Feather After // Chapter 10 // Red As A Rose
Aria's POV
I wanted to cry, to be honest. This was not supposed to happen. Now what? The assignment was due the next day and the canteen was closed now. To be very honest I did not know who to blame anymore. Things were not the best but they were not bearable also. I looked at him and waited for him, to pass another comment. But he didn't. He just stood next to me probably waiting for me to say anything. Somebody had to break the ice I guess it had to be me.
"Are you seriously that hungry?" I asked him and waited for him to reply. I saw his expression change but he quickly hid it away. I knew he wanted to suggest something but then he shut up. I could feel that he wanted to give up. We were standing in front of the cafeteria. The doors were closed and it seemed like we were the only ones left in school.
"Yeah, I'm hungry. We can go to some cafe-restaurant, instead?" He suggested. I knew he didn't want to help me, he was just irritating me knowing how much these grades mattered to me.
"Yeah, I know a small cafe nearby do you want to go there?" I inquired silently hoping that he would say yes. I did not know any other place here. I once got a cup of coffee from there. It was the day when Nanna and I had arrived in Seattle. We were coming to school that day, just to submit my portfolio and put my name on the admission list.
"Sure," my mood suddenly turned upside down. I felt my cheerful side come back. At least he was compromising now.
"Please follow me," I told him as I climbed down the three stairs of the cafeteria and walked towards the main hall where the lockers were situated. When I asked Ignatius if we wanted something from his locker he said that he didn't use his locker. I collected my bag and keep my folder in my bag.
"So you like this guy?" He said and pointed towards the innermost side of the locker which was had a picture of Nanna and I. There was another picture above it, of Niall Horan. I felt my cheeks turn red. I had completely forgotten that he was standing there otherwise I would have never opened my locker, that wider.
The picture was of Nanna and I, in which we were smiling wide looking at the camera. It was clicked in one of the beaches of Los Angeles. It was clicked last summer. The other picture was of Niall Horan from 'drag me down,' music video. He was wearing the orange astronaut suit and had aviators on. He looked so hot. I just smiled whenever I looked at it. I snapped back to reality hearing Ignatius's voice.
"I'm not asking you to marry me, am I? Stop blushing like that! It's kind of creepy," He said and shrugged his shoulder. I then closed my locker and put my hand in my pocket to grab my phone. I told him that I was going to call Nanna and then I explained to Nanna that I was going to a nearby cafe to complete my project without offering her details of the starving fish called Ignatius.
When I ended the call, Ignatius turned around and started moving towards the exit of the hall and he didn't even look around to see if I was following him. So I quickly locked my locker, closed my bag and ran after him. I didn't want to get late.
We were walking to the cafe. It was almost like an unspoken rule. He didn't offer me a ride and neither did I. We were not saying anything to each other and to me the silence was not even threatening. It was nice. I did not feel uncomfortable or awkward. It was good for a change.
"Oh, there it is," I turned towards him and pointed at a small building which was painted lime green in color. The doors and windows were covered in fake pink flowers and they didn't even look the only way I could tell the flowers were fake because I had touched them. It was three blocks away from the school. It was a great achievement, considering that we had walked three whole blocks without fighting or arguing.
The cafe was across the road so we walked till we arrived at the turning road. We waited in front of the zebra crossing for the traffic lights to turn red. When it turned red, Ignatius and I started walking and suddenly I heard a screeching noise. I turned to my left and saw a car approaching us. The driver was driving the car at full speed and I knew that I did not have time to run. I just looked there and gulped. Suddenly I was pulled back and I heard another screeching noise. I closed my eyes.
"You mother fuçker! I will kill you, you son of a fuçking bitçh!" I heard Ignatius shout and when I opened my eyes, I saw that I was standing behind Ignatius and his body was protecting. Now, I could see his body moving towards the place where the car had stopped. The place was covered in smoke which I was positive was coming from the bonnet of the car.
I suddenly realized what was going to happen. Ignatius was going to beat the driver. And I couldn't see that happening. As soon as that thought hit me I ran towards him and grabbed his hand. He turned around to look at me and I could feel the anger radiating out of his body. He looked very dangerous. I could see his eyes which were dark blue in color. I shook my head no and still, he proceeded towards him.
