September

32: Amphibians

Note: kinda embarrassed of this chapter ngl but wanted to update anyway. Hopefully I'll finish soon-ish then i can edit/revise.

August came and went in the blink of an eye, leaving September in its wake. I finally found a place to rent, and as I packed up my belongings, Dakota, his brother, and Emily arrived to help. The three of them dove into the task of boxing up my possessions, while I stood back and watched Dylan and Emily bickering in the other room.

Their argument centered on whether frogs were reptiles or not, and Dakota emerged from the room, hands pressed to his temples.

"I swear, I don't know what he's on half the time," he said.

Dylan ran out of the room, "Cody, tell her that a frog is not an amphibian."

Dakota picked up a box and walked off. "Cody, don't ignore me."

He continued walking, "I'm not, I have to think about it."

"Or you can just agree with me," Dylan replied leaning in the door frame.

"Uh, no. Cause then I'd be wrong."

Emily guffawed and slapped Dylan playfully. "Told you."

I laughed to myself as I put another dish in the box and picked it up. "Hey, new debate: is a dragon a reptile or a bird?"

"Bird," Dylan said as Emily said, "Mythical."

And with that, I left with the box of dishes and walked outside to load it into the truck. Dakota was sitting in the back with his head in his hands. He lifted his head once I got closer. "I can take that." he offered as he started getting up. I handed the box to him. "Everything okay?" I asked.

"Yeah, just needed a moment." He replied as he placed the box on the floor. "I think they should be safe here." He sat back down at the edge of the truck. "I'll head back in a minute or so just need a few more seconds."

The warmth of the September sun beat down on me.  Despite the sweat trickling down my back, I couldn't help but feel grateful for another day of warmth. September was a wildcard month, every day a gamble between warmth and cold. We were sure to feel the effects of this in the coming weeks, as summer gave way to autumn and the weather grew increasingly unpredictable.

I looked at the stacked boxes inside the truck. "Take your time. I think there are a few more boxes then we're done. So I think Em and Dylan should be able to handle it." I took a seat next to him and looked at him. "Thanks for helping."

"It's no problem at all. I don't mind." He pulled my hand into his and smirked. "You sure those two got it? They seemed to be arguing more than helping."

"Yeah, they were still boxing things while arguing. I think it's fine."

"Were they still arguing or did they find something else?"

"Is a dragon a bird or a reptile?" I blurted out.

He shook his head, "You started that one didn't you?"

"Yep had to get the facts from the experts,"

"And Dylan went with bird didn't he?"

"He did," I tightened my hand around his. "I think he finds it funny."

"He does," Dakota answered. He started to get up.

I pulled him back down. "Just a few more moments."

"Okay, it is peaceful out here."

"You remember that one time it was soon after we first started going out and we went to the park?"

"Yeah. The sun was starting to go down and there was nobody else there."

"We swung and talked, then I went to the monkey bars."

He laughed, "Yeah after you dragged me with you, you left me to hang upside down then wanted me to get closer,"

"You asked what I was doing."

"And you replied, "trying to kiss you," he replied, with a smile on his face. "I forgot about some of that."

We laughed, reminiscing about the awkwardness of our early dates, and what fools we had been. But as we talked, something stirred within me, a longing that I couldn't ignore.

"I really want to kiss you." I blurted out before I could second-guess myself.

His cheeks turned a slight red and he mumbled something under his breath. Then he cleared his throat before saying, "What's stopping you?"

I didn't reply before pressing my lips to his.