/əˌtɪkᵻˈfoʊbiə/

●●●

Once in a while, right in the middle of an ordinary life, love gives us a fairy tale.

●●●

N o t e

Hey loves! This update was so nice to write like fdsjfkdgjl. And thank you to everyone that wished me a happy birthday! It is the first time that anyone other than my friends and family have greeted me! So thank you, and you all deserve unicorns!

And please vote and comment your thoughts below, it always makes my day!

PS - It's 4 am here and I'm eating ice cream while watching Elementary so unedited. I'll fix them in the morning, pinky swear.

Enjoy x

●●●

Rose's eyelashes were the colour of her freckles.

A light brown colour; almost an ashy blonde every time she blinked.

A̶n̶d̶ ̶i̶t̶ ̶l̶o̶o̶k̶e̶d̶ ̶a̶b̶s̶o̶l̶u̶t̶e̶l̶y̶ ̶b̶e̶a̶u̶t̶i̶f̶u̶l̶.̶

But as Aaron drove Chase's car to Rose's house, he could feel his stomach quiver in fear. D̶o̶n̶'̶t̶ ̶b̶e̶ ̶s̶c̶a̶r̶e̶d̶,̶ ̶s̶c̶a̶r̶e̶d̶,̶ ̶s̶c̶a̶r̶e̶d̶. His foot on the gas as he passed by green lights, the mild breeze cooling down the sweat on his temples and back as he drove up the highway.

Rose was beautiful even when she was quiet; her lips pulled up into an almost effortless smile as her eyes drooped every now and then. Perhaps she was just tired, or maybe she was sleepy. Whatever it was, if she was, they could postpone this for tomorrow if she wasn't feeling up to it. H̶e̶ ̶c̶a̶r̶e̶d̶,̶ ̶c̶a̶r̶e̶d̶,̶ ̶c̶a̶r̶e̶d̶.

"Are you tired?" He asked her faintly, his eyes glancing at her as she shook her head. "You can tell me Rose, are you?"

"I'm not," She replied softly, and he could almost hear the quiet drowsiness in her voice. "I just get a little sleepy in cars that's all."

He peeked at her from the corner of his eye. Slightly smiled. "Really now?"

A sleepy smile broke out on her lips, almost as delicate as the brown in her eyes. "Yeah,"

He suppressed a big smile, but he let a small one slip anyway. His fingers then grazed her own, before he laced their fingers together. "Okay then," He said. "Sleep well for a little bit, it'll be a while before we reach your house."

Rose smiled slowly, the drowsiness splattering across her eyes as she nodded. "Okay."

T̶h̶e̶ ̶s̶m̶i̶l̶e̶ ̶o̶n̶ ̶h̶e̶r̶ ̶f̶a̶c̶e̶ ̶w̶a̶s̶ ̶s̶o̶ ̶b̶r̶e̶a̶t̶h̶t̶a̶k̶i̶n̶g̶.̶

Aaron found himself smiling too as he drove; it felt weird, but it felt nice too.

He's been smiling an awful lot these days, and even though he hated himself for it, he still enjoyed it. Maybe it was Rose opening him up, crack by crack as she slowly slid through him. Or maybe it was because he just seemed like he had things to smile about again. W̶h̶a̶t̶e̶v̶e̶r̶ ̶i̶t̶ ̶w̶a̶s̶,̶ ̶i̶t̶ ̶w̶a̶s̶ ̶s̶c̶a̶r̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶h̶i̶m̶.

And Aaron drove for about half an hour more, her fingers laced with his own as he did. Her steady breathing was the only noise that was echoing throughout the car ride, along with some of her grumbles here and there.

B̶e̶a̶u̶t̶i̶f̶u̶l̶,̶ ̶b̶e̶a̶u̶t̶i̶f̶u̶l̶,̶ ̶b̶e̶a̶u̶t̶i̶f̶u̶l̶.

He just wished he was too.

