Roses And Daggers

Comfortable Silence

"Thank you, Mrs. Rocher," Zeke smiled. He was the perfect boy Mrs. Rocher could wish for, for Victoria. He was polite, and took great care of her. Poor girl, she had been through so much. She deserved happiness. Rebecca Rocher watched them leave, and wondered how long this would last.

"What do you wanna do now?" Zeke asked. Today was Friday, so date night. Zeke was here to pick her up at Clark Street. It was a beautiful night and Victoria was dressed in casual jeans and a T- shirt. They weren't actually dating, so what was the point of going out of the way to look good? Apparently, Zeke felt the same way. 

Victoria shrugged. "Whatever."

"You wanna eat?"

"Nah, I'm not hungry."

"Uhm... you wanna go catch a movie?"

"Nope, I don't feel like it."

"So what do you wanna do?" Zeke asked, exasperated.

"I don't know... you suggest something. I am terribly indecisive."

"I can see that." He gripped his wheel and leaned forward. They were still parked out side the house. Well, as I mentioned, it was a beautiful night, and it should not be wasted. Zeke turned to her, cocking his head sideways. "Alright, how about I show you something? You're gonna like it."

Victoria looked at him quizzically. "What is it?"

Zeke grinned, his eyes shining brightly. "The stars."

Victoria raised an eyebrow. "Really? It sounds cool."

"It is. You'll see." 

They drove for a considerably long time, taking turns which Victoria was unfamiliar with. "Is it out of town?" she inquired. 

"Kinda, it's near the suburbs. Don't worry, we are about to reach in a few minutes." Zeke looked as excited as a child on Christmas morning.

Victoria looked outside the window in awe. The crowded streets of Chicago were replaced by open fields and starlit skies. The apartment buildings gradually dissolved into individual houses and small cottages. Zeke chuckled at her expression and pulled into a large field. The both stepped out and Victoria looked around. Zeke led her to a spot in front of the car. "Now, lay on your back and look up."

They both lay down and Victoria gasped. "No way."

The night sky was full of stars. They shone brightly against the dark night, a pretty rare sight in today's world. The moon sparkled with a creamy glow. The moonlight danced in the air and crickets chirped from the trees. The grass beneath them was green and wet with dew. The fields were fenced with bushes and trees and occasional daisies and violets sprouted among the grown grass. They lay side by side, the tips of their fingers almost touching.

Zeke breathed, a soft smile on his face. His eyes held a lot of emotion and it took all of Victoria's effort to not reach out and touch his cheek. "My little sister loved this place. Our dad used to bring us here."

Victoria felt like he had just let slip something important and personal, but she could not figure out what. This place felt magical. Beneath the light of a thousand stars, lying on the grass in an empty field- this was like a dream. There was something in the air; there were no secrets here.

"Can I ask you something?" Zeke twisted his torso to face her.

"Sure, go on, what's up?"

"It's kinda personal though... why do you live with your aunt?" Zeke had assumed that it was because her parents were vacationing somewhere, or that she was sent to live with them. But now, he doubted it.

It sure was very personal, but Victoria answered. She could tell him. Right?

"Well, um, my parents are dead. It was a car accident a few years ago."

Zeke winced. Whatever he was expecting, it wasn't this.

"Yeah, I know. I didn't deal with it well. I don't think I do so even now. I- I am not blonde. I have brown hair, but I dyed it after they passed."
Victoria flipped her hair to the other side to show the brown roots. Zeke just looked at her with wide eyes. Victoria continued.
"Everything was happening so fast, I did not want to remember that night, so I changed everything about me. And for a while, I went crazy. I turned into a bitch."

Zeke didn't know what to say. He had been so wrapped up in his own life, he didn't realise that Victoria might have been dealing with something too. They had never been so vulnerable with each other. He just put his arm around her and squeezed her shoulder. "I am so sorry," he whispered. 

Victoria smiled. "It's alright." They spent the rest of the night in comfortable silence, both wondering if they had been wrong. But one thing was sure, something inside them had changed. This had become more than a dumb game.

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I am sorry for the short chapters, but I am not sure how to continue them. So it will be a great help if any of you could drop a few suggestions. Also, I promise the next few chapters will be a lot more interesting. Thank you!