/ləˈkjuːnə/

♡♡♡

Because you made me smile, even just for a little while.

♡♡♡

Rose noticed.

She noticed how weird Aaron was acting whenever they were in his apartment. She'd notice him trying to hide things; purposely stepping on a crack on the floor, stretching too high to not let her take a peek at the ceiling.

She noticed how whenever they were in the kitchen, Aaron would look so helpless; blue eyes tingling with sheer panic before he'd snap out of it and make the meal as fast as he possibly could.

She noticed this without even trying. And good God, Rose wanted to tell Aaron that she didn't care. That she didn't care about that stupid crack on the floor or the damn ceiling. None of that mattered to her.

But Rose thought she was just imagining things; that maybe he was just being like this only for today.

But she was wrong.

☂☂☂

Maybe if Rose was born in a parallel universe, she wouldn't make this as big of a deal as it was. But she wasn't.

She was Rose McLean; a curvy, weirdly oriented 17 year old girl who has never had a proper boyfriend before.

Maybe if Rose has been punk rock she would be able to pull Aaron down for a kiss whenever she felt like it. To be able to touch him without becoming a blushing mess. To whisper to him that she didn't like him anymore, that she was already in love with him.

And maybe if Rose had more guts than she had hips, she'd tell him that. She'd tell him that he was the most important thing that she has ever loved. That even if he didn't love her back, her love for him would just keep growing.

That his name was the only name that could get her heart racing, that the whispers he told her already had a special place in her heart alone. That even if Aaron wore brown contacts, dyed his hair pink and stopped wearing black, she would still love him just as much. That he was her silver lining in a sky of gold, that every single moment they had together was a memory Rose would always cherish.

That even if they were doing absolutely nothing, it felt like the entire world. That every kiss they shared was already sealed in the chambers of her brain before she could say otherwise.

But she wasn't. She wasn't going to tell him because she was scared. Scared that this time she will go overboard.

☂☂☂

This wasn't the first date Rose has been on.

There were a few young chaps who went up to the blonde haired girl and asked her out for a cup of coffee. Alright, so only 2 boys asked her on dates in her entire 17 years of living, but she wasn't counting was she?

And she agreed; agreed because at the time, Rose found it absolutely adorable on how they'd stutter, or how she could always make out the tinge of pink settling on their cheeks.

She went on that cup of coffee or that promised dinner, and she'd always come back feeling the same way.

Unsatisfied.

And it wasn't even in the way dressed or the place they got her into; it was just the minutest detail that they let slip out -I honestly believe Harry Potter is overrated- details that no one would even bother with -Reading is waste of time- but Rose did.

She took in the tiniest quirk and syncronised it with such concentration that it was all she could remember by the time she was back on her front door.

But she always reassured herself that it wasn't just because they didn't like Harry Potter or reading; it was also because of awkward should wrapping, greasy hand holding and even her coffee stained jacket.

It was also about their hesitant gaze -what in the world did I get myself into- and half hearted words. It was how they didn't even bother to say Goodnight let alone kiss her, (She was hoping for a pack even. Pathetic) but they just gave their final smiles before they disappeared.

And at times, Rose tried not to blame herself -He doesn't like Harry Potter, what would he know? - but sometimes it was all there was to pinpoint at. Maybe she was also a screw up in the way they treated her. And as much as she tried to think of any other reason -He doesn't read, it makes sense- or other theories to blurt out, but it always came to the same finale.

Her. It was her.

Her who decided it would be okay to wear her Gryfinddor sweater when she went for coffee; she who accidently let a peek of her book out when she went out for dinner.

Sometimes she didn't need facts or theories or observations. Sometimes the answer was right in her face, and instead of turning away, she should just accept it.

And sometimes, it was more easier said than done.

☂☂☂

"Please, Rose looks like the worst thing she has ever done was step on a bug and she sobbed for 3 whole days,"

Rose gave Aiden a look. "Do yourself a favor and don't try to speak on my behalf."

Andrew snorted, his pink lips in an amused smile. "You go girl," Tristan just high fived her.

