illusionanddeception - Tumblr blog

[illusionanddeception]

Her eyes remained on the sand, watching how her foot print would appear then return back to its natural form. It wasn’t often Luna was handed compliments so simply, and she couldn’t help but to smile like an idiot though she tried her hardest to hide it. Finally, she peeked up at him catching him take a glance of her. A warm smile broke through her suppressed lips as she said, “Thank you. You’re sweet…” Her gaze adverted to the ocean as they walked side by side, and though she was still flustered with her cheeks stained pink, she decided to start a new topic. “So, what brings you to Australia, anyways?”

Island in the Sun || Luna & Kirk

 It had only occurred to Kirk that he had called her beautiful when she mentioned it. He said it absentmindedly; it was one of those things that slipped from his tongue very naturally, so much so that he had not even the vaguest remembrance of saying it. Nevertheless, that meant nothing else but the fact that he was sincere, that he didn’t have to think twice to say the truth like he usually did. She was beautiful, and that was that. He nodded his head quite vigorously, knowing that there was no denying it. “Well, yeah, you know,” he cleared his throat from nervousness. “I saw you a couple days ago and I thought you were, uh, beautiful. I’m seein’ you now and I still think you’re beautiful,” he chuckled, reaching his hand up to rub the back of his neck. His gaze averted toward her own with a bit of anxiousness, slightly thankful that she was looking down at the ground. “Yeah, me – me too. Definitely.”

[illusionanddeception]

She broke out in a quick victory cheer of praising Australia, then laughed quietly with Kirk, a smile broad on her lips. There was something about him that made smiling and laughing all the easier, but whenever the last words left his lips, her smile was replaced by a blush. Beautiful? He thought she was beautiful? How does an attractive American man find an average  American woman in Australia to be beautiful?  “You think I’m beautiful?” she questioned, her voice very light. She cleared her throat and looked down at her feet with a smile. “I mean, I… Well, I hope I don’t intimidate you too much. I rather like looking you in the eye…”

Island in the Sun || Luna & Kirk

Kirk’s lips curved downward in impression, relating to the blonde’s entertaining tangent. He wasn’t much of a traveler himself; he was the type to stay cooped in one place without much of a reason. Surely, opportunity came to step out of familiar territory, but there was something about it that never seemed right to him. He supposed he just knew what home was when he saw it, and didn’t want to risk ever losing touch with it. Australia was his first time genuinely traveling, and he could say he wasn’t feeling too homesick at all. “No, no, I get it. It doesn’t sound lame, not at all,” he protested with a smile. “It’s – it’s cool, you know? I think it’s important to get away from where you’ve grown up for some of your life. So congrats. Australia, fuck yeah!” He laughed, though hushed down a moment later. Kirk glanced up at her, a bit caught off guard by her question. This time, he was the one who had no idea whether she was playful. “Not scared, just – mostly intimidated. It’s not every day you meet someone you.. can’t even look in the eyes ‘cause they’re so beautiful, you know? Stuff like that.”

[illusionanddeception]

She racked her brain trying to think of anything interesting she had purchased but fell short. There was one thing, one particular thing that had a story to it he would probably not care to hear. She had no attentions of telling it, until she looked up into his eyes and felt the nervous habit of babbling come into play. "Well, not really. I bought a magnet. I know that sounds lame, but on my fridge back home, it's covered with magnets I've received as souvenirs. My aunt always traveled everywhere, and I always went no where. So, I always looked at those magnets and would think about the places I want to go. Finally, I get to add my own magnet of a place I actually went." She looked down at her feet with a smile, wondering why she had told him that whole story when it sounded as boring as it did. She simply shrugged her shoulders and looked up to him with a smile. But whenever he admitted his friends forcing him to talk to her, she began to smile even more. "Oh? Why? Are you scared of me?" she teased.

Island in the Sun || Luna & Kirk

“Shopping,” he echoed, nodding his head in understanding. His gaze shifted from their unknown path on the sand ahead of him to Luna, who he walked beside in a steady pace. “Buy anything cool?” came his inquiry, laced with an honest smile. Judging by the line of souvenir shops and how easily Kirk was reeled in to buy all the novelty items, she was bound to have bought a lot of things as well. When asked about himself, he tilted his head side to side and let out a chuckle. “Nothin’ much, not today.  A couple friends and I decided to grill out on our hotel balcony, just to enjoy the view. You don’t really get, you know, this type of view in Indiana.” He looked over at the horizon, thankful that he no longer had to squint from bright light. “Oh, my friends? Nah, don’t worry about them,” he waved his hand. “Funny enough, they actually wanted me to come talk to you. I didn’t have the guts to do it so they talked me into it.”

