Escape [Fruits Basket OC]

Chapter 25

"They have weird fears too."

Audrina smiled as she looked up him. He was trying to distance the topic that they knew was going to surface again. But she let him, "Oh really?"

  "Ethan hates balloons and we can't even talk about throwing up in front of Lucius. He has emetophobia."

Audrina rose her eyebrows, "Y'all are perfect for each other."

He smiled, "I guess...."

And that struck up a conversation. They talked and talked. Laughed and laughed more than Audrina had in a long time. That by the time they were walking back to the house, they hadn't realized how long they were out. Kieran had turned his notifications off, and they were both caught up in talking with each other that they weren't bothered to even check.

But half-way back Kieran for the first time since they were out took his phone out of his back pocket. And he just started laughing. Audrina scrunched her eyebrows and peeked her head over and saw what he found humorous.

It was well past midnight. And to make matters worse was that his phone had blown up with texts from all of his friends.

And it slowed down. Kieran gave a long sigh. He stopped and Audrina didn't noticed until she was a few steps ahead of him. She felt in more of a hurry to meet up with his friends and apologize but she noticed his steps weren't following hers.

She quickly turned around and walked back up to where he stood. And after a little while he looked back at her from his phone as he put it back in his pocket.

"Happy News Years", he whispered. Audrina was caught in the image of the how the moon reflected from his eyes. And without them hitting the exact time. That didn't make the moment any less special.

They were talking so much that they had forgotten the time. Forgottten that outside of them there was a world. People inside celebrating in their own way. It wasn't traditional in the slightest. But she can say that this New Years was just as (if not more) special than her previous ones. She wouldnt go back in time to meet with the rest of his friends. She was contempt. Happy if that.

"Happy New Years", she smiled back. Her voice soft and free caring.

They both turned to the first sign of a rising sun. The ray of striking up in the sky. She didn't realize how close they were, but for some reason she wasn't drawn back.

"What's your wish?", he spoke.

"Nice try...", she chuckled, "I can't give it away."

He shrugged and Audrina wished she could say her wish wasn't about the moment. He she wished there could be many more like this where she felt, relaxed. Happy and free.

Upon realization Kieran turned to her, them still only being a distance away from each other. He lifted the glass in his hands, and took a sip. Audrina only then realized she didn't have hers and left it back at the park they were sitting at and talking.

"I don't have mine", she smiled. Mimicking his expression when he brought the drink back down.

"Here", he stretched out his. Audrina looked down at the little bit of liquid left in the glass. "Can't have you missing out on tradition."

Audrina eyes his and then the glass. But after a second of contemplation, she took it out of his hands, there's touched for a split second but both of them could feel the ghost of each other's fingers on their own. And at that, she downed what was left in his glass which was only barely enough to confirm something he's told her before.

She scrunched her eyebrows, cringing, "you like your wine sweet too?"

"Yes... yes I do."

Audrina groaned and handed it back to him. Kieran chuckled upon taking it. And right again they were back to just looking at each other. Audrina was about to shy away, before he whispered. "He wasn't lying you know?"