Our conversation had started out as a simple question, followed by another, which we quickly turned into a game. The rules were simple. Ask any question and the other had to answer it without going off topic. We'd been at it for hours, but I wanted to know everything about him.
“Okay, my turn,” I said, reaching for the open bottle of wine in Aiden's hand. He handed to me and I sipped directly out of the bottle. “Favorite junk food.”
“French fries,” Aiden instantly answered.
“Any specific brand? Or are you a french fry snob?”
“Any kind.” He turned his face to me in the darkness and I could just make out the outline of his smile in the dark. “I probably shouldn't tell you this, but french fries are my kryptonite.”
“I'll keep that in mind the next time I need to trap you so you don't foil my evil plots,” I teased, taking another sip of wine. It was going straight to my head and making me deliciously tipsy.
“Ah, but then I'd just eat my way to freedom,” he countered. I laughed, imagining a fence made out for french fries keeping Aiden pinned until he gnawed his way out.
“My turn,” Aiden said, taking the bottle from me. “How did you know you wanted to be a lawyer?”
“My sister,” I answered. I didn't even have to think on that one. It was in the essay I was writing for my application.
“Go on,” he encouraged, taking a sip for himself. “I'm curious to know why you would choose a career known to be evil.”
I stuck my tongue out at him and said the first thing that popped in my head. “You're evil.”
He laughed and handed me the bottle. “This is true. Have some more wine and tell me why you want to join the dark side.”
I shook my head and took the bottle.
“My little sister wasn't an easy child. She was always pushing the envelope on what she could get away with. I'm her big sister, so I'm supposed to look out for her, protect her.” I explained. “As a kid, I took that to mean I should get her out of trouble. I would go in front of my parents and present arguments and evidence showing how the broken lamp was an accident or that the dog really did look better with the haircut. It was my dream ever since.”
Aiden kissed my temple. “You sound like a good big sister. That's the best reason I've heard to be a lawyer.”
A good big sister, maybe, but I certainly wasn't a lawyer. Guilt weighed heavy on my conscience. I had been very careful not to say I was a lawyer, but I never said I wasn't one either. I tried to convince myself that I wasn't lying to him because he had never actually asked if I was a lawyer, but I wasn't having much success. I felt like a liar. A big, fat one. A lie of omission was still a lie, but...
If I told him, he would know that I had been keeping it a secret for the past few days. That I had completely lied about winning a case when I first met him. I knew I should have just told him the very first day on the island. He would have completely understood then. If I told him now, I would ruin the evening, and possibly the rest of the vacation.
I looked over at his silhouette in the dark. I didn't want to lie to him. I wanted to tell him everything about myself and for him to tell me everything about him. My alcohol infused brain said to go for it. What was the worst that could happen?
“Aiden, I need to tell you something.” I took a big sip of wine for courage. If I told him now and he hated me for it, I was pretty sure I could deal with it. I would survive. I was falling head over heels in love with him, but at least neither one of us had said anything permanent yet.
“That's not how you play the game,” he chided. “It's your turn to ask a question, not to give an answer.”
I bit my lip, torn. The strength to tell him was quickly ebbing. Everything was so perfect. I didn't want to ruin it. I sighed. Telling him could wait. I still had half the trip left before we had to go back to real life. He didn't need to know yet. He would understand.
“Fine. I'll tell you later. It's important, though.” I took another swig of wine to wash down the guilt. I will tell him, I promised myself. I just needed to find a better time to do so. The right time. For now, I would just enjoy finding out more about him. “What do you want most in the world?”
“French fries.”
I gave his shoulder a playful push. “Real answers, remember?”
He stared up at the sky, his eyes searching for something that wasn't there. “I want to find my place in the world,” he said after a moment. “I've lived in my father's shadow for so long that I don't know how to escape it, or even if I want to. I want to make him proud, but...”
I snuggled into his shoulder, trying to give him some comfort. I wanted to take some of his pain away.
He sighed. “I never seem to be enough for him. For anyone, really.”
“You're more than enough, Aiden,” I informed him. “If he can't see how wonderful you are, then he doesn't deserve you.”
“What makes you think I'm so wonderful? You barely know me.”
His words stung. He was right. I hadn't even spent a full week with him yet, but something inside of me knew better. “I met you three weeks ago and you changed my life. You weren't even trying to, but you gave me courage. You believed in me after thirty seconds.”