FALLING [social media serie] PAUSED.

69: reality

It was already our last night in Italy. It's crazy how four days passes so fast when you're having fun. When I come to think about it; this whole thing is passing by too quickly. I feel like it was just yesterday that Luis messaged me and got me this job. I mean, can I really call it a job?

"You know I miss you," Luis decided to FaceTime us and we were just saying our goodbyes. "We'll call you tomorrow once we landed in Switzerland."

"Oh, please don't. I'd kill to go ride with you."

"One day! Bye Luis!"

"What do you want to do?" Jacob asked after hanging up. I shrugged, yawning. "Let's just order room service and watch the third movie of the saga."

—

We started a Fast and Furious movie marathon last week, but we didn't really get far.

"Can I ask you a question?" I lifted my head, so our eyes could meet. "What's up?"

"It's about your parents," he quickly said. I paused the movie. There's no way in hell I'm missing any Paul Walker scenes. "What do you want to know?"

"Everything. What did they do? Where were they from? Were they happily married?"

I sighed. "My mother was born in New York, where she worked there as a lawyer. I don't remember much about my father, but from the stories my mother told me; he appeared to be a great man."

"What did he do?"

"Pilot."

Jacob suddenly got a look in his eyes. He's holding back in some questions. I bite the inside of my cheek. He is my boyfriend and the need to know more about me is understandable. Couples are supposed to know these sort of things, right?

"My father died in a plane crash when I was one. That's why I barely remember him. Now, my mother is a different story. After my father's death, she did everything for me. There was not a single day where I wasn't cared for. With time, we started to take care of each other until she couldn't anymore. There was a tumor growing outside of her brain and when the doctors detected it; it was too late. They removed a small part of it, but it continued to develop. She died when I was eighteen. My aunt and uncle took me in."

"I'm sorry that happened to you," he said.

"Yeah, me too."

He sighed, "What was your best childhood memory with your mother?"

I smiled, "It's weird to say, but my birthdays. Every single one of them. She used to throw a family barbecue and everyone would bring something to the table. My aunt wanted to keep the tradition going for my nineteenth birthday, but she couldn't do it. I don't blame her. I lost a mother, but she lost a sister."

"How can you be so selfless?"

I snorted. "Raised that way, baby." He laughed, and then he sat straight up. "Wait a second. When is your birthday?"

"April third."

"That's next week!"

"Yeah? We shouldn't make a big deal out of it. I don't celebrate my birthday anymore."

The conversation ended for the night. We continued to watch the movie in comfortable silence.