Sweet Summer Sunsets- A Robert Irwin FanFic

Robert

It was a clear night, with not a single cloud in sight, and the stars and the moon shone brightly. Ashley and I stood on the back deck of my house, and I watched as she crossed her arms over her chest, turning her chin up to observe the stars. 

"One day," She said after a few moments of silence, "I want someone to look at me the way I look at the moon and the stars- in absolute wonder and amazement at their beauty."

"Ashley," I said, keeping my voice soft and gentle. We could hear Stella's collar jingling in the distance. "Look at me."

She slowly lowered her head and looked at me, as if she was struggling to pull her eyes away from the beauty of the stars. I looked at her in amazement, not just to try to match the way she looked a the stars or to look at her the way she desired, but because I was amazed by her. Every day she found a new way to amaze me, whether it was with her beauty, the random things she said, the way she was with animals or even with Grace, or her unwavering bravery, strength, and determination in all things she did.

I smiled at her, remembering all of the times she had smiled at the stars. I loved watching her see things and just smile cause they made her happy, she did the same thing when staring out into the ocean, watching the endless blue waves come and go, or when watching animals at the zoo. She was never afraid to show how happy the little things made her. 

"You're looking at me the same way," She said, which kind of seemed like an obvious observation, but I understood her being kind of unsure, as she may not know the full extent of the wonder on her face when looking at the things that brought her joy. 

"Well, I'm trying to," I laughed. The sound of my laughter seemed to echo slightly, shushing the sounds of the nocturnal Australian wildlife, which made me realise I laughed louder than I intended.  

I loved moments like this with Ashley, where everything else around us seemed to not exist, even time. We would have these moments and just enjoy each other's presence and it was enough. It was more than enough, actually.

We stood there, looking at each other like that for a few minutes. I made sure to take in the way Ashley glowed in the moonlight, and it made me wish I had a camera right now, to photograph this moment so she would remember it, and so she could see how beautiful I thought she was. 

That was one of the reasons I loved photographing her- because I thought she was so breathtakingly beautiful, and she seemed to start thinking the same about herself the more I showed her the photos I took of her.

The sound of Stella's collar got louder, before she jumped on my lower legs, letting us know that she was ready to go back inside.

"We should learn the constellations together," Ashley said as we turned around and walked back towards the door. I loved the way she said it, so matter of fact, almost like she wasn't giving me a choice. 

"I'd love to," I replied, holding the sliding door open for her as we entered my house again. We walked around the house to go up the stairs to my room, and Stella jumped back on the couch, which was where she usually slept. 

"I gotta pee," Ashley said, ducking into the bathroom to the left instead of going into my room on the right. I walked into my room, turning on the silly string lights that Ashley hung up in here years ago. She insisted on it since her room was decorated similarly, which helped her sleep, and she said it made watching movies and having sleepovers cosier. I used the little remote to turn them green and blue, I knew she liked switching the colours every so often, and the last time she was over they were pink and purple. 

I sat on the edge of the bed, waiting for Ashley to finish in the bathroom so I could go, but also so she could get comfortable before I did. It was easier for her to get comfortable first, and then for me to sort of mould myself around her.