The location that Arthur had decided on was about an hour's drive from the mansion. A little far, but not an impossible distance to travel in one day. He didn't have a specific "destination" in mind. Instead, he wanted us to drive around for a bit until we found a place that "felt right."

I wasn't too surprised by that, honestly. Spontaneity and "capturing moments" were always at the heart of Arthur's photos. However, to avoid any Hansel and Gretel-esque kind of problems, I did bring the emergency phone with us in case we got lost. 

Originally, I tried convincing him to stick to the trails, or at least keep within view of them. This perfectly reasonable request, of course, was followed by a series of complaints about "interruptions" and "stifled creativity." So, naturally, I caved and let him do whatever he wanted. 

Not because it was easier to give in to him though, but because I knew that arguing would actually make it harder to handle him during the trip.

The thing about Arthur was, as long as he was allowed to "follow his vision," he was happy. And a happy Arthur was a lot easier to reason with than a cranky, frustrated one. 

Sure, I could have pushed back about the trail thing. Hell, I probably could have even won the argument. But in the long run, it would have done more to hurt me than to help me. It would have put him in a bad mood right from the start of the trip and any minor inconvenience after that would have only added to it. Plus, he would have been more likely to resist later if I actually did need him to do something.

But now? He was happy. Which meant that he would be a lot more flexible and open to suggestions if I needed him to do something like turn around or take a break. Plus, I was still taking precautions so things didn't get out of hand. 

Aside from bringing the emergency phone, I'd also thought ahead and left a note in the kitchen when I was making smoothies. Now, even if something did end up happening to us, Philip would know where we had gone and be able to call for help. I was pretty sure we could survive in the woods for one night if we really needed to.

I highly doubted things would escalate to that point though. As excited as he was for this trip, Arthur wasn't exactly the "outdoorsy" type. I'm pretty sure he didn't want to get lost out in the woods any more than I did. He'd be careful.

"Do you think the weather will hold out?"

I was surprised to hear him speak so suddenly. I guess I was pretty absorbed in my thoughts. Probably not the best thing for the person operating the two-ton death machine on wheels to be doing. 

I peeked at the sky for a second. There were some light, grayish clouds off in the distance, but nothing too bad. 

"I think it should be fine," I reassured him. "I looked into the weather when we started planning this trip. Mostly cloudy this week. We might get a light sprinkle, but nothing that we'd have to cancel over if that's your concern."

"It was," he said, breathing a sigh of relief. "Sorry... it's my first trip out of the house in years. To have to cancel it all at the last minute because of some rain..."

Again, I felt the familiar twinge of sadness that I got whenever Mr. Weston said something like that so casually. 

Years. His first time out of the house in years he said. I mean, to a certain degree, it wasn't that shocking. It's not exactly like Thomas was taking everyone out for ice cream or anything like that. Still, the way he phrased it made me feel bad. 

For me, this was just a plain-old day trip. Drive to the woods, hike around a bit, and come home again. Something a bit different from what we normally did, but nothing too life-altering.

But to Arthur? This was something special. A thing that he had been denied for so long because of his circumstances. A privilege. And I couldn't help but feel bad that something as simple as "going for a walk in the woods" had to be a privilege for him.

"We'll do this more often," I promised him. 

"We will?" He asked, shocked. He caught himself a second later though. "Ah, sorry! I'm not trying to sound ungrateful or anything. I'm actually really happy to hear that. It's just... well, I thought the whole point of this excursion was to see if it would even be possible for us to do something like this. I didn't expect that you would have decided on it already."

"There are still some conditions, of course," I explained quickly. "Still no overnight trips. And we'd still need to plan out any long trips like this before actually taking them. So we're not going to be taking trips like this every time you're around."

"Ah, of course!" He agreed instantly. "Honestly, I'm not much of an outdoorsman myself, so I think I'd get bored quickly if we did this too often."

"That said," I continued, smiling, "there's no reason we can't start going out a little more often. Maybe just to town or something. Walk around, or have lunch, or something like that. You know, like a date."

I don't know how I expected him to react exactly. But it certainly wasn't the way that he did.

He perked up in an instant, grinning ear to ear. His face lit up so much that he almost looked like he was glowing. It was like I'd told him there was a second Christmas or something. Part of me worried he might actually leap out of his seat while I was driving.

Fortunately, he just settled for bouncing in it excitedly. "Really? We could have a date together?" 

Honestly, I was more taken aback by the actual question than the way that he asked it. I mean, it was a date, not some kind of grandiose photography trip. Was it really that unbelievable that we could have one? 

