hidden behind the clouds.

       “ we run. bare feet and sugar days, the last golden hours, we run away from                      it all. through the grass and dandelions and sunflowers. away,                  to someplace hidden: some place we can call our own. someplace              to ourselves, someplace silent and peaceful where the raspberry bushes                 twine in spun-sugar caves and the starlings cartwheel through the sky ”

                 —  ♦ —  PROFILE  .  BIOGRAPHY  .  PLOTS   —  ♦ —

                    plump  lips  stretched  out  into  a  wide  grin  the  moment  he  accepts  the  offer  .   perhaps   ,   zara  too   ,   was  feeling  a  little  too  cooped  up  in  the  camp   ,   seeing  familiar  faces  from  morning  until  night  .   since  they’re  literally  in  a  huge  and  beautiful  island  with  so  much  to  offer   ,   she  figured   ,   hanging  out  with  someone  from  the  camp  to  explore  wouldn’t  be  such  a  bad  idea  .   besides   ,   she  lived  here  for  years  .   giving  foreigners  a  tour  would  be  such  an  honor  . 

“   that’s  the  spirit   !   think  of  this  as  your  well  deserved  break  .   ”     giggling   ,   she  clasped  her  hands  together  .     “   just  a  question  though  .   do  you  prefer  to  go  on  a  land  tour  or  an  island  tour   ?   the  tricycle  drivers  usually  offer  those  in  exchange  for  money   ,   but  if  you  don’t  want  to  spend  money  and  just  save  it  for  entrance  fees   ,   i  got  my  motorcycle  .   ”

   ♦・。. — it has been six months since aspen had packed his bags and moved halfway across the world, yet he hadn’t seen much of the island at all, most of what he saw was from the aerial view as his plane flew over it during landing. he had thought about it, honestly, doing one of those tours lola had mentioned himself for awhile now, but with tours he knew that they were catered towards tourists and visitors. if he wanted to assimilate and make the island his home, those tours wouldn’t be enough. 

“ why would i want to go on one of those tours where they just take you to tourist traps when i have you? ” he inquires with a soft chuckle, winking at her in a playful manner. “ i’d much rather know where you think the highlights of the island are. ” 

          in the brief span of a minute, her heart stumbles in the ivory cage of her chest. excitement, disappointment, then excitement once more. now she doesn’t know if she agrees with him, since she’s been feeling rather aimless for a while. but maybe there’s something he sees that she’s turned her eyes away from. maybe. probably not.

          “oh you think so?” she takes a step back, hands on her hip and ignoring the pounding of her heart. “confidence is sexy. so is honesty.” she laughs, hoping he’d read between the lines. but before she can confirm it she leaps topics once more. “no i haven’t actually.” she frowns. “now you’re making me hungry. anything involving fried chicken is always good.”

    ♦・。. — he nods gently as confirmation to her question, a tiny smile falling upon his lips as he gently moves a stray hair out of her face, “ maybe you feel lost now, but i’m confident you’ll find yourself again, ” he hums softly, “ but if you don’t, then i’ll just be lost with you instead, keep you company. ” 

“ you think so? ” he chuckles lightly at her words, the subtle insinuations not lost to him “ well now i’m curious, what other traits do you find to be sexy. ” 

          oh. used to jabbing herself and expecting others to yank her down too, sage didn’t think aspen would say such a thing. she’s taken aback. a second of pause, which she quickly conceals with barking laughter. she shouldn’t think too far into it, taking a step closer to reduce the space between them. “what other charms do i have then?” she asks, doing her best to offer an exaggerated innocence. 

          “what else do they put into it?” she asks curiously. it already sounds good in her head, an image of an english muffin sandwich rising except the buns are replaced by lumpy scones. “i feel anything with carbs can taste better soaked in gravy.”

    ♦・。. — for a moment he was taken aback as she moved closer, becoming more aware of the situation as he swallows back his heart that had jumped into his throat. clearing his throat lightly, he regains his composure as he flashes her a cheeky smile, “ i think i’m going to keep that knowledge to myself for a bit longer, what if you end up using it against me? ” he teases, his expression turning soft as he continues, “ but i guess telling you one wouldn’t hurt. the way you’re always so sure of yourself, sure of what you want, i admire that about you. ” 

“ ever heard of a fried chicken and biscuit sandwich? ” he says with a small laugh, it sounded funny when he said it, but somehow eating it made sense flavor wise, “ that’s something they do there, but i’m more simple so i like a sausage patty and an egg in mine. ” 

          “that’s part of my charm.thank you for indulging me.” she smirks but her eyes are a giveaway of her excitement, eyes glistening wide in curiosity.

         “biscuit. the one you put with gravy? or the one that’s like a cookie?” it’s a funny thing how the world works, when she’s only lived a few hours away from him by plane. yet here they are, talking about one word that has two different meanings across a border. “but tell me more.” 

    ♦・。. —  “ yes you’re right, that is definitely a part of your charms, ” he admits, a sigh leaving his lips that feigned exasperation, replaced almost instantaneously with a smile, “ but definitely also not one of your only charms. ”