. Seeing the money, he happily agreed and reached out to take it, but she pulled it back slightly, "But this remains between you and me."
He smiled and nodded, "Of course."
She smiled and handed him the money, turning back to Ralph.
Ralph smirked, "Nice one."
The waiter led Walter and Paige to the far corner of the restaurant, where it was dimly lit and only one couple was in their line of sight. The table was on the edge of the water, where the only sounds were (fake) crickets, the water lapping at the shore, and the soft banjo track playing in the background. There was a soft blue glow coming from the bayou of the Pirates of the Caribbean ride, and they could see the fireflies bouncing and blinking from the opposite side of the water. Paige thought the atmosphere was quite peaceful and relaxing, and was a bit of fresh air from the chaos that had become her life.
That was, until they actually ordered their food, and were left with nothing to do but talk. It was... awkward, to put it nicely. It was the first time they'd had a chance to talk alone since the night before, and suddenly they were thrown into a deafening silence all over again. They spent the entire time waiting for their food trying to look at and think about anything else but each other. They both felt welcome relief when their food arrived, giving them something to do with their hands.
After some time spent picking at their food, Paige tried to break the ice, "So... what were you working on at the pool this morning?"
"Uh, just a new program I'm developing." His answer was deliberately vague, due to the fact that he hadn't even opened his IDE that morning, let alone actually did anything.
"Oh." The conversation, if it ever was one, fell into another silence.
Paige tried again, this time giving in to her own curiosities, trying to sound as casual as possible, "So, um, what did Ralph say to you before dinner?"
The ring. He'd nearly forgotten. He was still unsure about it, but maybe it could break this insufferable tension. He pulled it out of his pocket, and cleared his throat, "I, uh..."
When his voice trailed off into another silence, she encouraged, "Yeah?"
"Well, um, I saw this, and I-I just thought you might like it."
She looked down at his outstretched hand. A ring box. "Oh, Walter..."
"I-It's okay, it's not a big deal," he said hastily when he saw the surprised look on her face.
She grabbed it and opened it hesitantly. She took in a sharp breath when she saw it. In all honesty, she had half expected it to be hideous, in one of his adorable attempts to connect. He wasn't exactly great at understanding what general people enjoy, let alone what girls like. But this... this was beautiful. It was radiant, but still elegant so it didn't border on flashy.
Something about this gift had her chest aching. She pressed her lips together as she pulled it out of the box and slipped it on. It was slightly big on her finger, but she didn't really care.
Walter didn't know what to make of this. She hadn't said anything, and her head was down, so he couldn't see her face. He watched her carefully for a reaction until she looked up at him with slightly watered eyes and smiled, "Thank you, Walter."
Walter's rigid shoulders relaxed in relief. "Y-You like it?"
"Yes, it's beautiful." Her smile turned playful and she tilted her head, "But... that didn't answer my question."
"Oh- um, Ralph told me to give it to you. He actually gave it to me to give to you." Seeing the look of disappointment on her face, he clarified, "I-I mean, I saw it in the store and wanted to give it to you, but th-then..." he cleared his throat and shifted uncomfortably at the memory, "Then you put the hat on me and, um, well I was unsure you would like it..."
She smiled, "Well, I don't like it."
He frowned in confusion, "B-but you just said-"
She touched his wrist to interrupt him, "I love it."
Walter's frown slid into a smile and he chuckled. But his laugh quickly faded when he realized she hadn't removed her hand, and was softly stroking his wrist with her thumb. He took in a shaky breath, though it did little to stabilize him. She was looking at him with... adoration? That couldn't be right. But, oh boy did he adore her. "I-"
"Your dessert," The waiter interrupted him with a smile and a cheesecake.
When the waiter left, Paige turned back to him expectantly. What had he been about to say? Oh. No. His mouth did that thing again where it operated without his brain's permission. He'd been about to blurt out that he loved her. Shit.
He turned away and grabbed a fork, taking a hasty mouthful, partly to prevent himself from blurting again, and partly as an excuse to not look at her.
He winced when she sighed. He could sense her disappointment, and tentatively looked at her. She was glancing around the restaurant, bringing a forkful of cheesecake to her mouth. He was considering what to say to her when she spoke, "You know, it's been an hour. Seems like they should be back here."
Walter glanced around the restaurant too and shrugged, "Perhaps even the fastpass line was long."
Paige looked at him and rolled her eyes, "I think the more likely scenario would be that Mom took him to do something else, after I explicitly told her not to."
Walter couldn't deny that she was likely right, and couldn't help the chuckle that escaped his lips. Paige's annoyance with her mom dissolved into amusement, and she gently elbowed Walter in the ribs with a playful smirk on her face.
Veronica and Ralph briskly walked down the hallway exit from Space Mountain toward the photo display. They both burst out laughing when they saw it: Veronica had tried to obscure Ralph from the photo, while Ralph strained his neck to keep his face visible, simultaneously fending off his grandma's hands as she reached further. The effort of all this distorted and pinched their faces, while they flailed around in their seats.
Once they gathered themselves, Veronica grinned, "Okay, we have to buy this one."
