Paper Stars ✓

XVI

"What Is Love? I have met in the streets a very poor young man who was in love. His hat was old, his coat worn, the water passed through his shoes and the stars through his soul"
- Victor Hugo

s i x t e e n

oliver's fingers where still underneath
nova's chin when he pulled away from the kiss.

"how are you so beautiful?" he asks, momentarily confused by
the words that just exited his mouth.

nova turned her head to the side, not looking at him.
it seemed that her personality had changed around oliver,
she used to be so out-there and happy, now she
seems nervous whenever he comes
near to her.

little did she know the thought of her drove him crazy.
whenever she says his name his cheeks go a slight pink,
and he has to always hold back a grin from the thought of their kisses.

nova moved away from olivers face and leant her head
against his chest.

she listened to his steady beating heart and even lay her palm against it. oliver
was stroking her hair and kissing the top of her head.

"Tell me something i don't know about you." nova demanded.

oliver bit his lip and tilted his head to the side. "um, my middle name is alberto." he suggested.

nova laughed against him, "cute."

"what's yours?"

"catherine," she sighed, the smile on her face gone and replaced with a straight line.

oliver slightly confused by the sudden change in mood opened his mouth to ask when he realised his mistake. "oh, nova,i'm so sorry."

"no biggie," she half smiled, "you didn't know."

but the thing was he did. he did know her middle name and had just forgotten in the moment. he would never have asked it if he'd just remembered.

poor nova, she didn't deserve to lose her grandmother the way she had. with her infant body laying against her sick nan the moment the cancer decided to take her away.

oliver wanted to hit himself.