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It wasn’t overwhelmingly hot, nor unbearably cold - it was the sort of temperature Sunny liked; he could wear his most comfortable jacket whilst not worrying about having to take it off and carry it around. Unfortunately for him, he is now a boyfriend. So, naturally, that jacket is draped around his girlfriend’s shoulders like a blanket. Sunny took the peaceful weather as a chance to take Aubrey out for a romantic picnic date in Faraway Park, choosing a spot out of the way from the rowdy regulars.
The two of them sat cross-legged upon a striped picnic blanket, with snacks strewn across it - Aubrey, immediately after arriving at the spot, rummaged through the basket for whatever she could get her hands on, preparing to “taste-test” all of Sunny’s cooking (he knows she’ll just eat it all, but he loves her too much to complain).
A gust parted Aubrey’s hair, as the scent of freshly mown grass infiltrated his nostrils. He usually hated that smell, but Aubrey’s presence seemed to make that hatred fly away with the wind. Perhaps, the most soothing thing was the way her sweet perfume travelled in his direction - like a replacement Sunny welcomed most gratefully. She was currently in her own world, munching on some grilled eggplant Sunny had prepared with her specifically in mind - maybe an unconventional choice of picnic food, but who cares?
“I’m glad you’re enjoying it, Aubrey.”
“I's my fav'rit food!” She responded, still chewing whilst she spoke. Sunny didn’t care.
The couple hadn’t been dating for all that long, but spent nearly every waking moment together. They confided in one another, and so a secret kept from Aubrey would weigh on Sunny like the largest weight in the world (which is 635kg, by the way).
Right now, that weight was all that Sunny could feel; it felt as if it could break every bone in his body. Keeping something from Aubrey equates to committing a great crime in Sunny’s mind. Throughout the entire date, every time she had smiled, laughed or looked at him, his heart had begun to ache. The guilt which was beginning to form within him was eating him up from the inside, although it probably wasn’t that huge of a deal.
To Sunny’s inexperienced, teenage mind, keeping anything from his girlfriend is a terrible act. Even if the thing he’s keeping from her is potentially the most absurd, strange thing that you would ever have to say to another human being.
His deep thoughts must’ve, at some point, materialised and become obvious with his expression, as Aubrey’s chewing suddenly halted - she swallowed with haste, and became in a rush to get her next sentence out.
“Penny for your thoughts?”
Sunny jolted upwards, immediately paying attention. He wanted to tell her, but it was so embarrassing…
“Ah… um… well…”
“Stop stuttering like that! Jeez! Just spit it out!” Her annoyance wasn’t overly serious, Sunny was well aware. This is just Aubrey - caring in her own ways. “Heh… kidding. But seriously, what’s on your mind? I am your girlfriend, y’know.”
She was right. To Sunny, Aubrey is the most important person in his life at this present moment. So, why is it that he’s keeping something from her? Yes, it’s embarrassing, but he’s embarrassed himself in front of her more times than he has fingers for - what’s one more?
As he turned to speak, he suddenly realised that the words weren’t coming out. Confessing to Aubrey about his dreams was hard enough, but this…
All the previous times they had discussed it, Sunny had been saying to Aubrey that there was one HEADSPACE Aubrey, one which had a crush on him. She had been understanding of that, and actually responded quite positively (if you can count fake arguing as positive, then it’s a win, right?).
But in reality, Sunny had been avoiding the topic of a certain… incident… which had involved not one Aubrey, but maybe more like… seven?
“You gonna tell me something about that place again? Something I’m gonna think is dumb?”
Bullseye.
“How did you-”
“C’mon, Sunny. The last time you told me something about it you pulled that same exact face. You really don’t notice that you do that? It’s quite funny.”
“Wh-what face?!”
Aubrey then pulled a face which was only comparable to that of a person (starring in a comedy) who’s deep in thought. With one eyebrow raised, she placed her hand on her chin and stroked her “invisible beard” (which Sunny was convinced she added on for dramatic effect).
“I don’t do that.”
“Pfft- I mean, you sorta do…”
“No I don’t.”
“You gonna tell me about whatever’s on your mind, or shall we just eat in awkward silence and avoid the topic, even though we BOTH know it’s something we should discuss?”
“I plead the fifth.”
“Sunny, honesty is the best policy!” She takes another mouthful. “Dhust thay it! Whhen hhve I effer dhudged you?"
Sunny was starting to not really understand what she was saying. Trust David? Who the hell’s David?
The confusion on his face was obviously evident - Aubrey swallowed, and then shouted. “JUST SAY IT!”
“Fine! There were seven!”
“What the hell are you talking about? Seven? Seven what? Seven other girlfriends?” The wheels in her head began to turn, until she playfully shouted once more. “SEVEN?! Sunny, how could you?”
“SEVENVERSIONSOFYOU-”
“WHAT?!”
“ISAIDSEVENVER-”
“NO! I heard you, jeez!” She was now blushing profusely, desperately attempting to cover it up. “What the hell do you mean, seven versions of me?! What are you, a pervert?! You had a harem consisting… of just me?”
…
“ANSWER ME!”
“Yeah but- Aubrey-”
He was grasping onto anything which would allow him to potentially explain or justify having a harem of seven versions of your girlfriend. It definitely sounded strange, but Sunny began to try to explain to Aubrey that it was “out of his control”, and he wasn’t a pervert.
She didn’t really buy it.
“It’s always the quiet ones, seriously…” She chuckled to herself, before taking another bite and shaking her head. “Whhy do yoo need th-eh-bhen of mhee, eh-bhee-way?”
Sunny had completely lost her by this point. He had no idea what she was saying. It was as if she was speaking in riddles, honestly. He had no clue.
“Huh? Au-aubrey, I can’t understand what you’re saying when you’re eating like that…”
She swallowed abruptly, and yelled, splitting her syllables as if Sunny was a five-year-old. “WHY. DO. YOU. NEED. SE-VEN. OF. ME. A-NY-WAY?!”
“I DON’T KNOW, OKAY? I’M SORRY!” Sunny sighed, sweat trickling down his forehead - he had to think of a justification, and fast.
“It’s complicated… I can’t control it…” That’s it! It’s not his fault, right?
“You subconsciously wanted seven girlfriends. Just say you hate me, Sunny.” The teasing had begun, and Sunny didn’t think he’d ever hear the end of it. Aubrey was relentless, and strived to make the boy as red as she could.
“C’mon… that’s unfair…”
“Okay, okay.” She paused, a shit-eating grin beginning to form on her face. “So… which one was your favourite?”
He thought that he had stopped breathing for a moment.
“AUBREY!”
She began to cackle, the hardest laugh that Sunny has ever seen come from her - she was enjoying herself, which warmed Sunny’s heart - even if it was him that was the source of her amusement.
Sunny should really learn to keep some things to himself.