BONUS CHAPTER: The Military Boy and the Military Girl

As far as Becky was concerned, this was the best day of her life. Damian had finally asked Anya out on a date ("It's not a date!" he had furiously whispered at class, "We're just friends!"), and Becky finally got to see a bit more movement in her favourite ship. Theirs was even more of a slow burner than Kevin and Sonia's relationship on Berlint in Love, which had been inching towards their union for several seasons now - which, Becky knew, would make their eventual get-together all the sweeter. She squealed to herself just thinking about it!

And Becky had picked the cutest outfit for Anya to wear. She knew that she and Anya had different styles in general so it was quite hard to find clothes from her wardrobe that would suit her best friend, but eventually Becky had settled on dressing Anya in a summery sunflower yellow corset dress with ribbon sleeves, and a green beret to match the sunflower leaves (and Becky didn't admit this to Anya's face, but it was also to hide those crazy horns, she never knew what the deal was with those things).

Since she waved Anya off to the cinema, Becky had gone to her room and changed into her silk pyjamas, and had just started the latest episode of Berlint in Love when her phone buzzed.

Did Damian stand her up? She half-wondered as she picked up her phone, before shaking the thought away. No way would Damian ever do that!

Then she read the text from Anya:

Becky! I forgot about Bill! What do I do?

Becky gasped.

They forgot about Bill!

Then, a sudden and crazy idea came to Becky and she quickly typed a reply: Don't worry Anya, I'll take care of Bill! You enjoy the movie :)

Becky clicked off her TV, got dressed, and called for Martha.

—

Well, it wasn't the best day of her life anymore, but that was okay, at least it was more spontaneous than usual. Becky clutched her designer purse as the car neared the cinema, and sprayed a couple more spritzes of her favourite perfume over herself. She loved it because it wasn't too floral, and not too spicy, and seemed to have a good blend of aromas. Her mother had very good taste.

When they arrived, Becky hopped out of the car and waved to her butler. "Thanks Martha! I'm heading in now, see you at nine."

The car pulled away, and Becky took a deep breath. What am I doing? This is crazy! She adjusted the purse straps over her shoulder and headed towards the cinema.

From a distance, Becky could make out the unmistakable figure of Bill Watkins. He seemed even larger than life outside of school, and as she neared closer, the lights of the cinema cast him in a glow that made him look… older?

Bill wore blue jeans and a simple grey sweater over a navy shirt, and even from afar Becky could tell that it was cashmere. He's got taste!

Her heart thumped in her chest as she got closer, and for a terrifying moment, Becky thought she could feel sweat on her palms. She quickly wiped her hands on her skirt and kept walking, keeping her shoulders back and her gaze level. She was the picture of confidence, even if she didn't feel like it.

As she neared closer, it wasn't hard to see that Bill looked nervous. He seemed to be scanning the horizon for any sign of his date, and when he spotted Becky, his smile faltered.

"Ah," said Bill. He was a smart dude, with intellect that easily beat the average person. He put two and two together instantly. "She's not coming, is she?"

She tried to cast a reassuring smile, and resisted fidgeting with the straps of her purse. "I'm afraid you had a bit of competition, but you're a decent guy, so I thought I would swing by," and because she wanted to look confident, she winked at him.

Was it just the cinema lighting, or did Bill blush pink just a little bit?

"You don't need to go on a pity date with me, Blackwell. I'll be okay."

Becky huffed. "C'mon, I'm not that bad! Besides, you're already out, so you might as well enjoy the night!"

Bill took a breath as if he was about to reply, then he frowned as if in thought. Becky waited while he seemed to come to a decision.

"In that case, these are for you," and he brought out a bouquet of roses from behind his back.

"Oh!" Becky gasped. "Wow! No-one's ever given me roses before!" She inhaled their scent and smiled. "And they are the specially selected species from Berlint in Blumen! Wow, you really do have good taste."

Bill chuckled. "You know your florists."

"It's only the best one in all of Ostania! I've decided that they'll be doing the flowers at my wedding someday, so I definitely want them to stay in business until then." Becky flushed as she realised what she said. Stupid stupid stupid! Everyone knows you don't talk weddings on a date!

A pause.

"Should we… go inside?" Bill vaguely gestured behind him to the cinema.

Becky took the lead as they went in, cradling the flowers in her arms. Ever the Blackbell heir, she marched straight up to the front desk. "Two tickets please to Berlint in Love: The Movie."

Bill looked up, clearly startled.