She could even see a smile stretch on Aaron's lips, and that alone made pride swell within her.

"Then prove me wrong," Aiden challenged. "What is the worst thing you've ever done?"

"I got arrested once," Rose said with a grin.

"Shut up," Lana said mouth agape. "You're lying,"

"If you expect crap like that to buy me then you are wrong," But even Aiden seemed hesitant as he spoke. "But for real though,"

"I seriously got arrested," Rose said firmly. "I stayed in the cell for about a day and a half,"

Chase was the one grinning, looking like he was about to hysterically laugh. "Correction sweetheart, you were in there for about an hour at most."

She gave him a look. "I was trying to make myself look badass, and then you just had to Chase didn't you?"

"Wait so she's for real?" Luke piped in, his hazel eyes just as wide as about everybody else's. "She really got arrested?"

Chase nodded. "I was the one who went to pick her up."

"Now on what charges were you arrested on?" Tristan was the one who asked, swallowing down a small gulp. "Homicide? Hit and run?"

Aaron rolled his eyes. "And they'd keep her in the cell for only an hour isn't that right Tris?"

"Actually I was just taking my daily powdered aspirin and the officer thought it was cocaine," Rose explained sheepishly, a giggle of her own brewing in her chest.

"For fuck's sake," Aaron muttered. "You scared the crap out of me."

"At least she scared the crap out of you, I almost shit my pants," Aiden said. "I thought I was friends with a psychotic murderer."

"Sorry Aiden, that would be Aaron."

"Oh for fuck's sake,"

☂☂☂

What did love look like?

Was it a pink skinned creature with red hearts for eyes and chocolate on its lips and flowers continuously on its hands?

Was it Cupid shooting his arrows but disguised as a silent walked by?

Rose always wondered what in the world did love look like when it was always revealed to be felt.

But you can never see love until you are captivated under its spell; until you have found a person of your own to fill up with the love that has always been in you.

Love was the hesitant brushing of fingers before the confident interlacing. It was the gentlest brush of lips before immersing. It was the wrinkles of early morning bed sheets, it was the touch of burning skin over flushed ones. It was everything beautiful in a world of ugly.

Love looked like entwined bodies in a cornered alley; it looked like the delicate morning whispers; like the soft kisses on the forehead and the spontaneous I love you and the gentle stares and star struck eyes-

it looked just as beautiful as it felt.

☂☂☂

She could feel his icy hails too.

She could feel goosebumps erupt from her skin every time another antartic burst of wind come across her; could sense the frostiness building up when she knew a new storm would blow the world apart.

What Aaron didn't know was that Rose knew too.

She knew about his baleful whirls of wind and water; knew about his fatal tides of ice and cold. She knew about how deadly he was before he even figured it out himself.

Because Rose saw it all.

She saw as the blitz ripped apart his shards of wood and light apart; watched in terror as the lightning shot him down. She witnessed the frosty water encompass him, swirling its poison through his mouth and leaving through his eyes.

She watched so helplessly -Aaron! Aaron! Aaron! - trying to wiggle out of her own leashes of air as she screamed so desperately his name.

Her hysterical shrieks were the only sounds accompanying the crackling thunder -No stop! Stop! Stop! - her warm tears turned into shards of ice as the wintery rejection of No! blew across her face.

It was all pure torment - for both him and her.

And she needed to end it. And she did.

She strengthened herself; she became more than just a desperate plea in the eye of a hurricane; became more than just the terrorizing scream during a typhoon. She became one.

She became a storm of her own; sunshine as her poison and warmth as her infection. She used the clouds as her shields, and her rainbows as her beautiful disguises. She was a monster, but she didn't want to kill.

She had strikes of golden lightning embedded on her arms and explosions of her own thunder at the tips of her fingers.

And she tried to help him, she did -Trust me Aaron, I won't hurt you- but with frenzied eyes and trembling lips, he pushed her away.

It was simple - he didn't want her to get hurt.

Even though she was already a Goddess of her own; a sword and armor at hand, Aaron still didn't want the evil and disease to seep into the cracks of her armor or the scrapes of her sword -into her.

