"You're an ass River Kennedy." I cursed. I never cursed out loud. He was already fucking with my head.
"That's exactly what I wanted, for you to be angry, annoyed-anythingbut that pathetic blissful grin you have on your face all the time." He told me, and I paused at first in confusion, but kept walking away from him.
"Not good enough!" I shouted back.
"Do you think that I'm going to chase you?" River scoffed incredulously, "Because I will not."
"Good," I replied, walking further away from him. “That makes all of this so much easier.”
Just then, his footsteps began to follow me, just like I knew they would.
"What the hell do you want me to say?" He asked, and I stopped and turned to face him, frustrated.
"I want you to admit that you were completely fucking wrong, River. I want you to apologize." I professed, and he stiffened, tightening his jaw. He remained silent, his tall, dark silhouette in an almost inhumane stillness. If he felt anything, he sure as hell wasn't letting it show.
"Okay, that's fine, stay silent, you won't mind if I leave and we never speak to each other again?" I retorted. I knew that my words meant nothing and that they were spilling out of me like word vomit.
River then looked down, he disarmed himself, and I could almost see a brick falling out of the wall he’d built around himself. He took a deep, strangled breath.
"Let's just talk, okay?" He sighed, and I knew that’d be the most I’d get out of him tonight. Perhaps in his own way, he saw his wrong. That's all I could hope for.
"Thank you, I appreciate it." I remarked sarcastically, "And of course, we can,"
We took a walk through the park in silence at first, admiring the scenery. Parc Monceau was undeniably beautiful, with tall ancient-looking arcs and black and gold gates concealing it. There was a carousel with reds, pinks and whites hidden amongst a grove of tall elderly oaks that'd bent over as if to greet us. I glanced over at River. He didn't seem to be as entranced by our surroundings as I was. He wasn't looking at Parc Monceau. He was looking down at me.
"So, will you do it?" I asked, "Will you teach me?"
"Depends..." he anticipated, his voice slow and sweet like melting honey.
"On what?" I wondered impatiently.
"If you're willing to stop being such a smart ass." He told me, and I sighed, learning that he couldn’t help but be an asshole. “Despite whatever you may believe, you don’t actually know everything.”
“And you do?” I retorted and he gives me a weak smirk,
“I know enough.” He concluded, his eyes twinkling in the cunning moonlight.
"So let me get this straight, in your eyes, A woman being outspoken makes her a smart ass?" I scoffed, and his eyes gleamed with mischief,
"No, unfortunately, that's just you." He quipped, leaning in close enough that I could make out his earthy scent.
"Whatever, do we have a deal?" I asked, reaching my hand out to shake his, but he just glared at me.
"Only if you tell me something that no one else knows about you." River requested, and I stopped in my tracks.
"You want my grown-ass to tell you a secret?" I asked with a slight laugh.
"Call it whatever you want, but as I said– I want to know who you are when no one's watching."
"I'm just an artist, like everyone else." I insisted.
"You're more than that, and you fucking know it." He persisted, and I sighed, racing through my memory files to find something real to tell him. “Modesty is an unconvincing disguise on you.”
"How do I know I can trust you?" I quirked, and he rolled his perfect blue eyes.
"You don't." He disclosed. “That's exactly what makes this rather amusing.”
“River, all you’re doing is playing games–” I refuted, slightly insulted,
