"As long as I don't fall in Love..." // OxO // Romance // OPEN

He shrugged. "Not worried so much as annoyed." he replied calmly.

Astra scoffed and wiped the smile off her face. "Rude…. Are you done here?"

He shrugged slightly. "If you are, sure."

"Great." She sighed and grabbed his arm, dragging him out of the place. It was nice for her, but the second it started to get too crowded like it was now? She would rather jump into a pit of snakes

He followed her, raising an eyebrow slightly, but not saying anything.

Astra led him out of the aquarium, her breathing noticeably quicker and heavier than usual. Shit. Just calm down. They're people. They won't hurt you. She led him out of the crowd, relieved when they finally escaped

Winter looked at her carefully. "Are you alright?" He asked slowly.

"D-do I not look okay?" She panted, slightly crouched over, her hands on her knees. Just breathe. You can't be seen like this in front of anyone, let alone Winter.

He shook his head slowly. "No, you don't." He replied. Is she dying? That would be just my luck, wouldn't it? Then he sighed. No, breathing hard is not a symptom of death, idiot.

Astra looked up at him, seemingly offended. "Gee, thanks." She straightened herself up, and tried her hardest to seem normal. "I'm fine. Let's go."

See? Not dying. What did I tell you? He sighed. God, I'm getting more sarcastic as I hang out with her. "Alright."

"Shit-" Astra's mind went blank. Where was she going to go? Back to her house? What if Winter actually wanted to stay inside? Useless. You're nothing but useless. She rubbed her temples and laughed nervously. "What, uh- what a… great and fun place," she commented as she nodded towards the aquarium. Can you stop freaking out?! Do you know how weird you sound right now? She winced at her own thoughts and words.

Winter shrugged. "I suppose, yes." He said slowly, raising an eyebrow. "Are you alright? You really aren't acting okay."

She shook her head frantically. "Nope! Do you want to do anything? Go anywhere?"

He made a face. "No?" He shrugged slightly.

"Great," she said, not even sure if she was being sarcastic or not. Astra sat down on a nearby bench, her hands lightly shaking. "Sorry about this, by the way"

He sat down beside her. "About what?" He asked, raising an eyebrow.

Is he being serious? She looked up at him, her eyes not really focusing on a single thing. "Well, I can't calm down. And you have to deal with it. So, I'm sorry."

He shrugged. "Oh." Was his calm, unperturbed response.

Astra nodded and started to shake her leg and bite her nails. Nasty habits, they were. But they did release some of the anxious energy.

Winter looked at her, raising an eyebrow.

"Well, don't stare." She smirked at him, trying to be funny.

He shook his head, rolling his eyes and looking away.

After a bit, she tugged on his sleeve. "Hey," She smiled at him, seemingly very relaxed. "Thank you. For not leaving me."

He glanced at her. "Hm? Oh. You're welcome, I guess." He replied.

She stood up and placed both of her hands behind her head. "You've been doing a great job with keeping your promise, by the way."

"The pinky promise? Sure." He replied with a shrug. He glanced at her, then away again.

"So, I'm going to throw you a birthday party tomorrow." She grinned, remembering the crumpled note in her pocket.

He blinked, staring at her. "You're what now?" He demanded. Throwing me a birthday party?? What-?

"You heard me." She smiled at him. "Your birthday is tomorrow, after all"