Memories and Possibilities.

Slow Burn - Shai Pov

We sit on the carpet with the blanket covering our intertwined legs. Theo made us some tea and we eat the rest of his abandoned burgers.
"Ok so you actually can spout animal trivia at will?" He asks.
"Fish get sea sick" I say smiling at him. Theo laughs slightly choking on his burger. "Snails have teeth" I say enjoying his laughter. I take another bite of my burger and wait for him to stop laughing. "Male koalas have two penis's and females have two vaginas" I say and watch as his laughter takes on a slight hysterical edge.  I smile as I watch him force himself to take deep breaths to stop laughing.
"Ok that's actually cool. I never knew snails had teeth. Wait are you sure?" He questions me. That's not the fact if thought he would comment on.
"Yes! I learnt it at school off my biology teacher in the 9th grade. I just thought is was an awesome fact and its stuck with me. Ok your turn" I say. I wait patiently as he sips his tea thinking. It's difficult to think of things we haven't told each other before.
"Ok. My friends from high school call me bubs" he says and I can't help but laugh at him. "We were hanging out at home one day and my mum came home and didn't know they were there. She called out to me to help her bring in the groceries, 'bubs! come help me'" he says mimicking his mother, "and they heard and it stuck. So to this day they still call me bubs" he tells me smiling at the memory.  I like seeing him like this. He always looks happy when he talks about his childhood. I don't know what comes over me but I can't stop the words tumbling from my mouth.
"I was so infatuated with you when we met. I felt so stupid. I don't know what it was but I couldn't help it. I was like a school girl" I say blushing as I admit my embarrassment. "I just felt happy when you were around me" I say before taking a bit of my burger to stop myself talking. The blush doesn't recede and I can feel the heat radiate off my face.
Theo chuckles. "I was intrigued by you. You were so different from anyone I knew. I used to think of you as a pixie. This strangely captivating creature that was drawing my attention like nothing else" he looks at me and smiles. "I've never met anyone I felt instantly protective over and the need to be near". He shrugs. Theo drains his tea cup and he smiles with his eyes over the cup.
"Do you remember that interview where you sneezed? I was so relieved. I don't know how to answer his question and was thinking of a misdirection answer and you sneezed. It was so perfect" he says making me remember the interview.
"So what was it like falling in love? Very slowly, it was a slow burn falling in love with each other?" He asked. I couldn't take my eyes off his awesome Paisley socks. And it hit me. I sneezed and Theo laughed.
I remembered that interview well. "The guy had such great hair and I loved his socks" I say out loud.
"Well I actually think that was the perfect answer. It sums it up perfectly. Think about it. A sneeze starts off slowly as it builds up and then when it's ready it releases for everyone to see. So well done!" He says giving me a high five.
"Yay me. I knew I was fantastic at interviews but who knew it was at a subconscious level" I say smiling.
"Once when I was going to McDonald's with a friend, I was about 10 I think, we decided to see who could kick the highest. She was good but I was determined to win so I tried to kick my leg up as high as it could go. I was so forceful my other leg came up from under me and I landed on my ass out the front of maccas. There were so many people around" I say shaking with uncontrollable laughter. Theo joins in with his laughter and it takes a few minutes for us to calm down enough to talk again.
I can't wipe the smile from my face as i wait patiently for his next confession. "Well, the first gig Shere Khan ever did I was so nervous. Will made me have a beer before hand, thinking it would help me with the nerves. Halfway through the first song i slipped on the mic cord and stumbled before falling off the stage landing on my face. I cut my chin open and needed 4 stitches" he says his eyes twinkling as he runs his fingers under his chin over the small scar.
"Hey you told us you got that from a fight you had in university!" I exclaim in mock outrage.
Theo smiles "yeah. It was a fight with the floor. That I lost obviously" he says breaking into his deep laughter. Seeing Theo really laughing makes me smile. He has a smile that changed his whole face. His eyes light up and he's a whole body laughter. The enjoyment ripples through him. He scrunches up his nose and he throws his bead back. He tries to appear serious or brooding so often but this is the real Theodore. He has such a hunger for life and at his centre he is all about fun.
"Ok my turn again. Um this one is embarrassing and if you tell anyone I will chop off your dick!" I say glaring at him. He nods at me and I continue to tell him my deepest secrets.
"I read fan-fiction books on Wattpad" I say just above whispering.
Theo's eyebrows furrow. "Fan-fiction? How did you find that?" He asks. My hearts leaps with joy at the fact he doesn't laugh at me. 
"Well Veronica and I were talking about books and she recommended this site called Wattpad. Basically writers can add their stories on there and you can read them. There's all sorts on there, about all subjects. I discovered fan-fiction and now I'm slightly addicted. I may or may not have read some divergent ones!"  I say feeling my ears heat up and redden.
Theo smiles his adorable smile and pours another cup of tea. "I think you should show me. It sounds interesting. I feel like there's a whole other depth to you that I am just scraping the surface" he smiles.
"Oh no. I'm not showing you! You don't need to know the fangirl side of me." I finish under my breath.
Theo leans forward and grabs the side of my head. "I can be a fangirl with you" he says before pulling me into a kiss.
I move forward and bring my hands to his chest. We break from the kiss both breathing heavily and our hands still  grasping each other tightly.
I catch sight of the time on Theo's watch that sits on his left hand. I slide my hands down his body and let them rest on his legs between us.
"Theo it's getting late. I really need to head back to the hotel and get some sleep and shower before tomorrow. It's not good for us to be unprofessional. And showing up tired and unprepared would be unprofessional. I should go" I say placing one last kiss on his lips and standing. Theo slaps my butt as I walk past him. I grab my clothes from the floor and replace Theo's shirt with my own. Once dressed enough to leave I unplug my phone from the wall and wait for Theo to stand.
"Are you going to make me walk home?" I ask as he's still sitting on the lounge. He shakes his head and stands pulling his shirt over his head.
I pull open his door and we walk to the car so Theo can drive me home. Tomorrow is going to be a long day.