The Last 30 Days [Inactive]

"Let's head back," he said, taking her hand. They walked slowly, side by side. The surf came and washed over their feet. The first few times the water was cold but they eventually got used to it and Blake no longer needed to curl his toes whenever the water rushed around his ankles.


"What are we gonna do when we get back home?" he asked, staring down at his feet. Compared to the beach, Blake's small apartment seemed boring.
 
"Well." Isabelle bit her lip. She swung Blake's hand dramatically as she was thinking. "I've still got to learn to dance. I'd like to go bowling. There's a movie I want to see. There's all sorts of things we could do."


She meant there are all sorts of things she wanted to do, but, turning her bucket list into their activity list seemed wrong. Blake must have had something he wanted to do, too. So she asked.


"Is there anything you want to do when we get back?"


((Updated bucket list is added in the overview, now that Blake knows))
 
Blake nodded while she talked, short bursts of images of dancing and bowling and movies going through his mind. When she asked him what he wanted to do, he couldn't help but laugh.


"Isabelle, before you came along I spent all my time rereading text books. I would go two days without eating before I realized that someone can't live off coffee. And don't even get me started on my sleeping habits.... What I'm getting at is that I never did anything back then, I don't know how to do anything. So I'll just follow you and do whatever you want."
 
She quickly kissed him on the cheek. Whatever she wanted to do was up in the air, and all she had to do was say the word.


"Thank you." Isabelle squeaked shyly.


It didn't take long for them to reach their small spot on the beach, feet splashing in the water. She took great care in keeping her hand tangled in his.
 
Blake grinned and glanced out of the corner of his eye at Isabelle. He wiped off his cheek with the back of his hand, pretending like she had given him a wet kiss.


"Did you bring a pair of sneakers?" he asked, slowing his footsteps to a stop. "If you did then we can hike in the woods. We can still hike without sneakers but we'll need to be more careful."
 
"I think so." Isabelle paused.


She lightly jogged to the truck and started to rummage through her bag. Inside was her cane, which she pulled out and waved in the air outside the car.


"Oh you!" She yelled.


Her sneakers were right under, and she switched her shoes quickly to rejoin Blake.
 
Blake had forgotten about the cane and the sight of it made him laugh. So far Isabelle had been really good, she wasn't stumbling and even if she had them, she didn't mention any headaches.


Now clad with sneakers, they walked gingerly to the forest, careful not to kick too much sand into their shoes. It was silent and though it was still enjoyable Blake found conversation scarce between them and the more it stayed so, the more he was worried. "What do you wanna talk about?"
 
Isabelle was enjoying the silent atmosphere of the forest. Although the path was somewhat sandy, the beach was nowhere in sight with the trees in their way. At his question she had to think.


"I'm not sure." She smiled. "Oh! Right, I wanted to ask you. Would you let me drive?" Isabelle was worried she might have confused him at first, but so blabbed on. "I never got my license. Just a state issued ID."
 
Blake's forehead creased and he asked, "Why wouldn't I let you drive?" Upon realizing that this wasn't a proper answer he added, "I'd let you drive, but you'll need to learn first. Unless you already know how to... Do you?" Once again Blake asked a question to which the answer would probably be no, but like he had thought when they were rock climbing, he could never be sure what Isabelle had done and not done in her sheltered life.
 
"Well." She shrugged. "There's some pedals, and a few... things."


Isabelle had taken the class, but it never extended past that point. Her mother was paranoid she'd crash. The mechanics were simple enough, but, she'd never sat in the driver's side.


"Hi, nice to meet you, I'm Isabelle. Sheltered child." She joked and shook his hand lazily. "If you've done it, I haven't."
 
Blake grinned, thinking her last words were a bit of an overstatement. He didn't mention though, he just continued to talk about driving, "Well, there's a bit more too it than that. You need to know what all the signs are and how much to break and when and... basically the pedals are just the beginning."


Blake's truck was manual but he wasn't about to tell Isabelle that just yet. Driving was hard enough, driving a stick shift your first time is even more confusing.
 
"Just in a little parking lot or something." Isabelle said quickly. She nudged him with her hip and they continued along the trail. What else did she have to accomplish in such little time? Well, a lot, honestly. But not realistically.


There was a brief spot where the trees made an opening, revealing another little cove near the sea. It was cut off from the shore by tall rock walls, with it's own private place to relax. Isabelle perked up and pulled Blake towards it.


"It's so pretty, everywhere around here." She sighed happily. "Why can't I live closer to the ocean?"
 
Smiling in agreement, Blake stumbled over rocks and roots trying to catch up with Isabelle's pace. When his feet hit the small strip of sand it only facilitated his foot falls a little bit, he was still being dragged.


"This is a small town, there's not much out here. In the city everything is nearby, certainly more convenient," he mumbled knowingly, smiling out at the sea.
 
"So what?" She shrugged. "I don't know what's there anyways, I could stay here forever."


Not much time left anyways.





