Script [Forest] (Hiatus)

[8] Little Big Lies

Offering my guests a plethora of hugs and exaggerated smiles, I manage to cover my assault on Chan long enough to drag him upstairs to the bathroom.

There, I begin a far more powerful assault. A verbal one.

The banshee that resides in our faucet wails at having her sleep disrupted and releases her tears into the sink. Taking a faded rag from the linen closet, I carefully collect the cool faucet tears and wring the excess before placing the rag to Chan's cheek. He winces and an ounce of guilt twitches onto my lips.

"You're unbelievable, you know that?"

A grin as bright as the red print on his cheek flashes proudly as he pulls his eyes from his phone. He extends it to me and I watch with unconcealed annoyance as my reaction replays on the screen. The fumbling keys, the shock, the slap - it's all there.

"Come on Reese, you gotta admit that was a pretty solid joke!"

"You told me there was a fire."

"Well, there was. Your pops put me on the grill for ten minutes and I burnt like half the steaks."

"Chan..."

"I mean imma still eat 'em cause a little char ain't never hurt nobo-"

It takes one look and he lays off the jokes. Pulling the cloth away, I'm relieved to see that the majority of the swelling has gone down. I hang the rag on the shower rod and lean against the sink as Chan plays the clip for the fourth time.

"I met a guy," I say, immediately drawing his attention away from his phone.

The frown is priceless. "A guy?"

"Yeah, a guy. You know, like the opposite of a girl."

"Cute," he snorts while he feigns a look of disinterest. "Real cute. Does he know you have a boyfriend?"

I lightly tap my chin with my index finger in mock thought. "It never came up. We were having such a good time talking that I didn't even mention it."

"Hm."

"You don't want to know his name? Or where we met?"

"Nah, not really."

I proceed on with my story anyway. "I met him on my run this morning. He joined me for breakfast at Eltana's since I guess I looked a little more pathetic than usual sitting by myself. He was a real gentleman. Gideon was his name."

"Sounds like a charmer."

"I suppose it comes with age. I mean, he's probably old enough to be my grandfather."

Chan's brows arch high on his forehead and his lips knead against one another in a look that I recognize as utter disgust. My reaction to Chan's is quite the opposite and I don't bother to hide my amusement as we return downstairs.

"Wait what? An old man!" A thud sounds from behind me and I look to see Chan clutching his shoulder as he stumbles down the steps behind me. "Ree! Hold up a sec!"

We weave through the bodies laughing and shouting like two free-spirited children. Some of the adults chuckle at our antics while others simply look on with confusion. Ollie barks enthusiastically, finding our game of chase far too exciting to ignore. Monty, on the other hand, finds the ruckus to be too much for his royal highness and hisses a lecture before making a dramatic exit.

"Whoa whoa, where's the fire you two?" Chan's dad questions as we scramble out into the backyard.

"R-Ree...she's got...holy crap...she's...d-dating an old man!"

"See what happens when you skip out on your run," I intervene with a laugh, "You barely moved and you're all out of breath."

"What's this about an old man?" My dad's voice questions as he appears from around the corner with an aluminum tray of newly unscathed steaks and burgers waiting to be charred to perfection.