[illusionanddeception]

Luna didn’t know what the chances were of ever seeing Kirk again, but she knew they had to be slim. Then again, what were the chances of him finding and able to return her fallen necklace she was sure was long gone? Also slim. Their chances so small, yet it kept happening for the both of them. Crazy how life worked that way, how it would bend over backwards just to make serendipitous moments happen in the smallest ways possible. “What was I up to?” she repeated, mostly to herself to get her train of thoughts elsewhere, “Not much. I went and did a little shopping but I’ve been just down here. Enjoying the beach and all it has to offer.” Which, evidentially, offered Kirk.  “What about yourself?” Looking back at the fire he left and the friends who accompanied it, she bit her lip uneasy and looked over at Kirk. “Oh… I didn’t mean to steal you away from your friends, though..”

Island in the Sun || Luna & Kirk

Inhaling sharply, Kirk closed his eyes in sudden regret of his choice of words. “Not in a bad way,” he added in a rushed manner, hoping that he could still change her disposition. It was his last intention to make her feel as if he wasn’t enjoying every single second being around her. Truthfully, their possible but unlikely reunion was something he had been looking forward to ever since they first met. Now that their paths crossed once more, he didn’t want to ruin it. He didn’t realize he had spaced out for a moment until she called out for him, calling his attention. Kirk perked his head up and nodded, following after her with a smile. “So, uh, what were you up to today?” he asked, figuring it was too late to ask her what else she had on her agenda. A swim at the beach would be the last thing on his schedule, so he figured she wasn’t up to anything else. 

[illusionanddeception]

"I throw you off?" she inquired with a small chuckle, biting down on her bottom lip unaware of how to take that new information. Maybe it was a good thing, or not at all. Regardless, she decided not to dig any further and think too hard on it. Whenever he tossed the twigs down, she began to wonder if he was ever really gathering things for the fire to begin with. The thought alone brought a smile to her lips that she wouldn't be able to shake for quite some time. "Walk on the moon?" she repeated with a laugh, shaking her head and adverting her eyes to the ground. She began to walk forwards, unaware of where she was going then turned to him walking backwards. "How about this way? You coming?"

Island in the Sun || Luna & Kirk

“Oh, you know,” Kirk shrugged, initially having a clever response to her question, but then trailing off. He looked over at Luna to see if she had noticed, then laughed. “Yeah, I got nothin’. I don’t know, Lune, somethin’ about you just, er, uh, throws me off.” His laughter faded into a slight chuckle as he absentmindedly stuffed both hands in his shorts’ pockets, accidentally dropping the branches on the sand. “Don’t worry about those,” he spoke, embarrassed. “Just, uh. We could walk here, we could walk there, we could.. walk on the moon. Wherever you wanna go, we’ll go.”

[illusionanddeception]

And just like that, the water suddenly became the last place she wanted to be. She peered behind Kirk for a moment to see his friends, who appeared to tease him, and she couldn’t help but to hold back a small laugh. “No,” she responded almost too quickly, then laughed sheepishly. “I mean.. I’m already pruny enough.” She walked out of the water, feeling her toes touch the shore and sink into the sand. Looking up at him, she shrugged her shoulders while ringing out her hair to the side. “So, what’s this I hear about a walk?”

Island in the Sun || Luna & Kirk

Kirk chuckled, sending the blonde a nod as his eyes ricocheted between her and his surroundings every so often. It was difficult to truly concentrate on having a conversation with her when his friends were making a couple of cat calls behind him. He groaned inwardly, rolling his eyes and glancing over his shoulder to mouth a profanity toward them before putting his focus back on Luna. “That’s too bad, ‘cause I would’ve wanted to maybe take a walk with you, but.. it’s, er,” he let one hand go from holding the branches to rubbing the back of his neck, scrunching his nose. “It’s alright. I mean, it’s cool – you wanna prune up, prune up. Don’t let me stop you,” he teased. Thankfully, the boy’s request came out particularly smoothly; well, as smooth as he could make it out to be. Generally, he was a stammering idiot – around her, he had a worse case of it. 

