August - (Under Editing)

14. James/Augustine

August sipped away like a bottle of wine...

James

I woke up sweating, my clothes sticking to my skin. I groaned, stretching my stiff muscles. Something was weighing on my chest, and I let my eyes open to see what it was.

Augustine was cuddled up on me, her head resting on my chest. We were still on the couch, covered in blankets from last night. I smiled at how peaceful she looked. Her hair was ruffled and her arms were wrapped around me. She shifted upwards along me until her forehead rested in the crook of my neck.

Last night had been awkward, but it ended well. Augustine and I talked a lot about our lives and what we were like as children. I learned that her parents were both lawyers and very busy, but always traveled to PEI in the summer. She also told me that Aurora was constantly neglected by their parents, so Augustine was like her mother. I told her about how my parents got divorced a few years ago and then my dad married Leah in early Spring. My dad got full custody, so Miles and I moved with him while my mom stayed at our old house.

Even though our family had broken up, I was happy my dad met Leah. Miles and I loved her and there was a lot less conflict in our house. I still spoke to my mom while Miles chose to cut contact. He never talked about it, so I assume he didn't want me asking questions. It turned out that Leah was great friends with Augustine's family and invited us to spend the summer with her on PEI.

Augustine stirred softly as her eyes slowly fluttered open. I smiled down at her while she blinked a few times and met my gaze.

"Morning, lovely," I grinned.

"Hi," she muttered, still fully waking up.

"How did you sleep?" I asked her.

"I'm not done sleeping," she grumbled, and nestled herself against me.

I kissed the top of her head and stroked her hair softly, letting her sleep as long as she needed.

Augustine

"Auggie!" Aurora squealed, jumping into my arms. She had two purple butterfly clips pulling back her hair, and wore a purple shirt with light blue shorts.

"Hi, princess," I smiled. I twirled her around as she giggled.

"Come with me!" she said excitedly. "I have a surprise."

"In a minute," came a voice from behind me.

I spun around to see my mom looking at me with one eyebrow raised. My dad wasn't with her, so I assumed he was looking through some legal documents per usual.

"Where were you last night?" she asked. "I didn't hear you come in."

"Leah invited me to stay the night," I said truthfully.

My mom's face broke into a grin. "Things are going good with you and James, huh?"

I blushed. "They're alright." I was surprised my mom had noticed.

"I'm happy for you," she smiled. "I know I'm busy, but I could tell things haven't been so great during the past few months. I'm glad you've found James." She walked closer to me and brush my hair back.

"Thanks, Mom," I whispered.

Aurora came over and wrapped her arms around my mom's leg. "I love you, Mommy," she said.

"I love both of you," Mom said, giving me a hug. "Now go on upstairs. I believe Aurora has a surpise for you."

I smiled at her again, before following a very excited Aurora up the stairs.