Theatre Geek - (R.B.) - Chapter 24: Chapter 24

Some Weeks Later:
"DUDE, WE'VE been past this corner like, fifteen times. Admit it. You have no idea where we're going."
Aaron huffed, shooting Fabian an irked look as the four of them continued to scour the city in search of what they were looking for, which in this case, was a new record store. It was barely noon yet and they were already feeling considerably grumpy. Alec, ever the optimist, gave Aaron an encouraging pat on the back. "Don't worry, I'm sure he knows what he's doing."
"See? Travers believes in me," Aaron muttered as he took them through another abandoned alleyway, while Fabian rolled his eyes.
"Yeah? Well that's just because Travers is a suck-up."
"Am not--"
"Are too--"
"Am not--"
Julia pinched the bridge of her nose in exasperation, sighing. Couldn't these boys last five minutes without having a go at each other?
She abruptly put their argument to a stop, clearing her throat and causing them all to look at her. "Alright, we've been looking around for two hours and we still can't find it." She then mumbled out, "maybe it's just Aaron's terrible navigating skills--" (at this, she earned an indignant protest from him which she ignored), "or maybe we're just not meant to find that store in the first place." She pointed ahead at something, shrugging. "Look, there's a bakery. I don't know about you three, but I'm starving. We should -- I'll just grab something and head on back." She sighed. They shouldn't have left Noah (Aaron's younger brother) alone in the first place.
The boys contemplated her suggestion, realizing soon after that she had a point. They boys had practice, and Julia had last-minute backstage duties for the play. What were they thinking wandering around town while Noah was alone waiting for his brother to arrive at home so they could go in together? The boy wasn't feeling well, after all.
"Good plan, Lia," Aaron agreed, as the other two dutifully nodded. "Let's go."
She headed towards the door of the bakery and pushed it open, the sound of bells jangling and the three of them followed behind her. As soon as they pushed open the doors, they were enveloped with the tantalizing, comforting scent of hot cocoa and warm pastries. The boys' crankiness instantly dissipated as they wandered around the store, taste-testing the samples and inhaling in the delicious smell of freshly baked goods.
Nothing could lift their spirits like food.
Aaron grinned, licking his lips as he'd just finished sampling a jam-filled croissant. He turned to offer one to Julia, seeing as it was strawberry, her favorite flavor. "You should really try--"
He stopped short, his eyes reluctantly narrowing.
Julia, unaware of Aaron's gaze burning into her back, laughed quietly as the boy behind the counter told her another joke. Though he didn't have a name that she or he knew yet, he was still pretty damn attractive. Sandy blonde hair, tanned skin, and a blinding smile. Plus, he had a great sense of humor. She wasn't interested, but she didn't mind having a little friendly conversation. No harm, right?
Aaron chose that exact moment to walk over, annoyance flashing across his face. He gave the other guy a quick once-over, scowling as he did so. The nameless boy didn't seem to notice his rigid behavior as he turned his attention away from Julia to smile politely at Aaron.
"Oh, hi. Can I help you with anything?"
Julia grinned. "Peter, this is Aaron. My friend from school. His friend's dad owns the bakery."
Peter's smile widened. "Nice to meet you, dude. Jules and I were just talking about--"
Aaron cut him off irritably. "Yeah, well, that was the last conversation you're ever going to have with her," he snapped before taking Julia by the hand and pulling her away quickly, much to her protests.
As he dragged her out of the bakery, she raised an eyebrow at him incredulously. "What was that for?"
Aaron shrugged innocently, gesturing to where Fabian and Alec were already outside, sitting on a bench and munching on their food. "They were getting impatient."
She folded her arms in disbelief. "Okay."
He smiled, waving her retorts off with his hands. "You should be thanking me, I saved you a whole lot of time. He didn't seem very interesting anyway. Probably still lives with his mom."
"You still live with your mom."
"Touché."
That evening, the five of them sat together under a large tree in the small forest behind Julia's house, patiently waiting for the sun to set. She had protested for an hour to Aaron about how they should've let her stay at home so she could complete her biology homework, but her efforts (though valiant) were ignored.
"You alright there, Noah?" Alec asked, yawning. Noah, who was leaning back against the trunk, nodded in reply. After all, his friend had showed up in time so they could head into the building instead of waiting for so long.
"Being sick sucks." But worth it because of the amount of care you get from being the youngest.
"Don't worry, only a few more days and it'll all be over soon," Julia said encouragingly, earning a weak smile from him. Beside her, Aaron huffed irritably.
