Reading Lips

Andy’s voice creeps through her ears, down her veins to her heart. Her name sounded as a symphony from the walls of the “Sydney Opera House” spilling from his lips. Aquila. She take a step back into reality to realize he asked her a question. Andy repeats himself, slightly annoyed.

That’s when her body had plummet to the blazing center of the earth. The lava seeped through her blood like a poisonous snake. Her bones disappeared. Needles fell down her spine. All she could do was help him. She felt the baseball crash into his acrylic heart. But it wasn’t me who threw the ball. It was Aries. He loved her. She’s perfect.

He said there was no other girl like Aries. Aquila tried to tell him that wasn’t true. That he can be happy, if not happier with someone else. And, the someone else she referred to is herself, but she could never tell him that. The pain Aries caused Andy is the same pain Andy caused Aquila.

She choked down the 10 bricks he gave her, every time she would see him. They fell to her stomach as he approached her. Each step closer was an additional brick down her throat. 11... 12... 13...  How was she still standing? Those eyes. 14...15... that infectious laugh that seemed to piggyback on her brain. 16... Those dimples. 17...18...

The forest fire came from a flame he started. Andy was too busy dealing with his own fire to notice the one he had started somewhere else. Why did he have to start hanging out with her? Why did he talk to her that trip home?

        Aquila tried to relax her body to overthrow the dangerous feelings on the inside. She spat out advice to help Andy get closer to Aries. But, each word was like a round from a XM25 aimed at her gut. Death seemingly runs towards her faster than light. Twenty stories up at the top and asphalt had never looked so soft.
        Every word from his lips was richly written poetry for Aries. Aquila listened. She knew well that Aries would never be Andy’s. But she wasn’t ready to admit that Andy would never be hers. But, Aquila would eventually realized she was just too close to love him.