Flightless

"My parents were killed in a car crash two months ago," I confessed in answer to Jordan's question. His eyes furrowed in confusion, shock quickly replaced with sympathy as he opened his mouth, finding no words as he gently shook his head.

I knew he meant that I didn't need to tell him this, but he'd been brutally honest with me, it was only fair I let him in as well. Telling him so, I continued, "Some idiot decided it'd be a great idea to pass a truck heading into a blind corner. There was nothing they could do.

"My mum died on impact, dad made it a few hours before dying in surgery. They'd been up to visit my grandad for Waitangi weekend and were heading home when it happened. I was going to go up with them cos I hadn't seen grandad for about six months but I was sick so I stayed home."

Jordan still didn't know how to take in all the information I was spilling. He looked at little worried at how composed I was, but I'd never been overly emotional. It was nice to have his hand rhythmically running up and down my back to accompany the small kisses to my hair as I mostly talked into his neck. Unfortunately, that was only part of my story.

"The day of the funeral was hell. Thank fuck we didn't have to do the traditional Maori marae deal, where the whole family gathers for a week with the bodies on display and everything. My dad's family was pissed about that, but my sister and I aren't that big into tradition or religion.

"We just had a simple ceremony with a couple of their friends up to talk. The rugby club put on the reception afterwards, which was probably the most comforting part of the day. Except that not long after we got there I got a text from my best friend, who I'd been trying to get hold of because he hadn't made it to the funeral.

"The little shit decided that day, of all days, would be the one he took off into the hills at the south of the city and would slit his wrists and wait to bleed out. They found his body three days later, halfway down a gully."

"Baby," Jordan once again pulled my gaze up to his. "How are you so calm about this? I can't even imagine losing my parents; I know I'd be a complete wreck."

Fusing my lips to his, I thanked him for his concern without words, caressing the side of his face and into his hair as I did. There was a comfort I gained from being in his arms, seeing through the ice blue windows that were his eyes that his heart was breaking for my misfortune.

"Believe me Jor, I was a mess when it happened. But I had to deal with everything and move on. It's hard, some days are worse than others, but I've never been a crier.

"I didn't have time to really fall apart either. We lived on a small farm so I had to feed the animals and take care of things by myself. My sister has a house with her boyfriend in the city and didn't want to move back to help me out so we decided to sell it off. I had my own house in the paddock behind the main house and I probably could have kept renting it from the people who bought the farm, but there were just too many memories, you know.

"And that is why I moved here. Everywhere in Christchurch just had memories and I didn't want to deal with them. My sister says I'm running away. Maybe I am. But whatever, I should've died with my parents, so anything now is a bonus and I intend to enjoy it!"

"Well, this might make me sound like a completely insensitive fuckhead, but I'm kinda happy you ended up here. I wish you didn't have to go through what you did, but if you didn't I don't know we would've ever met, and it would seriously suck to not have you in my life right now."

I couldn't help but laugh at Jordan for that, especially when he squeezed my ass as he ended his statement. "Boy, you are cheesy as hell! Remind me again why I should put up with you?"

Rolling his eyes at my playful poke to his chest, he followed up with a wink. "You're a Kiwi and I'm a Penguin. Us flightless birds should stick together."