⁰⁷traditions

                                    

                                          
clementine
                          
I'd given in to Luke's nagging for the explanation of my name. He was quite happy about that fact and he celebrated it with a small dance, which I gladly watched.
                          
I never liked explaining my long name, it was a family thing and people would often realise at the end of my explanation that they regretted asking.
                          
"My family has this tradition of passing down their own and their mother or father's name to their children, and they often give the child their own name as well," I look up at Luke to see if he was already disinterested but surprisingly he still looked like he was enjoying it. "So, my name is Clementine Marlowe, not Marrow, Noelle. My mom's name is Marlowe and my grandmother's was Noelle. My mom's full name is Marlowe Noelle Delphine, and my grandmother's was Noelle Delphine Esmee. You get it,"
                          
My family has a thing for traditions and this was just one of them. Most of the traditions mainly came from my mom's side since she and her family had stronger beliefs in their religion and things surrounding family.
                          
We had a tradition that every morning of any birthday we had in the family, we would wake up early and sing traditional songs as the sun rose to brighten the sky. Mom made everyone in the family do this since she herself grew up doing it.
                          
Her family believed that if they sang songs to the sun, the gods would supposedly make the day's weather bright and enjoyable for you. Though, my mom never believed it, she still loved doing it for the sole purpose of having a tradition and doing something with the whole family involved.
                          
My family's pretty close and I was glad to have it like that. My dad originated from England but moved to Francs to study botany at the American University of Paris, which is also where he met my mom. Since then, I was born, then my twin siblings, and my youngest brother.
                          
Luke hums and nods along. "That is so cool. So it goes for both sons and daughters?" He pinches his lips together as he thinks, a habit I'd started to wonder about.
                          
"Yep," I reply, surprised that he was genuinely into what I was talking about. "My dad's name is Nathaniel, so my brothers' are Oliver Nathaniel Prescott and Everett Nathaniel Prescott. But my dad didn't have that tradition growing up, so he's just Nathaniel Ivers. Our mom convinced him to take part when they were pregnant with me,"
                          
"That's such a cool tradition to have," Luke says, admiration clear through his tone. "My family doesn't have traditions like that," He pouted at the fact.
                          
"Then make one," I suggest. "You don't ever want to hear your children say that they wished they had cool traditions. Make one and aim for their embarrassment. My mom says that you know that the tradition is good when you're a little bit embarrassed by it,"
                          
He laughs half-heartedly and smiles. "You know, I like your mom."
                          
I shake my head and laugh it off. "I think she'd like you too," He laughs along. "Okay, tell me something about the album," I looked down at our shoes, noticing that we walked in the same pace - my steps noticeably wider due to his long-ass legs.
                          
He hums in thought for a while. "We have around... eight songs we want to put in the album, we're still recording the eighth one right now but we have other songs we could put in, just doesn't fit though." He's concentrated on something in his mind and I wish I could know what it is. "I have this song though, I have one line for it and I don't know how to continue with it,"
                          
"Mind if I assist along the songwriting?" I ask.
                          
I see the familiar windows and door of the studio and my heart lightly drops. Every second we were walking nearer it, I couldn't help but feel as though he was already gone.
                          
I stop walking and look up at him once we reach the entrance. He returns my gaze and smiles. "We're here," I softly say, just the tiniest bit sad that our walk was over.
                          
He hums and doesn't say anything, just standing there and looking down at me, giving me the feeling as though it was the end of a date where he's walked me home.
                          
I clear my throat and look away. Did this really have to end? "I'd offer to let you in, but you're probably needed at your own studio." I say sadly, backing off and taking a step up the stairs towards the door.
                          
He looks away, to the way we came from, eyes stuck in contemplation. His bottom lip protrudes and for a second I wonder what it would be like to feel them against mine. "You're right," He faces me and takes a step closer, suddenly so near me that I'm looking down from the stair step.
                          
My stomach churns at his blue eyes, his soft voice being the ultimate weakness for my knees. He's a client, I remind myself once the thought of his lips comes upon me. He's a client, Clementine. "So, uh..."
                          
He pulls out his phone and turns it on and for a brief moment, I see that his lockscreen is of a black and white dog, Petunia, I might assume. I smirk at the newfound knowledge and watch as he clicks to his contacts. He lifts his phone towards me and I stare at it for a second. "You know, for that assistance you were offering,"
                          
Client. Client. Client. Client. Client. Client. He's a client, Clementine!
                          
I take his phone and type in my number, clicking on 'add to contacts' and typing my name as the orange emoji. Right in time, a message pops up from the top of the screen saying "luke we need you back here for vocals", a text from Ashton distracts me. "we agreed you could flirt with her if you'd come back in time."
                          
My eyes widen, my cheeks heating up at the text. 
                          
I steer my eyes away from it and return the phone to him. He curiously looks down at what I've put on the name and he laughs. "There's a clementine emoji?" He asks, smiling up at me, a precious sight to witness when it was meant all for you - or me.
                          
I shake my head and fold my arms across my chest. "No, that's an orange, but hey, what's the difference," I truthfully say and hide back a grin when he laughs even more so. God, it's a beautiful sound.
                          
He nods and steps back. "Alright, Clementine, I guess I'll be going," He's slowly walking back to where we walked from and I try my best to hide my disappointment.
                          
I fake an offended gasp. "What, you're not giving me your number?"
                          
"I'll text you!" He shouts, turning around and walking backwards so he could face me. "See you whenever, Clementine!"
                          
"Call me Clem!" I shout in return and he laughs.
                          
"Alright, Clem!"
                          
I giddily giggle at my new friend, excitement bursting in me because I was really friends with this perfection of a person. And he has my number.
                          
What a world I am living in.
                          
"Oi! Shut the fuck up!" A gruff, manly voice shouts from somewhere and I roll my eyes at it.
                          
╳╳╳
                          
idk why but i love the idea of having whimsy traditions. lmao my family bland as hell so imma make some great traditions for my children to be embarrassed by.
                          
also!! i entered project wildflower into the undiscovered awards 2020 and i'm kinda excited for it!! of course, there are other stories besides mine, and if i don't win the fanfic genre, ig that just means that my writing needs work. im always good with improving.
                          
credits and thanks to rosedtattoo for the idea of the text "we agreed you could flirt with her if you'd come back in time", thank you for the service ma'am.