Chapter Two : This Magic Moment

February 16th, 2023 - 12 days since the AM Article, Day of Arrival

Armie's POV:

Today, waking up to the same mundane sound of my alarm clock, at first glance, seemed like just a regular day. Another day in paradise. However, as I opened my eyes and they adjusted to the light coming in through the blinds of my bedroom, I remembered that today was definitely not like any ordinary day. It was the day HE would be here. I didn't know what time exactly, but I couldn't help but feel a positive sense of optimism and excitement that I hadn't felt in a while. I immediately jumped out of bed realizing I had to do so many things before he arrived. I needed to clean my apartment. I tended to just leave items laying around instead of putting them away. Far cry from the meticulous Armie I used to be where everything had to always be super neat and tidy. After everything that had happened, it seemed a clean apartment was the least of my concerns. I couldn't just make everything look super perfect all the time because that's not realistic. How anyone thought the obsessively perfectionistic Armie was normal, when it really should have been a major red flag, is beyond me. But again, it wasn't anyone's job to realize something wasn't quite right with me, except my own.

I got a pair of clean clothes out for the day then headed into the bathroom to take a shower. I had to be ready for when Timmy arrived because it could literally be at any time. I made sure to clean all those hard-to-reach places. Hey, you never know. I shrugged and smiled at the thought I couldn't really fully wrap my mind around enough to process. I towel-dried off after getting out of the shower and realized I needed to shave. Didn't want to be unrecognizable looking like a caveman. My beard wasn't unruly per se, but it was definitely a more relaxed devil-may-care Armie. We hadn't seen each other since before the pandemic so I wanted to at least give him an image of myself that would be more familiar to him. Who puts this much effort into getting ready to see an old friend? I again didn't pay much mind to the thought I was recurrently having.

All of a sudden my phone went off. I was hoping it was Timmy, but it wasn't. It was the ex-wife.

"Still on to pick up the kids today and take them to the aquarium?" My eyes opened wide. Oh my gosh, I couldnt believe I forgot. I was supposed to take them today. Shit. I didn't want to be perceived as a bad father, but I really need to see Timmy today. Fuck. I needed to come up with something, quickly. I loved how immediately the old me kicked into hyperdrive at Liz's text. How about you just tell her the truth, Armie? She would probably be thrilled that Timmy was coming into town, considering how good of an influence he was on me. She should definitely understand.

"I'm sorry, Liz. Something came up. I can take them next weekend instead, though."

"What could possibly be more important than spending time with your kids?" She could be such a bitch sometimes. She knew how much I adore our kids.

"Nothing. You know that. It's just...I found out late last night that Timothée is coming out to the Islands today to start filming a new project. I don't know the details but he hit me up last night asking if I'd like to meet up today. I really want to see him. Hope you can understand."

"Oh, Timmy. No problem, Armie. Tell him hi for me." And just like that, the monster was appeased. Her bipolarism was getting to me. Why was it fair for me to get diagnosed and treated but not her? Not that the two issues are equatable in any way, but you would think with how fervent she was about me getting help that she'd at least try to better herself, too. I guessed that's what happened when two people who were both selfish got together.

Timmy's POV:

As the airplane touched down on the runway, my anxiety spiked. I knew Armie, and he had always been my safe place, but it had been so long since we had seen each other face-to-face that I couldn't help but freak out about the fact that I was now about to see him again. Once the plane landed, I went to go collect my bags. However, after waiting for about 20 minutes, I realized they were nowhere in sight. I started to panic. I headed over to the Baggage Claim desk and let them know that my luggage was missing. I filed a claim with them and they told me they'd keep me updated on my luggage. Fuck, what was I supposed to do? I guessed I could go pick up some new clothes, but it was getting late and I wanted to give Armie a heads-up I was in town.

I sat down at the airport café and took out my phone. I was nervous but I really wanted to speak to Armie over the phone. I dialed the familiar number I used to call many times over, only to remember that Armie had gotten rid of his old number to field off the paps. Not only that, but, as Armie explained it, a new number represented him breaking free from the confines of his past mistakes and no longer letting them define him. I dialed his new number in its place and put the phone to my ear as I heard it begin to ring. I nervously licked my lips in anticipation of hearing his voice. Only took two rings for him to pick up.

"Hey. How was your flight?" Damn. I never would get tired of hearing his voice.

"It was fine. I'm at the airport. They lost my luggage." I was too tired at this point to even be angry anymore.

"Oh, shit. Well don't worry. I can lend you some things until you get your stuff back. Do you want me to call you an Uber?"

