The noon sun shone through the thin curtains and I opened them to let the light in, I had begun to play teenage dream by Katy Perry on my phone as I made some waffles; dancing on my own and singing along while beating the batter and pouring it into the waffle maker. I turned around to set the messy bowl in the kitchen sink just as my gaze met River's and I dropped the bowl in shock, had he really seen all of that?
"River," I spoke awkwardly, incredibly flustered,
"Armani," River replied with a slight smirk that confirmed my earlier theory,
"Do you um— want breakfast?" I asked with a shy smile, and River raised a condescending eyebrow at the eggs I'd cracked earlier.
"Relax." I laughed opening the fridge and grabbing the carton of almond milk and an apple, "I can make the rabbit-safe version."
"Seems fair considering what you did last night." He commented and his eyes twinkled with amusement, "Those mushrooms took forever to make."
I turned around and took a bite out of my Granny Smith apple before he could see the flush begin to spread in my cheeks. Just then he got up and stared me down, his gaze shifting over my body and I suddenly remembered that I'm only wearing a shirt and underwear. I pulled down my shirt even though I knew he could barely see anything regardless. River bent his head down and took a bite out of my apple.
"I like your outfit." He smirked playfully before laughing at my embarrassment. "I'm going to take a shower."
I went online and looked for a vegan waffle recipe and I found the one that looked the least complicated and began to mix all the ingredients together, but for some reason, it was much harder to make. I spent half an hour trying to make the waffles. I groaned in frustration and nearly lost my shit. if only I could just get it right.
"Hey, calm down." River interrupted looking at me from the corner of the room, "I'll make them." He offered gently taking the bowl away from my grip.
"It's just really complicated okay!" I condemned,
"Sure," River said sceptically, deciding to make the waffles on his own, and I realised that he was actually a really good cook.
We sat down at the kitchen counter and begun to eat our breakfast and all the while I couldn't help but think about how just last night he'd had me splayed on this very counter with his tongue down my throat. I banished the thought from my mind before it wandered any further.
"Who's your favourite artist?" I asked trivially taking a sip from my coffee mug,
"I don't think I have one." River shrugged,
"Oh come on, every artist has their own art god that they kinda turn to for inspiration." I clarified, "For example mine is Loïs Mailou Jones, she's such an underrated black female artist and she reminds me that even when the whole world is against you that you can still prevail."
“If I wanted inspiration I would look in the mirror.” He stated plainly.
“You mean look within?” I countered.
“No.” He clarified, “The mirror.”
“Okay…”
"If I wanted inspiration I would look to things and not people, things that aren't man-made like the Seine," River told me,
"You're such a weirdo River, honestly." I laughed,
"It's hot, let's go for a swim in the lake,"
"No," River refused just as I expected him to,
"Come on, why not?" I asked and he doesn't even look up at me when he says,
"I'm not interested." He shrugged,
"No one will know the deep dark secret that you had fun for once in your life." I encouraged, but it was no use.
"Suit yourself, I'm going anyway," I assured him, venturing to my room to change into my swimsuit before grabbing a towel and heading back outside.
In recent days, the weather had been so warm, the air was so velvety on your skin. From the moment the sun filtered over the peaks, it was so soothing until it took its rest. On the most comfortable of breezes, clouds floated by, inspiring our eyes to embrace the bluebird sky all the more. When it fell, the autumn breeze alit as gently as a ballet dancer's shoes, embellishing and rejuvenating the only stage that counted.
I made my way into the cool water, diving beneath the marine into my own little underwater world. I swam fast and far into the lake before I heard River calling out to me.