Ralph agreed as they walked up to the counter. After purchasing, Veronica looked at her phone as they walked out of the building, "Oh, it's only been half an hour. I think we should give them some more time. How about we get some hot dogs, then ice cream, since we didn't get any earlier."
Ralph twisted his lips, "I don't know, Mom said to come back..."
"Oh, it's not like we're getting into any trouble. And we deserve some ice cream for all the plotting we've done."
"I've done."
She rolled her eyes, "Okay, you've done. Hot dogs and ice cream?"
Ralph hesitated before smirking up at her. She took that as a yes. "Alright! Bar or soft serve?"
When Ralph and Veronica finally made it back to the restaurant, Walter and Paige were stepping outside.
Paige's greeted them, "Hey, I was just about to call you. What took you so long?"
"Oh, we grabbed some hot dogs and ice cream on the way back."
Paige smiled and shook her head, deciding to pick her battles wisely, "Well, did you have fun?"
Ralph nodded and pulled out the pictures, "We bought these."
Paige took them and smiled, "Oh, that's so cute!"
Ralph beamed, then checked the time, "We should get going, if we want good seats for the fireworks.
Paige nodded, and as they began walking, Walter didn't miss her defeated sigh. "You okay?"
Paige looked at him uncertainly, then, after determining that her son and mother were far enough away, she confided, "Honestly? I'm jealous."
Walter frowned, taking a second to figure out what she meant, "Oh. Um, jealous of what?"
Paige's purses her lips, gathering her thoughts, "I tried for ten years to have a relationship with my son like in that photo. Then my mom waltzes in and gets to have that relationship effortlessly, after you- a-and the rest of the team, brought him out of his shell." She shrugged, "I don't know, it just feels kinda unfair." After a few moments walking in silence, she sighed again, "It's kinda silly, isn't it?"
"What's silly?"
"Being jealous."
"Oh." He shook his head and looked at her, "No, it makes sense." Sensing she wanted reassurance but having absolutely no idea what to say, he stuttered, "Um, I-I'm s-sorry."
Paige glanced sideways at him and slowly gave a half smile. She could tell in his voice that he was uncertain, and found it strangely endearing. On impulse, she wrapped her arms around his arm, hugging his arm to her briefly, "Thanks."
Ralph led them to Small World, which in the dark was lit with dazzling colorful lights. The area had a curb they sat on, and waited for the fireworks to start.
Walter turned to see Paige, the lights from Small World casting her face in a faint pink glow that emphasized her features. She was looking up at the fireworks, which reflected in her brown eyes, and Walter couldn't think of a time she looked more beautiful.
When the fireworks were over and the applause faded, music began playing from the speakers in the plants, barely audible above the commotion of the crowds. They stood up, but decided to wait until the area cleared out a little. As the crowd slowly thinned out, Paige heard the lyrics of the song, We woke up on a runaway train... And she was thrown into memories of that speeding train, Walter detaching his train car, fading into the darkness, the feeling of panic and loss when she had realized what he'd done... She looked at him, and she couldn't be certain what he was thinking, but she could've sworn the expression he wore revealed that the lyrics triggered the same memories in him.
Walter remembered when she slapped him for saving her... it had confused him at the time. He saved her and her son... shouldn't she have been happy about that? But when they talked after, it was the first time he ever considered that she might care about him to the same extent he cared about her. He certainly would have gone out of his mind if she tried a stunt like that.
The lyrics continued, I found love when I least expected it... You could say that. Walter hadn't even believed love was real before Paige. Little did he know she would make him fall in love with her. He wasn't sure he even recognized the man who had fixed the router at Kovelsky's. His whole system of thinking about the world and himself changed because of her.
...I found me in a place too crazy to mention, they say that life is stranger than fiction... You could say that. Not once in her life did she ever imagine that she would have a genius son, work with a team of geniuses to save the world time and time again, and fall in love with someone like Walter. It sounded like fiction, except it wasn't. It was her life. And the man who stood in front of her was certainly stranger than fiction, but she loved him for it.
Wait, when did they get so close? Paige could hear Walter's breathing over the commotion around them, and Walter could smell the scent of her lavender hand cream.
...I found love from the strength of letting go...
His eyes dropped down to her lips, and she marveled at how he could have her almost panting without even touching her.
When she licked her lips, that's when he lost it. He closed the distance and kissed her firmly, but gently.
A shot of desire rushed through her, and her body reacted before she even processed what happened. This wasn't the wild, anxious fervor of their first kiss, but it sure as hell had all the passion. It was deeper, and slower, and the force of the love Paige felt in the way he kissed her with such intensity almost made her cry. For a man who claimed for so long to not have feelings, he sure loved deeply.
She snaked her hands around the back of his neck, tugging softly at his hair, while he wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her closer. He pulled his lips off hers to kiss along her jawline, making his way to her neck, just below her ear. Her eyes fluttered closed, and she shuddered with a sigh.
He responded by humming and whispering into her ear, "I love you."
Paige gasped, and she felt tears spring in her eyes. Did he just say that? She was pretty sure he just said that. She moved to kiss him again, but then he pulled away.
"What-" she started to ask, but then she saw the look in his eyes. She'd seen that look before. She felt a ball of dread settle in her stomach, and suddenly her tears were for a completely different reason.