By Sama Khawaja
She heaved a sigh and let the cool waves lap over her bare feet as she watched the sun set. She loved coming here when she actually felt like breaking something, preferably Rhett’s face. It calmed her temper and let her think rationally. The first thing that did pop up was the hallucination she had in the lab.
‘Why me? And why now?’ she pondered. ‘Is it for the organization’s benefit? Or mine?’
‘It isn’t your fault, you know,’ said a familiar calm voice behind her. She sighed deeply as River sauntered over to her side but she continued to look ahead at the setting sun. The waves seemed to be the only thing in the picture that wasn’t tense.
‘We were all really stressed out back there,’ he continued when she didn’t respond. ‘The GroundUnders were large in number and all. I’d be scared and mess up too if I were-!’
‘I wasn’t scared,’ she cut in curtly. ‘And I didn’t mess up.’
River sighed and shuffled his feet uncomfortably. The setting sun painted a gorgeous departure for its onlookers; using soft pastel shades the colours seemed to meld into one another to form new, even more breath-taking hues.
‘Looks beautiful, doesn’t it?’ Destiny mused, hoping to break the awkward silence.
‘Yes, very,’ he murmured softly and she flinched. She could tell he wasn’t looking at the view and saying this.
‘River, this needs to be said,’ she said firmly and turned to face him. ‘You have to stop. Just…stop caring about me…’
‘You say it like it’s the easiest thing to do,’ he murmured, his eyes reflecting hurt.
‘I know it’s not! I just…you know it’s not that simple for me to-!’
‘To what? And since when has anything in our lives been simple, Destiny?’
‘Exactly. Which is why we can’t.’
‘You actually believe that there’s a ‘we’.’
‘Don’t mess with me, River. I’m not in the mood.’
‘Oh, so you can disregard my feelings but I have to be sensitive about yours?? How fair is that, Dee?’
Destiny sighed. ‘I think I love you, River,’ she managed to say in a strained voice. ‘But I’m not so sure.’
‘Don’t mess around with me, Destiny. You say you don’t love me but you also say that you can’t see me as ‘just a friend’ either. What do you want, Destiny?’
‘I don’t know…’
‘That isn’t helping, Dee.’
Destiny threw her hands up in exasperation.
‘Well then I’m sorry, River! I’m sorry I can’t make your life easier while mine is slowly spiraling towards confusion! You want an answer? Here’s my answer: stay AWAY from me!’
And with that, she stomped away, grabbing her shoes on the way. She expected him to stop her. He didn’t.
‘Like I care anymore,’ she thought bitterly but unfortunately, she did.
She continued venting in her head until she stopped to sink onto a bench in a skateboarding park. She groaned as she buried her face in her hands.
‘Who am I kidding?’ she mumbled.
‘You know you’re messing with his head,’ a mischievous voice drawled right next to her.
‘You actually enjoy stalking me, don’t you, Keido?’ Destiny said coolly and raised her head to narrow her eyes at the annoying redhead.
‘What can I say? You’re quite interesting to watch,’ Keido said and looked up at the bleary sky.
‘What do you mean?’
‘C’mon! I’ve seen the way you always look at him!’
‘So you’re always looking at me?’
‘Oops! You caught me,’ he smirked, his eyes twinkled impishly.
‘Why me? And why now?’ she pondered. ‘Is it for the organization’s benefit? Or mine?’
‘It isn’t your fault, you know,’ said a familiar calm voice behind her. She sighed deeply as River sauntered over to her side but she continued to look ahead at the setting sun. The waves seemed to be the only thing in the picture that wasn’t tense.
‘We were all really stressed out back there,’ he continued when she didn’t respond. ‘The GroundUnders were large in number and all. I’d be scared and mess up too if I were-!’
‘I wasn’t scared,’ she cut in curtly. ‘And I didn’t mess up.’
River sighed and shuffled his feet uncomfortably. The setting sun painted a gorgeous departure for its onlookers; using soft pastel shades the colours seemed to meld into one another to form new, even more breath-taking hues.
‘Looks beautiful, doesn’t it?’ Destiny mused, hoping to break the awkward silence.
‘Yes, very,’ he murmured softly and she flinched. She could tell he wasn’t looking at the view and saying this.
‘River, this needs to be said,’ she said firmly and turned to face him. ‘You have to stop. Just…stop caring about me…’
‘You say it like it’s the easiest thing to do,’ he murmured, his eyes reflecting hurt.
‘I know it’s not! I just…you know it’s not that simple for me to-!’
‘To what? And since when has anything in our lives been simple, Destiny?’
‘Exactly. Which is why we can’t.’
‘You actually believe that there’s a ‘we’.’
‘Don’t mess with me, River. I’m not in the mood.’
‘Oh, so you can disregard my feelings but I have to be sensitive about yours?? How fair is that, Dee?’
Destiny sighed. ‘I think I love you, River,’ she managed to say in a strained voice. ‘But I’m not so sure.’
‘Don’t mess around with me, Destiny. You say you don’t love me but you also say that you can’t see me as ‘just a friend’ either. What do you want, Destiny?’
‘I don’t know…’
‘That isn’t helping, Dee.’
Destiny threw her hands up in exasperation.
‘Well then I’m sorry, River! I’m sorry I can’t make your life easier while mine is slowly spiraling towards confusion! You want an answer? Here’s my answer: stay AWAY from me!’
And with that, she stomped away, grabbing her shoes on the way. She expected him to stop her. He didn’t.
‘Like I care anymore,’ she thought bitterly but unfortunately, she did.
She continued venting in her head until she stopped to sink onto a bench in a skateboarding park. She groaned as she buried her face in her hands.
‘Who am I kidding?’ she mumbled.
‘You know you’re messing with his head,’ a mischievous voice drawled right next to her.
‘You actually enjoy stalking me, don’t you, Keido?’ Destiny said coolly and raised her head to narrow her eyes at the annoying redhead.
‘What can I say? You’re quite interesting to watch,’ Keido said and looked up at the bleary sky.
‘What do you mean?’
‘C’mon! I’ve seen the way you always look at him!’
‘So you’re always looking at me?’
‘Oops! You caught me,’ he smirked, his eyes twinkled impishly.
‘Don’t insult me. I’m nothing like my brother. But seriously, Destiny, before you start blaming River for making the moves on you, you ain’t no saint yourself in this mess you call a relationship.’
‘It’s NOT a relationship, Keido.’
‘Bull.’
‘Ugh! I can’t think with you idiots spying on me 24/7!’ Destiny snapped and caught sight of a 250cc Street Cruiser motorcycle with a phoenix silhouette imprinted on the hood. Vice’s insignia. She strolled over to it and hopped on gracefully.
‘Hey! That’s mine!’ Keido argued and dropped the pompous attitude as he sprung to his feet in alarm.
‘Walk. You could lose the weight,’ she remarked as she whirred the engine and sped off.
‘It’s NOT a relationship, Keido.’
‘Bull.’
‘Ugh! I can’t think with you idiots spying on me 24/7!’ Destiny snapped and caught sight of a 250cc Street Cruiser motorcycle with a phoenix silhouette imprinted on the hood. Vice’s insignia. She strolled over to it and hopped on gracefully.
‘Hey! That’s mine!’ Keido argued and dropped the pompous attitude as he sprung to his feet in alarm.
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