Crooked Hearts

Prologue

       She moved away. Just as I was starting to get to know her. She left. Disappeared from my existence. Aria Wilde. Better known for her last name than for her personality itself. Though her name implied it, she wasn't wild at all. Not in the slightest of ways. She was a quiet girl who would have much rather preferred to sit in a corner her head lost in a book, than to attend one of the pointless, drunken rolls our highschool friends would have from time to time. I would almost never see her in parties or any social gatherings. And when I did, she looked more out of place than a penguin in the middle of an African desert.

    She was also beautiful. Not your typical kind of curvy, sexy, beautiful. Her beauty was a natural beauty. She had brownish, blond hair and odd blue-green eyes. Hell, if she wasn't one of the most beautiful people I knew. No one knew much about her, her life at home, interests, dislikes, favorite things in general. All people knew was that she loved reading, was smarter than almost everyone in the school, and that she always kept to herself.

 Which is why I was genuinely surprised when I saw her at a party one day.

She was, as usual, in a corner, watching as the party went on, her gorgeous eyes observing everything around her.

 I decided to talk to her.

“Hi, Aria, is it?” I said. I sais as I approached her, sitting on a couch in a dark corner of the room.

She looked up surprised, and nodded. “Yeah, hi Harry,” she responded.

I sat down beside her and offered her a glass of beer, she just shook her head at me, “I don’t drink.” She said.

“Oh.”

We sat together in unbearable silence. I didn’t know what to say to her. Didn’t know where to start. Finally I said, “So, why are you here?”

I cringed as soon as the question escaped my lips. It was a nosey question. Impolite. Aria just smiled and shook her head, “I don’t know.” She said. But she seemed to reconsider her answer and said, “I wanted to be here. Better to be here than at home, I guess.”

I wonder what that meant.

“So…. You like books?” I asked, desperate to keep a conversation going.

Aria nods, her long hair covering her face as she does. “I’ve always loved literature.” She explains. “I’ve always loved how a few words can have the capacity to control our emotions. How one can create worlds, shape lives, and tell stories with just a handful paragraphs.” She says.

I smile, my dimples becoming visible. “That’s nice.” I say.

Aria looks up and stares at me for a moment too long.

“What?”

“Nothing,” she says. She bites her lip and says, “I was just observing you. I like observing people.”

“So I’ve noticed.”

 She tilts her head at me and cocks an eyebrow, “Do you know that just by observing a person you can find out way more than you would if you actually talked to them?” She asks me.

I tilt my head and cock my eyebrow at her, mimicking her. “Really now? And what have you found out about me, love?”

Aria smiles, “You’re laid back.” She says. “Easy going. You love being with friends. You love the attention they give you.”

None of this in untrue.

“You’re an amazing singer. You have talent and potential.” She continues.

I laugh, “So what? Are you saying I can become a famous popstar someday?”

“Yes,” she says with a conviction that takes me quite back, “I do believe that you can.”

“And what have you found out about the other people in this room?” I ask her.

She smiles a mischievous smile. She points at one of the boys across the room. “Jerry York?” she says, “He’s got a soft spot for marijuana and sex. But he also has a soft spot for Katie Howard.”

“You’re kidding right?” I say in shock. Everyone knew that Jerry hated Katie. They hated each other ever since they met for the very first time.

“Definitely not.” She says.

“But how- how can you be so sure?” I ask.

Aria shakes her head, “Don’t you ever see how he looks at her?” she says. “His eyes hold a special sort of affection just for her. Little do people know that they tell the truth through their eyes, not their words and actions.” She says.

“You could be wrong.” I say. “Why on earth would Jerry York like Katie Howard?”

Aria shrugs, “I’m not saying my assessments are true, But most of the time they are, I’m very good at reading people.”

I stare at Jerry York, standing in a corner having some lively banter with a few of his mates. Jerry’s eyes flick over to the opposite side of the room, at Katie, having her own kind of banter with her friends. Their eyes meet for just a second, and they both share a strange sort of smile.

I stare at Aria. Just stare at her. How could she read people like that? How long has she been observing people, finding out their secrets and weaknesses?

“What about me?” I ask her. “How long have you been observing me? What have you found out about me?”

Aria scratches the back of her neck, “Ah, does it matter?”

“Yes, it does!” I say, “What if you found out all my bad habits?”

Aria laughs. Really laughs. Her shoulders shaking as she does. Her eyes crinkle at the corners.

And then it hits me.

That was the first time I had ever heard her laugh in the whole time I’d known her. It’s such a sweet sound, so pure and beautiful. And I remember thinking; I want to make her laugh like this for the next years of my life.

Laughter is such a life-changing thing.

Aria’s laugh dulls to a faint giggle and then she look up at me, “What I’ve found out about you, is that you’re special.”

“Aren’t we all special?” I smirk.

She shakes her head and closes her eyes, “You’re special Harry Styles. And you will accomplish a great deal in your life.”

Without thinking, I reach and slip her hand into mine, lacing my fingers into hers. She opens her eyes and smiles.

We just stay there together for a period of time, just smiling and holding hands. Until finally, Aria pulls away and looks me in eye, “I’m curious.” She says, “What have you found out about me?”

“You’re quiet.” I say, “Smart, you love books, hate alcohol, and you like to get to know people by watching them and not by talking to them.” I take a breath, “You’re sweet, innocent, and inhumanly beautiful.”

“Sweet and innocent huh?” she says.

“Yes.” I say with a small smile. “Sweet and innocent as a flower.”

I had no idea how wrong I was.