Our World

chapter 18: ari

chapter 18

~ari~

       Atlas repeatedly bangs his head on the table a few times before he just rests his head on the table. "I'm done. I give up."

       "Is this about school or something else?" I ask. Though if I have to guess, I would say it's about school since we're currently studying together in our school's cafe. Well, not really studying together since we're doing it for different classes. He just finds it better to study with someone in his presence so they can stop him if he's getting too distracted.

       I just have to try my best not to distract him myself, but it does help that we're studying at the university so I likely won't try to kiss him. Possibly. We are out at school now so I have kissed him here and there at school, but I keep the PDA light.

       "It's about school," Atlas says. "I don't know why I thought it would be a good idea to study something so stressful."

       "Everything is stressful to study," I point out. "Even art, especially when you're in a funk. It's. not fun to try to think of creative ideas when you can barely think."

       "Yeah, that's true," Atlas says. He lifts his head. "Can I take a break?"

       I shrug. "It's not my choice. It's up to you."

       "You're supposed to say 'No, Atlas, don't take a break. Keep going. You can do it'."

       "No, Atlas, don't take a break. Keep going. You can do it."

       "That didn't sound convincing enough."

       "I don't think there's anything wrong with taking breaks," I say. "It's actually good for you. Your professors take breaks in the middle of class, right?"

       Atlas sighs. "Right. Sorry. It's just the mid-term exam I have coming up is stressing me out a lot. I hate exams. It's like my mind purposefully forgets everything I learned the moment the exam paper is set in front of me."

       "Which is why I think exams are barbaric and should be banned for education," I say. "It's all based on memory anyway."

       "I mean, I wouldn't exactly call it barbaric, but I agree with you," Atlas says. He leans back in his chair. "I think I'm going to take a break."

       "How about I get something to snack on?" I ask. 

       "Can we get some fries?"

       I smile. "Of course." I stand up from the table and ruffle Atlas's hair. He glares at me as he fixes his hair while I go to the cafe's counter to get some fries for me and Atlas. As I look at the menu, I decide to also get a sandwich for us to share.

       After I give my order and pay for the food, I stand off to the side and wait for it. It shouldn't take too long, so it's better to wait here than to go back to the table and have to come back here.

       As I'm waiting for my food, two girls I don't recognize walk up to me. One of them asks, "Ari, is it true that you're gay?"

       "Uh, not exactly," I say. "I'm bisexual."

       "Oh, so there's a chance you can still date girls," the other girl asks.

       Either these two girls are indicating they would like a chance with me or they don't like the idea of me being attracted to guys. Either way, I don't get why people make a big deal about someone else's sexuality. If someone is gay, great. If someone is a lesbian, awesome. If they're bisexual or pansexual or anything else, that's cool. It should only matter to themselves and any potential prospects.

       "I mean, I wouldn't really say there's a chance," I say. "I have a boyfriend and I'm very serious about him."

       "Well, yeah, but there's a chance you can break up," the first girl says.

       "A very low chance," I say. "Why does it even matter who I'm dating? I'm happy with my boyfriend. I would rather not like to think about the possibility or breaking up with him. No one wants to think about the possibility of breaking up with their partner."

       "I see," she says before the two of them walk off.

       It, thankfully, doesn't take much longer for me to get the food. Once I do, I set it down on the table, and Atlas immediately grabs a fry to eat, thanking me for getting some food. Hopefully, it's enough to energize him so he can get back into studying without feeling too stressed.

       He only snacks on a few fries before getting back to studying, eating at the same time. I guess the short amount of time it to get the food was enough of a break for him.

       We only study at the cafe for one more hour before deciding to head back home. Atlas wanted to do some studying outside of the house and he feels like he did good enough. I just hope he's confident enough by the time his midterm rolls around. I know he's a smart person and I know he can do well. It's just that tests aren't always the best method to prove someone's knowledge in school.

       That's why I'm happy that my passion barely has tests. If anything, I only have tests in my art history classes or just electives I take in order to get more credits towards my degree. Nothing in my actual art classes.

       The moment we get home, Atlas flops onto the couch. "I know I said I was going to continue studying when we get home, but it's not like my midterm is tomorrow," he says. "I got time."

       "Let me guess, you want me to encourage you to continue studying instead of telling you that you can relax for the rest of the day." I sit down beside him. "Because I think you did study enough at the cafe. It's totally fine to rest for the rest of the day."

       Atlas thinks for a bit before saying, "I think it's okay to rest. If I want to study, I can do it later tonight. In the meantime..."

       "Bedroom?"

       "Bedroom."

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things have mainly been going smooth for these two so maybe i should start some drama >:) hehe we'll see.