⍟⍟⍟

Aaron was already strolling into Rose's neighbourhood. The air felt more light here, more cool and clean than at any part of the journey. Aaron found himself inhaling and exhaling a lot more here, as though trying to take as much in as he possibly could.

Her fingers were now resting on his knee as she wondered off into a world of her own, and Aaron couldn't couldn't couldn't keep calm. He didn't know the answer to that either.

And when he pulled up to Rose's driveway and parked the car, he gently took her fingers in his as he looked down at them.

Her hands weren't nice.

They were something he has never seen as nice.

Her fingers were skinny, didn't seem to have any structure. He would always find pen smears or random cuts on the side of her hands and small doodlings between her fingers.

She would always have chipped nail polish on the corners of her nails, scratching it off when she was bored or nervous.

Her hands were so small yet they had the softest texture - almost like if something felt like cotton candy and foam swirled together, it would be Rose's hands.

Her hands weren't nice, they were absolutely beautiful. J̶u̶s̶t̶ ̶l̶i̶k̶e̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶r̶e̶s̶t̶ ̶o̶f̶ ̶h̶e̶r̶.

And in the most weirdest way, he liked the manner her hands felt - it was something Aaron always looked forward to.

Holding Rose's hand was like touching something delicate, something beautiful. It felt like he was holding a cloud or a dream - he felt like he was holding something alive and free.

Tugging at her hand, Aaron's sapphire gaze settled on the sleeping girl. S̶h̶e̶ ̶l̶o̶o̶k̶e̶d̶ ̶s̶o̶ ̶s̶t̶u̶n̶n̶i̶n̶g̶. He could feel the uneasiness and insecurity wither from his spine as looked at her. Aaron didn't know what in God's name Rose did to manage him to feel this way; so light and free. I̶t̶ ̶f̶e̶l̶t̶ ̶n̶i̶c̶e̶.

"Rose," He said softly, tugging her hand again, smiling as he watched her groan in rejection. "We're home now, come on."

She grumbled as she slowly opened her eyes, instantly rubbing them with her hands. H̶e̶ ̶a̶l̶r̶e̶a̶d̶y̶ ̶m̶i̶s̶s̶e̶d̶ ̶h̶e̶r̶ ̶t̶o̶u̶c̶h̶.̶

He could feel himself smiling. "Okay sleepy head, we're here."

She gently nodded her head, the sleep still stuck to all her movement as she let out a yawn. Aaron then shut off the engine before shoving the keys into his pocket as he got out of the car. He walked over to Rose's side, opening her door as he met her caramel gaze. He flashed a small smile as he offered her his hand, nodding his head when she took it h̶e̶ ̶c̶o̶u̶l̶d̶n̶'̶t̶ ̶b̶r̶e̶a̶t̶h̶e. He helped her up, almost chuckling at how drowsy she looked; hanging her head down low as she tried to keep her eyes open.

He could see her smile almost a lazy grin, her bright eyes shimmering under the subtle moonlight.

"Okay, so what are you going to do here?" She asked groggily, puffing out her cheeks while she rubbed her eyes once more.

Aaron nodded his head. "You don't need to stress yourself about it."

Rose gave him a glance, that b̶r̶e̶a̶t̶h̶t̶a̶k̶i̶n̶g̶,̶ ̶b̶o̶d̶y̶ ̶s̶h̶a̶t̶t̶e̶r̶i̶n̶g̶,̶ ̶m̶i̶n̶d̶ ̶e̶x̶p̶l̶o̶d̶i̶n̶g smile still on her lips. "How many times do I have to tell you? It isn't stress Aaron," He could feel her lace their fingers together. He looked away. H̶e̶ ̶c̶o̶u̶l̶d̶n̶'̶t̶ ̶h̶a̶n̶d̶l̶e̶ ̶i̶t̶ ̶w̶h̶e̶n̶ ̶s̶h̶e̶ ̶b̶e̶c̶a̶m̶e̶ ̶l̶i̶k̶e̶ ̶t̶h̶i̶s̶. "I care about you."

Aaron tried to breathe normally.

He inhaled. Exhaled. Slowly.