"What?" said Becky. "I never agreed to see Spy Wars. That's Anya's favourite, not mine."

"I-I just," stammered Bill. "Dad says I'm not allowed to watch Berlint in Love."

Becky froze, clearly trying to comprehend what Bill had just said. Not allowed to watch Berlint in Love? What planet was that lunatic from? Had he never heard of romance?

Bill watched with vague amusement as Becky physically shook off her anger. "Respectfully, your dad can stuff it. We're watching it."

Becky paid for the tickets while Bill got the drinks and snacks, and they headed inside to their seats. The cinema wasn't full, but Becky was grateful that it wasn't empty either. At least having other people in their periphery would soften the tension.

As soon as the movie started, Becky was on the edge of her seat. The romance! The dramatic tension! The miscommunications! The fluff! The movie was even better than the TV series in so many ways, but something about the lead couple felt a little off…

Becky held out hope until the credits started rolling, and she lost it.

"What the hell?" Becky scoffed, her popcorn long finished. "How could she refuse Kevin's proposal after they've been hinting at it for nearly a whole season? The cheek of it, all this buildup for nothing!"

Becky had barely paid attention to the boy next to her through the whole movie, as she was totally engrossed in the storyline, but now that the credits were rolling, she cast a quick glance over at her companion.

Bill's face was rapt, although he had clearly been gripping the arm rest for the entire duration of the film. His knuckles were white. She wondered if he was nervous, or if he hated sitting through it with her for the whole two hours.

She cleared her throat. "Sorry to make you sit through this, I know it wasn't what you wanted to watch..."

Bill looked as if he wasn't paying attention to her as his gaze still fixed onto the cinema screen, and after a minute or so Becky thought she might have to prod him to get his attention. People had already left their seats and she and Bill were the last ones left!

She reached out her hand, ready to shove his shoulder when -

"If you think about it, they actually foreshadowed her refusal back in season five. Kevin has always initiated the romance and Sonia just went along with it because she was trying to please her father, and I think in the ninth season they've also been hinting that she's starting to think a bit more about the fact that even though he has known her for years, he still doesn't really understand the deepest parts of her."

Becky froze.

She looked up at the military boy in front of her, dressed so classy-casual, with rectangular glasses on his face, and the entire bulk of his body barely fitting into the cinema seat, and the impressions that his fingers left on the soft armrest.

No way.

This hulking mass of a boy that easily towered over her and so many others, with hands like oars and arms that could crash through glass.

Did he - did he just…

No FREAKING way.

Becky felt something rise in her then, a heat that bubbled through her chest and burst out of her mouth:

"You watch Berlint in Love?"

Bill gave a nervous laugh. "Only when my Dad's not looking."

Becky spluttered. "And you're only telling me this now? We've been here for two hours!"

As indignant as she was, Becky was secretly thrilled. As far back as she could remember she had been trying to get someone - anyone - to watch Berlint in Love with her, and try as she might, Anya was really not a fan, no matter how many hours Becky made her sit through.

But, of all people, Bill fucking Watkins watched Berlint in Love?

Bill shifted uncomfortably in his seat (and he must have been very uncomfortable since he was bursting out of it), and loosened his shirt collar. "Dad says it's not very manly, or educational, so he won't let me watch it, but, I… I feel like I'm living vicariously through the characters. Life at Eden is so restrictive, it's nice to get this kind of freedom once in a while."

Becky took a deep breath, and forced herself to get over her surprise. Yes, it was crazy that Bill watched this romance TV series of all things, but he had started opening up to her! Now was not the time to push him away.

"I…" Another deep breath. "I feel like that, too." Becky shifted awkwardly in her seat. Of all things she was planning to do today, she never imagined having a heart to heart with Bill Watkins in the cinema. "Hey, have you seen the latest season?"

Bill shook his head. "Dad really cracked down once he saw me sneaking copies away. I haven't seen the last three seasons."

For some reason that Becky couldn't quite put her finger on, her heart leapt, and she couldn't stop herself from smiling.

"Watkins, whatever plans you had this weekend, reschedule them. You're coming over and we are watching it!"

—

Forget Damian finally pulling himself together.

Forget Anya finally going on her first date ever and agreeing to be Becky's dress-up doll.

This was the best day of Becky's life.

.

.

.

.

.

.

More parts are coming, but I just wanted to dip into Becky's POV for a bit! I just couldn't stop imaginging that she would have gone on this date with Bill instead, so to all of you who were a little worried about Bill hopefully this chapter has soothed some of those worries!