The First Part

Chapter 5

You know there's many different ways that you can kill the one you love

The slowest way is never loving them enough

True to his word, Leo never mentioned the kiss again. The first few days after that was awkward, but then they slipped back into their usual, comfortable, interactions with each other.

As usual as it can get when you keep flirting with each other any chance you get.

Elise seemed to notice something happened, though. Whenever Aaron and Leo were standing, or sitting, or whatever next to each other, she would give them a weird look. Maybe she suspected there's something more than just friendship.

Aaron suspected that sometimes as well.

He decided that the reason he kissed Leo that day was because he was drunk and just wanted to make out with someone, and Leo just so happened to sit down next to him that night.

It wasn't because he might be attracted to boys, nope, definitely not.

But Elise wasn't the only one who noticed something. The media seemed to have caught on as well.

There were tweets and posts with pictures of the two of them at some event together, often paired with some clickbaiting headline. There was a video of some woman interviewing Leo, and in the background you can see Aaron staring at the blonde.

He didn't remember that, and he wasn't intentionally staring at Leo. It just so happened that his eyes seemed to drift and find Leo in any crowd naturally.

And okay, they might've flirted on screen or during interviews but that-

Alright, so the media are observant, so what? That's just how they interacted with each other, the media don't know shit.

✯

Ella walked up to him, she seemed to be nervous about something.

Ella Walker was in Aaron's class, she had long blonde hair and hazel eyes. She was one of the popular kids, one of the cheerleaders for their school. She was friends with him before he ever got famous, and one of the few people who were still friends with him because they liked him for him, not for his fame.

Clout is a powerful drug, it makes people do stupid things.

'Aaron,' Ella said slowly, 'I need to ask you something.'

'What is it?' Aaron wondered.

Ella fiddled with the hem of her skirt, 'uhm...Do you wanna go on a date?'

Aaron blinked. He was expecting her to ask him about homework, but of course she wouldn't be that nervous over a couple of algebra questions. The point was, he was not expecting that question.