New Years Day

Chapter Fourteen: In which Aru rambles too long but it's fine (aiden's pov)

                                            "It's the first kiss, it's flawless, really something..."

When Kara asked Aiden if she could tell him something, Aiden wanted to ask if it could wait. It was Aru's birthday, and the focus should've been on her.

But then again, he was a people pleaser. So he followed Kara to the Hall of the Gods exhibit. The awkward silence was interrupted with Kara pointing out the mural behind them.

"Those are the Pandava brothers in battle, right?" she asked. Aiden nodded.

"I always felt bad for Karna. I mean, he was sent out in a river by his mom as a baby. That'd feel weird, right?" She laughed half heartedly. Aiden frowned. Where was this conversation going.

"I like you," said Kara, laughing a little. "I don't like keeping secrets or holding stuff in, and so I...I wanted to tell you." (a/n: copy pasted from cog because im just sooo creative like that guysss)

Oh shit. He liked Kara, as a friend. Nothing more, nothing less. 

This was gonna be fun.

"Oh," said Aiden. "Kara...I've always thought of you as a friend. A good friend, you know? I don't want to ruin that—"

He braced himself for the worst. Really bringing in those people pleaser traits Acharya, he thought, groaning on the inside.

Her eyes glistened. "Thats- that's fine! I just needed to, um, get that out I guess. I should probably go-" She ran for the exit, covering her mouth.

His self esteem wasn't feeling too good right now, but it was the truth. He did not like Kara like that.

Her roommate however, his brain thought. He rolled his eyes, sighing. It was not not true.

He walked back to the movie room, figuring that him going to comfort Kara would just make things worse. At least he was gonna go back until he saw a shadow from behind a statue...

Crab walking?

So it was safe to assume that this person had heard the conversation him and Kara just had. And that person came into view, looking like a tomato.

"Shah?" He looked down at her (since he was taller) and couldn't decide whether to scowl or laugh.

"What are you doing?" Aiden narrowed his eyes.

"Nothing! Just, checking the um, quality of the, um, statues!" She tapped on the one of Krishna next to her, smiling awkwardly. "See? This one's good!"

"I can see that." Don't say anything, don't say anything, don't say anything. 

"I gotta go..." Aiden pushed past her, and immediately regretted it.

"Why didn't you tell me about the texts?" Her voice echoed across the museum as his heart went cold, like the stone on the statues she was 'checking'.

He turned around, hands shoved in pockets. Play dumb, play dumb, play dumb.

"What texts?"

She scoffed, flipping her braid back and crossing her arms. "You know exactly what texts!"

"Shah, I-"

"No! I'm the one who gets to do the talking here! First, you come in and you're all 'that part was easy', then you're talking to me about your shitty dad who really doesn't deserve to live by the way, then you ask me if you could text me sometime, and then you're acting all weird and distant like you don't wanna text me sometime, then you're going and hanging out with Kara who you barely even know and-"