Love is Love is Love

The young cousins sat side by side on the sunny riverbank. They were perhaps children, perhaps not. She wore baggy cut off jeans and a big black shirt and he wore the same. Their hair was the same length. Even though they sat the same distance from the lazy river his feet were submerged, whereas she had to strain her legs just to cool a toe.

"You know, you don't need to worry," she said, "I'm not falling in love with you or anything like that."

"You wouldn't say that if you weren't already in love with me." He gave her a gentle shove on the arm.

"I just really like hanging out with you..." Her adolescent features were scrunched in clumsy concentration.

"And bringing me presents, and writing to me all the time, and remembering every word I say." He winked at her.

"I do that with all my friends. Well, all my friends that I like." She folded her arms.

"I know you do. I'm just giving you a hard time. Still, it is a weird thing to say to someone. Why do you think I would worry if you loved me?" He lay back among the tall grass, resting his arms behind his head. "You know, nothing is as nice as this. Being here with you and looking up at the sky."

"See! You love me, too." The girl said.

"You give yourself away. You said 'You love me, too,' which means that you do love me."

"Well, of course, I love you. You are my cousin." She stood up and walked away. The boy lay there, smiling. She walked downstream about ten yards and stood and stared at the moving water. She looked back. Was he looking at her? He wasn't. She walked into the water. It tickled her calves and she giggled. She checked again. He still wasn't looking. She reached into the water and cupped some with her hands and walked upstream holding a parcel of water.

"Special delivery," she shrieked. A long splash stained his jeans.

"I don't care. It's nice. It's nice to be splashed by someone who loves you." He remained relaxed and immobile.

"I don't love you."

"You do love me. You don't love me. Make up your mind." He winked again. She walked back downstream.

"I'm going inside." She looked towards the warmth of their house.

"Can't you just enjoy being here with me for a moment?" His finger beckoned.

"You could come inside with me."

"No. I like it here." He rested his hand on his stomach.

"Well, even though I love you, I have to go." She was walking towards the house.

"That is not a strong enough love for me."

"I know."

"I know you know." He continued to stare at the sky. He was staring at the clouds. Were the stratus or nimbus? He could never remember which was which. One high above his head looked like a child's drawing of a cloud and he realized he had never seen a cloud that looked like a cloud before.