[illusionanddeception]

Teresa Palmer

[illusionanddeception]

Dipping back into the water, she kept her head back and her eyes on the sky while the only sound she could hear was sand moving with the waves underneath. She sat back up, her hair perfectly molded to the back, and her eyes couldn’t believe what they saw. It was Kirk, like she had seen before, but standing near, looking over in her direction. This time, she couldn’t look away in fear of him seeing her, because she couldn’t help but to just start smiling in his direction. “Very small world,” she responded, coming closer to the shore. She glanced down at the sticks in his hand and glanced behind him to the fire a group sat around. “Oh, fire. Sounds fun,” she spoke with a smile, then looked back at the water once he asked. “The water is a little too perfect. I’m afraid I might never get out.” Unless that meant getting to talk with him a little more, then she was totally up for the idea of getting out- though she hated to admit that to herself. He was just too cute and made her smile from ear to ear. It was such a rare thing, and Luna loved the feeling. “But, you know, it’s good seeing you again too.”

Island in the Sun || Luna & Kirk

Although the boys had a little more than a week to spend in Australia, it was never too early to throw a signature bonfire. However, instead of the bonfire being surrounded by a bunch of party-going college students, it was surrounded by just the four roommates, telling stories and burning marshmallows like it was nobody’s business. Kirk was a people-person, though he found himself preferring these more intimate moments from time to time. Music was playing, the sun was setting – he would call it romantic if he wasn’t submerged in testosterone and dirty jokes. Nevertheless, he couldn’t pick a more perfect moment than that afternoon, enjoying the sun; or at least, what was left of it. Kirk’s eyes drifted elsewhere for a moment as his marshmallow crackled in the fire, meeting the water behind Ben, who sat in front of him. He focused on a familiar blonde that swam further into the water, furrowing his eyebrows and parting his lips from concentration.

“Uh, I sure hope you’re not looking at me that way, Kirk,” Ben muttered, confusion dripping in his tone. “What is it?”

No, no, no. That couldn’t be Luna. He only said that he could perhaps see her around, and with the size of the town, it was almost impossible to see her again. How often did you really see someone for a second time when you were certain that the first meeting would be the last? “It’s.. guys, it’s her.”

It didn’t take very long for Kirk to be dragged out of his comfortable position on a log and out onto the open sand. He was pushed and shoved into going over and saying hi to Luna, and though he was nervous that it wasn’t even her for the first few seconds, he was more and more convinced as he stepped closer. Along the way toward the waves, Kirk grabbed a couple of twigs, hoping that it would serve as some excuse to him later.

As nonchalantly as an awkward Kirk could allow, he began to walk away from the waves, then looked over, stopping in his tracks when he saw Luna. “Whoa,” he chuckled. “It’s, uh.. it’s you. Hey, Lune. You.. uh.. wow. Small world, huh? I was just, you know, pickin’ up sticks. For the, uh, fire. Not for fun. For the fire.” He looked down at the pile of sticks he accumulated before glancing back up at her. “Nice to see you again. How’s the water?”

[illusionanddeception]

Australia was treating Luna well, a little too well evidently. There wasn’t a chance in hell that she would be leaving anytime soon, because all she wanted to do was soak up the sun and walk amongst the locals pretending she herself was one. Everything about the place was therapeutic to her, especially the beaches that gave her a nostalgic feel of home from many years ago. The beaches were far more beautiful than Ocean City’s, however, but the salty air smelled just the same. Before, the very thought of home used to make her slightly cringe, but something about sinking her toes in the sand, and feeling the summer’s heat on her skin brought her happy memories from childhood. Luna would barely spend any time at the condo she was staying in, and most days she lingered at the beach to pass the time. It was one of those days, she was laying on a towel, attempting to read her book she held above her face through her tinted sunglasses. The sun beamed down on her hard, even though it was beginning to lower in the sky. Her efforts to finish her book seemed futile, so she tossed it down and slipped out of her clothes to be left in her swim suit. Walking out, the water came crashing in and greeted her ankles, giving her a taste of its temperature. She waded out further, but not too far and fell backwards onto a wave that practically engulfed her. Once she surfaced, she pushed back her wet hair and smiled to herself at the fresh cool feeling running through her bones. Her eyes returned to the shore, and just as she was about to glance away, something caught her eye. It looked like  Kirk, the man she swore she would never forget his name, but even if it was him, she decided not to do anything about it. What was she supposed to do? Wave? He would look at her and probably wonder who on Earth she could be. So, she looked away and waded in the water, looking up to the sky that was turning a light orange. 

