Today was Saturday. Which meant we were going to the beach. It was winter, so we just decided to go down and read or paint for a couple hours. Who said you had to swim at the beach? I personally liked the beach better in winter. There was never anyone there in winter and it was much less stressful when nobody was there.
But I wasn't going. Coco knew Ruel wouldn't want to come to the beach, so she asked if I could stay behind to 'keep an eye on him'. Kate and my mum were reluctant, but eventually agreed when they realised I was in on this.
So now here I was, sitting at the dining table alone, reading a book. You're probably thinking Where's Ruel? Well, I couldn't exactly just bust into his room like I had the previous time, because that was just rude. So I kind of just had to sit and wait for him to come down, if he decided to anyway. And that is why I was reading a book alone at the dining table.
I was quite invested in this story, so I hadn't looked up for a while. But when I did, for whatever reason, I flashed my eyes up to a towering figure, but looked back down at my book again. My brain hadn't quite comprehended what I had just seen. I realised I had just looked at someone a few seconds later and flicked my eyes back up towards them. I was met with the familiar look of those shooting green eyes, taking me by surprise.
"Gaah!" I yelled, tipping back on my chair. I realised my chair was now falling directly backwards. Awesome. Now I was going to fall off my damn chair. Yay. I closed my eyes and braced myself to hit the ground. But then I just stopped. There was no ground. I was just floating. I opened my eyes to see the green-eyed boy had caught the chair before it fell. I quickly hopped up out of the chair before he placed it back carefully in the position it was originally in. "Thank you," I murmured as his towering figure turned back around to face me.
"Why are you here?" he asked plainly, showing no emotion. I furrowed a brow. Why was he suddenly talking to me again?
"Uh, because I can be?" I replied, tilting my head in confusion.
"No, I mean why aren't you at the beach with everyone else?"
I knew the answer to that. I was here to keep an eye on him. But I didn't want to say that, because then it sounds like I either have a major crush on him, or I think he's a child that can't take care of himself.
"I just didn't want to go," I blurted, just saying the first thing that popped into my head. Wow, great excuse Sunday. Great excuse.
He hummed in agreement, in a way I had learned he does when he doesn't believe what you said, but can't be bothered to argue. I watched as his eyes drifted off of mine and onto the book I was holding. It was just To Kill a Mockingbird that I was rereading for like the 10 thousandth time. I loved that book. It just had such an impactful message, and even though it was an older book, the message wouldn't hurt for some of today's people to hear.
As I examined his focused-looking face, I realised how much I wanted to ask him. It was like there were these words hopping around in my throat, ecstatic to get out. I wanted to ask him why he was there, why there were so many people touching him, why he had came down, why he hadn't said a word to me until today. But I knew if I asked him, I probably wouldn't get a direct answer. This thought frustrated me, but I had to remember what he was going through. I had to be patient.
He looked cute when he was focused though, not going to lie. The way his hair fell floppily over his eyes, framing his face, his eyebrows creased and his lips into a slight frown.
His eyes suddenly flicked up to meet mine, seeming to notice the fact I was observing him. I felt my face flush, but he showed no sign of having reacted to my stare. He sighed and broke the eye contact, running his hands through his perfectly unruly hair.
"You read?" I asked, in attempt to make the situation less awkward, but failing. If anything, I just made it more awkward.
"Yeah," he replied boringly. I needed to say something to make this conversation less dry, without asking anything about his personal life. Because if I asked about his personal life, he would know I googled him, and that's not a good look.
"What's your favourite book?" I asked, blurting the first thing that popped into my head. I really needed to learn how to think before I spoke.
"How do you choose just one book when there are so many great ones out there?" he drawled, looking away from me, showing off his perfect side profile. He had a point. There were a lot of great books out there.
"That's true. But don't you have a book that you love so much you could read it a million times and never get bored of it?" I replied to his question. Obviously my favourite book was To Kill a MockingBird. I could read that book every day and never get sick of Atticus' testimony.
"What's the point of reading a book if you already know what happens? The beauty of reading a book is the surprise of it," he said effortlessly, as if the words just naturally flowed out of his mouth. I suppose he was right. The surprise of a book is the best part. "The best books are the ones that are beautifully surprising."
"I guess you're right. But that won't distinguish my love for To Kill a MockingBird," I smiled finely, brushing my hair back behind my ears.
"I've never read it," he replied, running his hand through his hair again.
"You've never read it?!" I gasped.
"Never."
"Well then that is what you're going to do now," I asserted, handing him the book I was holding. To my surprise, he didn't argue. He took it from me, his fingers lightly brushing mine. I shivered amongst the small touch. I watched as he strolled gracefully and sat on the couch, slumping delicately. His hands, touched with his usual rings, wisped the pages gently as he opened the book to the first page, his eyes flicking from word to word.
I didn't understand how he was just such a delicate human being. His every movement was just so gentle and effortless, nothing he did seemed forced in the slightest.
"Are you going to stand there, or are you going to read something?" he asked suddenly, not looking up from the book. I didn't reply, but turned to pick up a book I had been wanting to read for a while. I then sat down on the other end of the couch from Ruel, careful not to disturb him. I opened my book, reading every word carefully, forcing myself to zone out into the world inside the book. I knew if I didn't I would be nervous and jittery because of the boy who was sitting maybe a metre from me. But because I was zoned out, it was quite peaceful. We just sat there, each reading a book, each lost in a different story, each perfectly still and perfectly calm.
A/N
I apologise that this chapter took a little longer than usual, I was stuck on ideas, and quite busy with my schoolwork. I'm getting into assignment season atm, so I might be a little slower with chapters, but I will be writing as much as I can. LOVE YOU ALL MWAH!
As always have the best day,
remember to nourish yourself with food and water
and do something that makes you happy.
- Bri<3
Quote of the day:
There is only one love in this life, to love and be loved.
- George Sand.
Word Count: 1374
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Two Ghosts - Ruel Van Dijk (Completed)
FanfictionSunday Stephens and her family recently moved to Sydney. She and her sister are overjoyed to find out that their house isn't quite ready for them to move in yet, so they are to stay with some of their neighbours for a couple weeks. Sunday is soon to...
