Drabble 18: Falling, Falling, Falling--

She felt like the world had gone and blown up while she was away, just in the other room. The heavy silence settled and neither had noticed her as she came down the stairs. She remained quiet. She wanted to catch the clues that lingered in the air between them.

But neither moved, neither spoke, and the moment stretched wide and glided upon paper wings like an airplane forever descending to the ground. Falling, falling, falling--

"You love her, don't you?" Oliver asked. There wasn't accusation in his tone. It was soft, resigned. It was just the way that Oliver had always seemed to her, half gentle resignation and half wildfire anger. He was forever held in extremes, and she was forever trying to balance them.

A pause. NF stared at his feet. Ingrid wished he'd just say no and get it over with, wished he'd say nothing forever, wished maybe he'd say yes...

NF shook his head slightly. "I'm in love with her. I do not love her. I am in love with her. Or I am in love with the idea of being in love with her, and I cannot tell."

NF hated his own words. He shouldn't be having this conversation. At least not with a man who was clearly so in love with her already.

Oliver's teeth clenched, and he stared at NF. Ingrid stood on her place on the stairs, three from the bottom, and watched the slumped line of NF's shoulders and the tight lips of Oliver. She wondered why they were having this conversation, and who had brought it up, and how did she move without them knowing she'd been there?

"Get your shit together." Oliver said. It was one of the few other worlder expressions that he appreciated.

Ingrid was startled by his fierceness. It would be days before she understood it, but now she only questioned motives and came up with none.

She backed carefully up the stairs and bounced back down. They both turned to look at her, one haunted, the other ashamed. She attempted her best smile.

Notes: This is a fictional moment and conversation. That is, this is a fictional moment that doesn't take place in my fictional novel. xD Ingrid doesn't hear it and Oliver and NF never have it so... Yes... Just for the record, NOT illegal!