"Please-no," I stammered and I was myself surprised that I found my voice. He looked at me. His eyes softened for a second or so and then with a flash of light, he changed his direction. He started moving towards the cafe and he held my hands. I was more of trailing behind me, I was being dragged by him, too afraid to say anything.
We entered the cafe and we sat at a table of two. We sat on pink push up chairs, in front of each other. Ignatius still looked angry and for an instant, it felt like he was trying to control himself from doing something that he would regret.
"Calm down, its okay," I told him and put my hand on his hand. I started rubbing the pad of my thumb on his hand in hope that he wouldn't shrug my hand away. And to my surprise, he didn't. His breathing slowed down and I almost felt him relax.
And suddenly a waitress came in and said, "mineral water bottle or regular water?"
"Regular water please," I answered for both of us. After hearing my answer she gave us the menu cards. He was not saying anything so I asked him, "what do you want to eat?"
"I'm not hungry anymore," he said and shrugged. I knew he was hungry.
"Please have something. Please?" I asked him and waited for him to reply and when he didn't reply I continued, "fine you don't order. Let me order for you. Okay?"
He just looked at me and nodded. The waitress came again and I started ordering the food. "Can I please have two large fries one with cheese and a burger, please also give me two of your milk smoothes, the Oreo ones."
The waitress nodded and Ignatius cocked his eyebrow at me.
"What?" I asked him. I knew he was going to say something. Something offensive.
"Oreo smoothie? How old are you, my little sister gets those stuff," He said. I noticed that his anger was slowly settling down. He was not looking dangerous anymore.
"There is no harm in being a kid sometimes, besides who doesn't love them," I argued back. French fries were my favorite food in the whole world. According to Nanna when I was small, I didn't like them at all. She said that it had surprised her how one day I had just ordered them. End of story is I like French fries and smoothies.
"You are such a kid."
"Even Nanna says that and also, Thanks for the compliment," I shrugged.
"So you and your Nanna close?" He said and looked at me.
"Yeah, she was the only one I had when I was growing up. She was my nanny before but as I started growing up, she became my guardian. Pretty much played the role of my mother as well as my father," I then realized, I had said too much. I never told this kind of homely stuff to people. But I had practically told him, that my parents were not around. I don't know why but I felt like, although he was someone I didn't know he wouldn't make fun of me. I felt like he would keep me and my world protected and loved.
In the end, only love matters.
"It must be difficult," He offered. By the time the food had arrived. Burger and French fries without cheese for him with a glass of smoothie and french fries with cheese and a glass of smoothie for me. What great choice of food I had.
"You only miss things when you lose them. I technically never had them. Now shush!" I said and put my finger in my lips. "Didn't your mommy tell you, it's bad to speak while eating?" I mocked in a baby voice and Ignatius smiled. I smiled back. Then I noticed he had his lip ring on. It was silver in colour and it was pierced on the left side of his lip.
"You like it?" He smirked.
Old Ignatius was back.
I blushed, like a rose. Not for the first time but for the second and the third time now, "it must have hurt, right?" I asked him and tried to change the topic.
"No shit Sherlock." He said. I did not understand what he was trying to say. I assumed it must have hurt him and that he didn't want to say it, such a wimp.
We then ate our food in silence and I could tell he was enjoying himself. Soft music was playing behind and he soon finished his food. He was hungry.
"I need to go to the washroom. I will be back," He told me and I nodded, I was busy stuffing the last two-three strands of French fries in my mouth.
The waitress came again and cleaned our table and he was still not back. She then gave me the bill and on opening it, I saw a paper attached to it. The bill was paid. And there was something scribbled on it.
Thanks for your company. I wouldn't be a gentleman if I didn't pay. I.x
I smiled. He wasn't that bad. I then proceeded to look at the other paper. It was the poetry!
I ride her at night,
I like to hold her hand tight,
When She makes those sounds, so right.
She is worth any fight.
That was the poem? I wanted to punch that douche bag! He wrote about sex. How was I even supposed to explain that to the class?
Once, there lived a horny guy named Ignatius, who could think of nothing else but sex.
I took both the papers and asked the waitress, "where did he go?"
"He left fifteen minutes ago."