There

Grow or Fall?

I did not really expect us to talk THAT much, but we did. What was more interesting to me was the fact that there was so much to talk about, specially now we were face to face, with just coffee cups between us.

"That's not possible!" Watson said in disbelief, shaking her head as she waited for my confirmation.

"But it was, and I tell you, it was not a great experience. Spicy to say the least." I stuck my tongue out remembering the horrid moment we were talking about. Well, to be fair to Watson, it was my horrid moment anyway. I was telling her of a time when I was still a very young, naive, and careless high school student. The story went like this, I was walking home one day, and I do remember that it was raining then. I was singing too, yeah how cliche, but while singing, devastatingly, a fly flew into my mouth. And that was what Watson was ogling about as we talked.

"Yep, but Parker that's just gross." Laughing now she tried to still look sane as her voice grew louder. This was when I had discovered that Watson could laugh super loud. We could be in an empty auditorium or gymnasium and be at both ends away from each other, and I would still hear her laugh if she did.

"Hey, you said you love spicy food." Shrugging and smiling slightly, I chuckled as I watched her face form a frown. I laughed louder as I noticed that she was trying to pinch my arm. It was too comical to me, and she finally stopped as we both closed the conversation in more laughter.

As we had calmed down, I suddenly saw a flicker of concern or worry flash across her face as she bit her lower lip anxiously. I grew concerned, and as I was about to open my mouth, her words silenced me.

"Parker, um, what do you believe about love? I mean in relationships, not what we believe as basic. Love in the romantic sense." The oh so direct Watson was now staring off into the night sky as she spoke each of these carefully delivered words. This did not make the answer to her question come quicker however, as I was definitely stunned and unprepared for it. So, I did what I always did when I spoke with Watson, I didn't hold anything back.

"You do know my explanation will be pretty long." I said trying to divert her from the topic, or stall her for more time.

"That's why I love talking with you Parker, you're so animated when you explain things." She stared at me again, resting her chin on her hands as they laid flat on the table.

"Oh fine." I sighed as she giggled and waited anxiously for me to continue. "You know, I really despise the saying 'fall in love'. It's a complete mislead on what we should acknowledge as true love. We all know that falling is uncontrollable, it's unpredictable, and when you fall, you are indeed bound to get hurt. So I do think that we shouldn't use the term at all. Well, people like us with that belief I mean." I ended quickly as I looked nervously at Watson and her reaction. She simply had nodded and looked at me once more with inquiry written across her face. 

"Then, what term do you think we should use Parker, for people like us who think 'falling in love' is a haphazard event?" She smiled again slightly leaning her head to the left as she probably knew how I was going to answer her question.

"We change one word in that statement." I tell her directly as I look straight into her eyes.

"Yes, and that would be?" She asked again now leaning her head on the other side.

"Falling. We change that to a more suitable word, a word that I know, you know, is directly connected to a relationship with a good percent of romantic love." I ease into my seat and finish the cup of coffee in front of me. Watson sat up and looked at me in the most peculiar way. Her eyes forming smiles of their own as she took her coffee cup and suddenly nudged mine with it.

"Cheers Parker, we change falling into?" Drawing me out again with her famous leading questions, I quickly replied this time as I cleared my voice with a cough.

"Growing, we change it into growing Watson, so when you finally know, you've not fallen into love, but grown into it. Which now really expands on the right cultivation of that love." I couldn't help but expound again as I notice Watson stifling a giggle. She reached out and pinched my arm and smiled as she finished her cup of coffee too.

"Grow or fall Parker, if it's not true love, the love that's just meant to be..." She had started to say but I finished her statement as I had the strongest feeling, of knowing what she wanted to say.

"It won't matter at all." I say quietly as she nodded in agreement. Though our conversation took an unexpected twist I just smiled back and said the first thing that came into my mind. "We sure can talk about anything, right Watson?"

Now fully giggling back she clinked our cups again and looked directly into my eyes, a connection seemingly established between us as I knew of the confidence behind her words. We would always be like this, and she knew that even that would not change, grow or fall.