Lyra;
"Lyra?" Apollo's voice rang through my dorm. I quickly hid his lyric book behind my back and turned around to face Apollo's fuming face.
I threw him a confused look. "Are you okay? What happened? Please tell me they didn't reje-" He shook his head vigorously.
"Then why do you look like someone killed your hamster?" I rocked back and forth on my heels whilst nervousness swarmed around me.
"Because of you!" He anything but yelled, then ran a hand through his hair and tugged on his roots. Suddenly the weight of the lyric book felt much heavier in my hands.
"What did I do?" I threw on a sly smile.
"I thought we established a 'no lying' rule!" he appeared like he was on the verge of exploding.
"Yeah, and I didn't lie!"
"Yes, you did!"
"When?"
"When you decided my life was a charity case! I'm not some helpless kid that you need to fix his problems for. I wanted to work for the job, not get it on a silver platter!" he let out a groan.
Is he kidding? I grumbled in my head.
"Look, I'm sorry I didn't tell you. I wanted It to be a surprise, and you didn't get the job on a silver platter! You worked hard to convince the station to hire you, the only thing I did was not let it go to waste." I replied while waving my hands in the air.
Oh shit.
"Is that my lyric book?" Apollo started waking towards me and I stepped backwards the closer he got.
"Listen, it fell in my hand! I didn't know it was even there till you pointed it ou-" my rambling was cut short.
"What about the 'no lying' rule?!" he put his head in his hands.
I tried to purse my lips to stop the truth from spilling out, but I caved-in to the power of trust and friendship. "Fine! I took a peep because it's been months since i first saw it and I seized the moment! I'm sorry." A sigh left my lips.
Apollo didn't look up or acknowledge anything I said. His head laid still in his hands.
Thoughts circled around my head. Was his reaction warranted? Of course, what I did was wrong, keeping secrets from him and invading his privacy, but the latter was the product of my care for him.
And the former was a product of my curiosity.
In the time I've known Apollo, I noticed how composed he is even in stressful situations, and the only time I saw him truly lose control was when his job offer was rejected. Even then, he felt more composed than now.
Was the job the only reason he had this outburst?
I walked up to my bed, where Apollo was sulking, and sat beside him. "All I did was exchange jobs with the girl who took your night shifts. She didn't like the job and only needed it for the money. She truly was happy. Her name is Emilia, and she works in Alex's flower shop now." I put my hand on his back and mindlessly drew figures with my finger.
Slowly, but surly, Apollo lifted his head and dropped his hands away from his face.
"I only did that because I knew how much you wanted the job. It's the kickstart to your career. How could I not help?" I chuckled hoping to ease the tension.
I met his downcast eyes with a hopeful expression. With a frustrated sigh, he slid his arm around my waist and pulled me close.
"I know you didn't have any ill intentions, but you could've, in the least, told me. I hate being left in the dark. Besides, you gave up your own job." His head now rested on my shoulder, his breath fanning the skin peeking from my shirt.
"Don't worry about me, the job wasn't important, and I only applied because I love Alex and I was bored. Emilia needs it a hundred more times than I do. It also helped you get your job, so it's a win-win." Apollo nodded his head then took the lyric book from my hands.
"Your lyrics are beautiful, truly. I didn't mean to intrude or pry in your private stuff. I was just curious! That's not an excuse, bu-"
The brunette man let out an airy chuckle. "I wasn't mad about the lyric book, I was bad about the instant lie you gave me, even if it was unbelievable." He flipped to a page scattered with unfinished lines of lyrics.
"I would write these whenever we sat under the jasmine tree." His fingers pointed to various lyrics on that page.
Under the jasmine at night
a breeze and flowers beside me
The branches are above me, leaning
wiping away my eye's tears
I looked up to see a small smile dancing on his lips. "I had a few versions of it, I didn't know if I wanted to turn them into separate verses or not." His finger moved from the lyrics I just read to a new set of lyrics.
Under the jasmine tree, I sat
I adjusted the lute and sangMy tears flowed and i cried...I remembered you and how you used to come to me
"You really are talented." I whispered in awe as I read the countless things he wrote.
His fingers flipped though the notebook's pages again, stopping on the page I previously read. I felt my face heat up from embarrassment.
"I may have read that page..." I picked my nails to ease my awkwardness.
