AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“You’d think so, wouldn't you?” Aimee makes it sound so obvious. “Like, he's all lovey-dovey, but now he’s being distant and hurting you? I mean, that bathtub thing was seriously fucked up. He never even talked to you about whether or not you’d be okay with that. Seriously, what’s up with that?”
I haven’t told her about the attack in the bedroom. If she’s so put off by the bathtub thing, I’m not sure how she will handle it.
“I’m tired of talking about him,” I sigh. Shaking my head slightly as if to physically get rid of thoughts about Tyr, I change the subject. “What’s new with you?”
“Well, I do have some tea to spill. Do you remember that aunt I told you about at my sweet sixteen? Aunt Janine?” I nod after a bit of memory searching. Aimee waits patiently for my brain to catch up. I’m not sure why it takes me so long to remember because that aunt is very ostentatious. She would always fish for compliments or play up a sob story for attention. Janine once told me she used to live in a mansion, and when her maid went into labor, instead of granting her leave, she fired her for the inconvenience. Janine now lives in an apartment. “Okay, well, she’s having a birthday party for her kid, and she invited me.”
“Wow.” I’m not surprised.
“I know. It's the first time since my parents left me here alone. I have no idea what to say. I don’t even know if I wanna go.” She looks far into her drink. The metal spoon makes soft clinking sounds against the ceramic sides of the mug.
“When is it?”
“In a couple of weeks.”
“Okay, so you have plenty of time to decide whether or not you’ll go.”
“If I do go, will you come with me?” She pleads with wide eyes.
“Of course, I’ll go with you.”
Fish and Bliss
I pick up my phone and text Aleksandr since I haven’t heard from him regarding the crash.
Nova: Hey, when do you wanna go over insurance stuff? I am going to the aquarium tomorrow after I have lunch, wanna meet up?
After a minute or two, he still hasn’t responded. Of course, I get ghosted, even though I physically put my number in his phone. It’s just my luck.
I’m kind of excited for the night ahead of me. I’m not sure if it’s the aquatic animals swimming lazily in their tanks or the soft lighting and relaxing music you can barely hear.
“Hey.”
I jump as I’m pulled from my inner monologue and spin around.
“Hey,” I laugh awkwardly. I don’t know why I’m nervous all of a sudden. “You should stop sneaking up on me.”
“Sure. Shall we?” He motions to a sitting area that is at the base of a large glass wall. There are tall stools nestled underneath a bar just in front of the glass, making it possible to watch the marine life swim and wander with ease. Lights from a projector in the rafters above us light up the wall with waves and colors.
We sit down at the bar and talk for about ten minutes, discussing insurance forms and the corresponding paperwork. The lights and movement from the giant tank keep distracting us and eventually, we give up on the business aspect of things and just sit there, watching the sea creatures intermingling amongst themselves. He passes me a ziplock bag labeled pork rinds and we snack on them while watching.
“It’s so beautiful, isn’t it?” I ask after a while. It’s more to myself than to him. I’m entranced and bewildered by the way some of them move.
“Yeah it is,” Aleksandr replies softer than I’d thought he could. Clearing his throat, he asks, “Hey, wanna walk around a little bit? See what else is around?”
“Sure, that sounds great.”
We walk through the aquarium, browsing the little attractions, talking and laughing about normal day-to-day things as we go. The conversation turns a little somber when he brings up our living situations.
“Yeah, I’m actually living with my boyfriend right now, but that's kind of a sensitive subject,” I say, putting my head down and focusing on my flats.
“Oh, I didn’t mean to pry. You don’t have to talk about it. We are here for other reasons. I don't even know why I asked," he mumbles the last part.
“No no, it’s not like that. I don’t mind talking to you. Honestly, you’re an easy person to talk to.” I laugh, slightly nervous.
“Well, I am a good listener if you need me to lend you an ear. Not in a Van Gogh-type way, though.” I cover my mouth with my fingers, trying to stifle my laugh. He grins crookedly. “Well, that came out slightly gruesome.”
“No, not at all! That was hilarious!”
