day 4

two days have passed since I was last at the zoo. my parents thought it was a good idea to let me have some time to cool off and re-adjust, and to finish unpacking all the other boxes of clothes that had arrived. they continued to go the the zoo every day.

well, I wasn't very 're-adjusted' and the Irwins were coming over for dinner that night. I hadn't spoken to any of them since my freak out, besides Roberts letter.

though I was mostly over it, one sentence still bothered me:

'mum, she even acts like a kid.'

opposed to what? dressing like one? I didn't think my outfit was bad, I mean it wasn't something in Paris Fashion Week, but still. Robert can bash my personally all he wants, but for someone who's main fashion staple is khaki he shouldn't talking about fashion. I had t-minus 1 hour to pick out an outfit, get ready, and help mom with dinner, so I needed to move fast.

for an outfit I decided on a black top which had a low v-neck that was lined with mesh lace. it cinched right under the bust and the portion that covered my stomach was flowey black mesh with little flowers stitched into it. it cropped right past the bellybutton. I paired it with a brown leather skirt with a small slit. I was still in my going to be in the house so I didn't know if I needed shoes or not -I put on my hightop Dr. Marten's anyways.

I let my hair flow down my back with its natural waves. my makeup was fairly simple, black eyeliner, natural face makeup, brown lip liner and gloss.

I grabbed my phone and headed downstairs.

"you look cute!" my mom was chopping lettuce for a salad in the kitchen.

"thanks. I decided it was time to change out of sweatpants." I kissed her on the cheek.

I walked over to the oven and opened it, the smell of garlic and cheese flooded my senses.

"oh my god, mom. this smells amazing!" we were having gnocchi bake -pretty much just lasagna but with gnocchi instead of noodles and mozzarella instead of ricotta- and garlic bread. but not just any garlic bread, moms special garlic bread. a fresh baguette with oven roasted garlic, olive oil, and like four different types of cheese.

"thanks hun! hey, can you put together the charcuterie board?"

"sure."

I grabbed the cheeses, meats, olives, fruits, and pickles out of the fridge. and started to assemble the board. i poured some honey into a bowl, then some jam into another, then lined the assortment of crackers around the bowls. I filled the rest of the board in with everything else. I even made little flowers out of the prosciutto. 'perfectionist,' my mom had teased me.

I was almost done when the Irwins arrived, my dad let them in and suddenly the house was filled with noise. everyone slowly made their way to the kitchen where I smiled and nodded. Bindi was the first to hug me, I whipped my hands on the towel slung over my shoulder before she could make contact with me. next was Terri, then Chandler and his big bear hugs. Robert kept his distance, gave me a nod when we made eye contact.

"the charcuterie board is almost done if y'all want to go out to the porch, i'll bring it out." I smiled, I could feel Robert staring at me.

"y'all? I thought you were from New York." Chandler questioned.

"oh, I was raised in the south, she's picked up some of my vocabulary." my mom answered.

"oh, really?" everyone began to walk outside.

"I like your outfit." Robert stood next to me.

I jumped, not knowing how close he was. "thanks. I liked your letter, made me feel like I was in Pride and Prejudice." I added some rosemary sprigs to the board.

"really?" he leaned down on the counter, "am I your Mr. Darcy?" he plucked an olive off the board and popped it into his mouth.

"ah!" I protested, too late. "more like my Mr. Wickham," I thought for a moment, "better yet, my Mr. Collins." I sarcastically smiled at him before picking up the board and heading to the back door.

as soon as I got to the door Robert was there to open it, "how flattering." he mocked my smile.

I led the way outside, everybody was sitting on the couches and chairs on the opposite side of the porch. I sat the board on the dinning table.

"I'm assuming one of your favorite books." Robert was once again right by my side.

"and why would you assume that?" I raised an eyebrow at him.

"well, based on the very slim information I have on you and the -now- two times we've met, I can tell your stubborn,"

correct.

"headstrong,"

correct again.

"independent,"

well, I would like to think I am.

"and probably despises most men, hints why you don't have a boyfriend."

shit.

"who says I don't have a boyfriend?"

"your mum."

"...oh-"

"these are all characteristics of Pride and Prejudice's main character, miss Elizabeth Bennet. which means you were likely introduced to the book or movie at a young age and based your personality and morals off of her." he smiled smugly at me.

"I- I'm sorry, did you just assume everything about me based on one reference I made of two main characters?"

his eyes darted to the side, trying to avoid eye contact. "...maybe." he shrugged.

"hm."

"although, I wouldn't say Mr. Wickham and Mr. Collins are main characters."

"well, they both have significant roles in the plot, I mean-"

"ha! gotcha!" Robert pointed in my face before beginning to walk over to the rest of the group.

"ugh!" I followed.

all of us talked for a little while before dinner was finally ready. at dinner everyone shared stories of embarrassing or funny things that had I happened to them, I mostly stayed quiet. i could feel Robert looking at me sometimes -I looked at him once, he held eye contact for what felt like minutes before I looked away.

"hey, Florence." Bindi walked behind me as I was doing dishes, everyone else was in the living room talking about the zoo.

"oh! hi." I put down the plate I was drying and wiped my hands on my apron.

"I really hope you start coming to the zoo more often, if you'll give us a chance I think we might surprise you." she lifted up a stack of khaki pants and shorts in her hands.

I eyed the khaki, swallowing hard. it took me a moment, but finally I took the clothes from her hands. I might as well try and make the best of it. "I'll be there tomorrow."

she grinned and gave me a big hug, "just wait and see, something unexpected might happen." she pulled away.

I looked at her weirdly,

what?

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a/n
hey guys! i'll post another chapter later this week :)) thanks for reading!!