Island in the Sun || Luna & Kirk

He listened intently to the blonde as she spoke, nodding and focusing on her words with every detail. It was always fascinating for Kirk whenever he carried conversations with strangers. Some conversations didn’t require much investment for him, but he stumbled upon the select few that kept him captivated, and.. nearly almost sad that they had to end. His conversation with Luna was the latter. “Oh, yeah,” he nodded. “Nothin’ like Australia. Even though Ocean City sounds pretty great.” A chuckle left his lips a moment later upon his realization that he must’ve truly lost his native grace.  As a young man who seldom ever stepped out of Indiana, everything even just slightly foreign captivated him. When their conversation neared its end, Kirk felt a bit disappointed, though accepted it nonetheless. “No problem, Lune,” he smiled, not realizing that he had already branded her with a nickname. Puppy got attached. “I’ll, you know, I’ll see you around. Hopefully.” Puppy turned and skipped away in hopes that he wouldn’t get too attached.

[illusionanddeception]

He had to be from a small town, because his reaction, all though completely adorable, made Luna laugh to herself. She couldn't help but to also give her surroundings a once over, finding the views to be far better than New York. It made her wonder what his reaction was like whenever he first arrived. "Brooklyn," she told him, stifling her chuckles, "And yeah, actually. I did know that. Gotta love Spider-Man." Her eyes returned to the view, perhaps because she found it too hard to look him in the eye for too long. A smile was plastered to her lips for no particular reason, and she said, "But here.... here is better. Definitely beats New York. The closest I've been to a beach is whenever I lived in Ocean City, New Jersey as a kid. And.. this beats that too." She stopped herself, realizing she would begin to ramble if she didn't, then looked up at him sheepishly. "Um, anyways, I better let you get back to your day. Thanks again, for the millionth time, for my necklace. I owe you one."

Island in the Sun || Luna & Kirk

Relief spread throughout Kirk’s system as the blonde took his joke with more than enough grace. He had encountered too many people who took his playful manner in the worst ways, so it was always a pleasant surprise whenever he met a person in particular who could play along with him. As a person who was seldom ever serious, he craved that amusement; that back-and-forth with someone. “New York?” he echoed, amazed. A small-town guy like him wasn’t as familiar with big-city names as he would have liked to be. “You mean, like.. New York. No way,” he grinned, eyes illuminating from excitement. “So, what, like, uh, Albany or Brooklyn or Manhattan or… dude, New York is the heart of everything. Spider-Man’s from New York, you know? You gotta know.”

[illusionanddeception]

Luna was usually sharp as a tack, able to read someone like an open book without a problem. But for some reason, she kept feeling herself become gullible in this man's presence. Whenever Luna got nervous around someone, her senses to those sort of things failed, because she was too caught up wanting to believe whatever came out of the person's lips- no matter what they had to say. She tucked in her lips, feeling slightly embarrassed for assuming he wasn't from around. Whenever he showed his true colors, she laughed once more, looking down at her feet knowing he must have seen he successfully fooled her. "Ah, Indiana. You're a little far from home," she teased and began to play with her necklace absentmindedly. "New York. I'm from New York. Guess we're both a little far from home, actually."

Island in the Sun || Luna & Kirk

“What?” Kirk asked incredulously, locking his eyes on the blonde that stood before him. His shocked expression plastered on his face as he examined his surroundings, jokingly figuring that he very well matched up with the locals. “I’m a native,” he played, sending her a grin and waiting for a moment to see if she would catch on or fall for his joke. “Of, you know – a native of Indiana.” He laughed, stuffing his hands in his pockets and looking down at the ground before glancing back up at Luna. It was still a bit of an adjustment having to look at her in the eyes; he had never seen a pair so blue. At least, nothing as strikingly blue as hers. She was beautiful, but you didn’t go around saying that – especially to a stranger. “What about you, uh, where you from?” he inquired, smiling politely.

[illusionanddeception]

[illusionanddeception]

"If only the world was filled with more people like you," she joked with a small smile on her lips. In reality, it wasn't much of a joke.She had known the man for a mere five minutes and could tell he already reeked of humanity and good intentions.Whenever he leaned close, she couldn't help but to grow slightly nervous, having no clue of what he possibly had to say to her. Whenever the words left his lips, a relieved laugh left her own realizing he was only making a joke. She tuck a piece of her hair behind her ear out of habit, then chewed on her bottom lip with a playful guilty expression. "American," she admitted and nodded at his question, "So, judging by your own, I take it you're not a local yourself." There wasn't much about him that screamed American, other than his accent. If she had never heard him spoke, she would have never known, especially due to there being a skateboard hanging loosely in his arm. He walked around like he owned the place in her eyes. 

