Burnt Skies || √

Sydney

River

“What about you? Do you like dimples?” I lean in slightly to see if she gets flustered.

“Did you not hear me? I said every sane girl.” She smirks and leans toward me too.

Okay, I did not see this coming.

This is why Alex is different.

“So you’d pick me right?” I continue.

“I didn’t say I was sane,” she grins.

“Oh come on Alex,” I hmph, giving up.

I let out a yawn, the tiredness from the week hitting me all at once.

“You should sleep if you don’t want to look like a zombie on your shoot,” Alex suggests.

I nod and close my eyes, leaning into the seat.

As I slowly slip into oblivion, I hear some light muttering.

“Of course, I’d pick you.”

A tiny smile makes its way onto my face as sleep takes over.

–

I awake just in time for dinner.

I glance at my shoulder when I feel some weight on it.

Alex sleeps sounds with one side of her cheek pressed onto my shoulder.

Cute.

“Alex? Are you awake?” I gently nudge her.

“No, I’m sleeping. Let me sleep.” she groans lightly.

“But they’re serving dinner, aren’t you hungry?”

“Food?” She instantly sits up straighter.

I chuckle at her actions and point toward the air hostess serving food to the passengers a few rows ahead of us.

“I’m starving.”

“Did you have a good nap? My shoulder is a little sore now,” I joke.

“Sorry about that,” she smiles sheepishly.

“Do you really like airplane food? I can barely manage to eat half the meal.” I shudder.

I do not like airplane food at all.

“It’s not the food that’s bad, it’s actually us. When we’re inside a space as pressurized as an airplane, our perception of sweetness and saltiness falters. Did you know they actually add up to 30% more sugar or salt to airline food?”

I stare at her dumbfoundedly.

“How do you even know that, it’s impressive,” I state.

“I like to read up on random facts.” she shrugs.

“But you still haven’t answered my question.”

“What question? Oh, do I like airplane food? It’s not the best, but tolerable enough,”

I nod in agreement.

Soon our meals are served and we eat in comfortable silence.

“I have a question,” Alex states.

“Shoot.”

“If you had to pick one from skydiving, bungee jumping, or scuba diving, what would you pick?”

“Neither,” I reply immediately.

“What? Why?”

“Well, I’m not a fan of heights so sky diving and bungee jumping are a no-go, and I’d rather not swim in the feces of a million animals.”

“You are no fun.” She states and turns back to her food.

“What would you pick?”

“I can’t pick one, they’re all very mesmerizing.”

Mesmerizing? I’m not sure that is the way to describe life-threatening actions people take in the name of ‘fun’. Seriously, if you wanna have fun go watch a movie or play some basketball if you need the adrenaline. 

“Okay yeah, you’re weird,” I conclude.

“I didn’t know I was the one scared of heights and water,” she chuckles.

“Let’s move on. Ask me something else,” I state, wanting nothing more than to stray away from this conversation.

“If you weren’t a model, then what would you be?” she asks.

“Probably an agent for another model or a manager of some sort,” I reply after giving it some thought.

“Why?”

“Well I quite like this industry, I’m not sure if I could fit myself in any of the other ones even if I tried to.”

“Makes sense,” she nods.

“What about you?”

“An attorney,” she instantly replies.

“Why so?”

“Well for one everyone in my family is a lawyer or a prosecutor, and I have a degree in law too,” she explains.

“You have a degree in Law?” I ask surprised.

She nods.

“Both my parents wanted me to become an attorney and for a while, even I believed that. But I knew I was lying to both myself and them, so I decided to call it quits.”

“And now you’re an amazing photographer. Is that the reason you don’t get along with your parents?”

“My parents are still pissed about my decision, but they need to realize that I’m a different person than them. They can’t put their dreams upon me.”

It’s not easy going against your parents’ wishes and I admire Alex for that. Not everyone has the guts to change their career entirely. I just hope that one day, her parents can see the love their daughter holds for photography and how much depth is in each photograph that she captures.

----

Hey, I literally yawned when I re read the part about River yawning.

I was reading through something and I came across this idea/concept that there's a career that your brain wants and there's another career that you heart wants or in another words, a career that you'd pursue if money wasn't an issue. What would your 2 careers be?

Take care.

~Sky