Fireworks (Astrobyte 1)

Spark

It was a normal evening for Aries to be at the club with music blasting off the speakers and two girls hanging off on either of his arms. Normal. Familiar. Routine. Chore. Boring.

He used to love the energy of this place, everyone drinking and dancing, minding their own business. When did this scene get boring? Oh yeah, 2 nights ago, he thought, stifling a yawn.

One moment, he was enjoying the place then suddenly looked up and bam! The charm was gone. Damn, now he’ll have to find a new spot to hangout and convince his friends accompany him.

Not that they would have much say in it. “Hey, Aries!” Came his best friend’s voice. Handing him a bottle he says, “you look like a dead mummy locked in pyramid for 1000 years”.

Not in mood to explain, he half emptied his bottle and simply replied, “I’m outta here”.

Shaking off 2 girls from his arms who’s names he couldn’t remember, Aries started walking towards exit with sleep on his mind.

He was just crossing the dance floor when something shiny by the bar caught his eye.

From the middle of the dance floor, he could clearly see a tiny, round things shining by the bar, beckoning him like a shiny, new penny.

Without thinking he found himself walking towards it. As he neared, he could see a girl sitting on the bar stool with an e-reader open in front of her, Louise Lane glasses perched on her nose.

She was reading at a club! He took her in with interest. She wasn’t much of a traditional beauty, if you think about it. But there was an odd charm about her.

A balance between sophisticated and wild. As his gaze reached her face again, he found himself staring at almost black eyes behind the glasses.

Her gaze wasn’t offended or angry for catching him ogling at her. It was accessing and curious, one naturally curved eyebrow raised, a slight smile on her full lips.

He could now see that a single feather hung from her left ear while other ear was bare and tiny multi-colored gem stones bracelet graced her wrist completing some shiny, colorful version of ghetto look.

"It's a well-known fact that if you don't blink for more than 2 minutes, your eyes suffers serious damage." As if on cue, Aries blinked at the odd mixture of husky and whimsical voice of the girl, trying to make sense of what she just said.

"Ermm... What? Oh. Really? I didn't know that. You read that somewhere?" Eying the e-reader in front of her.

"Not really," she smiles. "It's a well known fact," she repeated, like talking to a five year old, and turned back to her e-reader.

This irritated Aries because he hated that condensing tone. Still, tamping it down he asked, "Can I buy you a drink?"

Without raising her eyes from her reader, and raising her empty glass she said, "I buy my own drinks, thanks."

"Can I get you another one then?"

"Aren't you dressed a little too well to play a waiter?"

Aries, beyond irritated now, "so do I make you a drink? Or I'll be snatching the bartender's job too?"

The girl finally looked up again and asked, "You don't look dumb enough to not understand that I'm blowing you off."

Aries huffs, "you don't say!"

To be honest, even Aries didn't know why he wasn't leaving in the face of obvious 'go away' from her. No wait, he did know.

It was because this girl made him curious. Interested. Challenged.

That, even when she was trying to seem disinterested, there was a slight smile on her face and sparkle in her eyes.

She was giving him a chase on purpose. And he was loving it.

Taking a seat near her, he tried to peek in her e-reader but she tilted it away, giving him narrowed look, slight smile still in place.

"What? Reading at a bar raises the curiosity, doesn't it?"

"Polite way is to ask," she replied tartly.

Sighing, and bringing his bottle to his lips, he asked, "what is it that you're reading, ma'am?"

"Fifty shades of grey" Choking on his sip, he gave her incredulous look which she answered with a raised eyebrow.

"You into it?" Aries recovering quickly and asking suggestively. "I'm into reading it, yes. For now."

"Interesting," Aries murmurs. "I'm Aries, by the way," extending his hand Aries watches as the fascinatingly weird girl accessed his face and then his hand like he's gonna pull the rug from under her.

Finally, she extends her hand cautiously to his, and replied, "Aquarius."