Lucas’s POV:
I narrowed my eyes as Ashley laughed at me. She could be so mean sometimes. Eden would definitely choose me, I knew it!
“Eden!” The second I saw my sister, I yelled out for her. She had her back to us, but the second I yelled out for her, she turned towards us, eyebrows raised. “Eden, Ash is being mean to me. Threaten her to stop, would you?”
(FINALLY MADE IT TO THE END. Or at least, the most recent post. Oh my god the fluff level is unreal)
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Ashley’s POV:
“Hey, he started it! Threaten him, not me!” I argued, rolling my eyes.
Lucas’s POV:
Eden stared at us with a blank expression before she sighed, shaking her head. Without so much as a word, she turned on her heel and walked away.
“Well…” I turned to Ashley. “She’s not on either side, I guess.”
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Ashley’s POV:
I sighed and turned to face him. “Why are we even arguing about this?” I asked, leaning into him. “Can we go back to being stupidly happy together?”
*Lucas's POV:
I shrugged.
"I don't object," I replied, wrapping an arm around Ashley. "We should have known she'd just ignore us."
(Let's skip now!)
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(Okay! The date?)
(Yup!)
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Sterling’s POV:
I stood in front of the aquarium as I waited for Eden to show up. I trusted that she would, since she didn’t seem like one to break her promises, but I was getting anxious.
My hands were shoved into the front pockets of my dark jeans as I leaned back against the wall. I hoped I hadn’t dressed up too much. Or not enough. I’d finally decided on just wearing these jeans, along with a simple, dark blue, button-down shirt and sneakers.
Ede’s POV:
I checked myself again in the mirror. I looked okay. It wasn’t like I was trying to look good. I just wanted to look decent. I wasn’t trying.
Finally, after deciding that I look casual, and definitely not like I dressed up, I grabbed my bag and walked out of my room.
“Going somewhere, Eden?” I paused, looking over at where my dad and brother sat, playing cards. From the looks of it, Lucas was losing. He always did. My dad was amazing at cards, or just board games in general. My mom was at that spot, too. It was amazing seeing them compete because it would go on for hours.
“Outside,” I answered back.
“She’s going on a date,” Lucas answered for me casually, throwing a card into their pile. “Oh! I got you, dad!”
Dad rolled his eyes and made a move to grab a card from the other pile before his lips twisted up into a smile. He picked a card from his and threw it in the pile. Lucas groaned.
“Well, have fun, sweetie!”
My dad could be really annoying sometimes.
When I reached the aquarium, Sterling was already there waiting for me. My chest tightened seeing him like this, but I forced myself to remain calm.
“I’m not late… am I?”
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Sterling’s POV:
Eden looked great. I mean, she always looked great, but tonight… Dang. Maybe it was just because I knew we were technically on a date, but she looked even better than usual.
“No, no. Not at all. I was just really early,” I assured her, shaking my head. “You look great, Eden.”
Eden’s POV:
I didn’t know why I felt pleased at that. I have a small smile.
“You don’t look bad yourself,” I commented quietly, stuffing my hands in my pockets. “I’ll go get the tickets.”
(I have to go ):)
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(Aw… Me, too, though, so no worries… I’ll post in a sec.)
(All righty!)
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Sterling’s POV:
I smiled sheepishly at her as I held up two unlimited passes, with behind-the-scenes access. “I actually already got them… I told you I was here early.”
Eden's POV:
I stared at him, a little disappointed. When hanging out with Lucas and Ashley, it was me who handled the trivial things. It was easy for me. I thought I'd be doing the same thing in here. It was like this around him, too. Sterling simply bought the tickets without waiting for me. It made me feel… nice, I guess. Not being relied on something like this. It felt nice.
I motioned to Sterling, my excitement creeping up at me. Aquariums were mind-blowing. I loved them. I just hoped I wouldn't seem too different in his eyes.
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Sterling’s POV:
“What would you like to see first?” I asked Eden as I held the door open for her. “We can basically go anywhere and do anything that you want.”