"They have Uber in the Caymans?"

"They have everything in the Caymans. Well they didn't, but now they do because they have you." Armie laughed. I loved his laugh. It was a belly laugh that was utterly contagious. God, I missed that sound. Why didn't I call him more often? Well, I knew the answer to that.

"Sure. You can go ahead and order one. I'll wait outside. Hopefully the paparazzi didn't follow me here."

"Most likely not. But give them time." Armie sounded a little bummed. I could tell he knew it was only a matter of time before they'd find out I was here. They'd make the connection as well as a connecting flight out here. I wanted to enjoy every moment of chaos-free time I could spend with him. Once they got wind of me being here, I most likely would have to distance myself from him. I didn't want to think of any of that, though. I had three weeks before filming would begin, so that's probably the amount of time we'd get.

"Okay. It's on its way. I sent you the details. Can't wait to see you." Armie's voice reanimated my excitement and my nervousness melted away.

"Same here. See you." I hung up the phone and started to head out towards the main entrance.

It was about fifteen minutes later when my ride arrived. It was a really nice gentleman who was a native to the island. We made small talk on the way to where I assumed would be Armie's place. After a few minutes, we pulled up to a humble little house. I was bummed to see Armie wasn't waiting outside, but it was definitely practical. We wanted to stay as inconspicuous as possible.

I grabbed my carry-on out of the trunk. At least I had some essentials with me and one change of clothes. I walked up to the door and held my breath as I knocked. The driver no sooner drove off than I heard the door open. There he was. Still as handsome as ever.

"Hey you," Armie said and smiled down at me. Before I could react or say anything in response, he pulled me inside and into his embrace. I missed this. I had almost forgotten the way he smelled. He shut the door behind him. I had to stand on my tip-toes, as Armie was way taller than me. It took him some time before letting me go.

"Let me look at you." Armie finally pulled away to take in the full sight of me. "Still skinny." He jested and patted me on the back.

"Still a wiseass. " I laughed heartily.

"You bet. Here. Let me take that for you. Make yourself at home. I set up the guest room for you." Armie took my carry-on and went into the other room. I followed him.

"Nice place. It's quaint."

"It gets the job done."

"How often do your kids stay with you?" I noticed that there were two rooms with his kids' names on the top of each.

"Like once a month for a weekend. I'll take what I can get. Liz was really generous to even let me have that. They're unsupervised visitarions. I had to fight her on that one but the courts couldn't see reason denying them to me considering I was never charged."

"That's good. I'm glad. I know how much you love your kids." I smiled at him. I knew we would have to get down to the serious topic. The elephant in the room, but I really wanted to get settled in first. Plus, I was hungry and exhausted. I could sleep for a day, but I wouldn't dare.

"This was supposed to be my weekend with them actually. I was going to take them to the aquarium," he stated, looking down slightly.

My eyes opened wide. "Oh no. Fuck. I've totally intruded. I can totally go and stay somewhere else. Let me look up a hotel." I turned to fetch my phone from my bag when Armie stopped me.

"Please don't. Liz was completely understanding. It's fine. I want you here." Armie looked down again, shielding his eyes from my vision. I walked over to him and put my hand under his chin and lifted his head up to meet my eyes. I caressed his cheek.

"I want to be here too. I just don't want to mess anything up."

"You can't. You won't." Armie pulled me into his embrace again. I smelled his cologne and aftershave. "If anything, you being here makes everything better. I was so devastated thinking I pushed you away."

"You couldn't do that. I'm sorry I haven't been the best friend after all that you've been through." I pulled away, getting emotional. I didn't realize a tear had slid down my face until he wiped it away.

"You have absolutely nothing to apologize for. If I had pushed you away, it was because I deserved it."

"You definitely didn't. I deep-down really believed your innocence. But the AirMail article really solidified that for me." I sat down at the edge of the bed and Armie sat beside me. As if fate was changing the topic, my stomach growled. "If you don't mind, your house guest is starving."

"Oh right. I'm sorry." He chuckled. "Should I cook something? Or we could go out? Or order take-out? Whatever you want."

"You? Cook?" I playfully slapped his arm.

"Hey. I've learned a lot of things since we last saw each other."

"Oh really? Like what?"

"How to play guitar, play chess, go skydiving and scuba diving, to name a few."

"Wow. So adventurous. I'd love to hear you play something."

"Maybe later. First let's get you some food. How do you feel about chicken piccata?" Armie stood up and reached out his hand to me before he began to walk out of the room.

"Perfect," I responded, taking his hand in mine.