But she didn't listen.

She fought back.

☂☂☂

Aaron never looked at her wrongly.

His hands were always linked with her own and if they ever were to accidently brush against her waist or hips, he'd pull them back almost shamefully before whispering, "I'm sorry,"

And Rose would shrug it off every time.

Even if they were kissing for a little while and his hands mindlessly pulled her by her waist, he'd remove his lips from her own and then he'd always say, "Is this okay?"

She always found the breath to only nod her hand.

Even if her shirt rose a little too high or the waistband of her loose pants a little too low, Aaron would fix it without even looking. "Alright?" He'd ask.

"Thank you," She'd bashfully say back.

It amazed Rose on how even though she and Aaron were dating for almost 3 months now, he was still very delicate with her; handling her with utmost care and respect. She fell in love with him even more.

But that didn't necessarily mean other boys didn't look wrongly at Rose.

"Damn Rose," Emette said. "You should wear those pants more often."

"Watch it," Aaron growled, taking a step towards him. "If you dare to even-"

"They hug every single inch of your marvelous body," Emette said, grinning. "Go on big nerd, why don't you bend for me?"

And Aaron lost it.

Emette's back met the lockers with a Bang! that it made heads snap towards their direction. His blue eyes were now knives of sharp ice and glaciers. "Say that again. I dare you,"

"Do you think I'm scared of you buddy?" Emette let out a humorless chuckle. "You might be taller, but I can have your face split in half with only one of my punches."

"I swear to God-"

But Rose was the one that punched him. And she used all four of her knuckles.

"Oh crap," She hissed as she held onto her fist. "That really hurt,"

Emette on the other hand was already having a nose bleed. "What the hell did you just-"

"Don't make me complete what she started," Aaron threatened. "I suggest you leave. Now."

Emette touched his nose, seeing how his fingertips dripped with blood. "Oh you just got yourself some trouble Rose, I can guarantee you-"

"What?" Aaron barked, his eyes narrowing to slits. "You'll hit her?" His grip around Emette's collar tightened. "I'd like to see you try."

Emette rubbed some of the crimson off his nose. "I'm pretty sure you'd be surprised on how soft her skin would be."

And Aaron lost it.

He punched Emette repeatedly, wincing every time his knuckle would hit his jaw or cheek.

And Emette managed to hit a few shots at Aaron too, and Rose then couldn't handle the panic that bubbled in her chest and she abruptly pulled the two of the apart; biting her lip when she could feel their rough hands hit her too.

"Aaron stop!" She yelled, pulling the two of the away.

Both of them didn't listen and students were starting to pile up and teachers were rushing to both of them and Rose couldn't breathe couldn't breathe couldn't breathe-

"Leave...my girlfriend alone," Aaron managed to breathe out as one of the teachers split them up.

"Jesus Christ what the fuck is your problem!" Aiden's blue eyes were more panicked than Rose has ever seen before. "Get this asshole away. Now!"

"What the fuck Aaron!" Luke yelled, pushing through the crowd to see his friend. "We leave you alone for 15 minutes and you go ahead and pull a fucking fight!"

"Rose, come with me - shit is that blood on your cheek?" And Aaron immediately snapped his gaze to Rose, quickly coming over to his side as he took her face in his hands.

"Fuck, did I do that?" Aaron said inspecting the smeared scarlet on her cheek. "Shit I didn't mean-"

"It doesn't matter, just come with me we need to go to the nurse," Rose said taking Aaron by the sleeve of his shirt, giving small smiles to Aiden and Luke before rushing to the informatory.

But Aaron looked just as guilty and worry stricken as he did 3 seconds ago. "Rose I-"

"It's not my blood," She said quietly, looking at how their steps matched one another. "You didn't do anything."

He abruptly stopped their walking as he intently looked at her; that gentle look blowing over his eyes again, making them almost baby blue. "I'm sorry," He breathed, resting his forehead on her shoulder. "I'm an idiot."

She wrapped an arm around his shoulder. "I know."

"Are you mad?"

