Zandelli, Nadia. 2022 ⋆.ೃ࿔*:･
Words: 1,618
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two days before the summer solstice
"Okay, Charlie, how did this happen again?"
"Dude, I have no idea," Charlie groaned, throwing his head back into the pillow in frustration. "I was just walking through the strawberry fields with Selina, then suddenly this," he explained, pointing at the sprouting sunflowers growing from his skin.¹
"Does it hurt when I touch them?" Phoebe asked as she began to touch a flower growing from his arm.
"I can't feel them at all," Charlie said, shaking his head.
"Ah, so they have no nerves," Phoebe mused absentmindedly, jotting down notes on her paperwork. Placing it on Charlie's bed, she retrieved a scalpel from her coat pocket.
"This shouldn't hurt, it should hopefully be like a haircut or trimming your fingernails," she assured him as she sliced through one of the stems. "Which nymph did you piss off anyway?" She asked with a teasing smile, looking up from her cutting.
"No one! No one, pretty sure." Charlie groaned out in response.
"Okay, dude," Phoebe replied, trying to hide a smile.
The sound of footsteps echoed on the wooden floorboards, and Phoebe turned to see Lee swaggering in.
His eyes widened when he saw Phoebe's patient. "Oh my god, Charlie, who'd you piss off?" Lee exclaimed, laughing as he came over to their side and lifted up one of the wilting sunflowers for inspection.
"No one!" Charlie protested, his eyes pleading with them.
"Well, all this," Lee gesturing around Charlie's whole body, "says otherwise."
"I swear I didn't do anything. I was just on a walk with Silena, she kissed me and then suddenly... sunflowers!" Charlie tried to explain
Raising his eyebrows, Lee interjected, "Oh, so Silena does know about this?"
Charlie looked at him worriedly. "Yeah, why?" asking slowly.
"These," Phoebe tried to say kindly, as she dumped a pile of sunflowers into a nearby basket, "kind of give the impression you're messing around with a nymph," she shrugged.
"What! No!" Charlie exclaimed, trying to get up.
"Woah there, buddy," Lee said hurriedly, pushing him back down. "You need to stay put."
"No, I need to go," Charlie insisted, struggling against Lee's hold. "She can't think I'm cheating on her."
Shooting a quick glare at Lee, Phoebe tried to reassure him. "She won't."
"Ehh," Lee said, unconvinced.
"Lee!" Phoebe whispered sharply at him. "What are you doing here anyway?" she asked, frustrated.
"Oh, right. Luke's looking for you," Lee replied casually.
Tilting her head in confusion, Phoebe questioned, "Why? What does he want?"
"Dunno," Lee shrugged. "But whatever it was, didn't give him any time to come up here and get you."
"Damn," Phoebe muttered, looking down at her watch, "I've still got another two hours here."
"Go, I'll cover for you," Lee offered with a smile.
"Really? Are you sure? It's your day off."
"It's chill," Lee reassured her. "Looks hell dead here anyway."
"You don't mind, do you, Charlie?" Phoebe asked him, turning her attention back to the sunflower-covered camper.
Charlie shared a knowing smile with Lee before answering, "Yeah, it's fine."
"Okay, if you're both sure," Phoebe said, taking off her coat and passing it to Lee. "If I see Silena, I'll try and explain all this...," she said, waving her hands around Charlie's body.
"Cheers," Charlie said, offering her the basket full of sunflowers. "Oh, Phoebe, take some of these," he added, raising the basket towards her.
"You sure?" Phoebe asked, a smile playing on her lips.
"Yeah, I've got plenty," he replied with a grin.
Phoebe reached out and grabbed a handful of sunflowers, the vibrant blooms contrasting against her fingers. With a nod of thanks, she gave the boys a quick wave before turning to leave, her mind already focused on finding her brown hair boy.
.·。.·゜✭·. .·゜゜· ·゜゜·．.·。.·゜✭·.
Phoebe wandered through the camp, her steps echoing softly on the winding paths. If she remembered his schedule correctly he should have been fished with sword lessons an hour and a half ago, yet, despite her diligent search of all the familiar corners of camp, he remained elusive.
Unable to find him in any of his usual haunts, she now headed towards the last spot she could think of. The shoreline where the river and the forest meet the ocean.
The rhythmic sound of waves crashing against the shore filled the air, mingling with the gentle rustle of leaves in the nearby trees. Phoebe scanned the horizon, her eyes squinting against the glare of the sun reflecting off the water. She took a few tentative steps forward, her heart pounding with a mixture of anticipation and apprehension.
