Song for this chapter: Sunset Lover ~ Petit Biscuit

Chapter 2:

Day One 4:00 pm

After almost half an hour of explaining, Mila's face is still completely blank. She furrows her perfectly arched brows together as I attempt for the third time to try to wrap her head around the fact that we can do anything we want.

It's like taking a child into a toy store and telling them that they can spend as much as they want on whatever and however much their heart desires. However, even a child would understand that situation better than Mila does.

"But surely the police will still be out?" She questions.

"They might be but realistically, do you really think that anyone's going back to work after this afternoon's news? And even if you were arrested, they can't sentence you because you'll be dead within just over a week anyway." I reply.

"So the world's going to go crazy?"

"Quite simply, yes." I shrug and now it's her turn to look at me as if I'm absolutely mental.

Mila's eyes furiously dart between the piece of paper between us and my relaxed face, becoming more confused by the second.

"There are no rules anymore, there's nothing to stop anyone doing what they please." She mutters to herself in the hopes that it'll make her understand the situation.

I push the paper across the table so that it's directly in front of her, urging her to write down some suggestions of what we can do. So far I've filled in at least eight out of the ten days but I didn't want it to be completely my plan, I wanted her activities to be there too.

I've planned each day to the fullest but I could tell from the look on her face as I put pen to paper that she didn't approve of my ideas. One side of me says that for her sake, I should let her plan the whole thing and just go along with it but it's also the last ten days of my life too. Mila has spent too much time locked away in this apartment, staring longingly out of her window, watching the world go by.

I understand that she's introverted but no one deserves to leave this world without letting loose, and more importantly without ever attending a party, especially a party hosted by Warner Taylor himself.

"This is awful." She declares, slumping back against the chair in defeat.

"This is awesome!" I gleefully reply.

She glares at me, her dark oaky eyes torn between wanting to kick me out and wanting to explore the world with me. I like to think that I'm a rational guy but I'm not even going to give her the chance to opt-out. Mila will live the next ten days in ways that she hasn't even imagined before, and I'll be sure of it.

"Enough of the misery." I say, standing up from the table and walking around her living room, looking at the mountains of books and walls covered in artwork.

Even the designs of our apartments broadcast just how different we are. Whilst Mila's is rustic and authentic, dripping with culture and intellect, mine is dark, modern, and filled with memories from years of unforgettable misdemeanors.

"How about we start off with thinking about how to spend tonight?" I offer.

"We're starting this whole thing now?" Her voice rises, clearly surprised.

"Well duh, there's no time to waste." I look back at her, dumbfounded.

"But you see, I had to finish my painting and-"

"No! No excuses. Come on, just live a little." I complain as I interrupt her.

Once again, Mila looks across the room angrily at me, my words clearly triggering a voice inside of her that she usually suppresses. The voice that pushes her to the edge of her comfort zone and now it's a question of whether she'll choose to listen to it or not.

"Mila, think about it." My voice falls soft as I walk back over to the table to meet her.

"Now is the time to do the things we always dreamed of. You can do absolutely anything that you've ever wanted. You say the word and I'll make it happen for you." I offer her a smile.

As I tower over her, her glossy eyes look up at me, her chestnut-colored hair falling to one side, finally revealing her full complexion. She bites her bottom lip, finally accepting that I won't leave until she agrees.

"Together, we could make these next ten days the best of our lives. You're sugar and I'm spice, sometimes you need to add a combination of both to make your tastebuds experience a flavor like no other." I say, watching as she cringes at my metaphor.

"Fine. I'm in, but on my terms only!" She frowns again, returning to the typical Mila attitude that I'm used to.

"Agreed." I smile, offering her my hand to shake to secure our new joint deal.

Hesitantly, she considers my gesture before stretching out her hand. Her touch is soft and her fingertips, which are painted blue, are almost swallowed by the size of my own hand.

"First up! Dinner? Where do you want to eat?" I declare, grabbing the pen and paper from the table.

"Hmm." She taps her finger against her chin, pouting as she thinks.

"Oh, LA Pizza Palace!" She says without any doubt.

I turn to her refrigerator, pinning the start of our plan to it with a magnet of the Mona Lisa painting. Typical art student.

***

The low rumble of the engine fills the silence as we drive through the city towards Mila's restaurant of choice.

I can't tell if the silence is because this is the longest the two of us have spent in each other's company or because of what we're witnessing behind these car windows.

As we drive through downtown LA, it's become very apparent that the theories online are true. Crowds of people gather together to the point at which the sidewalks are practically invisible. It seems as though everyone has taken to the streets and with every inch forwards this car moves, we are hit with yet another unbelievable sight.

One minute we'll be witnessing a brawl between drunks, the next it'll be spotting a building on fire and then there's the multitude of designer shops being broken into whilst people run away, their hands filled with goods. The most surreal thing I've seen so far was a mass prayer service a couple of blocks back.

All of us are plagued with this news yet everyone has their own unique way of reacting to it.

"Oh my god, watch out!" Mila screams, covering her face with her hands in fear.

From her window, I spot a man running towards our car, baseball bat in hands. All around us are other vehicles being broken into and now we are the next target.

Pressing harder on the gas, I speed away before swinging us around the next corner.

"You okay?" I ask her, my heart almost in my throat.

"Yeah." She replies with a shaky voice.

Mila's panicked face remains until we reach the restaurant where it changes into a face full of delight, lighting up her eyes.

After collecting a pizza each from the counter, we sit on a table close to the door, keeping an eye on my car.

I was worried that LA Pizza Palace wouldn't be open but I suppose as these are family-run restaurants, they have everything they need in front of them. They don't do these jobs because they have to, they do it because they want to.

Strings of bubbling cheese stretch for miles as Mila lifts the first slice towards her mouth. The corner of her lips curls upwards as she takes her first bite whilst her eyes roll back with joy. If you weren't able to see her right now, you'd mistake the heavenly sounds coming from her as she eats for something completely different.

"Taste good?" I smirk, trying to hold back a laugh as I mock her.

"Hell yeah!" She says back with her mouth full.

This is quite possibly the happiest I've ever seen her. I'll have to remember this, the way to make Mila not want to strangle me is by providing food. Note taken.

"What do you want to do tomorrow?" I ask.

"I'm not sure." She replies which is no surprise to me.

"Wait, does that mean you will actually open the door when I knock on it tomorrow?" I say back, jokingly pretending to be shocked.

"If you're lucky." She narrows her eyes before letting out a small laugh.

"I can't believe day one's already over." Mila says after finishing her final slice, creating a large shift in both of our moods.

I guess until now, both of us have tried to focus on the positives if you can even call them that. But she's right, as each day draws to a close, it'll be a sorrowful reminder that we're one day closer to the end.

"I know, only nine to go." I reply allowing the heaviness of the news to press down on me.

"Best make tomorrow a good one then!" She says, taking me by surprise before giving me a wide grin.

"Oh you don't even want to know the things I have planned for you and I sweetheart." I answer back, teasing her, earning me a worried yet intrigued look.

And that's exactly how I know that I have started to chip away at the walls that Mila has built around herself.