'Cinderella, it's not midnight.'
he swung his feet idly as she knelt in front of another gravestone, gripping the flashlight tightly in her fingers.
"i can't believe you got me interested in this stupid hobby." she accused.
he merely grinned as she continued muttering under her breath.
"why are you even sitting next to that creepy angel statue?"
"it's not creepy," he protested, turning to look at the the angel whose wings were chipped and covered with black mold. "okay, maybe a little. and to answer your question, i don't particularly want to sit on someone's grave, so i'd take sharing the statue's platform anyday."
"you're tired already?"
"i went running yesterday and i think i pulled a muscle."
he stretched and for a second, a piece of paper that she assumed was the label stuck out of the neck of his shirt and he pushed it back in hastily.
"trying to tire yourself out enough to fall asleep?" she guessed. "i've tried that before. along with meditation, drinking green tea and listening to calming music. nothing really works."
he nodded, although he felt guilty about lying. he had been sleeping for the past few days, just not at night. his mother had gotten anxious about his hermit-like behaviour and forced him to step outside the house in a desperate attempt to get him to interact with people.
a silence that was broken only by the sound of crickets and the occasional hoot of an owl surrounded them. he found himself appreciating the soft smile that appeared unconsciously on her face and the way her eyebrows rose when she read a particularly interesting epitaph.
after a point of time, he decided to lie on his back and move his focus from her to the stars, in case she found him staring and firmly decided that he was a lunatic. however, the rustle of clothes informed him that she had decided to join him in his current activity.
a shooting star left a blazing trail as it moved across the night sky, causing him to close his eyes in order to comitt the sight to memory.
"are you making a wish?" she questioned, her tone tinged with amusement.
"i wasn't, as a matter of fact. but that's not a bad idea." his eyes sparkled in excitement.
"i can't tell if you're being serious or not. only children make wishes on shooting stars!"
"we're all children inside. we just try not show it." he shrugged, brushing off her cynicism.
"clearly, you're not one of the people who believe in hiding this 'inner child'. fine, i'll make a wish. i wish to know your name."
"you're not supposed to make a wish out loud."
"just tell me your name!" she demanded. "stop trying to be so damn mysterious."
he laughed at her impatience and eventually gave in to her demand. she repeated the name he had given her, making sure she was pronouncing it right.
they continued to star-gaze after his revelation. he pointed out constellations she had not known about before and told her the stories behind them.
"i really should be going now." she said after an hour had passed, propping herself up by her elbows.
"did you have a deadline to get back home? if it was midnight, you're way past it."
"i'm not cinderella." she scoffed, and flopped back down.
a warmth flooded through him because even though she hadn't seem the kind that stayed, she had done just that.
-
I'm leaving little hints for you regarding his secret. Any ideas so far as to what it is? And no, he's not socially anxious, he's talking to her just fine, even though he refuses to interact with others.
