WHO: Nora Carson and Kit Greene WHAT: A walk in the park! WHEN: October 8th WHERE: Carl Schurz Park STATUS: Complete.
“-so in the end, while I'm sad that I didn't get to see Daveed as Lafayette, I can safely say I'm more than satisfied with his successor,” Nora said, a bounce in both her voice and step. It was quiet and probably frowned upon for them to be in a park of any variety this late at night, and she knew if she were back in Woodsbridge, the anxiety would be so very loud in her head. In near-silence of the night, however, where the lights from the city that never slept twinkling just over the trees at the furthest edge of her sight line, she felt light. Free.
She hadn't known she would- could ever feel that way again.
Her fingers were entwined with Kit’s, though she held it loosely as the strolled, their pace languid in the sparsely populated park. “Did you have a good night?”
Kit nodded along with what Nora was saying, making the appropriate noises as she careened through a play by play of the show she had seen earlier with her sister. The Carson sisters had been obsessed with Hamilton for a while now, and while it had almost not happened, he was glad they had been to Mecca. Kit had looked the other way when they both returned from the Richard Rodgers, dark circles under their red eyes from crying over the play, giving them a moment to compose themselves, before grabbing Nora’s hand and whisking her into the crisp fall night air. She was far too vibrant to be confined within the four walls of the hotel.
“Hm?” He glanced down at her when he registered that she had posed a question, eyebrows raised slightly as he rapid-fire monologue suddenly came to a halt. “Oh, yeah. I got to see a side of Calder I didn't know existed,” he snickered, recalling the look on the younger man’s face when they had emerged from the subway in the middle of Koreatown. “It was a life-changing event, let me tell you.”
“You weren't even listening!” Nora reprimanded, a peal of laughter leaving her despite herself. She knew that there was only so much fussing over an event one person could stand, after all. And both Kit and Calder had been incredibly patient with her and her sister the last few weeks while the plans for the trip came together.
She knew now, in the darkness that otherwise would have terrified her, that Kit accompanying them was incredibly necessary after all. Nora might not have been back to herself completely, but she felt closer to the woman she'd been six weeks ago than she had back in their town. “Oh? Hasn't he suffered enough?”
“I was listening!” Kit protested, placing a hand over his heart and feigning indignation at her accusation before admitted, “...but I can't say I was processing.” He shot her a sheepish smile and brought their joined hands up so he could kiss the soft skin of the back of her hand. He knew this trip had been a hot topic between everything that was going on - especially when it came that verbal blows between the sisters - but the pain had been worth it to hear her laugh like that again.
“No offense, Darling,” he started as the ambled deeper into the park, “but anyone that dates your sister will constantly be suffering one way or another. I just...let him explore more that New York had to offer, but let the record show that he didn't have anyone forcing him to stay on the karaoke stage.”
She grinned back, completely unsurprised. “It's fine,” Nora assured him, bringing their joined hands back towards her to press her lips to his hand in return. “We've been pretty single-minded about it.”
A brow arched in a silent question, but what ended up coming out was, “So you mean to tell me you couldn't navigate Broadway, but you were able to get around…where?” She shook her head. “I guess that doesn't matter so long as you took a video.”
“What do you mean, couldn't navigate Broadway?” Kit echoed, his brow raising in response to hers. “I knew where we were, and we had no set place to be at 3:07 or whatever time it was. Your sister needs to learn to chill.” Sure, they had strayed a little off the beaten path by getting off a stop too early, but it hadn't been the end of the world unless you were Pippa Carson. They had managed to find a place for drinks while she poured over the map to get the back on track, so all had been smoothed over. Or so he thought.
“Koreatown, and, if you look in my back pocket, there's some great blackmail material on my phone,” he pointed out, the crinkles at the corner of his eyes the only thing giving away the ridiculousness of their night. He really didn't need to worry about having material on Calder, but you never knew.
“Exactly what I said!” Nora replied cheekily, her face pink from her laughter. It was cool at this time of night, borderline chilly, really, but she didn't mind. Her hand wandered to his back pocket, but not to the one holding his phone. A slight pinch later her hand rested on his right hip as she snuggled closer. “And she was fine. She was just concerned we'd get lost after dark if we could get lost during the day. You know Pippa.”
It was her little sister, after all, who had almost canceled the trip to New York out of concern for her entirely, and while her habits could be grating, Nora couldn't truly begrudge her sister for that.
“I'm glad you two had fun. I like Calder. He's- he's not what I expected honestly? But he's funny.”