"Remember the lyrics I promised I would write about your eyelashes? Here they are."
"Yeah, I noticed." My fingers stopped fidgeting.
A small smile formed on his lips and a chuckle escaped them. Apollo closed his notebook and threw it aside, then laid down on the bed with his head on my lap. My fingers moved on their own accord and wrapped themselves around his locks of night-dark hair.
"Apollo?" He hummed a 'yes'. "What the real reason you were mad, because I doubt it was about the job offer."
He lifted his head to meet my eyes. "Remember the 'friends' I had in Highschool?" I nodded my head.
"My parents never knew that they were bad people, especially my dad, because at that time, I would have never confided in him."
His eyes closed as he breathed in and out, calming himself down. "He thought I need to confront my past. So, he called them over so I can 'reminisce' on the good days. They're visiting in two days, once it's spring break."
Distraught laughs escaped my throat, forming a confused expression on Apollo's face. My laughs slowly quieted down; I was able to form a few coherent words.
"I Guess our spring break is going to suck ass."
"Why is yo- Oh, your parents!" His face shifted as he chuckled at our misery.
"At least I'll hope you'll be there with me when they come. My dad only asked them to have dinner with me. They're staying on their own." I laid down beside him as he spoke.
"Yeah of course, only if you come with me when my parents visit." I held out my pinkie.
Apollo entwined his pinkie with my own. "Deal. Let's spit on it-"
"No! absolutely not. A pinkie promise is enough." I sat up and hid both my hands behind my back.
"Since that's settled, come, I want to show you where I'll be working." Helping me up once he stood, Apollo looked more excited than a child leaving the womb.
Never mind- I take that back.
He looked more excited than a child skydiving.
No, not that either.
✿ ✿ ✿ ✿ ✿ ✿ ✿ ✿
"Tell me more about your family." Apollo's arm wrapped around my shoulder, while mine wrapped around his waist.
We were walking towards the New Horizon Radio station to check out the booth Apollo would be working in.
"I have three siblings, two brothers and a sister. Adrian, Ajax, and Luna. Luna and I are pretty much two peas in a pod, and she has three years to finish school. Adrian has a year left to graduate from college, he's studying abroad, and Ajax is still in fourth grade."
"All you forgot to mention was their social security numbers." Apollo flicked my forehead. "Here it is; my workplace!" he gestured with jazz hands to the radio station.
"The start to your music career." I wrapped my arm around Apollo's bicep, resting my hand on it, and we walked inside.
"Apollo! Your shift isn't till 11 Pm." A guy with a buzzcut sat on a couch in the entrance.
"Lyra, this is Killian. Killian, this is Lyra." I waved at the guy, who threw a wink my way.
"I came here to show her the place, if that's okay." Apollo raised an eyebrow, asking if it's fine that he's giving me a tour.
"Yeah of course! Your girlfriend is welcome anytime here."
My face invented a new shade of red. I looked up at Apollo, only to find him already looking at me.
With a smirk on that sculpted face of his.
"We're not dating," Apollo riffled my hair. "But if there's anyone I would break my 'no girls in college' rule for, it would be Lyra."
My neck almost snapped from how fast I turned to look back and forth between Apollo and Killian. "Did you hear what he said?" I asked Killian to make sure I wasn't daydreaming again.
He had a Cheshire cat smile on his face when he said, "Apollo is smitten!"
My emotions combusted. I can't handle so much emotional confusion in one day. I pinched apollo's arm to move us along. He stopped looking at me and turned to his colleague.
Somehow, we unintentionally agreed to completely ignored what just happened.
"I think we're going to start our tour." Waving at Killian, I was dragged by Apollo inside the building into one of the booths.
Its door had a sign glowing red with 'On Air' written on it. "This turns green once were airing."
He took out a key and unlocked the door to reveal a room with walls covered with soundproof sponges and a table with tons of controls and switches.
"I get to air some of my music tonight, you know?" he whispered in my ear.
I slightly jumped and chills formed on the back of my neck when his breath fanned my ear. I turned hastily to face him, only for our noses to touch.
A gasp escaped my lips and my breaths turned short and rapid. Mere inches were between our bodies. I looked up from his mouth to his eyes. Those brown eyes mirrored my own in everything except the golden flicker hidden in them.
