The Elusive Heart of Nova Hart ✔

10// all beauty and no brains

ALL BEAUTY AND NO BRAINS

CAROLINE AND NOVA WERE SEATED at the small dining fit for four people, a calm and content silence among them.

Nova watched as her sister ate with a secretive smile on her face, no doubt recalling something juicy that must have occurred at her workplace.

Nova, on the other hand, couldn't enjoy her dinner. She kept playing with the food as Jasper's words hit her harder and harder.

"Do people just look at me and think I'm some sort of fool?" Nova suddenly asked, succumbing to a moment of weakness. This was only her sister, after all.

Caroline looked up at her with a start, surprise flashing in her eyes.

"Like, do they see all this..." Nova gestured towards herself, from perfect hair to perfect toe. "...and think I'm just all beauty and no brains?"

"Well, yes," Caroline replied as if the answer should've been obvious. "Bigots will be bigots, sis. Not much to be done when it comes to changing their point of view."

"I guess so," Nova muttered halfheartedly. She knew her sister was right but that didn't help the small ball of dismay in her gut.

"What's this about?"

"Stupid ass from school," she sighed.

"Somebody you turned down?"

Nova nodded. "He just wanted a casual fling. Be his booty call, that sort of thing." She shrugged, "I know Monica and Addy are comfortable with it and that's okay but... I don't know, is it stupid for me to want to give it up to someone I'm in love with?"

"Nope," Caroline shook her head, "not stupid at all. It's your body. You decide whether you want it to happen with someone special or lose it to some casual hook-up."

Nova lifted a corner of her mouth into a slanted smile, happy that Caroline always understood.

"Prick's probably just trying to soften the blow to his ego," she commented.

"I don't know why he takes it as a blow to his ego though," Nova wondered out loud. "A no's a no. Its pretty simple."

Caroline shrugged. "Not your problem. Maybe he's just trying to make up for smaller things," she winked, grinning at the double meaning and Nova couldn't help but snort before bursting into laughter.

×××

Nova couldn't fall asleep.

The three notes were on her bedside table along with a small vase that held the iris flower. All she could do was lie on her side and stare at them, a million questions swimming in her head.

She'd been upset earlier about a boy who thought her being a hopeless romantic was silly when there was indeed another boy out there who respected it. And not only did he respect it, but he was sending her cute notes along with the little things she loved in acknowledgment of the fact that she was a romantic at heart.

He didn't think it was a joke for someone of her social status to want a happy-ever-after or to believe with all her soul that someone was going to sweep her off her feet one day.

No, instead he was letting her know he understood that she had high standards for someone to be able to win her over and he was going to try surpassing those standards... Because he believed she was worth it. Because he didn't think it made her a foolish little girl.

Nova pulled the sheets tighter around her, snuggling into them with a content smile on her beautiful face.

Maybe she'll give this mysterious guy a chance after all.

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Thank you to those who are actually reading this story, haha :D I'm really, really glad that you are! <3

Keep smiling, always :) xx