Eden bit down on her lip, his smile making her feel strange. She sighed, taking out her phone and unlocking it. She was only complying because he called Razor gorgeous. No other reason.
She tapped on a picture, the one where Razor was snuggling in her blanket, eyes closed, peaceful. She showed it to him.
(A bit like the picture in her biography)
group
Sterling leaned over to look at the picture and smiled. “He is very pretty,” he mused before pulling away. “When did you get him?”
Eden looked at the picture as well, thumb caressing the screen. Her Razor, the affectionate feline.
“Two years ago,” Eden responded, her voice quiet. “He was a baby when I got him.”
group
“Do you have any pictures of him from then?” Sterling asked softly, his gaze moving to her face. His smile widened at the look she had. She just looked peaceful talking about her pet.
Eden nodded, scrolling up, passing by pictures of Razor and sometimes of her and her pet together. Finally, she stopped when she reached the end of her gallery, tapping on a picture. Razor was tiny and weak, wrapped around a small blanket, laying in her lap, a bottle of milk in his small paws. She showed the picture to Sterling without looking at him. “He was a weak feline. He’s healthy now.”
group
“Oh, wow…” Sterling breathed as he looked back down at it. “Wow, he was so tiny. Wow…”
Eden looked down, smiling softly. “I was visiting the animal shelter when I found him. His mother had died. His siblings were healthy. He was not. I knew who I wanted. He’s been with me ever since.”
group
Sterling smiled over at her again. Had he seen her smile? Yes. Yes, he had. And he likes it just as much now as he had then. It was beautiful…
“You should smile more often,” he murmured, then cursed himself. She wouldn’t respond well to that, and he knew it…
Eden froze at his words, the smile immediately disappearing from her face. She covered her mouth with her hand, looked away, and clutched her phone tightly. What was she doing, letting him see that? Letting him see something she hardly showed anymore?
You should smile more often.
“Wonderful. You succeeded in making me drop by guard, if just for a second,” she muttered, not meeting his eyes.
group
Sterling let out a long sigh, tearing a hand through his hair as he looks away. His shoulders were tense, stiff. He knew she wouldn’t react well, but of course he had to go and ruin the moment with his mouth… Go figure.
“I just meant that you have a nice smile, okay? I didn’t mean anything by it,” he defended himself, though she hadn’t accused him of anything.
Nice smile. He said she had a nice smile. What in the world did he mean by that? And that sigh, the way he had raked his fingers through his hair…
“Don’t get used to it,” Eden found herself muttering. “I don’t have a… nice smile. It’s simply an expression.”
group
“Then the smile looks good on you. Okay? You can take the compliment or try to push it back to me, but I’ll keep trying. I really do like your smile, Eden, so good luck getting me to change my mind,” Sterling muttered as he began to walk a step faster than her.
Eden froze entirely, eyes staring at his back as he walked ahead of her faster. His words kept ringing in her head. Was he serious, or was he just taking her for a fool? Didn’t he know if he was only trying to prey on her, she’d ruin him? Yet his words never left her mind.
Then the smile looks good on you.
I really do like your smile.
She felt her cheeks heat up, hand still pressed to her mouth. How long had it been since someone had made her react like this? And those were just simple words. Just a few simple words and her cheeks were red like an idiot. She immediately shook herself out of her stupor, willing the heat to leave. If he saw her like this, he’d think he won. He hadn’t. and she couldn’t let him think that. So she pushed the cold look back on her features and followed after him, though her folded hands gripped each other tightly.
I really do like your smile.
God damn it, you pathetic Crystal.
group
Sterling shoved his hands in his pockets as he walked. He couldn’t look back at Eden, he would just see her upset with his words. She didn’t like him, so it was useless trying to flirt with her. She wouldn’t believe his compliments, so that was useless, too. But he would still try. Because he wanted her to be happy, to be able to smile.