"Aaron you're hurt-"

"He was insulting you -disrespecting you, of course I had to do something," Aaron said. "I wasn't just going to stand there and watch as he objectified my girlfriend."

She took a glance at his cut lip and busted cheekbone. "And he took it out on your face,"

He shrugged. "It doesn't matter as long as you're alright,"

"Stop being corny and let's get going to the medic,"

"Don't tell me I didn't try."

She grinned and he did too.

"You don't need to try -you're actually quite a natural at this."

"I'm glad you finally admitted it."

"And I'll be glad when I'll be the one cleaning that cut with antiseptic,"

"Oh for fuck's sake."

☂☂☂

It took time. It did.

It took time for her sword of sunlight to make the darkness of sin wince; took patience for her clouds of rain to extinguish the wood of smoke and fire.

It took time for her to win the war.

Because she kept losing.

The darkness of the ebony night would always consume the light of her weapons; the fierce blows of wind would always keep away her clouds of rain. The fire was spreading too quickly for her showers of water to take off.

She lost battle after battle. But it was she who won the war.

She extinguished the lands of flames and ashes; brightened up the jet black skies and charcoal clouds. She cleared up the fields of poison ivy and parasites.

She became an enigma too.

Because how could light ever pass through opaque objects of snake venom and shadows? How could the vigorous winds of hail turn into the gentle breezes of the sea? How could the dead turn into the alive?

She became an uproar of her own.

It was snarled shrieks and taunting shrieks -How did she even do that?! - and click of tongues and glaring eyes -You don't know who you're messing with little girl- and it was the fisted knuckles and gritted teeth -This won't end well pretty girl.

She became a paradox.

She became the winds that pushed away the lethal clouds; turned into the sun that burned away all the sin and greed. She used her blows of ice to clear up the flames and fumes. She became the impossible.

And she won.

She was the one who plunged her flag of yellow and orange on the land of blood and dirt. It was her that breathed in the smell of victory and exhaled the scent of accomplishment. It was Rose that dropped her sword after months of brutal killings and terrorized screams; the one that removed her armor soaked with scratches and dried blood.

It was she that won even though she was only a mere mortal pretending to be a Goddess.

Saving Aaron required a Goddess, so she became one.

☂☂☂

She wished she wasn't as bubbly or cheerful as she was.

She wished she didn't give a smile to everyone that locked eyes with her, that she didn't say a chirpy Good morning! or a just as enthusiastic Have a nice day! to all the teachers she has classes with.

She wished she wasn't the one that blabbered and made abnormal faces and corny jokes-

that she wasn't the weird one.

She wanted to wear all black and walk normally contrary to her giddy skipping. She wanted to read books without any expression or tears. She wanted to silently listen to her music as opposed to mouthing the lyrics and dancing some insane moves if it was a good day.

She wanted to be compatible with Aaron.

She didn't want him to be called out on because his girlfriend couldn't stop blathering about some book, or giggling her head off on a joke that no one even smiles over anymore.

She didn't want to embarrass him.

And maybe that was why her giggles lasted a minute too short, or why her sentences ended midway when she thinks she's said enough. It was small tweaks that Rose thought no one would notice, tiny pinches that she thought could make her feel a bit better about herself.

And it almost worked. Almost.

Except Aaron saw it all.

☂☂☂

It was a free period and Rose was already consumed into the world of Jane Eyre that she didn't even notice Aaron sitting right beside her.

"Hey," Aaron said quietly, smiling lightly as he watched her let out yelp, falling down the book along the way.

"Christ," Rose breathed, her hand on her heart as she inhaled and exhaled. "You scared me."

"I can tell."

Rose scoffed. "And you fell down your book,"

Aaron smiled sheepishly. "Technically that was the fault of your late simulative response."

She just gave him a look.

And while Aaron was lightly chuckling to himself, he also bent down and picked up the book. Then he dusted off any dirt on it.

"There," He told her. "Good as new."

Rose cracked a smile. "Thank you," She then took it from him. "Don't you have accounting now?"

Aaron shrugged. "Mr. Jeffrey decided to ditch,"