Just then I heard footsteps making their way into the attic and almost immediately I untangled myself from River.
"Is anyone down here we're back!" Merilla’s voice called just as she stumbled upon us a little too close, this was averycompromising situation.
"Hi!" I exclaimed, fluffing my hair back into position, I probably looked like I'd ran a marathon.
And maybe in a way I did, just didn't burn as many calories.
"Hey, what are you guys doing alone in this dark creepy secluded attic?" Mer asked suspiciously still in her hiking gear.
"Uh, nothing just checking out the books," I replied and she gave me a condescending glare,
"Checking out the books....in the dark?" She retorted,
"Sure," River replied and I narrowed my eyes at him,
"Look, you guys aresolucky that I walked down here and not one of the others." Mer stated placing a hand on her hip, "If you're going to keep whatever's going on between you two a secret— then you need to get better at suppressing your little cravings." She warned before making her way back upstairs.
It reallywasgetting harder and harder to curb my newly awakened appetite for all things River Kennedy.
And something told me that old habits really do die hard.
Chapter 13
When We Were Younger
IAWOKEinthemiddle of the night, my thoughts swam with images I couldn't quite explain. My mind was up and running and clearly had no intention of sparing me a good night's sleep. I slipped out of my bedsheets and left Gene fast asleep, I wasn't quite fond of her but I still didn't want to be as malicious as to wake her when she'd spared me the experience earlier that day.
I made my way into the kitchen and put some warm milk onto the stove to heat it up in the hopes that it'd help me rest. I poured the milk into a glass and found my way to the outside porch to bathe in the moonlight and clear my head. I sat on the porch swing and took a sip from my glass. I almost didn't hear River when he walked onto the porch and loomed over me blocking the moonlight.
"Who in their right mind drinks milk?" He asked and I rolled my eyes at him,
"My bad I didn't mean to upset the rabbit king and his empire of carrots and tofu." I scoffed and he smiled in amusement before sitting down next to me and watching the night sky just as I did.
Sometimes I couldn't help but feel like I was nothing but a nuisance to him, like while I relished his presence he merely tolerated mine. Like he only hung out with me because he felt like he had to because he felt pity for me. It was a thought I didn't often want to entertain but it crept up on me when I least expected it. I gazed down at my glass and then at the silver cross around River's neck, he was almost always wearing it.
"My parents are Catholics." River said breaking the empty silence, "My mother gave it to me when I was twelve at my baptism."
“You didn’t have to tell me that.” I reminded him.
“I wanted to.” He insisted, his captivating eyes holding my gaze, pinning me in place.
"Are you religious yourself?" I asked and I'd actually been meaning to ask for a while actually.
“I do not think so…” he wavered, seeming confused.
“My family is extremely religious and I went to church every Sunday when I was a child and all throughout my teenage years.” I disclosed, “What about you?”
"Well, I was once," River replied, playing with the silver cross between his fingers.
“You’re incredibly vague, Kennedy,” I told him.
“Is that so?” He bantered.
"Sometimes I feel like you merely tolerate me." I finally let slip, I couldn'tnotsay how I felt anymore.
River tilted my chin so I was looking him in the eye, his hypnotic sapphire eyes more stern than I'd ever seen them,
"That's not true," River assured me and I wanted to believe him, I wanted to.