Finally, after the hour of silence had passed, Eden and Sterling met up with the rest of the students for lunch. Some had brought their own, and others opted to buy it from the fast food stores inside the zoo.
Eden’s mother had packed her light sandwiches. She didn’t want to disappoint her mother, but she couldn’t bring herself to eat. If she did, Eden knew it would come back out just as fast as she’d swallow. It always did. So she found herself sitting on a table, away from the crowd, her bag next to her with her head on the hard surface.
group
“Not hungry?” Sterling asked quietly as he slid into the seat across from Eden. He’d gotten a burger from one of the places they had to get food, along with fries and a drink.
Eden lifted her head when she heard his voice, though she shouldn’t have felt too surprised. She should be used to him barging in on her like this.
The smell of the food made her swallow thickly, more so due to the nausea she was feeling than hunger itself.
“No,” she responded quietly, resting her head on her arm. “Not hungry.”
group
“Do you want a water or something else to drink?” Sterling offered, moving to stand. “I could go grab you something if you need it. If your stomach is upset, I could grab you a 7UP or ginger ale. Those are good for helping.”
Eden sighed, lifting her head and resting her cheek on her palm. Was he actually concerned about her? For what reason?
"No, I don't need anything," she shook her head. "I don't have an upset stomach. I'm all right."
group
Sterling gave her a small smile and sat back down. “That’s good. I wouldn’t want to get a new partner. I’m enjoying having you as mine.”
"I wish I could say the same about you," Eden said sarcastically, though a part of her seemed to disagree. She did like having him as her partner, though she would deny that statement. It just so happens that he did talk back to her and not cower like the others. She closed her eyes, released a breath and opened them again. Since she hadn't been wearing her glasses, her vision was blurry, so she reached to her side to find them. She blinked when her hand touched the table. Tilting her head, she began to look for them in her bag, not realizing she had left them on top of her head.
group
Sterling watched Eden as he began eating his lunch. When she started looking for something, he quirked an eyebrow. “Looking for your glasses?” he hummed, taking a sip of water. “They’re right…” He reached across the table and snatched them from her head. “…here.”
Eden froze when he reached out for her, her heart skipping a beat. Whether it was from fear or something else, Eden couldn’t tell. She swallowed thickly, a sigh leaving her lips when he slipped the glasses off of her head.
Fantastic. This was one of the reasons why she hated wearing glasses. Take them off and they end up in the weirdest of places.
She eyed the glasses in his hand. “Don’t need to be half blind anymore…”
group
Sterling set them down on the table in front of her and leaned back in his seat. “How long have you been wearing glasses for?” he asked curiously.
Eden picked them up and rested them on her nose. Her vision cleared up immediately. It satisfied her.
“Since I was a child,” Eden answered, taking out her bottle of water and taking a small sip. “I don’t remember exactly when I needed them the most.”
group
Sterling nodded slowly, finishing chewing his mouthful of food before swallowing. “Well, they’re cute on you. And don’t get mad at me for stating my opinion, okay?”
Eden stiffened at his comment, covering her mouth with the back of her hand and turning her head away. Cute. He thought she looked cute with her glasses on. She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down. He didn’t mean anything by it. There was no reason for her to feel like this. The uncomfortable feeling, she understood, but not this unknown one brewing inside.
“Thank… you…” she found herself muttering. “You really are different, aren’t you? I’m not called ‘cute’ very often.”
group
Sterling grinned, shrugging. “I do try, you know. I’m not always trying to get in a girl’s pants. In fact, I’m trying to stop that,” he added the last part under his breath, almost as if he didn’t quite want her to hear it.
Eden looked back at him, blinking owlishly. At that moment, he seemed far more genuine than he had ever been.
“Why?” She found herself asking, resting her cheek on her palm. “Don’t enjoy it?”
group
Sterling’s gaze shot back to Eden from where he had been staring off into the distance. He narrowed his eyes before raising an eyebrow and shrugging again.
“How are you enjoying the zoo so far?” he asked, changing the subject.
