Blackout

Original Edition: 04 | Red Wine

Silence overtakes us for a few beats, and I wonder if I should pursue the topic or not. Heaven knows it's uncomfortable, but I can't help the desire to find answers to all of my questions, no matter how insignificant.

I wait a while, keeping my eyes down, before asking, "How long have you been together?"

He pauses, and I think he won't answer, but then he does. "Six months now."

"And how long have you been living with us?"

I peek up with him, trying to gauge his reaction. His face is guarded once more, and he avoids my gaze. He clears his throat. "Just under two months."

My eyebrows raise again absentmindedly. "That's a while."

"Longer than I anticipated," he agrees, his voice low.

I try to think of how to change the subject, due to his reluctant responses, and my own discomfort . I glance upwards, noting that my view of the sky is obscured by the tops of trees. The path begins to incline upwards slightly, but I still have no idea where it's leading. I glance at him again, catching the troubled look on his face, and I sigh.

"What are my interests?" I ask lightly.

"What?" He blinks.

"What do I do in my spare time?" I elaborate, shrugging a shoulder, and his face softens a little.

His shoulders relax visibly and a smile plays about his lips. "You're a great actress," he tells me.

I frown. "Really? That's interesting."

"Oh yeah," he continues. "I've been told the school's theatre program would be garbage without you."

"Huh," I remark, eyebrows still furrowed.

When I think about it, it's really not that surprising. I must've been quite the actress if I could kiss my sister's boyfriend and get away with it. My mind categorizes this new piece of information in the Things We Don't Like About Allie category. It seems the list gets longer with every passing second.

"You're also fluent in Russian, Turkish, and Pig Latin," he states casually.

I bark out a laugh. "Okay, that's so not true."

As I look at him, his face blooms into a grin, and it's infectious enough to hold my own smile in place. "Yeah, that's a lie. I just thought it would make you smile." He glances at me, causing my cheeks to warm. "Looks like I was right."

Dropping my eyes shyly, I bite the inside of my cheek, trying to will the smile away. We shouldn't be getting along. I'm still angry with him.

"You do speak Spanish, though," he remarks. "Not fluently, but passably."

I open my mouth to reply but I stop short. His footsteps falter, and he looks back at me over his shoulder. I stay completely still, straining to make sense of the sound I can hear faintly. It's a rushing sound, sounding urgent, and as though it would be loud up close. I meet Parker's amused brown eyes as I frown, sending him a confused look.

"What is that?"

"We're almost there, come on," he says, by means of an explanation.

I follow him wordlessly, and the sound continues to grow louder, distracting me from any conversation. Focusing on not tripping over roots, we fall out of step, and I end up a few paces behind him. We walk this way for a few minutes until he suddenly stops, and I nearly crash into his back.

The sound has reached its peak, and I look up slowly, locating the source. A waterfall stands proudly before us, and I feel foolish for not recognizing the sound earlier. Absently, I feel my mouth fall open as my eyes travel the length of it, trailing upwards to the top. The view of the water descending is breathtaking, almost like an optical illusion. The sound is loud in my ears, and I feel dazed and overwhelmed by the beauty.