Island in the Sun || Luna & Kirk

  “20-something years and I still, you know, manage to find some good jokes here and there,” Kirk responded with a chuckle, shrugging his shoulders. A wolfish smile appeared on his lips when he looked over at her, catching her at the very moment she glanced down at her necklace. It made him feel all the more accomplished; not necessarily in a narcissistic way, but in the sense that he could sleep well knowing that he had returned a very important object to someone. She indicated the necklace’s importance well enough with her relieved expression. He shook his head and once again waved away her second thank you, also glad that she had retrieved her necklace. “Well, now you don’t really have to, uh, worry about it,” he licked his lips. “Just keep it tight and locked, and stuff, ‘cause some people might not be as nice as me,” he leaned closer to her, tone a bit low and cautious as his eyes wandered around to add for dramatic effect. “So, um.. your accent. You’re a tourist too?”

[illusionanddeception]

Kirk T. James. A name worth remembering, though it would be impossible for her to forget. "No way," she responded with a laugh, "I'm seeing Captain Kirk in the flesh." Shaking his hand, she smiled back at him and rubbed her lips together like she often did when she was nervous. But why was she nervous? That was a question she herself couldn't answer, but all she knew was the boy had her stumbling in her mind much like the way he spoke. "Thank you. I honestly prefer your name, but I'm sure you've heard a thousand and one jokes about Star Trek your whole life. Just like me with moon jokes." Looking back at her necklace, she brought it around her neck and clasped it back on, making sure it was secure. Putting her hair back in place, she looked at him and smiled, thankful all over again. "Yeah, I've had it since I was born. I really never take it off. I don't know what I would have done.."

Island in the Sun || Luna & Kirk

“I don’t think it’s cheesy at all,” Kirk protested politely with a shake of his head and a warm smile. “You wanna know cheesy?” he chuckled, responding a few moments later after a pause for dramatic effect, “My name. I’m Kirk T. James.” His introduction came somewhat proudly, though also very shamefully at the childish stature of his name. He reached his hand out for her to shake and offered her yet another smile. “But no, I mean – yours is really cool. Not cheesy at all. You never meet a Luna around here,” he said, then realized that he wasn’t exactly a native of the foreign country in the first place. Neither was she, judging by her primarily American accent. “Or around anywhere, honestly.” There was a short and comfortable pause between them as Kirk bit his lip and hoped that he didn’t completely embarrass himself just by speaking. “But no, yeah. Makes sense that you’d be torn over losing something as symbolic as, uh, that.”

[illusionanddeception]

Text: Alrighty. Are you sure I'm worth waking up early for? :)

[Kirk] Text: I miss you! When's the moon gonna come out?? :)

[Luna] Text: I miss you too! The moon’s always out, you just gotta look closer ;) 

[illusionanddeception]

Text: Hey, I'm not the one who chose the time. 

[Kirk] Text: I miss you! When's the moon gonna come out?? :)

[Luna] Text: I miss you too! The moon’s always out, you just gotta look closer ;) 

[illusionanddeception]

There was something undeniably adorable about the way he stumbled over all the words that slipped past his lips. Sometimes Luna thought she had problems with properly communicating with someone, and it was only a relief to see she wasn’t the only one. If only she could play it off as cute as the way he did. “Yeah,” she responded, not being able to stop her small laugh, “A moon. It’s because.... well, it’s cheesy.” Flustered, she looked down at her feet like how she always did whenever she was going to introduce herself. Peeking up at him with a small smile, she held the necklace up to display it and said, “It’s because my name is Luna. Which is, you know, the moon.”

Island in the Sun || Luna & Kirk

Kirk scrunched his nose and shook his head, always instinctively modest whenever someone said thank you to him. He never saw himself as someone who expected ‘thank you’s very gracefully; he always found himself stumbling over his words more often than what he was comfortable with. “It’s, you know, no problem,” he chuckled, waving his hand in refusal of her thank you. Handing the silver necklace over to her, he mustered up a bit of a smile and stuffed his hands in his pockets, eyes moving around and his body following after. The boy couldn’t stay still for the life of him, and something about the woman under the streetlight was a little too beautiful for him to fathom. Shadows contoured her face like a crescent moon, all the while illuminating the expression of relief washing over her features. “Uh,” he began, finally getting the guts to look at her again, though much to his disappointment it was a glance, “Cool, um, necklace, dude. I mean, chick. I mean.. lady. I mean, miss. It’s cool. A moon? Yeah.” The words spilled over his lips with clumsiness and he had to look away to regain his composure.