RIVER
"Where are you taking me Skyscraper?" Foggy whined for the hundredth time in the span of five minutes, "I thought we were going to my house to practice?"
"So I can embarrass myself in front of your parents? No thanks. Besides, I think I can treat you to something to eat. I wouldn't want you going back home on an empty stomach." I said as I drove towards a drive through.
"So... Your afraid to bring me back home hungry? How scared are you of my mother?" She asked laughing.
I rolled my eyes. In actual fact I wasn't afraid of her mother at all. I actually liked her mother a lot. I'd only met her today but from the friendly and kind aura she gave off, she seemed like someone genuine and kind hearted, which reminded me a lot of Mystique. And while I was there she made me promise to look out for her daughter. So I took it as my duty to keep that promise, especially because it involved Mystique.
"No, I'm not afraid. She just made me promise something and I'd like to keep it." Surprisingly Mystique didn't ask about it. Instead, she nodded and kept quiet.
I ordered two burgers and sodas along with some fries and then I carried on driving which baffled poor Foggy.
"Okay, now where are we going?" She yelled. In my mind all I could think was, did she seriously not trust me?
I looked at her from over my shoulder, just for a second, prepared to make a snarky comment. However, I froze and gulped as I caught sight of how beautiful she looked in the orange glow of the bright sun. Even now I could not help my raging heartbeat and weightless feeling as I stared at her. It was a feeling all too familiar, and something I had only felt a few times back when I was younger. I wondered, for a moment, whether it would be wrong of me to act on impulse right now, but brushed the thought away almost as soon as it had appeared. She'd be better of just being a friend. I couldn't hurt her. I knew she was different.
"Hello, Earth to Skyscraper?" She said waving a hand in front of my face and then pointing to the road, "Eyes on the road!"
I chuckled and said, "Fine, fine. If you stop asking, I'll keep my eyes on the road."
She huffed, but I assumed that her silence was an agreement to what I'd asked.
Soon we arrived at my favourite beach, which was now, secluded. Yes... I was a beach kind of guy, and I always loved coming to this beach at this exact time because there was hardly anyone here which would now benefit the ears of many.
"The beach? I love the beach!" She yelled. I rolled my eyes and grinned, as I stopped the car. We got out, walked towards the shore and then stopped on the sand and sat down. She didn't once complain liked I'd expected her too. Instead, her hands stayed fixed on the paper bag which contained our food and her eyes watched the waves move advance and the decline in wonder.
"Wow..." She uttered still captured by the sea.
"I know right." I said as I took the bag from her. She then snapped out of her trance and turned towards me with questioning eyes.
"I didn't take you for a beach guy. Guess there's more to River than meets the eye." She said as I handed her her food.
"Is there? And wait..." I said as I realised what she had just said,"Did you just call me by my name?"
Her eyes grew wide and I could see her cheeks turn slightly pink in colour.
"Shut up and eat." She practically growled this out.
We sat there on the beach eating, singing and laughing our heads off for what seemed to be a few minutes but actually transformed into one too many hours, and before we knew it the sun was setting.
"It's getting late..." I said turning towards Foggy. She nodded but her eyes watched the sun setting before us. The orange of the last rays of sunlight were reflecting in her brown eyes and making them appear a dark golden colour. It was then that I realised something, this was becoming more than just snarky comments and insults. Mystique and I were actually beginning to develop a close friendship.
"Are you going to stare at me the entire time or look at what's in front of you?" She caught me off guard and I turned away from her in embarrassment. But I couldn't quite concentrate on the sunset, no, my mind was not able to admire the sunset before me.
"Your singing is improving quite well." She said with a sigh.
"Do you think I'll be able to sing by audition time?" Knowing Chris, he'd invite EVERYONE to witness my failure. Well, what he would hope to be my failure.
She turned towards me, pondered for a moment and then nodded curtly. Relief spread through my tensed self. It was amazing how much I trusted in her. There's was just something about her that made it easy for me to rely on her. She was so genuine that I found it difficult to be fake with her.
"River, can I ask you something." She had, for the second time that day, called me by my name. I turned to her, still quite startled, and nodded.
"Every playboy has a reason for being a playboy, so what's yours?"
It was a question I had not expected to be asked, and one which I was going to avoid, until our eyes met. She looked so concerned about me, and so interested in what I had to say. I had never met anyone besides Lacy and Christian who looked at me the way she did- like she cared.
"My father passed away a few years ago..." I began. It was from this point on that I could not stop myself from pouring out my sorrows to her. I told her about everything, about my father's suicide and about how my mother became so lost in her sorrows she began neglecting my sister and I and only recently acknowledged that we actually existed and that she actually needed to be mom. How my father's family wanted nothing to do with us because they blamed us. I told her how everyone in our lives simply vanished and the people we loved and relied on most abandoned us in our time of need.
It was not until I felt Mystique's gentle fingers on my cheek, that I realised I was crying.
"River... I am so sorry." And with that her arms enveloped me into a warm embrace. That was all it took for the tears to start running down my face uncontrollably. My body jerked slightly as I gasped for air, which only made her cling tighter to me.
"River, you are so strong."
It was the first time anyone had ever said anything like that to me. In fact, it was the first time anyone had held me like this. It felt... warm and reassuring.
The car ride was silent. Silent but comfortable. Foggy stared out the window and watched the trees go by carefully. She wore who she was thinking of clearly on her facial expression- Jay. Her happy face for some reason made me feel uneasy. In fact, I had begun to feel uneasy every single time I saw them together. Why did it upset me slightly everytime I thought back to how they looked at each other? Maybe it was just the burgers... and the crying. Yes, a bad combination.
"Mystique," I said as I then remembered everything I had told her today.
She turned towards me, startled that I called her by her actual name.
"I need you to promise me that you'll never tell anyone about the beach and about the things you've learnt about me today. Can you promise me that?" I asked sincerely.
She stared at me for a moment and then nodded in sincerity and offered me a reassuring smile.
"Good."
*****
So this was just a little insight into the mind the dashing River. To be honest, he's actually my favourite character in this book and I really am looking forward to developing his character further!
Apologies for any grammatical errors.
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