"Well, umm, yeah?" I said, still confused about the question.

"Like an actual date?" He emphasized. "With dinner out, and holding hands while we walk around town at night, and all of that?"

"Sure, if you want to," I answered, shrugging. "But you might have to put your camera down every now and again if that's the case. Hard to take pictures while holding hands and all that."

"Oh, don't worry. I'd leave it at home anyway."

I swear to god, I nearly crashed the car right then and there. My jaw actually dropped as I turned to look at him. He frowned.

"What? Is it really that unbelievable that I could leave the house without my camera?"

"Yes," I said, not even pretending to deny it. "In fact, it's so out of character that you've actually got me questioning if you're even Arthur or not now."

"I am..."

His voice was quiet as he spoke. Just two little words, but they seemed to change the entire atmosphere of the car. I felt a pang of guilt at that. I'd said it as a joke, and I thought my tone had been playful enough, but did I give him the wrong idea? The last thing I needed was to give Arthur any more insecurities than he already had.

"Sorry, I was-"

"No, no. Don't apologize," he said quickly, smiling at me. "I get that you were joking. It's just... Well, I guess I'm upset because I actually agree with you. It is out of character for me to be anywhere without it. And... I don't want it to be.

It's not like I'm going to give up photography, of course. After all, it is still a big part of who I am. But... I don't want that to be all that I am anymore either. 

I know what the others think about me. 'Arthur the picture-taking moron,' right?"

"Umm..."

"Don't worry, you don't have to answer that," he chuckled. "I already know they do. They've told me so themselves. Victor in exactly those same words and Jack... well, he was nicer about it, but the meaning pretty much amounted to the same thing. 

And the worst part is, I can't even argue with them about it. Arthur can barely string two sentences together. If it wasn't for Anna, Arthur would probably starve us to death. Arthur would rather stare at his girlfriend through a lens than actually touch her. It's frustrating. But I can't be mad about it, because they haven't said anything wrong."

"Arthur..."

"But I want them to be," he explained. "Not just because I want to prove them wrong, but because I want to be different too. 

Don't get me wrong, it's not like I'm going to change my entire personality just to shut them up or anything. Honestly, I couldn't really care less about most of the things they say. It'll be a cold day in hell before I let Victor of all people tell me that I lack a personality. But the one thing I cannot accept is how much I've been neglecting our relationship."

"Wait, is that what they've been telling you?!" 

I could feel the anger start to bubble up inside my body. I mean, I knew Jack and Victor had this petty little competition of theirs going on, and to some degree, I knew that Arthur was in the mix of all that too. Still, the fact that either of them would ever go as far as to accuse him of something like neglecting our relationship? It pissed me off. 

Not that I could do much about it now. It wasn't like I could jump inside Arthur's head to beat some sense into the other two or anything. 

Fortunately, it seemed like I didn't need to. I guess Arthur hadn't expected me to get as upset as I did about that comment because in half a second, his eyes went wide and he held up his hands as if to defend himself.

"Ah, wait! That's not what I meant," he explained quickly. "They've never said anything like that to me. I swear. I meant that I feel like I've been neglecting our relationship."

"Well, that's even more ridiculous," I grumbled, slightly relieved. "As happy as I am that I don't need to yell at Jack or Victor now, I don't know why the hell you would think something like that unprompted. You've never done anything but be attentive to me in our relationship. Honestly, even before we started a 'relationship' you were pretty attentive to me."

"I know, and that's exactly the problem," he sighed, crossing his arms. "When I first started giving you that attention, I was treating you as a subject. A part of my work. And since that time, our relationship has changed so much. 

Yet, for some reason, it feels like nothing else has changed between us. We get up first thing in the morning, head to the studio, work, eat breakfast, work, eat lunch, work, eat dinner. Then, depending on how tired we are, we either work a little more or go straight to bed. That pattern hasn't changed a bit from the time that you started working here until now."

"Not true. Sometimes you barbeque bread for me now too."

"Anna!"

"Alright, alright. Badly timed joke," I admitted. "But I really don't see what the problem is."

"The problem is you're my girlfriend now, and... I'm wasting my time with you..." Again, not two seconds later his eyes went wide and he turned his classic shade of red. "Ah! No. I said that wrong. I don't mean that being with you is a waste of my time, I-"

"Mean that you feel like you're wasting the time you have with me?" I finished for him.

He let out a sigh of relief and nodded. His entire body seemed to relax as he slumped back into his seat. He turned his head toward me and gave me a weak smile.

"I don't think you'll ever realize just how much I truly love you," he murmured softly. "How thankful I am every morning I wake up as myself and see you sleeping there next to me...

