Aries

Chapter 10

Nova

'I don't get it.'

He rubbed his face. 'I've explained it a hundred times. Honestly, it's not rocket science.'

'Yeah, but I mean how does it work?'

'You're killing me, smalls.' He whined using his favorite movie line and I elbowed his shoulder. 'How have you never played this game before? It's a fucking classic.' He said exasperatedly. 'You choose a color. Red or blue. Then we just take turns putting in one of these.' He pointed to the plastic circle-shaped coins. 'Whoever gets four in a row, wins.'

'So, it's like tic-tac-toe, but four?'

'Sure, okay. Whatever. Can we play now?' He grunted and set the blue game between us. 'Red or blue?'

'Blue, it's my favorite color,' I said. I love blue because of your eyes, I thought. He handed me all the blue pieces and kept the red for himself.

'Okay, go first.'

I slid one in and then it was his turn. I watched him play with an intense look in his eyes. He was focused, his tongue peeking out on his upper lip as he stacked the coins on top of each other. I wasn't even focusing on the game. I didn't even care if I won or not.

I just couldn't stop staring at the crazy-haired boy that I was slowly falling in love with as he placed another red. No one played board games in high school. They were always too busy trying to get laid or get high.

It's not like Aries didn't smoke, because he did, but he didn't care about trends or anything like that. He smoked because it calmed him down. He played board games with me because it somehow calmed me down. He smiled as he looked up at me.

'Nova, it's your turn.'

I looked down at the game and when I really focused on the colors, I saw that he could have easily won and connected four not once but three times. I knew Aries long enough to know he did this to make me feel smarter, and more in control, and it always had the same effect on my heart.

It melted me. Fucking melted me. We spent that day, playing the game over and over again, neither of us winning and pretending we couldn't see the possibility of winning.

'Aries,' I asked. The game was put away and we were lying down on my bed, facing each other. 'Do you ever think about leaving this city?'

His nose wrinkled and he shook his head, his bangs falling down with the movement. I tugged them back and ignored how close we were, how he made me feel, and how much I craved to kiss him as I reared my hand back.

'No.' He whispered. 'Why, do you?'

'Sometimes. Sometimes if I close my eyes and dream hard enough, I'm away from this city and somewhere quieter. A farm, the countryside, where I have a sheepdog and sheep and cows and horses and I think... no, I know... I'd be happy there.'

'Do you really want that life, Nova?' He asked.

I nodded. 'I do.'

'Maybe one day... I-I could give it to you.' He spoke so low, I barely heard him. 'Would that be okay?'

I melted, swooned, and fell even harder for the blue-eyed boy that day. It wasn't real, I had to keep reminding myself, and I shouldn't have led him on, but I did.

Instead of acting like I didn't hear him, I said, 'Yes, more than okay.'

Another memory. It felt like lately all I could do was conjure up memory after memory of when Aries and I were in school together. They felt so real like they were playing out in front of me. I could feel his nervousness whenever he was around me.