cigarette ☞ n.g

three

"where are you off to, mary-kate?"

she purses her lips together, almost regretting telling a stranger her name. but she knew his, did that even change anything?

she stares at him without saying anything. no one had to know where she was going but herself. all she knew was that this was an important trip. and she was going to leave omaha one way or another.

she just shrugs, twisting her lips off to one side of her face.

"you don't know where you're going? or do you just not want to tell me?"

"i don't know." she says softly. "i don't even know why i'm doing this."

"doing what?"

she remains silent for a few more moments, crossing her feet and letting out a deep breath. she knew that only thinking about it would her cry. and she didn't want to cry in front of trash.

she almost giggled at the pet name she created for him.

she shrugs again, for about the thousandth time that day. she didn't know him long enough to tell him why, and even if she did it would take a lot of explaining. too much.

"i can't tell you." she says finally. "at least not now."

"then i'll wait." he sits back, slumping in his chair. "i got time."

she twists her lips. she did that a lot; and she knew she did. it was kind of a habit.

he bites down on his bottom lip, trying his best not to look at her. but he was afraid that if he didn't he'd forget her features; as stupid as that sounded.

"do you have some sort of staring problem?"

mary-kate didn't mean for it to come out as harsh as it did; but it was okay, because nash knew. he smiled with closed lips, nodding slightly.

"maybe. i'm working on it."

she nodded, looking back out the window. nash continued to stare at her; he watched the muscles in her face shift from one position to the other, and the way her collar-bone moved when she turned her head.

everyone's collar-bone moves that way. he thought.

he took in a sharp breath, thinking of something to say to her that would end the awkward silences that kept forming between them. he wanted to know her, so much. which was quite odd to him; he never just met someone at a terminal then all of a sudden wanted to know them. and he hoped the feeling was mutual.

"where are you off to, trash?" she mocked, beating him to saying something first. he chuckled, mostly out of gladness that she had said something first. because if he did, he'd probably say something like "your collar-bone is so intriguing".

he nods, not even knowing why. she knits her eyebrows together, he knew that she noticed how stupid he must've looked. he laughed; burying his head into his hands.

"uh, new york." he says through his chuckles that we're beginning to die down.

her smile almost faded, and he noticed. his body tenses up, regretting almost everything he'd just said. but he didn't even know what he did wrong.

he sat up straight, looking at her and trying to read her - but he couldn't. it was almost impossible to read her, he thought.

"d-did i do something-"

"no." he cuts him off almost instantly. taking in a deep breath, and exhaling a few seconds after. she purses her lips into a weary smile and looks back to him. "it's fine."

it's not fine.

he knew that there was something she wasn't telling him. then again, why would she tell him anything. she didn't know him, except for the fact that his name was nash grier and that he was off to new york, as was she. but he didn't need to know that. even though it wasn't even a secret.

"are you sure?"

he couldn't think of anything else to say to her, and he didn't want to urge her into anything. she nods, looking away from him. he nodded, even though he knew she couldn't see him.

"yes, trash. i'm sure." she giggles. the sound brought nothing but pure pleasure to nash's ears, which made him smile. the effect that she had on him was all so foreign; but he wasn't complaining.