Eden's POV:
I furrowed my eyebrows as Sterling opened the door for me. He didn't make it seem like I could do it on my own.
I looked up at him before stepping inside slowly as if he was going to close the door at the last second. He didn't.
"We can go anywhere," I murmured in response, eyes on the ground. "I'll be fine with seeing anything first."
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Sterling’s POV:
I chewed on my lip as I stepped in after her, glancing around the room. What should we do first?
“Well… We could go through the tunnel first, if you’d like. Or we could go to the touch pools,” I suggested with a shrug, glancing at her out of the corner of my eye to see her reaction.
Eden's POV:
If you'd like…
What would you like to see first?
Go anywhere and do anything that you want…
Was this how it was supposed to go? Was I supposed to decide everything?
"What about you?" I looked up at him, an eyebrow raised. "What do you want to do?"
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Sterling’s POV:
“I… I want you to be happy. And have fun. So as long as that is being done, I’m happy,” I said, looking away with a shrug as my cheeks warmed slightly. “But I do think the touch pools would be cool…”
Eden's POV:
I felt my cheeks turn red. I was glad he was looking away. I turned my back to him, his words still running through my mind. Me being happy made him happy? What was that? What sort of a technique was that?
"Then, let's go there," I mumbled. As much as I wanted to see the marine life, I wished I hadn't agreed. If I hadn't, I wouldn't be feeling so conflicted. I wish I hadn't met Sterling, because ever since he came into my life, I felt weak. Anything I normally wouldn't do, I was doing. Anything I'd forgotten about just came back to bite me. It felt humiliating, being one thing and someone turning you into something else.
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Sterling’s POV:
I sighed and turned back around, nodding slowly. “Sure. That sounds good. It’s over here,” I said, tapping her to get her attention before walking toward the exhibit.
Eden's POV
I followed Sterling to the touch pools, trying to forget every little conflict I was going through. I forced myself to ignore them and pay attention to where I was. I wanted to see this place ever since it opened. I wouldn't let anything get in the way of me enjoying it.
Unfortunately, I didn't like touch pools. It involved touching the sea creatures, and while that was fun, I hated how some people took it too far. Watching them from a glass was one thing, but actually touching them was another. I found it wrong. Children, especially, shouldn't be allowed there, because they cause the most troubles. They're the most likely to grab a sea creature and lift it from the water. It was cruel.
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Sterling’s POV:
I smiled as I looked over all the animals in the pools. They were really cool, and I was glad Eden had suggested the aquarium.
I looked over at her with a small smile, hoping she was enjoying herself. She looked slightly uncomfortable, though, and I wondered why.
“You okay?” I asked gently, turning to face her fully.
(Sorry, I thought I’d responded!)
Eden's POV:
I frowned, shifting uncomfortably at the number of people in the area. Some were poking the creatures, and others were just watching them. I was grateful they didn't lift them out of the water. I wouldn't have let that slide.
"You okay?" Sterling's voice snapped me out of my daze. I blinked before I regained my composure.
Nodding, I walked over to where Sterling was, and gently bent down, watching as a fish swam past us.
"I feel bad for them…" I murmured quietly.
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Sterling's POV:
She… felt bad for the fish… Wow. She was so caring that she felt bad for the animals in the exhibits. Now that was what I meant when I said that I wanted to see behind her walls.
"I'm sure they're okay. They must be used to all the hands reaching in by now," I assured her, looking down at the fish.
Eden's POV
"That doesn't make it okay," I replied, furrowing my eyebrows. "Just because someone is used to being hurt again and again doesn't mean it's okay to do it. Being used to something doesn't make it okay. It makes it depressing."
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Sterling's POV:
She wasn't just talking about the fish, was she? She felt too deeply about this to just be talking about the creatures being touched.
More of her walls had fallen, and I wasn't sure she had meant to let them. But that was okay. I wanted to help her, and I could only do that if she would let me know what she was going through.
"That's very true… You know, why don't we go to a different exhibit? I think I've seen all that I want to here," I suggested as I took a step back from the pool and looked over at Eden.
