PROJECT NIRVANA | ONC2020 ✔️

Chapter 16.

That night, I got a call from Kasey telling me that Ashton and I should meet up with her and Charlie for dinner. She cited it as a celebration of our wedding, although I didn't understand how a celebration could be celebrated. It felt kind of redundant to me.

I wasn't exactly in the mood to go out and socialize, but it was better than being cooped up inside with Avron, especially with all of the bad energy brewing between us. We had hardly spoken after breakfast, isolating ourselves in different sections of the house and pretending that the other didn't exist. A different kind of awkwardness had settled between us.

It wasn't the awkwardness of first kisses or new love, but the type born from a fear of communication. I was afraid that I would mess everything up if I spoke to him again. Just a few words could change the direction of our relationship, running us off-track, but if we let things stagnate, they could only become worse.

Maybe it was a good idea to spend some time with my best friend and brother. It would cheer me up, especially because I hadn't  expected to ever see them again. I wondered how they would react if they ever realized that Nirvana was actually fake and that I'd tried to leave.

I quickly shook that thought out of my head. According to what I knew about the simulation, they weren't even real people. However, this secondary thought only made me feel more disturbed.

I stepped inside the living room to ask Avron whether he wanted to go. He agreed, so we both went inside to get dressed. We spoke little to each other, keeping our words concise.

It was unfortunate that when we were just starting to get to know each other, things had broken down like brittle sticks and leaves in autumn. The annoying voice in my mind was telling me that maybe it wasn't meant to be. That maybe we shouldn't try to push for the impossible.

Avron and I sat in the car and drove the short ride to the restaurant, an eatery named 'Alviro's' that specialized in pasta and finely baked pizza. Avron parked in front of the building and we got out, walking towards the entrance.

The restaurant seemed pretty popular, as groups of people milled around the door, waiting for their turn to enter the establishment. I was glad that Kasey had already reserved our seats; I wasn't sure whether I'd survive the awkward silence if I had to wait outside with Avron.

"We can't let them know that we fought," Avron said as we walked into the restaurant.

I nodded in agreement. There would be too many questions, too many queries that I didn't want to deal with right now. It was better to pretend that we were the happy newlyweds that they expected us to be. As soon as we spotted Kasey and Charlie, amid the crowded restaurant, we slid into the booth across from them.

"This is so exciting!" Kasey exclaimed after we had sat down. "You don't know how good it feels to see you guys after the wedding."

"You might want to calm down a little," said Charlie. "It's not like they moved to another country or something."

I smiled at my brother. "Kasey's always exaggerating like that. I'm used to it now."

It felt good to be back even though I now knew the truth. I loved the familiarity of Charlie's button down shirts and lopsided grin as well as Kasey's neverending enthusiasm. This was where I belonged, the place I was most comfortable in.

Kasey turned to Avron. "How does it feel to be forever bound to your longtime love?"

"That's kind of an intense way to word it," he replied, opening the menu. "But it feels great."

He reached for my hand and squeezed it affectionately. Although we weren't exactly on speaking terms, I knew he meant it. A warm feeling settled in my stomach and in that moment I felt as if we could overcome anything.

"Awww..." said Kasey. She nudged Charlie. "Aren't they cute?"

Charlie only shrugged. "I guess." But he winked at me.

Soon, our food arrived. I dug into the cheese pasta I had ordered, savoring the rich flavors and creamy texture. If there was anything that could take my mind off my worries, it was food. For a few minutes, I could focus on the meal and not the random thoughts jumbling around in my brain.

"Did you hear that story on the news?" Kasey asked after we had spent a few moments eating..

"Which story?" I asked. Hopefully, it was something funny that we could laugh about to make this night even more laid-back and enjoyable.

"The story about the couple where the girl's father killed the boy's dad at a bar fight," said Kasey. "Everyone's been talking about it for days."

"I heard about it too," said Charlie. "They've been dubbed as a modern day 'Romeo and Juliet'. It's pretty tragic."

"I would break up immediately, if I were them," Kasey said, stabbing her fork into her salad. "It's just too complicated and kind of wrong."

Avron and I shared a glance. I was careful not to prolong it, or else I'd catch the guilt in his eyes.

"How is it wrong?" asked Avron.

Kasey's eyes widened. "Isn't it obvious? You're dating the child of your parent's victim. Or if it's the other way around, you're dating the child of your parent's murderer. Isn't that kind of gross?"

"I think we should stop this conversation," I said.

"Why?" asked Kasey. She mixed her lemonade with her straw. "It's pretty interesting."

"Well, I don't think it's interesting," I replied. My words had come out sharper than intended.

Kasey looked hurt as she jabbed at her pasta and I prayed that I hadn't sabotaged yet another one of my relationships. That would be two relationships damaged in under twenty-four hours and that was not a good look for me.

I started to apologize to her but Avron spoke first.

"I think I need to get some fresh air," he said, standing up from the booth.

And before I could stop him, he had disappeared into the crowd and exited the restaurant.