#58: The sun was setting over the sleeping duo, and they wouldn’t have had it any other way. – With Casey Mathis
‘What about the time Mr Markus tried to give you detention?’ you asked, your attention still on the sky, the sounds of the funfair washing over you, the smells of the food that had been irritating all day finally seeming welcoming.
Not that you were in the funfair, you were lying on the grass a short distance away from it, Casey by your side as you looked up at the stars, trying to make patterns out of them because you couldn’t spot any of the constellations that you knew.
She chuckled. ‘Yeah, he learnt pretty quick never to do that again,’ she agreed.
‘I bet none of them thought we’d be ending up in witness protection,’ you mused.
‘I don’t think that was one of the career options they gave us, though,’ she said, but you could hear the smile behind her voice.
‘I suppose that’s true,’ you admitted, finally looking around at her.
She was looking towards you, a small smile on her face that seemed more genuine than you’d seen before. You were glad to have snuck away with her, despite the protests of the others. Not that you didn’t miss people from back home, you did, but it was good to have her by your side, knowing that a little piece of your past hadn’t been completely lost to you.
The two of you often left the house to try and find the funfair, just as a way of passing the time. Occasionally the others would join you, but somehow they knew when you just needed each other, when you needed those times to reminisce about the things neither of you would fully admit to missing.
You shot her a small smile before closing your eyes, letting the sounds of the funfair wash over you. ‘D’you remember the first time we snuck out to go to the fair?’
Casey chuckled. ‘How could I forget? My parents went crazy,’ she admitted.
‘I’ve still got the frog we won,’ you admitted, remembering the stuffed animal which you’d packed before leaving. You slowly opened your eyes, spotting the look of surprise on her face. ‘What? It was a good day and the frog was adorable.’
She smirked, shaking her head slightly. ‘You softy.’
You poked your tongue out at her, but grinned. ‘Well duh. Would you rather I left it?’
‘No,’ she admitted in a small voice, ‘not at all.’
You smiled, your eyelids feeling a little heavy as she continued with the reminiscences of that day. You made the odd sound of acknowledgement, but otherwise didn’t contribute much. You could just make out her words slurring slightly, her tone deepening.
Eventually the two of you fell asleep, and it wasn’t until Kenny picked his way through the funfair that anyone really noticed you were there. The sun was slowly setting over the sleeping duo, and they wouldn’t have had it any other way.
