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 ♡ 𝓢𝓾𝓶𝓶𝓮𝓻 𝓕𝓸𝓻𝓭  
𝓣𝓱𝓮 𝓔𝔁-𝓖𝓲𝓻𝓵𝓯𝓻𝓲𝓮𝓷𝓭 ♡
 
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[url= https://youtu.be/OwK1xPRRxa8?si=drZCjk5XgtTW1mZU]The Soundtrack to this Post… Enjoy![/url][/center]

Summer watched as Jaxon made his way across the garage towards her. He was taller, if that was even possible. Broader. But he still rolled his shoulders as if he were trying to slink away into the background. The adolescent acne had cleared from his face yet still those dark circles remained. They hung beneath his eyes, evidence of sleepless nights or broken sleep… Jaxon was a few years younger than her in school. He wasn’t an extrovert nor did he desire the limelight. In fact, Summer remembered Jaxon as somewhat of a recluse, his head ducked down and eyes fixed permanently at the floor. She remembered the way his blonde hair had fallen so often in front of his face, like a curtain. Jaxon would hide behind that veil of blonde hair, eyes peering out from behind it. Those blonde locks were tied back with a rubber band today, lazily knotted in a bun at the nape of his slender neck. Summer cocked her head as she took him in. She marvelled at how, sometimes, time showed itself most glaringly in the way someone has grown. Jaxon walked with purpose, his overalls spattered with grease and a smudge of oil across his cheekbone.

[quote] [i]"Summer,"[/i] he said by way of greeting. Short. Perfunctory. But somehow friendly, in his own way. A pearly white grin spread across her face and she waved at him, fingers waggling jovially. [i]"We'll get that tire sorted out for you in a jiffy." [/i][/quote]

The echo of a wrinkle appeared between his thick brows, the dust of his choice of words settling around them. Summer suppressed a giggle, dimples pinching at her cheeks. She watched him with the softness of someone coaxing a rescue dog from beneath the sofa. Her warm smile never wavered as she pressed her hands together in a symbol of prayer.

[quote] [color=f49ac2][i]“Thank you so much, Jaxon. I really appreciate it! I know you guys are so busy today… I hope I haven’t put you behind schedule?”[/i][/color] Summer inclined her head, raising her eyebrows and flicked him a mischievous grin. [color=f49ac2][i]“Although, if it’ll only be a jiffy, I suppose that’s not too much trouble for you.”[/i][/color][/quote]

Jaxon seemed the kind of soul whose internal workings never quite made it to the light of day. Though he presented as a quiet introvert, Summer could see by the way he held himself somewhat self consciously , that there was much more beneath the surface with him. She recognised his awkwardness, the way he shifted uncomfortably from one foot to the other, that her direct eye contact felt exposing to him. Before she had the chance to say anything else, Jaxon had turned away and taken a few long strides back to where her Mini was ready for the tyre change. Summer looked around the garage for somewhere to sit, to wait whilst Jaxon worked his magic. But the Garage was so busy she thought better of it. Instead, she stayed at the desk, watching as Jaxon’s hands moved expertly as they handled various tools and the new tyre. 

Sleeves rolled up slightly at the cuff, Jaxon’s forearms littered with vascularity as he moved, and Summer felt the threat of a blush pinch at her cheeks. Her eyes slid away, adverting her gaze. Instantly, her mind strayed to Austin. She wondered if Jaxon knew him. Did they secretly walk home together? Did they bump into eachother whilst running errands and chat? Summer knew Austin would’ve made time for a soul like Jaxon’s. Though he was infamous for his powers and enigmatic personality, there was a recluse streak in Austin. He resented the limelight, hated the way his powers made people change around him. He always used to say that his most treasured moments, where he felt most naked and most alive, were when it was just the two of them in her single bed set against the wall of her teenage bedroom. Surrounded by posters of artists long-forgotten, plushies well-worn from the salt of nighttime tears in the crook of her neck… Austin was always so desperate to be treated as “normal.” He wanted to be seen, unseen. And as Jaxon knelt by Summer’s Mini Cooper, she wondered if he too felt that need. 

The memory of her first love, now vanished from everywhere but her memories, made Summer’s eyes prickle. She sniffed defiantly, pushing that feeling down with an almighty shove. She had to uphold some air of composure. There were too many eyes in the Garage, too many strangers who’d look away from her grief with a wince. Right on time, Jaxon returned to her. He wiped his greased palms on his overalls, clearing his throat. 

[quote] [i]“Good as new,”[/i]he said, the implied breeziness totally lacking from his tone. Jaxon avoided meeting Summer’s gaze. [i]"Hopefully this new tyre works out for you. Come back here if you have any more issues."[/i][/quote]

A silence feel between them, just briefly. Summer nodded, a smile slightly dimmer than the one she’d shone in his direction before, and watched as Jaxon’s colleagues brought her car down. The new tyre shone with tight, unworn rubber. 

[quote] [color=f49ac2][i]“I’ll be heading over to Austin’s funeral in a couple of hours…”[/i][/color] she said, her voice tight with the emotions she wouldn’t show. [color=f49ac2][i]“I didn’t go to the parade yesterday… He would’ve hated that. But I think the service today will be… Nice”[/i][/color][/quote]

Nice? She sighed at her poor choice of words and used both hands to adjust her waist-length twists that sprouted like a dark waterfall from her head. 

[quote] [color=f49ac2][i]“Will I see you there?”[/i][/color] Summer asked, attempting to keep her tone bright and casual.[/quote]