Man in the Mirror || irwin (DOING SOME MAJOR EDITING!)

[ 46 ] 1962

[ 46 ] 1962

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"All I have to do is dream."

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Ashton walked to Claire's house with his guitar in hand. She lived on a property not far from his and he thought a walk in the summer air of an Australian December would do him good. 

He got dressed up. He wore his best clothes; a suit he would have otherwise refused to wear if it wasn't for the fact that he was going to do one of the most important things in his life. It was the one thing that would define his future and his happiness for the rest of his life.

His parents agreed, they were thrilled.

And they couldn't wait to start planning. 

He stopped at her front gates and greeted the security guard who sat in his booth, his feet propped up on the desk and he watched his small black and white television. Color TV was still too expensive for regular people to afford. "Hello, Bobby. Will you unlock the gate please?" Ashton smiled politely. Robert was a young man who worked for Claire's family in order to pay his schooling at the Marine Academy.

"Hey Mr. Irwin." The seventeen year old security guard greeted. "Are you here to see Miss Claire?"

Nodding, Ashton replied. "Yeah. But please don't tell her I'm here. I have a surprise for her." He gestured to his guitar.

"Serenata." Bobby grinned. He was of hispanic parents; one Spaniard and one Mexican, but he was born in Australia and spoke perfect Spanish. "That's very popular in my dad's country. My mom told my siblings and I that he serenaded her when he asked for her hand in marriage when he was studying in Spain."

.

.

.

.

When the gates opened, he walked on the long driveway that led up to the front of the house where her porch and front door were. His hazel eyes gazed at the porch swing that they had spent so much time on, especially when they first started dating and her parents were more strict. Often times they wouldn't let them go out and all they could do was sit there talking.

As he reached the house, Ashton went around to the side where her balcony was on the second floor. He set his guitar down on the grass at his feet and gathered a few pebbles off the walkway in front of him.

Tossing them up at her glass doors, he waited for her to come outside. It was half past midnight in Sydney and he knew she was probably asleep.

The door slid open minutes later and Claire walked out onto the balcony. She wore a soft pink robe and her blonde hair was pulled back into a messy pony tail. She wiped her tired blue eyes with the backs of her hands and let out a yawn. "Who is it?" She groaned with a hint of annoyance in her voice.

"Claire." He called in a whisper from below. "Its Ashton."

"Ashton." She gasped. Now fully awake, she ran her fingers through her blonde hair and pushed back the loose strands of hair. She straightened herself out before clearing her throat, her voice now coming out sweetly. "Love, what are you doing out there at midnight?"

"I have a surprise for you." He grinned, looking up at her.

She walked closer to the end of the balcony, leaning on the railing to get a better look at her boyfriend who was dressed in a suit and tie. She knew how much he hated dressing in formal clothes and she knew his surprise was something special if he was willing to dress up for her.