Forever August ✔️

chapter eleven

"i want you to be happy.
free to run, get dizzy on caffeine. "
- glass animals
____________________________

WHEN GUS opened his eyes the following morning, everything about his surroundings were familiar: the yellow blanket beneath him, the smell of salt in the air, the sound of the waves lapping on the shore and the distant call of seagulls wandering the beach.

The only thing that took him by surprise was the girl clinging to his chest, his t-shirt bunched up in her hand as her eyes still remained shut, face innocent in sleep. He watched Aurora carefully, taking advantage of these rare moments when he could stare at her without a snide comment or a finger being jabbed into his chest.

So he watched her. The way her chest rose, the slight sound of her breathing that filled the air. The way her hair hung over her shoulders, her bangs covering her eyes slightly, shielding them from the awakening morning sun.

Gus found himself wishing they could lay here forever. That the life waiting for him, and the fate waiting for her, did not exist. Instead, they would continue on an adventure that lasted a lifetime.

And not a thirty-one day lifetime. But a very real, very long, lifetime.

Aurora stirred and alas, his time was up.

"Morning," he said just as her eyes opened. Her response was a throaty grumble as she covered her face with her arm. "I see you're not a morning person."

Aurora sat up slowly, every limb in her body aching as she crossed her legs. The sun blazed down, causing a quick sweat to cover her forehead. She pulled her hair off of her face, tying it back into a ponytail.

"What time is it?" she asked, looking at Gus for the first time. Her eyes narrowed when she spotted the grin he was sporting. He already looked wide awake, well-rested and, to her own disgust, happy.

"Almost nine," he answered. "How'd you sleep?"

Aurora groaned, stretching her arms above her head. "I feel like I slept on a pile of knives. How do you do this every night?" She waited for his answer as he continued to stare at her, a goofy grin on his face. "What?"

"Nothing," he said secretively. Aurora narrowed her eyes into slits as she assessed him.

"Gus," she sneered. "Tell me."

"Nothing," he repeated. "I just... Didn't take you for a cuddler, that's all."

"Gus!" she shrieked, laughing despite herself. "It was late and I was vulnerable. Don't be an ass."

Her words only made his smile widen. "I'm never letting you live that down."

"Then it's a good thing I won't be living for long, huh? I'm starving," Aurora declared, holding out a hand that Gus willingly took, as she tugged him up beside her. "I need a hot shower and a mountain of food. You in?"

Gus' eyebrows shot up. "Was that an invitation to shower with you?"

Her hand reached out and smacked him, sending him into a fit of laughter as he picked the towel off the ground, waving it in the wind to rid of the sand.

"I just assumed you wouldn't want to go home yet," she admitted, remembering him breaking down in front of her the day before on her living-room couch.

Gus' face fell, as if just remembering his parent's separation for himself. Aurora watched him like a wounded animal, hating seeing him sad. She reached out and grabbed his hand until his face tilted upwards, eyes meeting hers.