As she turned a corner, she spotted an old hammock strung up between the last trees before the dirt turned into sand. And there, lounging in the hammock, was Luke, blocking the sun with the back of his hand.
She stepped closer, casting a shadow over him as she blocked the sun from touching his skin, making him instantly cold. He raised his hand and looked at her, a mischievous glint in his eyes.
She raised an eyebrow questioningly, and all she got in response was him gesturing for her to join him in the hammock.
"No" she huffed out, pulling a face as she shook her head.
"Oh, come on. Don't be lame," Luke teased, his smile crinkling the scar that traced a rugged path across his cheek.
She frowned harder. "You're lame," she retorted, her face scrunching up.
"Come on, get in," he insisted, his eyes closing again.
"I've got to head back," she replied, pointing behind her with her thumb, even though he couldn't see her.
"Lee has it covered."
"Probably," she conceded, watching him amusedly as he attempted to get out of the hammock, struggling as it started to swing."But still, I should go back. What did you have to tell me?"
He got out, huffing as he took a moment to regain his breath. "Oh it's super important," he said walking over to her. "Do you see that over there," he said pointing to something behind her.
She frowned at him as she began to turn her head, she didn't remember seeing anything when she came down the path. "Now that thing..." he began to trail off as she fully turned around, squinting as she was looking for it.
"What am I looking at?" turning head to look at him, and just in time to witness him pick her up by the waist, pulling her off the ground and into his chest.
"Luke!" she screamed, laughing as she screeched. "Let me go!"
"Not a chance," he whispered in her ear, walking backwards towards the hammock.
She tried to wriggle out of his grasp, but he held her tightly, turning his head to look back so they wouldn't fall and doom them both.
Suddenly, he stopped, and she tried to turn her head to see what he was doing when they both fell backwards into the hammock.
He loosened his grip on her waist, and she instantly tried to get up, but he pulled her back down, spinning her so that she was facing him.
"You dick," she said, swatting his chest, but he just shrugged and smiled slyly.
"Was there even anything you needed to talk about?" she asked, slightly exasperated.
"Nope," he replied, popping the 'p'.
She huffed and rested her head on his chest. "You're not going to let me go, are you?"
"Yeah, no. Not a chance," he said, a contented smile on his lips.
.·。.·゜✭·. .·゜゜· ·゜゜·．.·。.·゜✭·.
Beneath the gentle caress of the sun's rays, Phoebe drifted off to sleep on Luke's chest in the hammock. He had one foot planted firmly on the ground, gently rocking the hammock back and forth in hopes of keeping her asleep.
As they lay entwined beneath the canopy of trees, time seemed to stand still. The sun shone gently over them, casting dappled patterns of light and shadow on the sandy floor. Phoebe's breathing slowed and deepened as she drifted into a deeper sleep, her head resting comfortably on Luke's chest.
Luke's fingers moved with practised ease as he combed through Phoebe's hair, untangling any knots and smoothing out the strands. With gentle precision, he began to braid her hair.
Every now and then, he would pause to tuck a sunflower behind her ear or incorporate it into the braids. The vibrant yellow petals contrasted beautifully against the dark strands of her hair, creating a striking yet delicate adornment.
As he worked, a sense of peace settled over him, the rhythmic motion of his hands soothing his mind and allowing him to fully immerse himself in the moment. He found himself getting lost in her presence, her warmth enveloping him like a comforting embrace. In that fleeting moment, it felt as though he had finally found his place in the world, as if everything else faded away and all that mattered was them.
It was like she was infused into the air. And Luke briefly thought, that if someone could take her essence and dry it out and turn it into a powder for bamboo sticks to be coated in, they'd have the best incense. He envisioned the rich, sweet scent of her presence wafting through the air, filling every corner with warmth and tranquillity. She somehow smelt like the feeling that everything would turn out okay in the end.
If someone could sell that, they'd really make a killing.
The sun dipped lower in the sky, casting a golden glow over the sandy forest floor, Luke continued to braid Phoebe's hair, his heart overflowing with Heliophobia² and his mind sun drunk from her presence.
And he took a moment to look down at her, and decided then he would do anything for her.
Then quietly, barely even whisper, said the words he had been holding back since he met her.
"Phoebe.. If I loved you any less I might be able to talk about it more."³
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.・゜゜・Transaltions
¹ "Heliophobia"
-noun ︳desire to stay in the sun; love of sunlight
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¹ Tracz. 'The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical'. 'Another Terrible Day' 2017
³ Austen, Jane. 'Emma'. 1815