Kit lifted an arm around her shoulder as she slotted against her side, anchoring Nora to his side. It was good to hear her easy laugh again; he knew he had missed it, but he hadn't known how much he had until now. Despite his optimistic disposition, Kit had been harboring some doubts leading up to the trip. She had been skittish, a tentative shell of the vibrant doctor to be he had come to know over the past few years, and he could easily imagine her crumbling under the unforgiving and bustling streets of the city that never slept. However, leaving town had done just the opposite. She was laughing more and becoming comfortable in her own skin, and he was grateful he had been allowed to tag along to witness it.
“Should I ask what you meant, or do I pretend that I'm blissfully unaware you two talk about us when we aren't there?” He lightly teased, turning them down a path that led them deeper into the park.
“No one likes a know-it-all,” the woman said teasingly, her voice muffled by the man’s side. “And besides, I know you talk about me when I'm not there. Then again, I am the best part of your entire life so that isn't necessarily surprising.”
A sound of a twig snapping made Nora tense for a moment as she searched for the source of the sound, her shoulders relaxing as a squirrel made its getaway from one tree to another. She didn't bother apologizing because she knew Kit would insist it was unnecessary, so she turned her head to press her lips to his chest before they continued on the path. “I can't believe this actually came together.” She had tried to silence the thought whenever it popped into her head, but it was close to a miracle that it happened at all. “But I'm glad that it did.”
Kit tightened his hold on Nora as she tensed, securing her to his side as he craned his neck around to see what was causing the noise. He gave her shoulder a reassuring squeeze when he felt her relaxed, knowing it took a Herculean effort for her to brush aside the noise. “Where there's a Carson, there's a way,” he laughed, “and when there's two then it'll take the Almighty himself to stop it.”
He dropped a kiss on her sandy hair as they came to a fork in the path and peered up at the signage in the gloom, trying to make out which direction to go, before looking back down at her, a brow lifted in question for her to choose which way to go next.
“I'm glad I party crashed,” he added as he waited for her to make her pick.
“The left,” Nora dictated, her smile genuine. “I'm embracing things not always going what I would think is right anymore.”
They wandered through Carl Schurz Park for a few more minutes in light conversation, an occasional laugh echoing through upwards through the trees, periodic silence as lips pressed together as they made their way to a clearing that. “Is it bad that I don't want to go back home? The east coast isn't as awful as I remembered it being.”
“East Coast, Beast Coast,” Kit laughed, pressing a kiss against her temple as he fist pumped the air at her confession. “Awful, psh. I know you secretly love it and think it's the best. It's alright; I won't tell Cali.”
He grinned at her before they turned a corner, ambling in the park with only the nighttime air as their companion. He, too, wasn't keen on returning back to a place that set his girlfriend - a word that still felt new and exciting on his tongue - on edge with every sudden movement or uneven edged noise. “We don't have to go back just yet,” he threw out there with a shrug of his shoulder. “There's plenty other things that can keep us occupied, and the bills are on auto-pay, so…” He trailed off, an eyebrow arched in her direction. There wasn't anything pressing on their return, and the Academy would still be there for them both when the came home.
“Massachusetts is frigid and I can't believe I ever enjoyed your friendship enough to visit you there in sub-zero temperatures. And sit outdoors watching you play soccer for hours.” While the option to sit in a box had been present, Kit had insisted that the only proper way to watch was in the presence of other fans, cheering and huddled together as their cheeks turned pink from both the cold and dancing around that inevitably was done.
A sound between a sigh and a hum left her at his suggestion, her free hand running through her hair as she contemplated the idea. “I did get Liam to get me off clinical for next week, but…” A laugh, then her eyes met his. “I can't run away from it, K.” Even if I want to. “A few days, maybe,” she compromised.
“You can’t live your life on maybes, Darling,” Kit wheedled, pouncing on the compromise she offered him. He let go of her hand and turned so he was facing her, walking backwards as the continued. “Take the opportunity Liam gave you and go away with me. We could go anywhere you want...well, within the US since we don't have our passports, but that could be arranged.”
His blue eyes twinkled as he thought about their upcoming adventure. It had been far too long since they had acted their age, and the break from responsibilities would do them both good. “What do you say?”
“Okay,” Nora smiled, halting Kit in his tracks as she took his face in her hands, dragging him down until he was level with her.
"I'll go with you." Everything else could be put on pause, after all. And she sealed the promise with a kiss, the thrill of an undecided escapade running just beneath her skin.