"Thought you didn't want to be here, Lia."
"I didn't say that. And if that's the case, then you didn't either!" Looks of surprise were shot at Aaron from the boys, which he all ignored.
"It's different!" He protested, raising his hands up in exasperation. "You're--"
"A girl?" She raised an eyebrow, a dangerously calm tone in her voice. "So what, are you saying that me, because I'm a girl, can't take care of myself?"
Aaron opened his mouth to respond but was caught off by a nudge on the shoulder by Fabian. "Don't answer that, dude. Trust me. It's best you just play dead, or something."
Julia hid back a scowl, crossing her arms together. "What is this? What's wrong with me being alone at home?"
"Something could happen--" Aaron trailed off, looking down at the ground petulantly like a sulking child.
"My aunt's never at home. I've been staying at home alone for months. Nothing's going to happen."
He still didn't look convinced. Sighing, she moved to sit next to him on the log, nudging his shoulder lightly. "Honestly."
Alec, sensing that an argument was about to break out, quickly sprung to his feet. "Come on, guys. We should head back inside now, the sun's set." He turned to them hesitantly. "You coming?"
Aaron glanced at his best friend then back at Julia. "Uh, you guys head in. We'll catch up."
Alec nodded, half dragging Fabian and Noah away, leaving Aaron and Julia alone. It was silent for a few moments, with only the sounds of crickets chirping and cold wind rustling the leaves. The sky had already turned dark, with a few groups of glittering stars here and there. Aaron wasn't sure what to do, or what to say, he was stirring up his brain but all he got in the end were no answers.
He sneaked a few glances at her, trying to gauge her expression. She was looking up at the sky, her face neutral, neither upset nor pleased. He wasn't sure what to make of it. Was she mad? Gosh, in the few months that he'd known her, he still couldn't fathom her emotions. They were so different, and half of the time, her voice showed nothing more than calmness.
"Do you know any constellations?" Julia asked suddenly, breaking his train of thought. She was gazing at the sky, transfixed.
Aaron was surprised at first by the sudden change in topic, but shrugged nonetheless. "Yeah, my dad taught me a few as a kid."
"See that one over there? That's Andromeda." On an impulse, she gently took his hand and pointed it up, guiding it towards the spectacle of silver stars she'd been referring to. "In Greek mythology, she was the daughter of King Cepheus and Queen Cassiopeia."
Aaron barely heard her. The moment their hands made contact, his mind went blank and he couldn't focus on anything other than the feeling of her soft skin, clouding his thoughts and making his heart beat feverishly. He abruptly forgot about the problems that he'd been worrying about just a couple of minutes ago.
Julia moved his hand towards another constellation, completely focused on remembering the Greek myth. She didn't notice the way he had gone still like a statue.
"That one right there is Perseus. He's one of my favorite Greek heroes. Legend says that he married Andromeda from the beast, and they ended up getting married. He's actually--"
She glanced towards him and paused, a pink tinge of embarrassment creeping up her face as she realized that she'd been rambling. "Sorry, I'm being boring."
Aaron shook his head hurriedly. He'd been content to just stay there and listen to her talk all night, even if she was reciting from their Greek History textbook. "Not at all. Go ahead, tell me another."
Suddenly realizing that she was holding his hand, she quickly let go and nodded, smiling a little as she proceeded to tell him about Orion and Artemis. There it was again, that smile. He felt like if she kept smiling at him that way, he would do just about anything. Anything for her happiness, he would do anything.
To him, other girls weren't anything. Their laughs didn't make his heart do gymnastic routines or tap dances, and they certainly didn't make his lungs expand with air whenever they smiled. Their eyes didn't make him stop in his tracks and try to remember what he was about to say next. Aaron wasn't in love with them. Not the way he...liked Julia.
He could tell her now. It was the perfect moment. The words were right there, on the tip of his tongue. No more playful flirting or innuendos. All he had to do was grab her hand, and he could say everything he'd wanted to for the past three stupid months. But as he opened his mouth, the words all jumbled together like a mess and he lost his nerve.
How could he possibly explain how he felt?
He couldn't explain it to her. He couldn't explain it like the way you can't explain colors to a blind person, or how the sky is blue. Besides, there was no way he could sound poetic and romantic without sounding like a complete idiot at the same time. He wasn't Alec, after all.
So, he stayed silent for the rest of the night, listening to her soft voice until it faded away slowly as she drifted away. Then, he carried her back inside her home before heading back out and joining his friends for a late night filled with carpool karaoke.