He squeezed their fingers, almost as though it was his own way of saying Thank you. And when they rang on her doorbell, Aaron squeezed their fingers again as though whispering to her I can do this.

Peter opened the door, his smile becoming wider as his blue eyes settled on Aaron. "Oh Aaron my boy! How are you doing?" Peter was grinning as he wrapped his arms around Aaron, almost making him flinch from the sudden contact. I̶t̶'̶s̶ ̶b̶e̶e̶n̶ ̶s̶o̶ ̶l̶o̶n̶g̶,̶ ̶s̶o̶ ̶l̶o̶n̶g̶,̶ ̶s̶o̶ ̶l̶o̶n̶g̶.

"Hey Peter," Aaron was smiling, and Aaron thought that maybe it was the genes in this family that made him feel so free and light. "How are you?"

"Oh I'm well son, everything's alright," Peter replied as he huddled them in and closed the door. "Now not trying to sound rude or anything, but what brings you here?"

Aaron lightly smiled at Peter. "Since it's Rose's birthday today, I was wondering if you'd allow me to take your daughter out for her gifts." Aaron gulped, as though he realised how nervous he really was. "Only if you and Helen agree to it for course,"

Peter smiled, nodding his head. "Helen is snoring away on the couch, so you'll be stuck for my approval." He patted Aaron's shoulder in reassurance.

Aaron nodded. Smiled. "I'll have her back by 10 o'clock sharp."

Peter's smile softened, his eyes gleaming with gratitude. "That's fine with me." He turned his attention towards his daughter, grinning. "You hear that? You will actually go out and do something on your birthday rather than mopping around your fictional boyfriend's death with your Mom and I."

"Dad!" Rose looked wide eyed at her Dad, the flush of pink tinted across her cheeks. Peter just gave his daughter a teasing smile and a wink.

Rose awkwardly cough. "Alright, I'll just go up and freshen up and be down in a giffy."

Aaron smiled at her, softly watching as she made her way up the stairs before she was out of sight.

"You know, the next time you come here, I hope it would be asking us if you could take Rose out on a date."

Aaron's head snapped to Peter, his blue eyes so wide he thought his eyeballs were going to fall off. "W-what?"

Peter's eyes were gentle, almost soothing Aaron's racing heart. "I like you Aaron, and I'm a guy, so I can see that you like her too."

Aaron ducked his head embarrassed, feeling his face turn hot all of a sudden. He offered Peter a small smile, nodding his head. "I do." H̶e̶ ̶c̶o̶u̶l̶d̶n̶'̶t̶ ̶l̶i̶e̶ ̶a̶n̶y̶m̶o̶r̶e̶.

Peter grinned. "That it boy, you picked a good one."

Aaron smiled softly, his eyes burnishing into this profound sky blue. "I didn't pick her Peter," He said quietly. "She picked me."

And before a wide eyed Peter could reply-

Rose came down. She changed her top; now a light pink sweater while she wore the same pants and shoes. Her hair was tied in her signature ponytail, the blonde locks earned a slight wave to them from the braid they were in. S̶h̶e̶ ̶l̶o̶o̶k̶e̶d̶ ̶b̶e̶a̶u̶t̶i̶f̶u̶l̶,̶ ̶b̶e̶a̶u̶t̶i̶f̶u̶l̶,̶ ̶b̶e̶a̶u̶t̶i̶f̶u̶l̶.̶

"Ready?" She smiled at Aaron, adjusting the straps of her bag.

Aaron nodded before he flashed Peter one more smile. He walked with Rose to the door before he shook Peter's hand goodbye and left.

"So," Rose asked, giving him an excited smile. "Where are we going?"

And Aaron didn't answer, but rather twirled his fingers with her own, and somehow Rose took that as an answer of its own.

He just smiled before he opened the car door for her.

Aaron just hoped he wouldn't screw up.

