365 // irwin

Chapter Three

DAY TWO

"I told you to trust me!"

I laughed at him for a breif moment before popping a lush strawberry in my mouth, the juice slipping out of the corner of my mouth, soon wiped away by my finger as I discarded of the leafy bit, shaking my head at him.

"And I told you that you were a little shit for scaring the living daylights out of me. I think we were both a tad bit wrong in this situation."

As the sun faded away, stars illuminating the sky instead, we'd somehow shifted into such a position where I was sat in between his legs, his arms wrapped around my waist, my head fitting in the spot where his neck met his collarbones. I looked up at him, only to result in him pulling a silly face, retracting his neck to give the illusion that he had multiple ones, flaring his nostrils slightly, drawing a laugh from me.

"Did you always live in Sydney, Poor Bullied Girl Who Just Wanted To Have Fun On A Swing Set?"

"You still remember that?"

"Why is this such a surprise to you?"

"Considering you didn't even remember your sisters birthday one time--"

"That was one time! And I've made up for it ever since by being the best brother ever, I spoil Lauren."

"The best brother ever? That may be pushing it a bit fa-"

"Just answer the question!"

I shook my head as a no, pursing my lips together momentarily before saying, "When my Dad got a new job we moved here. I'm originally from Adelaide, city of churches, festivals. It's really not that exciting nor was it interesting. It's uh-- It's home."

"Right! Which would explain your- yeah."

"Wait, no!" I exclaimed, leaning to the side slightly so I could look at him, "What's that? Explain my what?"

"We're really quite compatible, y'know?"

"Don't try distract me with-"

"I mean," he began, a smile on his face as he fished a toothpick out of his pocket, fiddling with it in between his fingers, "We caught up at what? Twelve o'clock and now it's-" he stopped for a moment, checking his phone before stuffing it back in his pocket saying, "It's half past six and we have not shut up. That must stand for something."

At that point I pursed my lips together, raising my eyebrows at him at which point of which he continued by explaining the difference in how I pronounciate words. As he continued poking fun at how I spoke, I decided to just look at him for a moment and had little to no shame in doing so.

There was something oddly beautiful about him, how his lips would occassionally pull together in a tight line, this line only breaking when his teeth would sneak out, biting on his lower lip. How his tongue would slowly drag against it, the corners of his lips tugging up, his full face illuminating, beaming even, into a large smile as a chortle of laughter fell from his lips, his arm tightning around my torso just slightly as he continued to fiddle with the toothpick in between his index finger and his thumb.

"What's with the toothpick?"

He drew the toothpick from his mouth, using his three middle fingers and twirling it round in a circle before setting it in between his teeth again saying, "It's a metaphor."

"Is this really the time for Fault in our Stars references?" I teased, my hand resting on his knee as he rested his chin on my shoulder, hooking it over my shoulder. He almost looked different in the candle light as the sky went black, this quiet part of town being oddly silent, the occassional chatter or car horn resounding through the air.