Even before I knew about them, before I knew what was really going on, I knew that there was something wrong with me. More than that, I knew that I would probably spend my life alone because of it. I'd already accepted that fact a long time ago."

My heart ached as I heard him say the familiar words. Because with every new part of Mr. Weston that said them to me, I learned exactly how hopeless he had become over the years. And every time I did, it always hurt me more than the last.

"I never used to care about it much," he continued. "After all, I had my work to keep me occupied. And Thomas, of course. And I thought I was satisfied with that...

Then you came into my life and suddenly, I wasn't satisfied anymore. I wanted more. I needed more. 

Suddenly, I wasn't content with just having you shoved off to some dusty corner of the studio like I was with Thomas. I needed you there, in front of my lens, where I could always see you.

But then that wasn't enough either. You were so warm and vibrant, I couldn't stand to see you sitting there cold and silent like a statue. It was like I'd stolen half of what made you so beautiful. I needed you moving, talking, acknowledging me in some way. 

And, still, that wasn't enough. The more I listened, the more I spoke to you, the more I watched you, your expressions, your personality come to life, the more I craved them. The more I needed them. Before I knew it, that desire consumed me completely. And suddenly, you were all that I wanted anymore."

Compared to Jack or Victor, the times that Arthur made me blush were incredibly rare. If anything, I was usually the one to make him blush at something. But at that moment, I swear to god, my entire body must have been beet red.

I guess that had always been Arthur's specialty though. Unlike the others, Arthur was never trying to make me blush when he said things like this. Usually because he barely even realized that he was saying it himself. Sweet, clueless, unfiltered Arthur just saying whatever happened to be on his mind like always. 

There was no hidden meaning in the things Arthur said to me. No embellishments, no exaggerations, no ulterior motivation in his words. Arthur said what Arthur thought. Plain and simple. So whenever he said these words to me, these sweet, gentle words, I knew they were his true feelings. And that's what made them so embarrassing to hear.

"What? Even more than your camera?" I tried to force out a laugh, but it just came out kind of choked and awkward.

"The camera is just a camera."

Again, all I could do was shake my head in shock. "You're sure you're Arthur?"

This time he laughed. "If it makes you feel any better, I never thought I'd say something like that either. 

But, here we are. At the point in my life where suddenly my camera really is just a camera to me. Where my pictures are just pictures. Where I'd actually rather go out and spend my time with another person than stay cooped up in my studio by myself. And... it's strange.

It's strange, and it's new, and it's scary. It's terrifying to me that any one person could seem to have that much influence over me and my desires. 

And yet, I can honestly say that I've never been happier. That I truly cannot imagine ever going back to living my life the way that I lived it before. That you really and truly are the most precious thing in this world to me. And that the only thing I want for my future now is to spend the rest of my life loving you."

I didn't know what to say to all that. What could I really say to all that? It wasn't exactly a question or the sort of sentence that prompted a response. But still, somehow it felt wrong to leave a statement like that unanswered. So, I said the only thing I could really think to say at that moment.

"I love you too."

In the past, I often had trouble responding to Mr. Weston when he said things like this. I either got awkward, or confused, and, because of it, I felt like I never really said the right things to him. I didn't necessarily say anything wrong to him, but I felt like I never said the things that I should have said in those moments. 

But, for once, it seemed like I had finally said the right thing. He smiled gently, lowering his eyes to the floor. There was a faint blush on his cheeks as he nodded to me slightly. 

We continued the rest of the journey in silence. Eventually, Arthur turned back towards the window and started watching the scenery again. Meanwhile, I did my best to focus on the road and shake off the lingering embarrassment from our little conversation.

"Ah, stop!" Arthur cried suddenly.

Instinctively, I slammed on the brakes. My body lurched forward as the car screeched to a sudden stop. My heart pounded in my chest as my eyes darted around the road.

"What? What is it?" I asked, panicked. "Did I hit something?!"

"Ah, umm..."

I looked over at Arthur. His face was bright red, eyes glued to the floor. His hands fidgeted nervously in his lap. 

"Arthur?"

"I, umm, I was just going to say that I... saw a place where I wanted to stop and take pictures..."

Maybe it was due to the way he was mumbling, or maybe I just couldn't comprehend what he was saying to me at that moment, but either way, it finally clicked for me a second later exactly what he was saying. I leaned my head back against the headrest and let out a frustrated sigh. He flinched a bit at the sound.

"I'm sorry!" He said quickly. "I really didn't think that you'd react like that. Although, looking back, I guess I can see the... misunderstanding I might have caused..."

