Aries

Chapter 6

Nova

"Jesus." Mick whistled. "What the hell was that?" I stayed quiet as I sat back down in my chair. I pulled out my sushi and my chopsticks and began eating silently. "I'm talking to you, Nova."

"And I'm ignoring you, Mick," I said in a sing-song voice.

He elbowed my shoulder and I glared at him. "Do you know him?"

"No." Not anymore. "I don't." Not like how I used to.

He didn't look convinced but dropped it. "Maybe he doesn't like greasy sandwiches?" He poked, trying to make sense of the tense situation.

I shrugged and swallowed another sashimi roll without chewing. "Maybe," I grumbled.

I bought him that meal as a way of waving the white flag, but he obviously saw it as a call for war. It's not like I knew Aries would take it, eat it, and smile and we'd both be back to normal, but I didn't expect him to throw it in the trash.

It was cruel, but maybe I deserved it for thinking it would be that easy to mend our past relationship with a sandwich. It was the best sandwich in the whole city, but I guess it held too many memories for him.

It held a lot for me, I almost cried while ordering it, because that was the first time he ever touched me. I still remember the rough pad of his thumb cleaning my cheek and then he smiled at me.

Warm and welcoming and unjudgemental. He didn't care that I devoured the whole sandwich, or that I even ate half of his fries.

'I don't know why women don't like eating in front of a guy.'

'It's embarrassing.'I muttered under my breath.

He looked confused. 'It's embarrassing to eat?'

I laughed and shook my head. 'It's embarrassing eating and making a mess.' I repeated myself and his eyes were soft as he watched me.

'No, not really. It's normal. We're human, Nova. We eat, we make mistakes, and sometimes we get cheese all over our faces.' He teased and I ducked my head. 'Nova, I don't want you to ever feel embarrassed when you're with me.'

I lifted my chin and met his eyes. 'Then how do you want me to be or feel when I'm with you?'

'Yourself. Just be yourself, I promise it's better than anything else.' He promised and my heart fluttered.

I wonder who I was when I was with him. Was it all part of the scheme to humiliate him? Or was I really myself? Was I ever truly myself when I was with Aries? It felt real. His emotions were real, and I think at some points so were mine, but surely no one knows who they are in high school. We're all stupid and naïve and idiotic.

We're judgemental yet terrified to be ourselves. Aries didn't care. He never cared what anyone thought. He wove through the halls and classes with his head held high. He had stickers on his binders and didn't wear high-end brands, but he didn't care.

He was so sure of himself. He always has been. I still remember how I took that away from him. Like a rug, I ripped it out from underneath him and didn't pay attention to the pain and hurt I caused him.

The Aries in a suit wasn't the Aries that'd wear old and baggy jeans and random shirts with stains and holes. This Aries was cruel, and I knew if I wanted to keep my job, to keep the steady paycheck that paid for the bills, I'd have to suck it up and leave the past alone.

**

A stack higher than the mountains fell onto my desk with a loud thud. "Sort these out," Aries demanded without looking at me. "By yourself." He added, looking over at Mick. "I want these sorted by two."