The sun was setting, and Isabelle sighed. Tomorrow they'd go back to their normal lives. One day closer to panic. She sat down in the sand with her arms around her knees. Isabelle needed something to say, but she liked the silence. She reached up and grabbed Blake's fingers with her hand.
 
The contact please Blake and he laid back, head resting on a piece of moss just inside the forest. He brought Isabelle's hand up to his mouth and kiss the tip of her fingers one by one. When he was done, he smiled, glancing at Isabelle. Her hair, although it showed slight signs of illness, shined in the setting beams of light. He wanted to reach out and touch it be he kept both hands wrapped around Isabelle's.


"I wonder how much a beach house would cost out here. It's not the nicest town so they won't be as expensive as houses in California..." he said, mostly to himself. They had pretty much stopped talking about the possibility of Isabelle living past the surgery and so there was no use talking future living plans with her.
 
"Well, if I'm going to be a nurse, I'll have to find somewhere to work out here, too." Isabelle said. "So, that comes first, as much as I'd love to live on the coast. Just like this."


She played with his hand, flexing his fingers against hers and rubbing the outside of his hand. Her head was starting to hurt again, but for most of the weekend she'd kept quiet. This wasn't the weekend she wanted to ruin. But as it dawned on her that they'd be leaving the next morning, she figured it'd be alright to admit it once they were in the car.


"I really appreciate you taking me here, Blake." She smiled sincerely.
 
Blake smiled, glad that it had made her happy, "It was fun," he agreed, giving her fingers a squeeze. "I wish we could stay longer." Blake knew that if they really wanted to they could stay a day or two longer, but then he'd miss more classes and people might start getting worried.
 
He had his classes to get to, she supposed it was as good a time as any to admit she'd long been done. "I don't know if I said anything, but. My professors had me take my tests early." She murmured, still playing with his hand. "I passed everything, grades are alright, but. I'm done with school for the year."


Whether or not he'd be happy, worried, or confused she didn't know.
 
Blake nodded, chewing on his lips while he mulled over the new information. He had many questions but he'd start the first as, "When did you do them?"


He mostly wanted to know about the grades, what was her definition of 'alright'? His was a 95%. Blake was also a bit worried that because of this, Isabelle wouldn't be getting out of the house as much. Though who knows, he thought, cocking his head to the side, she might decided to go visit friends or even her aunt.
 
"Last week. Before we left." Isabelle answered.


It was better for her to be done with it than worry up until her operation, and then stress afterwards about getting it over with. This was simply one less thing for her to think about now.


I'm scared, Blake. Goddamn.





"Lowest was a B, so, I'm not an idiot after all." She laughed awkwardly. He probably had all A's, all the time.
 
((In my school we calculate grades using percentages haha, you should see me I'm like, "B is like an 85%, right? And an A is 90% or higher..."


Blake didn't laugh at her joke. "You were never an idiot," he grumbled, frowning slightly. "Some people just have a better work ethic. And my parents and I pushed me a lot, so you shouldn't compare yourself to me."


After a second of silence, Blake's frown disappeared and he smiled, congratulating Isabelle he said, "But that's really good! You did great."
 
((We do, too, but we attach letters. So I instantly assume 95% is an A, B is 80% or higher, plus and minus for certain ranges))


Isabelle giggled at his congratulations and blushed. "Thank you." She rubbed at the base of her neck as the embarrassment set in. It wasn't as if her tests were hard, though praise was uncommon for her at home.


"We should probably head back before it gets dark." She suggested, taking no moves to stand up. The hidden cove was like a paradise in her already perfect ocean side vacation. "Or cold."
 
Blake laughed when Isabelle didn't make a move to get up. He could tell that she loved it here and didn't want to leave. He could agree to that, the beach was a beautiful place, rarely scene for both of them.


"Come on," he said, standing up a bit heavily, pulling the girl up with him. "God forbid we get lost in an unfamiliar forest at night. There could be lions and tigers and bears, oh my!" he said as he playfully jabbed Isabelle in the ribs.
 
"Let me get my little red slippers." She teased right back. Standing up now, she felt light headed. Maybe it was due to how tired she was, but she had to lean on Blake, hoping he wouldn't notice.


Back at the truck, safely tucked into the sleeping bags in the bed, Isabelle nestled herself against Blake's chest. The stars were out, brighter than any she'd seen in the city, and she made sure to embed them into her memory so as not to forget the night.


"Have I told you I love you today?" She asked, eyes on the sky, hands wrapped around Blake. "If not, I do."
 
"I can of assumed that you did," he replied, kissing her forehead. "And I love you too." The words felt sweet in his mouth, he wanted to keep saying them over and over like when he was a kid and the repeated words started to lose their meaning.


It was moments like this that made Blake forget that he disliked complicated and high maintenance people. Isabelle would be one of those people, soon to die and in need of healthcare and other necessities. It was times like this that he forgot about all that. If he didn't know any better he'd have thought she was normal.
 
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