Crooked Hearts

8. Catching Up

Aria and I finish our food, making small talk from time to time. Something like:

Me: Cheeseburgers are so good.

Aria: It's like God cooked heaven into a single sandwich huh?

Me: Accurate.

Aria: If a Cheeseburger was a person I'd take it to Las Vegas and marry it.

Me: Oooh Touchè.

Basically, dinner consisted of series of me and Aria talking, laughing, and cracking jokes. It felt good actually. It felt like old times. It felt like a date. But no, it wasn't a date. I didn't even know if Aria was single though I definitely was. The talk with Aria awhile back made me realize a couple of things, not only did Aria look different, her personality was quite different too. I didn't mind it, to be honest. The quiet, book-loving Aria was now the Adventurous, cigarette-smoking, poetic Aria. Not to mention, exceedingly sexy, and unbelievably gorgeous.

"Hey, about you tattoo...." I say, motioning to the inked birds on her right arm. "Why the flying birds?"

"Oh..." she says, looking at her bare arm. "They represent freedom."

"Freedom again." I say.

She nods, "I'm a big believer in the importance of human freedom."

"That's so humanist." I tease, "But then again, you were always obsessed with human rights, and female rights, and all that." I smile at her, only exposing one of my dimples.

She nods, agreeing with me, "We shall avenge all those deprived of freedom, and take revenge on all those opposed to the idea of human freedom and rights." She says with an exaggerated accent.

"To the death for those deprived of justice?" I ask, smirking.

"Fuck yes! We shall take the bullet for our acts of justice and die a brave heroic death."

I laugh, "We are ninjas." I say.

"Hell yeah, Harry Styles! You are a motherfucking ninja! No one can match your courage and acts of bravery!"

We laugh and Cecelia comes with the bill. "Dessert yes?" she ask.

"No, thanks Cecelia, I'm stuffed like a Christmas turkey." Aria says.

"Alright, here's the bill."

Aria starts to take out her wallet, but I hold her back, "I'm obviously paying." I say.

"Please, when I take a man out, I pay." Aria rolls her eyes.

I pull out my wallet before she can and hand Cecelia money. Cecelia accepts it and says, "I'll be back with you change."

I cross my arms over my chest and grin at her, she just rolls her eyes. So much for my gentleman act. I smirk remembering the way Aria always wanted to be the one to pay.

________________

"Harry, I'm paying!" she insists.

"No, you're not." I say,

"It was my food. I ate it. I'm paying."

"Oh, get over yourself, Aria. I'm paying. I'm the man here."

Aria snorts, "That's just sexist. Why is it that the men always pay? Can the women not fend and provide for themselves?"

"Well obviously, it's because the men think their grand acts of chivalry will get them laid." I point out.

Aria laughs, and laughs, and laughs some more until her face gets red. "You laugh because it's so true." Aria just laughs some more.

"So what Harry? Are you looking to get yourself laid tonight is that it?" she smirks at me and I blush rather fiercely.