These paths of life are difficult
Thats why I was bypassing these difficult paths.
The moon was high and bright in the sky as he mindlessly walked through the dark streets of Oslo, her words piercing his mind like a dagger foiled with poison.
He is the son of a prostitute.
His father was abandoned by his own family.
A lowlife like you doesnt deserve to be here.
He closed his eyes in defeat. This one corner of his life was absolutely fucked up!
Whenever he gets closer to her, so many unwanted emotions erupted inside him. The emotions to cherish someone, to make someone feel special, to hold someones hand and walk mile after mile without getting tired. The passion of his love was something unfathomable yet existent.
But she loathed him and Zander was very much capable of understanding someones emotion, especially hers. She is Aria Arnes, the woman who doesnt settle for anything below the line of her self-created idealism and standards.
Aria wasnt always like that, the Aria he remembered was a 12-year-old girl, prideful yet innocent and kind-hearted. The few moments he had with her when her Aunt visited them years ago were enough to make him fall in love with her. Those dashing little dimples would appear on her face and Zander would be delighted as knew they were showing because of him.
His smile would broaden and his cheeks would turn slightly pink
from her voice.
Yes, a seven year old boy fell for a girl who was older than her in age and of higher status. A seven year old fell in love when the definition of that word wasnt even near to him.
Flashback:
A seven-year-old Zander was tired of watching his father quarrel with a young woman who was crying while his mother stood on the opposite end of the room, head bowed like a criminal and eyes puffy. He wanted to rush towards and soothe her but knew much better that it was absolutely forbidden for him and his sister to meddle when elders were having a conversation.
He ambled out of his house towards the park to look for his elder sister who went to play with her friends.
"What are you guys playing?Can I play too? " Zander asked breathlessly, rushing towards some of his class fellows who were standing in a circle.
"No!" Matt revolted and so did the others.
"Because you are a monster!" one of them uttered with pure disgust.
"Yes, you are an abomination. My mother says, ``I should stay away from you." the other one said.
"Yes, you are a bad omen!" Matt snickered.
"Dont say that, its bad!" Zander cried out with a red nose.
"Or else, monster Zander will go to his daddy!" Matt taunted, sauntering towards her before shoving him hard on the ground.
The children started to laugh and went back leaving Zander in a pool of humiliation and tears.
"Dont listen to them, they are just a bunch of meanies!" a crisp voice rang in his ears, he glanced up to see an angelic face staring at her, leaning her hand towards him.
Zander felt a bit reluctant but the friendly smile of hers assured him nothing mean.
He took her hand and stood up, surprised to see no amount of disgust on her face unlike others.
"Are you alright? Did you get injured?" she implored, assessing his body for any injury.
Zander slowly shook his head in denial.
"Its normal!" he muttered in a whisper.
"To hell with them, this isnt normal. Let me call my dad and ask him to send them to jail." she exasperated, a frown forming on her snowy face.
Zander gaped at him and instantly shook his head.
"No, please dont do that. They were right, I am a monster. I dont deserve to play with them."
This time the girl looked at him and her frown deepened, crossing her arms on her chest, she lifted her brow.
"You are not a monster, yeah a little different but not a monster. These blemishes dont define your personality."
Those werent words but a healing potion that went straight to his heart. His eyes filled with tears to brim, no one other than his parents and sister had uttered such comforting words to him.
"Thank you!" Zander sniffled, rubbing his eyes with the back of his palm.
The girl chuckled at his cuteness, her laugh stemming in Zanders heart. It was sweet, low and angelic just like her.
"Now, come with me. I have something that would definitely cheer you up."
With that, she grabbed his hand and began to drag him towards the back of the park, a little away from the community.
Slowly, she brought him down to a green garden. Just as they sat behind a bush that had tiny white flowers all over, she plucked as much as he could before placing them into her dress carefully. Forming them as she attached each ends together to form a crown.
"I do this with my mother when shes upset. She always loved
this little one because she thought she could be a queen when I
would make a crown for her." she said in a hushed tone.
He watched his hands hold unto it so delicately that he was surprised she could be so gentle.
His eyes stared at him. Watching his hands clip each of them
together like she does this everyday
"Those are my mothers favorites too." Zander mumbled silently.
The girl looked up. A smile on her lips while those steely gray eyes twinkled in delight.
"They are really red." Zander said after a moment of peaceful silence.
"They are!" She murmured back before she carefully placed the now
crowned flower on his head.
"Look, you arent a monster but a prince." She smiled.
……….
Zander didnt know why but after he saw those gray orbs looking through him, he couldnt help but smile in return. The way her hand delicately caressed her blemishes, like it was a normal thing to do. And from that moment, lilies became his favorite flower too and the back of the park his favorite place.
When she left, those little white flowers would be the reminder of the girl he completely fell in love with.
From his mother, he got to know that she was Aria Arnes, the daughter of his aunt and his cousin.
He wanted to ask her mother when she would come back but comprehending that talking about his fathers family was a hot topic, refrained from doing so.
Just praying at noon and night that she would come again but that remained a wish. His love for Aria only grew stronger. As years passed and his life became a little strangled, he still clung to her love.
It wasnt until one day that he saw her interview on a channel, she still had the same angelic face but now it was covered with a layer of makeup, her once innocent eyes held arrogance. Her aura became aloof. He didnt see the sparks in her eyes and thats the moment he felt that she was messed up, not the same Aria Arnes he once knew and loved.
Her every interview and the way Emil would describe her stamped his thought and shattered his heart.
Sometimes he really wondered what it would be if he was also rich. Maybe their journey would have been normal.