To Express Happiness || Fayne ✔✔

Ashes ♠

The day finally comes. After toiling for hours over the book-piles and notes, the day finally comes.

Returning from his General Knowledge exam, Aaron is happy, and he regrets feeling this happiness. There's still one exam left, but he is going nuts.  He could feel the spirit of the holidays flaming inside him. Moreover, this vacation will be wayyy different than his past 17 summers. He is not the Aaron he wants to be, anymore; but rather the Aaron others want him to be. It sounds very 'Stop. Be yourself' , but to Aaron, this is the key to survival. After witnessing Neha and Zack's confrontation about their pasts, Aaron has decided to bottle his emotions and never open the cap. He looks at the mirror, and for the first time, sees Aaron Reeves and not some psycho begging attention. True, it seems a nightmare that he could not, and maybe cannot express his feelings to Irina, but after Neha and Zack's confession, the dust has settled. While he opens all the literature books and lays them on the table, he manages a tiny space and pulls out his notebook to write these things as a note to himself.

He keeps the pen down, and reads it out loud. For him, realization dawns: he has evolved. Improved. His dreams, his feelings and his thoughts make who he is; makes him a proud member of the gang. All the way, he has stayed himself, and has been rewarded for that.

Aarons goes pages after pages of Jane Austen, William Shakespeare and Leo Tolstoy; but none of them get Aaron's undivided attention as he starts to drool again about his vacation, when Aaron's phone beeps.

''If you remember me still, come meet me at the book cafe at the Roodlyn Street. From: The Forgotten Ashley South. ''

Taking a quick glimpse at the clock, Aaron sits upright and finally starts studying.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~OO~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

''Where are you?''

On the other side of the phone, Ashley is almost ranting, but quietly as she might be in the book cafe. Aaron steers the bike with one hand, phone on the other, with Ashley still on the other side. He is waiting for Ashley to cut the call, but she doesn't. The moment becomes awkward and Aaron bikes faster enough to say , '' Okay, I'm 6 minutes away''. Ashley finally hangs up.

When Aaron reaches the cafe, it started to drizzle outside. He brushes off the raindrops from his hoodie as he locates the woman with tall hair and narrow shoulders, reading a Nicolas Sparks on the corner. He sits, placing his hoodie over the chair.

''You're 15 minutes late, which means you gotta pay for the coffee'' , Ashley says with a smirk.

Aaron shakes his head in defeat . He gets up to grab a book, and sits with the coffee Ash ordered for both of them.

'' Cecelia Ahern. Quite the taste.'' , Ashley says, winking.

'' Yeah well...'' . Aaron stick out his tongue , saying afterwards, ''Hey...did you check this out?? ''.

Ashley pulls out her smartphone as she scrolls through messages. She stops and at one and shows it to Aaron.

With bulging eyes, Aaron cannot believe what he just read. 

'' I know, right???? Isn't it crazy? I mean...Shae planned this for a long time but this sudden trip to San Francisco is just, OMG.''

Aaron is 80% sure his mom is not gonna let him go, but the rest 20% makes Aaron forget that he has a family, anymore. He saves the thinking for later, smiling wildly as he does. 

''Am I invited?'' Aaron asks, half-expecting he is.

''You're a member of the gang now, Aaron. Stop questioning when you know the answer'', Ashley says, sipping her coffee, '' and about that.... congratulations on making your way to the gang. Never expected that'' , she says, putting down her coffee beside the book.

''And thank you for the initial push'' , Aaron says but it goes ignored. 

Ashley looks down, circling her finger on the rim of the cup. '' Everyone, including Shae, is really proud of you I must say. It tests your insides, you know, and you aced it. I'm glad you did, I really am....''

Her tone turns slightly serious, her dimples disappearing.

Aaron senses it before anybody, as he goes , ''I sense a but, there?''

She stops circling.

'' It's like....'' , she looks up, '' it's not all roses and strawberries inside the gang, you know. I am one of the latest additions, and believe me when I say that, things...will get rough'' .

Aaron stares at Ashley's eyes profoundly, thinking about Neha and Zack and their difficulties. He realized that happiness is just a code they live by, to survive in the gang and stay together, but deep inside, they have stories, and Ashley might be the next person to tell hers.

Aaron pushes this further. '' So like...you have a story too?'' . As he says that, panic spreads across his chest, and Ashley fans it by saying, '' Sorry what?... What story?'' .

Aaron gets cornered. He feels like slapping himself now. If he stays quiet like this for two more seconds, Ashley would already presume  that Neha and Zack had poured out their hidden emotions to Aaron. 

It starts to pour. Outside.

Watching the grey atmosphere, the wet cobbled streets and people rushing to find shelter, Aaron wishes to run away and disappear with them. Lucky Aaron, Ashley continues.

''Well whatever. Leave it. Now the fact is...since you are a beginner, you will be treated like that ; but you need to improve. You need to be more...what the gang expects from you, okay? If you do not...things might not go well for you'' .

One part of Aaron wants to protest, and the other wants to ask flippantly , '' Do I need to ride more bikes?'' , but he says nothing and nods.

'' What can go wrong? I mean...except Shae beating the sht out of me, everything seems cool.'' 

Ashley smiles a disappointed smile, a smile that hides the expression of only-if-he-knew. 

Confused, Aaron's silence demands the answer from Ashley.

'' It's just...like all actions have a reaction, the gang has it's own dark side''. 

Her eyes suddenly get baggy, her face wearing exhaustion. This indicates Aaron that something, is definitely going on.

She finishes her coffee, keeps the book in the shelf and picks up her coat and her car keys; ready to leave. She stands there abruptly, looking at Aaron's feet under the table. She opens her mouth to say something, but doesn't. She does it again, looking at Aaron, and finally says:

'' Edward Monroe. Remember the name. ''

She turns around and exits the cafe, as Aaron sits there, his mind parallel to the loud silence of the rain.