"People in the world like to take big leaps to achieve; others like to take baby steps."
Athena never thought she'd find refuge in the arms of a boy who takes care of her and her son as if they were family. But in all the hardships they faced, the...
The food came in due time, Athena and Alejandro were spending their time together wonderfully, saying old jokes as if they've known each other in their child years and talking about things as if they had just met. Alejandro kept thinking about when it was the right time to announce the kiss they shared just hours before they came here, but, he didn't want to mess up this moment of jokes and playfulness as they ate until their stomachs were full and eyes lighting up glee. He enjoyed seeing Athena so happy, a spark in her eyes from when she laughed had always made every moment worth it and he didn't want to ruin it by getting into deep topics.
But, the cat needed to get out of the bag before it clawed it's way up by itself.
After they ate, they went out of the diner together, walking side-by-side until they found a park close by where people were already playing and having fun as the world passed them. Athena and Alejandro sat on a bench closest to the pond where they talked a bit more until their stomach's hurt because of their laughter. The crinkles in their eyes showed happiness as they threw rocks in the pond, laughing when one of them made a big splash.
"You know, I've just realised we haven't talked about thing we went out for," Athena admitted, but instantly regretted as she had just ruined such a precious moment. Alejandro nodded slowly, and sighed, the feeling of guilt washed upon him, she was drunk, she didn't know what she was doing and he just took advantage of that. But, she didn't seem to regret it, and neither did he. He breathed in slowly, making sure to calculate his words correctly before speaking, he didn't want to offend her. He needed to be careful when talking to Athena.
"So about, the kiss yesterday, w-where d-does this leave us?" he said, stuttering his words as his cheeks were tainted in red. The question was inevitable, barely even avoidable, if they wanted to know where they stood, he had to ask, would they pursue a relationship or remain friends, knowing what the kiss meant between them.
"It depends if there were any feelings," Athena replied slowly, her eyes drifting to the scenery in front of her as she tried to calm the nerves that seemed to sprout throughout her body. She knew she liked him, but she didn't think that he liked her back, there were obvious signs that he might like her, but would his approval of such a relationship? She felt unsure about having a relationship with Alejandro, although she felt it seemed right, she couldn't just dive right in, it'd be too quickly.
She only knew a fraction of Alejandro, he was like a mystery to her and she was a mystery to him. They never touched on subjects that were too personal, she hadn't told him much about her parents, nor who the father of her child was. It upset her that he may never like her back, the insecurities were real and she wanted to know desperately. He acted as if he liked her, but what if he was just playing her? He didn't seem like the guy to do so, but then again, she only knew so much of him that she barely knew him.
"I do have feelings for you," she blurted out, not wanting to wait anymore, she couldn't keep her mouth shut and blushed furiously, embarrassment flowing through her veins as she looked at his expression. He looked taken aback, he was stunned, he didn't know that she liked him. He didn't know what he was feeling, he said no words, which made Athena's heart sink beneath her chest, hiding away from rejection and she looked down.
Alejandro couldn't speak, surprise laced his features, his mind not processing the words that she spoke to him. He couldn't believe his ears and how stupid he felt for not being able to say it back. It could be a just mere attraction or the heat of the moment that made the kiss amazing, or was there more? He rarely had crushes and even though girls threw themselves at him, he barely took notice. Had he made her think that he liked her? He didn't even know himself and the guilt ate him away with each passing second.
Athena's eyes pricked with tears at his unspoken rejection. She knew it, she felt it in her veins that he didn't like her back. She was too straight forward, she jumped right into the deep end and now she was sinking into its cloudy depths. She came on too strong, she knew it. Athena felt miserable for putting them both in such a position, a rock in a hard place some may say. She felt numb, her fingers wanting to move away and her body just wanting to run from him, far away from his figure as she could.
"I-I'm sorry, I shouldn't had said that," she whispered, trying to fight back the tears that threatened to leave her eyes. She looked down at her feet and tried to stop herself from screaming. She hadn't liked someone this much before, the last time she did, it hurt her in the end and now it was doing the same thing. She made the same mistake twice and the pain was twice as harsh as it was before. She thought it would be good, he showed signs of liking her, he cared for her and held her, making sure that she was okay. She must've read them all wrong and now look at how it ended. Rejected and in pain.
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"I-I-I got to go, I'll see you in class," Athena spoke hurriedly, making her decisions of running away as she started to get up. Alejandro's eyes snapped to hers, seeing the pain that hid beneath them before she fled like he was a plague. Something had gripped his heart painfully as he watched her run away from him, his mind wanting to move, to run to her, but his body did not listen and watched the only thing that seemed to brighten his day, disappear behind a crowd of people, never to been seen afterwards.
