Sweet Summer Sunsets- A Robert Irwin FanFic

Ashley

Christmas here in Australia was far different from the few I've spent in Northern California with my mum's family. It snowed there and Christmas was always chilly. Sure, all the shops were decorated similarly and Christmas trees were up, but it never felt the same. 

Christmas is always portrayed as cold in movies, and the snow is made out to be romantic. As much as I loved the aesthetic of the snow and watching it fall from inside, with a cup of hot chocolate, I overall preferred the warmer weather that we had in Australia. The snow was like a nice little treat I liked to enjoy every so often. 

The only downside of the warmer weather here is that it never felt like Christmas. I know I should be used to the seasons being different here, considering I've lived here since I was two. I guess I always expected it to be the way you see it on television and in movies. 

We alternated Christmas with my grandmum in Northern California and staying here in Australia. All of my dad's family had passed away when he was younger, so when we spent Christmas here it was always with the Irwins. My mum had her mum, great aunts, and some cousins and we'd all gather at my grandmum's. 

Both the smaller Christmas' here in Australia and the bigger ones in California were nice, and I was glad we alternated them. My grandmum and her sisters booked a Christmas cruise this year, which was a typical "old lady" thing for them. But I'll admit, I was slightly jealous of them being able to travel. I've always wanted to see the world, most of the travelling I've done was back and forth between Australia and California, or whatever travelling I did with the Irwins for conservation trips.

I grabbed my phone, squinting at it with my half-awake eyes and checking the time. It was only 8:30. I smiled to myself, knowing that this meant I had some time to myself in bed since my uncle wasn't coming over until 10 to open presents. 

I curled up on my side carefully as I could feel Tiger down by my legs. Mum must have let him in when she got up. This made my heart happy, for my cat to want to cuddle up with me. It always made me feel special when he chose to be with me, and I knew that if he wanted to cuddle with me while I was still asleep, he would meow at my mum and sit by my door until she let him in, or until he woke me up and I let him in. He must've done this last night and I didn't hear him. 

I looked through my notifications from overnight to see that Robert had already texted me to say good morning. I texted him back.

Tarzan: good morning beautiful :)

Me: well good morning to you too handsome :)

Tarzan: can't wait to see you later! We have a pile of gifts under the tree for you and your family

Me: I think you stole that idea from me lol 

Tarzan: you wish ;)

Me: well I'll see you later. I'll let you know how lunch with my uncle goes

I groaned, remembering that that was going to be a big part of my day. 

Speaking of lunch, I could smell my mum cooking downstairs. I could tell that she was making traditional American food, which I knew she loved to make every so often to remind her of her family and traditions. I imagined she was making a bit more food with my uncle being here as well. 

I know she mentioned doing ham, mashed potatoes and gravy, roasted vegetables, and yams. We had the cookies too. At least I had something good about lunch to look forward to. 

I got up and went to my closet, trying to figure out what to wear. Part of me wanted to wear a simple dress, but the other part of me wanted to wear something a bit more practical. I texted Robert.