World on Fire | J. Saltzman - Legacies [4]

F I V E

Aaron sighs at the sun shining down on his face. It may feel like nothing to most, but to him, the sun is his protector. It reminds him of simpler times, of when it was just him and his father on the farm without any looming doom.

It gives him the confidence he needs to be consistently helping Lizzie at the movie for tonight. He had already stripped off his jacket so he can feel many eyes on his tattoos but not Lizzie's. No, Lizzie just keeps smiling at him.

"I'm glad I'm not alone in doing this," Aaron chuckles as they lay down a blanket. "Maybe next time we can do something you might like too?"

"You like manual labor?" She asks, quirking a brow.

"Reminds me of home." Aaron straightens up and places a steadying hand on the small of his back.

As he passes her, he notices her dropping her hand. "So, what would you suggest? As something we both enjoy?"

Pursing his lips, Aaron considers as he turns back to her. "Well, I hear from Josie that you are also a secret nerd. Most people just assume I like heavy metal when they see the tattoos, but there's just something about superheroes, you know?" He grabs a few chairs and steps around her once more to set them up. When he glances back up, he once again sees her arm out. "Your arm ok?"

Her eyes widen. "Oh, yeah. Um, a little sore from everything that happened. You know magic."

"I guess magic is another thing we have in common." His lips twist into a small smile as he passes her to adjust the chairs someone else set up to be perfectly aligned. Kneeling down he eyes the backs of the chairs to line them up with the store in the distance.

When he stands up, nodding at the chairs, he turns back to Lizzie and asks, "So, favorite superhero?"

He leans down to pick up a blanket as Lizzie replies, "Hard to say. It's a long list."

"Oh," Aaron nudges her side. "Such a cop-out! How about an easier question—which sci-fi universe would you live in if you could choose."

"Star Wars, duh," Lizzie grins. "Actually, would you excuse me for a minute? I'm gonna grab some popcorn."

"Sure." Aaron nods as she wanders off. "I'll just be here. Working." Clearing his throat, he glances around nervously as if her absent presence were a larger loss than it should be. Thankfully, his phone rings to take his mind away.

Frowning at the caller, he answers, "Is this going to be a regular thing now?"

"Yeah, I've adopted you," Stella replies, her tone very obviously sarcastic. "Listen, we didn't get to talk earlier. Did you have another dream?"

"Unfortunately. Same one. Fire everywhere and then rebirth," he glances around, finding Lizzie standing at the popcorn machine. "I don't like lying to everyone."

"It's not lying. It's omission."

"Same difference." He lets out a sigh and shakes his head. "I am just starting to get on good terms with everyone again—"

"You mean Lizzie—"

"—and I don't want to jeopardize that." He fights the heat rising in his cheeks. "It's not just Lizzie."

Stella hums. "Doubtful. But seriously, think of what'll happen if they know. We already have Malivore to deal with so there's no use in telling Hope, and Lizzie is always team Hope. Well, except for when she ditches all this bullshit to go on a date with you."

"I'm sorry." Aaron straightens his back. "What did you say?"

It goes quiet on the other end. "Lizzie's gonna kill me."