Smoke and Stars - A Theo Nott Story

The Scars Left Behind

When Aria finally woke up, she felt colder. Well, not cold but colder. The feeling that surrounded her as she blissfully fell asleep... well, it was the best thing she ever experienced. Despite the darkness that surrounded her, she had never felt lighter than when Theo's arms were encircling her. He made her feel warm, safe, and protected. And while she didn't feel cool, unsafe, or unprotected when she woke up, she felt different. A little less light.

It all made sense when she opened her eyes. There, cradling her just as Theo had the night before, was her brother, passed out. Sleeping was too delicate of a word to describe how Enzo looked. His mouth was wide open as his head tilted back, slight snores coming out occasionally. His mousy brown hair was ruffled and her headboard currently served as his pillow. There was a huge line going from his forehead to his jaw, imprints of a pillow. It was... a sight to see.

Aria turned to see sunlight filtering in through the small window at the edge of the room. She looked around the room—careful not to move too much—and saw that Astoria's bed was empty and Theo was gone. She couldn't help the pang of disappointment in her heart over that simple fact. It was stupid. Of course Theo would be gone. Did she expect him to linger while Enzo was right there?

Still, Aria couldn't help but think how much nicer it would have been to wake up in Theo's arms instead of her brother's. After weeks of spending every night with him, she had gotten used to his warmth.

Enzo began to stir, making an odd snorting sound as his head jerked back and forth. To be honest, Aria was wondering if he was having a seizure. He didn't look okay but, then again, she had never seen her brother sleep before. She was never permitted on family holidays, naptimes were spent locked in her room, and Manon would have killed Aria if she found her disturbing her precious son's sleep. So while she was a little bummed that Theo was no longer there, Aria wasn't completely upset. Because, with Enzo's arms cradling her, she had never felt closer to her brother. Their bond was never bad; he was her favorite person in the world. Well, now he was tied with Theo and Astoria for that honor. But growing up away from him, she missed the little things, like what he looked like when he was asleep. She loved her brother deeply and knew that he felt the same, but sometimes she wondered if she really knew her brother.

Perhaps that was the best thing about love. It didn't care about basic logic—like the fact that Theo was forbidden from seeing her or the fact that she didn't really know Enzo like a sister should truly know her brother—but it felt all the same.

Aria just smiled and placed her head on his chest.

Enzo continued to stir before shouting, "Waffles!" in the groggiest voice she had ever heard, shooting up in the bed. A piece of hair stuck to the drool on his mouth in a scuffle. Aria laughed loudly. Enzo looked at her with a puzzled expression. "What?"

"Waffles?" she asked, still giggling. "Is that how you say good morning?"

Enzo quirked an eyebrow. "Waffles? I didn't say that."

Aria didn't even want to acknowledge the fact that Enzo woke up saying waffles without even knowing it—Merlin, he was weird sometimes—and just chose to say, "When did you get here?"

"Last night. I came in when Astoria found me. Theo was here but I swapped with him. Relieved him of his duty since he said he had something to take care of." Aria tried, successfully, to hide her frown. What did Theo have to do? Was she being a burden? Taking up too much of his time? No. Theo would never see you as a burden.

It was at that moment that Aria realized that Theodore Nott was slowly healing her. That thought—that small, seemingly unimportant thought—was the first time in her life that she fought back at a rising insecurity. And it was because of Theo.