The same flicker of mischief they held when we first met.
"Can you explain why your last 3 stages were worship, madness, and death?"
"It's because the word 'I love you' sounds like a prayer to me, like you're worshipping who you love and devoting your life and soul to them. It soon turns into madness, so much that you can't think of your life before or without them. Finally, the cruelest form of love is the one where solely death separates those two lovers
"I hate you, Apollo, do you know that?" my breath fanned his face.
"Why?"
"Because you make my heart go haywire." His lips lifted into a smirk.
"Apollo did you show her th- Oh God! My eyes!" Killian surged into the room them covered his eyes with his hands.
Both our heads turned quicker than you can say the word 'microorganism. My face flushed with heat and Apollo looked anywhere but towards me.
"I think the tour is over for now, I have to get home to get ready for my night shift, right lyra?" Apollo decided now was a good time to ask that.
"What? Yeah, yeah! We have to go now. Thank you for having us." I grabbed Apollo's hand and sprinted past Killian all the way back to the building's entrance.
Once we got outside, we were both out of breath and running on a limited supply of oxygen. I leaned down and rested my hands on my knees to catch my breath.
It was only silence between us and the sound of our ragged breaths until Apollo broke it with a sharp laugh that soon turned into fits of laughter.
I stood there looking at apollo, who was now curled on the floor trying to contain his laughter. His face was scrunched up and tears were falling from his eyes.
Apollo laughed himself into tears.
The sound of my laughter joined the mix when I toppled over beside Apollo, in front of the radio station, laughing at the expressions on Apollo's face.
"Wh-" I gasped, "why where-" another round of chuckles left my mouth, "-you even laughing?"
"Did you see your face?" Apollo managed to speak up once his laughs died down.
We both got up and dusted ourselves, ignoring the confused stares we were thrown by passersby. "Did you see yours?" I threw a playful punch towards his arm.
He shook his head and then grabbed my hand. "Let's get a taxi, I'm not about to walk all the way back." As he said that, a yawn escaped my lips, reminding me that I slept late last night.
I leaned against Apollo's shoulder while he raised his hand for a taxi to stop. My eyes were slowly drooping, and Apollo's warmth against the cold wasn't helping me stay up.
"Go inside, come on." Apollo nudged me, making me open my eyes to see a taxi in front of us. He opened the door to let me get inside.
"Always the gentleman, Apollo" I sent him a wink.
He shook his head trying to act disciplined but the smile on his face betrayed him. "Just get in."
Once we both sat inside, Apollo gave the driver our destination. My head returned to its previous location on Apollo's shoulders.
The driver and Apollo exchanged some small talk while I was slowly lulled to sleep by the street's noises and Apollo's gentle voice.
I would have succumbed to the familiar comfort of sleep if it weren't for the driver speaking up.
"I can see how you're looking at her." He let out a quiet laugh.
"What?" Apollo hummed in confusion.
"The girl, your girlfriend, I can see how you're looking at her. I once looked at the love of my life like that."
"Oh no, we aren't dating." A nervous chuckle left Apollo's lips, but it didn't sound humorous at all.
"Let me give you a bit of advice from an old man. I've seen all forms of looks, but the looks of adoration will forever be my favorite. Don't let her go, no matter what. Because you don't get a chance like this every day." The man told Apollo.
And this time, I was aware of Apollo's breath fanning the top of my head and the burn of his stare.
"I don't think she likes me like that..."
A loud laugh left the driver's lips. "Rarely have I seen a girl trust a guy enough to rest on his shoulder and help her into a taxi without checking where they are going, and I don't blame them. But this means she trusts you."
Minutes passed, and the car was filled with only sounds from the street, and occasional coughs from the driver, to kill the pin drop silence.
"My boy," the car slowed down until it stopped moving, "I lost my chance a long time ago, don't make my mistake, let her know before it's too late and another captures her heart." The sorrow in the man's voice told me that his words were honest and true.
Damn, what evil person stole the heart of the love of his life?
His words also told me what I needed to hear for a long time now.
I have fallen for Apollo, and I needed to tell him.
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Hey bestiessss!
i literally forgot to update cuz I keep writing the story on Word docs and sometimes I forget that not all of u live in my word documents-
anyway, I hope u liked it so far!
Love, mariecurie023.