The Time It Takes To Fall

An Outpouring of Joy

USA, 2019 A.D.

"I think it's a good thing you snubbed him," Iko dipped a fry into a mound of ketchup that lay upon her burger wrappings. Her nose wrinkled as she chewed the potato shred, but she continued to eat them in spite of this. "There's something... off about him. He's not telling you the truth about himself."

"You think I don't know that?" Cinder asked, dipping her own fries in ranch and relishing the combination of flavors. "I know that there's something mysterious about him, whether it be his weird connections to that lost prince or not— but I don't care."

Iko nudged her remaining fries toward Cinder and rolled her eyes. Her nails were painted a deep blue color that matched almost perfectly the shade of her hair. "Look, I get that he's a dreamboat, Cinder. He's definitely really hot and that's always a plus but-"

"This has nothing to do with how hot he is!" Cinder exclaimed, chomping defiantly upon a golden brown fry. "I couldn't care less how he looks. He's kind to me— he cares about me and I know that for a fact. He drove me all the way to Seattle for crying out loud. He treats me like I'm loveable..." Her words trailed off as her memories slipped to Kai: the warmth of his eyes and the gentleness in his smile.

"I should have been the one to take you to Seattle," Iko grumbled, but Cinder ignored her.

Cinder shifted her gaze out toward the tiny window, staring out at the clear blue sky— it had been a while since she'd seen one. The color brightened her mood somewhat and she was suddenly struck with an idea.

"Iko," Cinder whispered, her words hushed yet excited. "I really truly like him. I know-" Cinder shot her best friend a glare, stopping her words before they could exit her already opened mouth "-that you have mixed feelings about him, but I don't. I really like him, Iko."

"Then why'd you snub him if you like him so much?" Iko quirked up an eyebrow, her lips pursed in an almost agitated way.

"Because I was upset," Cinder glared, feeling resentment beginning to pool within her chest. Cinder had never once during all their years of friendship fought with Iko, but in that moment she felt a boiling rage within her directed at her friend. "And I was embarrassed that he'd seen me and my family like that. I just wanted to be alone; that's perfectly natural."

Iko scoffed and rolled her eyes. Her arms were folded across her chest and her nose was slanted up toward the ceiling as if Cinder was something beneath her.

"What?" Cinder growled, digging her nails into her palms.

"I don't want to be mean," Iko said, her tone not entirely reflective of her words. "But do you think that maybe you're just into him because he's the first guy who's ever shown you any sort of attention?"

Cinder's mouth fell open, but she was at an entire loss for words. Did Iko really think so little of her as a person? Or was there some sliver of truth within her words? Was she only into Kai because he was nice to her? Was that even a bad thing—to like someone because they were kind?

Iko let out a sigh and reached a hand across the table, placing it on top of Cinder's. "Cinder, I'm sorry— that came out wrong. It's not like you're not deserving of every guys' attention, you just tend to push people away before they even have a fighting chance of catching your eye."

Moving her hand out of Iko's grasp, Cinder chewed on her bottom lip. Sure, she wasn't exactly the happy, flirty ball of sunshine that Iko was, but she wasn't exactly throwing bricks at people either. She loved others quietly, and if people wanted to know her better, she always allowed them that choice; Kai had just been the first person to choose.