orion's belt | ✓

5 | orion

incredible cover by tigerliliesblue
orion's pov

there's an unconscious body on the ground in front of me. i repeat, there is an unconscious body on the ground in front of me.

the person had been crying and thrashing around like a madman before dropping to the ground and fainting. due to their feminine cries, i assume they're female, but who knows, maybe it's a guy with a girly scream. i look around, no one would notice if you just walk away the voice in my head tells me, and i contemplate actually leaving. carrying around an unconscious body would look suspicious, and i can't afford to get into trouble. not at the rate i'm going.

i softly nudge her arm with my foot. "hey," i whisper awkwardly, leaning down. "wake up!" i brush her knotted hair out of her face, and my heart stops when i see who it is.

the weirdo who's been watching me at lunch for the past month and a half.

i back away from her slowly. what was her name again? annabelle? anastasia? i shake my head, annalise, that's what it was. she would stare at me all of lunch, and i would pretend i didn't notice, and every day, when the bell rings, i look up at her and our eyes meet, but then i would look away. it was a routine that i hadn't noticed until it was too late.

i knew deep down it wasn't just her who had formed a weird tendency to be completely creepy. the only reason i kept going back to the cafeteria was because of her. the only reason i went to the cafeteria in the first place was because of her. after watching her from the back of the class in US history, i felt the need to see her again, so after the bell rang for lunch, i followed her, right into the cafeteria. after that day, i kept going back, and she kept watching me.

it was just easier to pretend that she was the only weird one. but then again, if she wasn't weird, why would she be running around crying in the worst part of town at this hour? although i'd never admit it, i felt a tug in my chest, thinking about all the possible ways she could've been hurt.

after examining her for any injuries, i lift her up bridal style, and take her to my car. you're digging yourself deeper into whatever this weird relationship is. i knew we weren't friends, but i couldn't leave her on the sidewalk in the rain.

heaving her into the back seat of my small sedan, i take her smart phone out of her death grip, and swipe at the screen, looking for someone to call. i find the contact "mother dearest" and decide to call it. "anna baby? where are you? it's been hours!" a voice screeches from the other line.

here we go. "uhm, is this annalise's mother?" i ask, my voice scratchy from lack of use.

i hear an audible gasp. "w-who is this? what happened to her? is she in the hospital?"

i cough. "no, no, nothing like that. i..she...i'm her friend, and i was walking down town when she crashed into me, crying, and passed out. she's safe now, i-i'm just wondering where i should drop her off at?"

the woman on the other line sighs in relief. "oh thank goodness." she then proceeds to give me their address which so happens to be down the street, and thanks me.

i leave annalise in the back seat, taking off her backpack and resting her head gently on the soft leather cushioning before hopping into the front seat. when we arrive at her house, i pick her up, and her head rests on my shoulder. an unfamiliarly warm feeling erupts in my chest, it's pure bliss.

i'm unable to drown in the feeling because a woman comes barreling through the door. "come, come!" she says, her voice shaking as she gestures for me to follow her. we walk into their apartment which happens to be very spacious, and i put annalise on the couch, draping a blanket over her, and tucking the sides in, just like my mother used to.

i check her pulse, not knowing what exactly to do. she feels fine, but when i turn around, her mother isn't. two women crying in one day? i don't think i can handle it. i pat her back awkwardly, and she attacks me with a bear hug. "thank you!" she sobs. "thank you so much, i don't...i can't..."

i nod, freeing myself from her grip. "it's alright, i'm glad she's safe too." once she stops crying she rushes into the kitchen and offers me a cup of tea, which i accept gratefully. "what's your name, darling?" she asks, when we both sit down at their kitchen table.

"orion." i respond, and an earsplitting grin breaks across her face. "so you're the boy my daughter has been writing about." she says.

i nearly choke on my tea. "w-what?"

she laughs. "well as her mother, i feel that her privacy isn't disrupted if she doesn't know about it...so i read her poetry entries when she's asleep." she acts as if this is an explanation to the news that she has just let me in on. when she notices my confused look, she continues. "annalise writes poetry. she thinks that it's her little secret, but she can't keep anything from me." she winks. "all the entries revolve around her life, and you have been the main topic for a few months now."

she scans me with her eyes, and suddenly i feel self conscious. "you're exactly what she describes. dark hair, striking features, and your name is orion. she had a field day with that one, for weeks she wrote about how your name lived in the stars."

i am now actually choking on my tea. "w-what?" i splutter, as the middle aged woman gently pats my back.

"sorry." she says sheepishly, but i shake my head.

i've learned two things today.

annalise is most definitely not who i thought she was, and i now know for a fact that my infatuation with her is only going to get worse with weeks to come.

a/n

extramaria who can write about staring at a wall and make is memorizing x