I closed my eyes and pinched the bridge of my nose, letting out another sigh. I took a deep breath and let it out slowly before finally looking at him.

"So, over there?" I asked, gesturing vaguely to the area we'd just passed.

"Ah, umm... yeah..."

I gave a small nod and shifted the car into reverse. Thankfully, being on an abandoned back road meant there weren't really any cars that we had to maneuver around. I backed into a spot off to the side of the road and parked the car. As I went to take the keys out though, Arthur reached over and grabbed my hand.

"Sorry..."

I smiled gently and patted his hand. "It's fine. I know you didn't do it on purpose or anything. Just try to be a little more careful. Screaming inside the car is for emergencies only. Okay?"

"Of course," he sighed. "That's common sense. Unfortunately, you just happen to be with a man that doesn't seem to have any."

He frowned down at the floor again. I felt bad. 

True, what had happened was a little dangerous and I certainly didn't want him doing something like that again, but it wasn't exactly like anything happened to us either. We were both here, safe and sound. 

He'd been looking forward to this trip since we first panned it. The last thing I wanted was for him to ruin all that by moping about an accident that never even happened. I put on a playful smile and shoved his shoulder gently.

"Don't worry about it. There was never anything 'common' about you to begin with. Why start now?" I teased.

A stupid joke, but it worked. He cracked a smile and let out a small snort of laughter. I patted his arm.

"Well, what are you waiting for?" I asked, getting out of the car. "We've got a long day of blisters, starvation, and mosquitoes ahead of us and I'd hate to waste it sitting in the car."

"Well, when you put it so romantically, how can I resist?" He chuckled, unbuckling his seatbelt. 

I opened up the trunk, but to avoid any awkwardness and half-babbled excuses I left the bags there for Arthur to get. If he didn't want me touching them the first time, then I highly doubted that had changed within the past hour or so. Instead, I started grabbing the things out of the backseat. 

However, much to my surprise, instead of the mountain of bags that I had been dreading, he only had about three on the ground next to him. He closed the trunk and gave me a big smile.

"Ready?"

"Umm, yeah, but are you?" I asked, confused. "I thought there were, like, a dozen more bags you needed. Did something happen?"

"Ah, no, nothing like that. I just don't need them at this time," he explained. "It would be impossible for the two of us to carry this many bags around the entire forest. Especially since I'm not entirely sure where I want to go yet anyways. So, for the time being, I'll leave these here. Once I've settled on a spot, I'll come back and get the rest."

"Are you sure? Like you said, you're not really sure where you want to go yet. The spot you settle on might take some time to hike to and from. You sure you want to risk losing the light hiking back and forth like that?"

"Not a problem," he insisted, pulling one of them onto his back. "The project I need these for would be done later in the evening anyways, so there's plenty of time for me to both come back for them and take some stunning pictures throughout the day."

"Well, as long as you're sure."

I still wasn't sure exactly what was going on in his head. One of the things he always complained about with "natural" pictures was the lighting. Even in the garden, he would spend half his time grumbling about how the light had suddenly changed. Yet, for some reason, he seemed absolutely certain that the evening lighting would hold out for whatever project he had in mind. 

That said, I guess I couldn't really complain either. At least it meant that I wouldn't have to be a pack mule for half of our trip. Plus, whatever the outcome later, he seemed happy with the idea now. No point ruining the mood with a concern he didn't even seem to have himself. 

"Shall we?" He asked, slinging another bag over his shoulder. 

"Lead the way," I said, gesturing towards the forest. 

He smiled and gave a small nod before scurrying into the woods. And immediately disappearing. Panic quickly set in as he vanished out of sight. 

Crap. I forgot how fast Arthur was. The last thing I needed was to actually lose him in the forest. 

However, much to both my relief and surprise, he popped his head back out of the trees a moment later. He looked nervous.

"Ah, actually, now that I think about it, why don't you hold my hand," he suggested, holding it out for me. "I would hate for you to get lost without me."

I couldn't help the small burst of laughter that made its way through my lips at that moment. His brief confusion quickly melted away as I took his hand. Instead, his normal blush came to replace it. 

He looked away and tugged my hand gently. Without another word, he led me through the forest. 

Whether he was actually concerned about me getting lost, or he was just looking for a convenient excuse to hold my hand, I couldn't be sure. But either way, he held my hand for dear life and never let it go. And it was awkward, and it was clumsy, and it certainly wasn't the most effective way to maneuver through the forest. But it was Arthur through and through. And I was happy to be there with him.