Sinfully Imperfect

34. Twilight Sucks, Reincarnation & Joo Joo

"Ah, eavesdropping? Wow, Aylwin, you never cease to amaze me... " Austin's tone was oozing with disdain and contempt, and he made it rather explicit to him. Azura remained stoic, perhaps because she didn't want to get embroiled in their predicament, or perhaps because she didn't want to wind up digging her own grave. Aylwin was a walking detector for her, knowing more about her than she did. It was so blatant in her eyes, a flawless, sturdy crackling. Nothing was more important to her than for them to just shut up. She vividly remembered how the previous time they ran into each other, things didn't go very well. And the story was a lot more convoluted and ambiguous back then. She didn't want the mayhem to unfold again. She didn't want to do it all over again. She only desired to have both of her close ones by her side. Her best friend. And her.... king?

Aylwin didn't react. He remained unresponsive. Austin's remarks made absolutely no difference to Aylwin. Perhaps it was because it wasn't the first time those words had invaded his thoughts. Regardless of whether he deserved it or not. That, however, was not the root of his concern. That was never the case. Or perhaps it was... but it happened in the past, a long time ago, and he remembered it as if it had been yesterday.

He was immune to his words. He was very well cognizant that Austin had every reason to despise him, to push him, to hit him, and heck, even to kill him. It wasn't, nevertheless, about the old days. And Aylwin knew better than to dig up the graves, which would only bring back memories of devastation and unveil the atrocious scars of the past.

Furthermore, at the moment, it was about Sophronia, his fresher. Just about her. And he was there for her. His rage boiled up inside him. All of the swelling emotions seemed like a tornado threatening to sweep everything away. The calmness he carried with him was like the sheer, eerie, deafening calmness of the coast before the kiss of a deadly storm. Well, for starters, Aylwin himself was a ticking time bomb. Nonetheless, it was never Aylwin's style to act on his nerves. And the mere concept of doing so was the farthest thing from his mind.

"Are you here just to gawk at my face or....?" As though Aylwin's mere existence was more nightmarish than the concentration camps, Austin inquired.

"I'm not here to argue with you, Austin." All of Aylwin's emotions were held at bay when he spoke. Calm and composed.

"Wow, that's wonderful to hear. Feelings are mutual, Aylwin. Well then, if you're done then, you may leave. " He turned away from him. He was seething with resentment and aggravation.

"You know what, Austin? I'm fucking fed up with this whole thing. I'm sick of it all. When I said, 'I'm not here to argue with you,' I fucking meant every single word. "

"You don't teach..." Austin attempted to cut him off, and that was the deathblow to Aylwin's forbearance. He'd had enough of him. He would have sincerely listened to it if it had been about him, but he was just there for the sake of his Fresher.

"Shut up! Just shut the fuck up! " Aylwin roared at him, effectively silencing him. Azura flinched instinctively. She knew that Austin had incensed him. Dread clung to every fiber of her body. Aylwin closed his eyes for a second, calming slightly.

"What makes you think you're the only one here who's been hurt and ruined? That you're the only one whose everything is at stake? That you're the only one who has lost everything? No, Austin, NO. You're not the only one! You certainly aren't! " Aylwin sighed, his demeanor returning to calm and collected, albeit there was still a tinge of rage in it.

"Oh, really? So, who's the one then? Tell me. You? And ah, why won't you be? Right? " Austin yelled back with sarcasm, on cloud nine.

"You're only making things much more difficult for both of us." Aylwin retorted, trying to persuade Austin to understand, but he was far from understanding anything.