B̶e̶c̶a̶u̶s̶e̶ ̶h̶e̶ ̶d̶i̶d̶ ̶a̶t̶ ̶e̶v̶e̶r̶y̶t̶h̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶e̶l̶s̶e̶.̶

⍟⍟⍟

Just when Aaron parked the car -

"Aaron? What are we doing here?" Rose's eyes were practically glittering with curiousity, her lips slightly parted as she squirmed in her seat.

Aaron was quiet once more, just giving Rose a small smile before he unbuckled his seat belt, died down the engine and got out of the car. He opened Rose's door, noticing how awe-struck she looked, the surprise practically writing itself down on her face.

"Aaron..." Rose was running out of words, and Aaron wanted to laugh. "No."

He just took her hand as he locked the car, walking towards the bookstore. Aaron had no idea what to get Rose for her birthday because well... he wasn't one to read a girl's mind. He figured that since she liked books as much as he did, it would be alright to take her on the bookstore.

"You're an idiot," She mumbled, sending Aaron a scowl. "I hope what I'm thinking is wrong,"

He let out a small laugh, looking straight ahead. "You're probably right though."

Rose stuck out her bottom lip almost unnoticeably. "Aaron..."

By the time Rose was about to blow, they were already inside the store, Aaron smiling lightly in victory. And Rose let out a breath, almost irritated. "What are we doing here Aaron? I hate it when no one fills me in."

Aaron looked at her amused, an eyebrow quirked. "Really?"

She narrowed her eyes at him. "Yes. Really."

Aaron didn't know why, but seeing Rose annoyed like this just made a chuckle brew up in his chest. "Well Rose, we're just here to get you your birthday gift of course,"

She pursed her lips. "I think I figured that out already."

Aaron laughed lightly. "Well, go ahead then."

She stitched her eyebrows together. "Ahead for what?"

He gestured towards the book around them, smiling encouragingly. "Take a few picks." He was smiling widely now, leaning towards her as he rubbed her nose. "I'd suggest classics though, you really lack those."

Rose was mouth agape, looking at Aaron as though he was insane. "What?"

H̶e̶ ̶w̶a̶n̶t̶e̶d̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶l̶a̶u̶g̶h̶. "And you call yourself an intellectual badass,"

She ignored him. "Aaron no."

"No to what? The intellectual badass thing or the classics thing?"

He could see her fighting a smile. "No to the 'buying me birthday gifts' thing."

"Why?"

She frowned. "I don't know," She mumbled. "I've never done this before?"

"You never bought books for your birthday?"

She rolled her eyes. "Of course I have, but I order them online."

Aaron nodded. "Well there's a first time for everything."

"Aaron-"

"Please Rose," He whispered, gripping her hand slightly more. "I'm not doing this because I'm nice or because I'm trying to make up for all the shit I've done." He said quietly, swallowing harshly. "I am doing this because-" He took a breath, almost gasping for air. "-because I'm your friend."

Rose looked at him.

And looked at him.

Before she embraced him; slipping her hands underneath his arms and entwining them on his back.

And

Aaron

couldn't

breathe.

Just like everything else about Rose, it caught him off guard. Her grip around him tightened, her warm breaths tickling the back of his neck. Aaron wrapped his arms around her shoulders, but he also wanted to laugh on how Rose was on her highest tippy toes.

He bent down to her, to put her toes at ease, smiling. He squeezed her extra tight for a moment before whispering in her ear. "Go crazy birthday girl."

Rose let him go, smiling widely at him. "Alright, come along then."

Rose took his hand again, holding it gently as she led him towards the shelves of glorious books. She called after a guy called Eric, smiling as she told him that her Mom and Dad were fine, and Eric was smiling too until his grey eyes landed on him.

Aaron refrained from gulping down the lump in his throat.

He was never one to be nervous, but when crystal grey eyes stare at you like you were some kind of alien, it felt like his entire back was hammered with ice.

"And who's this?" Eric asked, his eyes flickering towards their entwined fingers.

"Oh, this is Aaron," Rose smiled. "He's getting me treats."

Eric almost smiled, glancing at Aaron once more. "Treats? You mean books?"

Rose nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah."

