August

14. Augustine

Back when we were still changing for the better...

"You're up late."

I froze as I noticed Leah sitting at the kitchen island. She had a glass of water in hand, smiling at James and me. Her gaze dropped to our intertwined hands, and she smirked. I quickly let go and politely smiled back.

"Yeah, um, we were out on a walk," James told her.

"Did you go swimming?" she grinned.

"We...may have stepped in the water for a minute," James replied.

I looked at him to see a faint blush on his cheeks, still very apparent in the dim lighting.

"Do you mind if we put on a movie?" James continued.

Leah's face lit up. "Of course!" she exclaimed. "And Augustine, you're absolutely welcome to spend the night here. I'm sure James will take great care of you." She winked at us before standing up and walking towards the stairs.

"I'm off to bed. Have fun you two," Leah grinned. "But not too much fun." With another wink, she disappeared up the stairs.

"Jesus," James muttered as I giggled. "I think she's a fan of you."

"I see where Miles gets it from," I laughed.

"Surprisingly, they're not related," James told me. "She's our stepmom."

I mentally face-palmed myself. "Right," I said. "Sorry, I totally forgot."

"Not a problem," James replied. "Do you want a change of clothes? You've been shivering this whole time."

Had I been? I hadn't realized. Comfy clothes would be nice though. I nodded, and James led me up the stairs to his room.

I studied his room the moment we entered. Not in a creepy way, but I was a firm believer that one could learn a lot about a person by how their room looked.

It was extremely organized. The bed was made with white and blue sheets, there was a telescope pointing out the window, and a large skylight I could see the stars through. There was also a bookshelf containing novels organized by colour. On his wall was a poster with names of stars and constellations written all over it. On his small bedside table held a lamp and the journal I saw him using a while back with a pen resting next to it.

He's a bigger nerd than I thought.

"Here you go," James said, handing me some clothes. "If you want, I could get you some of Leah's stuff to wear." He pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose.

I held his gaze. "It's okay," I said softly.

"Um, you can change here. I'll meet you downstairs, and we can put on a movie."

"Ok."

James shut the door softly as he left, leaving me alone in his room. I took my time slipping on the red t-shirt he had given me, as well as the grey pj pants. Written all over the pants was the word StarWars, making me smile. the more I got to know James, the more I learned about his nerdy side. He had also left a dark green hoodie with a sky full of stars dotted across the front, and a bag for my current clothes. After putting it on and marveling the soft fabric, I placed my old clothes in the bag and headed downstairs.

I heard a popping sound as I entered the kitchen. James stood beside a popcorn maker while melting some butter on the stove. My heart warmed as he sprinkled some salt on the popcorn and separated it into two bowls. It didn't even cross my mind to make snacks for the movie.

"You ready?" James smiled at me.

"Almost," I replied. "Where's the washroom?"

"Oh, just down the hall."