I feel flushed all over. We don't talk much in the car. That's because I turn on the radio as soon as we get in, and then turn to look out the window. They're playing Al Green. Hughes taps his fingertips to it on the steering wheel. I look at him. He's wearing a pale pink beanie. I take note of the mole on his cheek. I could almost pretend it's 10 years ago, and he's driving me to an errand, or to a friend's house for another shit high school party, or to the library for an assignment, wherever. A large part of our friendship was because he drove me everywhere. I'm joking, but not really.

I take out my phone subtly and click a picture of him. He glares at me sideways. "Don't."

"It turned out cute, shut up." I say, smiling at my phone. It did turn out very cute. But then again, I think he's cute all the time.

*

There's only one or two other people there to watch the waterfall. It's freezing, though, and I curse violently as I feel the icy wind wash over my face. I dig my hands into the pockets of my coat. Hughes appears unaffected. We walk to the railing and stand in silence for a few moments as we gaze out at the majestic scene in front of us.

The waterfall by itself is enough to take my breath away, but it's getting to be around evening time now, so the sun is setting as well. Together, they make for a scene straight out of a dream.

And Hughes is here. In his stupid pink beanie. Standing next to me, our arms touching. I think I might very well be dreaming. I lean my head on his side. After a moment, his arm comes up around my shoulders. And it's so natural. It feels so good. This simple moment – it just feels like fucking heaven. Is this too much to ask for?

"Sabine."

"Mhm?"

"What are you gonna do?" Hughes asks me.

I turn my face up to look at him. "What do you mean?"

"With the baby and all." Hughes' arm falls away from around me. "I don't know the whole story, but I think you came here to get away. Didn't you?"

I sigh. I face away from him. It's nice to look at the rushing waters. You forget you're living in a human body when you look at something so powerful and grand like that.

After a moment, Hughes asks:

"Does the father know?"

"No." I reply.

"Are you planning on telling him?"

"...No."

Hughes touches my arm, turning me around. "You can't raise a kid all by yourself, Sabine. You need someone else's help. How are you going to balance work and the kid and everything else?" A wrinkle has appeared in his forehead. I want to reach out and smooth it out. "And you're just 25." His tone is gentle, but I can sense the urgency he's feeling.

"Hughes." I say slowly, trying to calm him down. "There's plenty of single parents out there. Plus, like, daycares and stuff. And who said I'm by myself? I have my friends, and my family, my sister's there – and I've saved up. You know how I'm around money, right?" I laugh. "I'm gonna be fine, seriously."

Hughes lets out a strained breath. He's looking at me, but he's thinking about something else.

"What are you thinking about?" I ask him.

"I'm just ... fucking worried, Sabine." He says, biting down on his bottom lip.

"What for?" I chuckle. I step closer, look up at him directly. "I'm okay, Hughes. Everything's okay."

Hughes looks like he's somewhere else again. I can see that he's thinking hard. The wrinkle's back. I laugh. This time I do reach out and press my fingertips over his forehead.

"Stop thinking so hard." I say. "It doesn't suit you."

Hughes bats my hand off, grabbing it in his own. "Sabine."

"I think you need to be someplace warm." I suggest softly. "Let's go back, yeah?"

Hughes exhales, shakes his head. I grab him by the arm of his coat and we start walking back to his car.

*

"Listen," he says, as he pulls into the driveway of Maryann's house. I look to him. His lower lip is all banged up because he keeps bothering it with his teeth. Hughes meets my eyes. "How long are you planning on staying here, with Maryann?"

I look ahead, at Maryann's house, with its dark blue roof, the attic window with the cross shaped panes, and I shudder a little. "Not long." I say. "I love Mary, but her house scares me a little. I think I'll either find an apartment around here somewhere, or, you know, go back."

"Back ... home?" Hughes asks.

"Yeah." I say. "My sister keeps calling, telling me to come live with her for a while. But, like, I don't like her roommates, so, no, thank you. I can get my own place, obviously. And I think Benji would actually move out of our old apartment if I asked him to – but I don't wanna live there anymore. And I definitely don't want to face Benji. So, I mean, I don't really know..."

As I'm speaking, I'm starting to realize just how disorganized I am. Hughes' anxiety starts to make sense to me now. If I'm going to bring this kid into this world, I can't afford all these I don't knows.

Hughes nods. "Can I, um, say something?"

"No." I say. "Absolutely not."

"You can move in with me, if you'd like."

"What?!" I almost laugh, but I see that he's serious, so I don't.

"It's just a suggestion – "

"No, Hughes, abso-fucking-lutely not."

"Okay, whoa, why not?" Hughes asks defensively.

"Jesus, dude, I'm not gonna live with you. I can't. I'm not putting myself through that." I say, gesticulating wildly, because this should be fucking obvious to him at this point.

"What are you talking about?" Hughes asks, eyes wide, frustrated and confused. 

"Is that a serious question?" I ask. "Like, seriously, Hughes?"

Hughes just looks at me. "What, what? Just tell me, instead of asking me if I'm serious."

I exhale in disbelief. "I don't want to. Okay? If you're really that dense, maybe it's for the best that you stay that way." I start unbuckling my seatbelt.

"Hey!" Hughes calls out. "Sabine!"

But I'm already out of the car. It's drizzling and I hurry up to Maryann's doorstep. Hughes gets out of the car and catches up with me as I'm putting the key in the door.

"Sabine, you can't just run away from a discussion like that." Hughes says, standing irritatingly close as I try to unlock the fucking door.

"Well, that is exactly what I'm doing, so fuck you."

"Why are you so angry all the time!"

"I'm not!" I snap. I look at him, my hand still on the key. "You just piss me off so goddamn much."

"I didn't even do anything to you, man! I took you shopping for curtains today. I came over the other day and cooked for you – "

"That was for me and Maryann."

"No, it fucking wasn't." Hughes shoots back. "I was just tryna get on your good side, you idiot."

"Why do you want to? Why do you care?" I throw the question at him. "Do you even realize how many times I've tried to cut you out of my life, Hughes? A hundred fucking times, at least. But you always just come back. Do you think you're Taylor Swift, huh? Or are you a ghost? Just always looming there in the background of my life, waiting to pop up and go boo!"

"You're so goddamn frustrating, Sabine, do you know that? Sometimes I just want to make you shut up so bad – even for a second, if you just stopped talking – "

"Oh, I'm so sorry I have such a big mouth – "

"Apology not accepted, jackass."

"And that I actually express my emotions – "

Hughes starts laughing very obnoxiously. "You? Expressing emotions?" He gets all up in my face. "You're the most emotionally stunted woman I've met in my life."

Oh, my god. I want to kiss him right now. I think I will literally start levitating like a helium balloon otherwise.

"You want me to kiss you?"

"What." I spit the word out. Did I fucking say that out loud?

"You look like you want me to kiss you."

Oh, so I didn't say it out loud. Still, what the fuck.

Then he does. This son of a bitch. There is no grace in it whatsoever. He just puts his hands on my waist, and pulls me in. His lips aren't soft. But he tastes like strawberry gum. It's not bad. I pull away, just to take a look at his face, and he looks thoroughly disoriented. I kiss him. I put my hands on either side of his face and pull him into me, against Maryann's front door.

Then the door clicks open, and we fall through.