Eric almost scoffed. "For your birthday? Books?"

Rose looked at him weirdly. "Yeah, is that an issue?"

Eric took one more look at Aaron, before he grimaced. Shook his head. Shoved his hands in his pocket.

And all the insecurity in Aaron unleashed itself right in the middle of his chest, to the rest of his entire body.

Aaron was never one to afford many things (Okay maybe most things) but in the tone Eric said it in made Aaron's nerves twitch in guilt. His head duck down in shame, his free palm clenching unintentionally in frustration.

Sometimes he hated the fact that he couldn't get people nice things: whenever it was one of the guy's birthday or even any special occasion, he would always be the one who got the lamest present. And even though they told Aaron that his gift was cool and whatever, he never believed them. Because he wouldn't think getting a pair of mittens for his birthday was any good either.

As though sensing his uneasiness, Rose set her jaw. She looked at Eric with such a fiery copper gaze that he thought she was going to turn green and grow 500 feet tall and broad.

"He is getting me books Eric, and it is the best God damn thing you can ever give anyone." Rose was practically snarling, her teeth gritted in annoyance. "Just remember that the books he's going to get me now, are better than anything you are ever going to get a girl in 20 years."

Eric was blinking, looking at Rose in such shock that Aaron wanted to laugh. He then felt her take his arm, before she added. "And now Aaron and I are going to get some amazing classics, and we won't need your help to get there."

She then dragged them towards the classics, her shoulders still stiff and upright as she exhaled short, annoyed breaths.

And Aaron had no idea

what

happened

next.

He took her in his arms, soothingly rubbing her tense shoulders. She leaned her forehead against his chest, raging breaths tingling his thin shirt. She loosely wrapped an arm around his waist, as though trying to tell him that she wasn't in the mood to go on her tippy toes as she did before.

"He had no right to say that," She said, and he could hear the raw fury in her tone. "Disgusting pig had absolutely no right to imply that-"

He bent down a bit, resting his chin on the top of her head. "Don't get mad over stuff like this Rose." E̶s̶p̶e̶c̶i̶a̶l̶l̶y̶ ̶i̶f̶ ̶i̶t̶'̶s̶ ̶t̶r̶u̶e̶.

"No but still! He can't say stuff like that, and in the way he was talking, oh my God on the way he was talking! That vile piece of-"

Aaron didn't know what made him do it, but he placed a chaste kiss on her temple. Maybe it was the fact that she defended him when he wasn't even planning to, or because it pinched his heart on how angry she was getting over him.

"It's your birthday, don't be mad over something ridiculous." He murmured against her hair almost shyly. He felt like he was pleading more than requesting, but at this point Aaron didn't even care. "Please,"

"I'm only letting you get me 2 books."

Aaron shook his head. He didn't request for his salary at the cafe early for only 2 books. He was certain he could at least get her 4 or 5.

"No, I'm getting you 5."

She looked up to him. Shook her head. "No, Aaron please-"

"Rose, I thought this through, you don't need to worry." Aaron said confidently, a secret smile tucked on his lips. "It is after all, your birthday."

She sighed. "It doesn't mean-"

"It means that it is my duty as your friend to spoil you as much as I possibly can," He smiled at her now, feeling his veins convulse with adrenaline. "And I am going to keep my duty. Because I know you would do the same for me."

Rose nodded her head against his chest. Inhaled a breath. And then took his arm before they went and explored the classics and young adult section.

And when Rose reached the shelves full of unread words, immersed in unknown universes and worlds, everything about her changed.

Rose was always smiling, and Aaron thought he saw all of her smiles, but he was wrong.

Immensely,

terribly,

wrong.

Because as Rose stood excitedly in front of the shelves, she had another one of her million smiles smothered across her lips.

It was as though her soul sat on her lips, illuminating its brightness through her eyes. Her movements were graceful but eager; her smiles turned into beams as she talked to him about the book she would scrutinize; her face seemed more light hearted. Aaron thought it was a face you'd want to see after a long, tired day at work.