Chapter Thirty - Aaron
Once the day of the competition rolled around, Aaron knew they were ready. They only managed to have a few days' worth of practice with Cat, yet somehow, she managed to know exactly what it was they were performing and how. Their only issue was that she didn't know their most recent song that Aaron had written, so they had to change it to something they all knew.
"I'm just going to go unload the rest of the stuff, keep an eye on them for me," Henry said as he tapped Aaron's shoulder. The younger lad gestured towards the stage, where Cat and Mickey were. Due to Cat being blind, they had been given time for her to get used to the setup of the stage. That was why she and Mickey were currently walking around it.
"Sure," Aaron nodded.
He absolutely loathed having to watch the two of them hold hands and romanticise their relationship when he was still hurt over their break up. His heart bled at the sight of them, knowing that Cat had chosen to be with Mickey. However, he understood why Henry had asked him to watch over them - like Aaron, Henry wasn't sure of Mickey's relationship with Cat. It was random, just like their friendship had been, so both Aaron and Henry needed to be protective of her from afar.
Her hand was in his as he guided her round. The two of them were talking - Mickey kept whispering something in her ear that made her giggle. Every now and then, her cheeks would blush a bright pink underneath the thin layer of foundation that Rachel had put on her. It outshone the matte liquid, as it always would.
Unlike her usual attire, Cat had opted for ripped skinny jeans instead of her usual knee length skirts. Her arms were showing for once, only under the sheer material of a three-quarter length top. It was completely different and somewhat peculiar to Aaron, as though she had undergone a major transformation. Even her boots were longer than usual, heels slightly taller. Aaron never understood how she could walk in them, although the obvious explanation was with practice. Still, she was stunningly destructive, perfect in every way. Next to Mickey, she was an angel in disguise, heaven-sent, whereas he was the lucky soul who happened to have her appointed as his guardian angel. The reminder that she was once his guardian angel was what hurt Aaron the most.
On a different note, he was pumped up for the competition. His body was full of anticipation, just wanting to get the competition over and done with already. They were the fifth one out of the eight to perform and although it gave them time to suss out their competition, it also gave them the time to panic. Knowing Cat as well as he did, she was sure to use that time to panic; she wouldn't be one to publicly show it but Aaron knew. That was just how she was.
Unlike his sister, Henry would be one to have a panic attack on the spot. One minute he would be perfectly calm and collected, whereas the next he would be hyperventilating and freaking out over the competition. Having Cat here would hopefully change that.
"Catty, live a little!" The words woke Aaron up, bringing his attention back onto them. For a moment, Aaron thought he heard the private name but he still tensed at the new one. 'Catty' sounded childish.
Mickey moved further from her now, still keeping his hand on hers, as he twirled her around. Although the stage lights weren't on, Aaron swore he saw a hint of green glimmering upon them. Cat wasn't so happy about the sudden spin; she stumbled, struggling to find her feet again. Her arms flailed as she fell, right into Aaron's arms.
"Mickey, why don't you go help unload the instruments? I can help Cat," he ordered, rather than suggested. At the rate Mickey was going, he was bound to injure her.
He took Cat from Aaron's arms, keeping his own arm around her as she steadied herself. Narrowing his eyes, Mickey replied, "Why don't you? I'm trying to help my girlfriend here."
