The Code of Aries ✓

(2) 'A' as in Apple

"Why are you apologizing? For starters, this was Jesse's idea. And besides, I don't really mind. You're my freshman partner, after all. Starting today, I have the obligation to help and guide you. You might think it's too much, but when you become a senior, you'll know what I mean," he says, and I could tell that he was genuine about it.

I guess he's right, but saying it's his obligation still feels a bit iffy. But I shouldn't desire more. I'm still getting to know him, after all. Maybe after a few weeks, I can start calling him a friend and not just a senior partner I got since we share the same ribbon number.

"You must have gotten a good senior partner when you were a freshman then," I then say. I didn't mean anything about it, but the smile on Aries's face suddenly disappeared, almost like he remembered something unpleasant.

"He was the best, actually," he says, making me stare at him.

The two of us become quiet, but then Aries clears his throat and stops walking. "You must be tired after walking around that much. Let me buy you some water," he then says, and before I can even stop him, he runs his way to a vending machine.

"What was that about?" I whispered before taking a seat on a bench. While waiting, I pulled something out of my pocket. It's the red ribbon I got from the freshman orientation. I stared at the ribbon and wondered about Aries's reaction earlier. Did something happen to him and his old senior partner? Did they get along? Did they hurt him?

Why am I so curious? Why is this man forcing me to ask these questions when I shouldn't be caring about those things in the first place? Maybe it's just the English major student in me. Maybe I have this obsession with analyzing things like they're literary pieces.

"Number 22," I mumble to myself before clenching the ribbon. As I place the ribbon back inside my pocket, a bottle of water appears in front of me. I looked up and then saw Aries looking down at me with a smile.

"Here," he says.

"Thank you," I answer, grabbing the bottle as Aries sits beside me on the bench.

The two of us became quiet as we stared at the students who were playing basketball on the open court. The sun was just right, and the wind kept us cool. It was a relaxing atmosphere, but for whatever reason, I couldn't help but feel uneasy. Maybe it was because we had to walk around and I got tired, or maybe because I could smell Aries's sweet scent despite the distance between us.

Damn, I feel like a literal creep.

"Arthur told us that all your names start with the letter 'A'. That's really interesting," I opened up so I could get my mind out of the gutter.

"Yup, 'A' as in apple. The reason for that is because of my parents. My dad's name is Anthony, while my mom just so happened to be named Anastasia, so they made a tradition to give us names with an A," Aries explains to me before taking a sip of his water.

"Anthony, Anastasia, Apollo, Arthur, Albie, and then...Aries. Sooner or later, you're going to take all the 'A' names and leave us, common-named folks, with nothing," I joked, and thankfully Aries laughed at it. "But Aries is a really unique name. It's bold and straightforward, just like the zodiac sign," I say as I look directly into Aries's eyes. Aries looks back at me for a while, but he quickly turns his head and takes another sip of his water.

"That's what they say, but I'm not really like that," he tells me without giving any further details.

"Is it because you're really vulnerable under that hard shell you've created for yourself?" I asked out of impulse, and my question ended up surprising him because Aries looked back at me with his eyes wide, almost as if I had revealed the universe's most kept secret.

When I felt how my question affected him, I immediately waved my hand and told him, "Sorry, that wasn't...I didn't mean to say that. I just have this weird obsession with overanalyzing things. I wasn't trying to be rude."

Aries looks at me again, his eyes wondering. But after a while, he takes a deep breath and stands from his seat. "We should head to the pavilion. The program's about to start, and your friends are probably waiting for you."

I nod my head and get off my seat. Aries started walking first, so I quickly caught up to him so I could walk by his side. While the two of us were walking back, I was trying to think of the perfect time to apologize, but when I glanced at Aries, I saw him looking down at the floor, trying to hide a grin on his face that made my heart skip a beat.

"Has my scent been bothering you, Mr. Adlawan?" He suddenly asks before looking back at me. His question left me dumbfounded, but before I could even say anything, he told me, "You have an obsession with overanalyzing things. I guess we're similar because I also have an obsession with observing things I find particularly..." Aries pauses and looks straight into my eyes, making me gulp.

"Annoying," he says right after, the usual smile on his face changing into this menacing look that made every fiber in my body tremble.

Maybe I was wrong after all.

Maybe he really is as bold as his zodiac says.

"Anyway, I hope you enjoyed that quick tour...Dom."

end.