Play Me a Song

Chp.9 - Nobody Cares About the Cards

Cora gives Leo a meaningful look.

"I think I have a pack of cards somewhere in my room." she states getting up from the couch and pushing Leo along.

After Agara we decided to hang out at Cora's, Mr and Mrs Moore were out of town for the weekend and wouldn't mind, but Camilla and Ian decided they would rather spend their time alone. Suspicious? Yes, it is!

"What? I mean... I'll help you look!" He is quick to add after Cora tightens her grip on his arm, nails painfully digging into his skin. And there she goes again, I didn't want her to set me up, but Cora has to control everything.

As soon as they leave the living room an awkward silence falls between me and Aeson, the only sound being my plastic spoon scratching at the bottom of my cup for the rest of the mint chocolate chip ice cream.

Yeah, turns out that when GM Girl and Big Head won, the other teams backed down from any embarrassing dare and agreed to pay for our ice cream. I think Aeson had it all planned before and took us to an expensive gelateria where there was plenty of toppings to choose from. I was still full from the burguer earlier so I didn't take advantage of the free ice cream to its most, but Aeson did. I think he put everything he could in his cookie dough ice cream: m&ms, jelly beans, strawberries, marshmallows... It all.

I set my cup down on the center table and look over to him seated beside me on the couch (guess who came up with the seating arrangement, it starts with C and ends with ora). He is going through his phone and I could do the same, I would be just pretending, though, as no one is demanding my attention. I lean forward resting my arms on my tights and face on my hands. I go through my mind in search of something to talk about.

He is gorgeous, just looking at him you couldn't decide if he was cute or more like a bad boy kind of guy. His now more dishevelled hair falls on his face giving it a mysterious look while his ankle is crossed over his knee, Patrick Star's face in sight. He is a walking paradox.

He notices where my attention is and I think I have a dumb smile on my face because he comments: "My mom did it," he shakes his feet, "she was very good at knitting."

Was. I knew Aeson's mother had passed away years ago (Cora was so kind to gossip to me, without being asked to), and I also knew he had taken upon himself the older brother role while his father was mostly absent working to pay alone the two kids' expenses and Freya lost it for a time. She got involved with some bad people and some harsh decisions. Tom was born, and the thirteen-years-old Aeson had also to become a father of sorts. How he still managed to keep up beat, I have no idea. Admirable to say the least.

"What is it?" Aeson frowns, reading my expression.

"Nothing," I chuckle in a tentative to change the subject. I have never lost someone close to me. I can't imagine how it feels and I am afraid of saying something that could offend him or make him think that I am rude. "I was just trying to think about something to start a conversation."

"And what did you think about?" He leans closer, interested.

"Nothing came to my mind."

At that he smirks.

"Well," he wets his lips making my eyes wonder that way, "we could always just make out."

He says it so casually that for a moment I stare at him in confusion. Did I hear him right? His smirk turns into a full smile that shows his dimples as he laughs out loud.

"Okay." It leaves my mouth before I can stop it.

He stops laughing at once. Oh my God! I think I just agreed to make out with him!