Astra didn't know which one excited her more: the fact that she was going to visit an art showcase with Dylan or that she just woke up on the good side of the bed naturally. She had always felt heavy each time she woke up, but today was better. Surprisingly, she had a weird dream about Nicholas coming to her home. Ewww! Nicholas would never come, not with all that hate in his eyes. She was even scared of it herself. She said hello to every co-worker she met on the road, and she couldn't help but notice the stares they gave her. It's like something happened, and she wasn't in the loop. She shrugged and blamed it on the fact that she looked fantastic today. Her big smile was doing a good job of balancing it out.
One thing that stopped her from moving forward was how people hung around her cubicle while staring at it; they were not just staring. They were talking too. She had no idea what they were talking about, but one way to find out was to move closer and see things for herself. She caught a whiff of the conversation, and someone dared to say she was always on the receiving end of everything good. She wanted to scream, but nothing was going to ruin her mood for today, not even them. Then she walked close to her cubicle before clearing her throat, and everyone started working fast in a different direction; the party was over.
She walked into her favorite space, and a big bouquet of flowers ate everything else up. The flowers were so big, and the fresh scent made her weak in the knees. She searched her bag for the one person she knew could do this, Jared. He probably felt she was still angry about the whole Nicholas thing, and she wasn't. He told her the truth, and she was grateful for that. She knew that not everyone would be that honest with her, and she had been sulking about Nicholas for far too long, and she had barely noticed Jared's fierce love for her.
The phone rang when her eyes caught sight of the note attached to the flowers. She picked it up and tried to read it. The content made her heart do a double flip.
"Astra, my own from the stars. At the start of every new day, you get prettier and maybe in competition with the sun. I hope today is as beautiful as the flowers.
N. M"
She didn't need a sage to tell her Nicholas sent them; those were the days they were married; he would have a bouquet delivered every time she had cramps, every time someone at school pissed her off, or every time she felt bad, and sometimes she got flowers for no reason at all. She had no idea why he would send her flowers to begin with. Jared's voice came up, and she realized she had dialed him.
Hey, I'm so sorry about the other day; I hope you aren't calling to cancel, yeah? He rambled in one breath, and Astra smiled. He looked adorable with the way he was trying to confirm if she was still angry or not. She confirmed that she wasn't canceling; she just called to say hi. She felt terrible for lying to him, but she picked up the flowers and thought of throwing them out of the office. Nicholas indeed had spies here for the flowers to get into her cubicle. She smiled before picking it up after getting a new idea. It was still early, and her co-workers would probably still hang around. She grabbed the flowers, and she made sure to look as disgusted as she could. She made her way to the trashcan in the hallway. Her heels made a clicking sound as she approached the hallway, doing what she calls her angry walk. Every eye was on her as she opened the trash can and dumped the flowers. That felt good!
___________
She took another look at her row of clothes, and nothing looked too adorable for her to wear to an art showcase. She wanted to look pretty without having to try at all, and with the way this laziness was building in her blood, she doubted if she would be able to visit the museum with him. She was extremely sluggish and everything.
A smile made its way to her office as she remembered her decision this morning after Nicholas almost blew up her phone with calls after his spy told him she dumped the flowers. She walked up to her boss and told him she wasn't going to continue with Nicholas' case. It sounded like a joke at first, but later her boss realized she wasn't joking. She didn't care if it would cost her this job. She was done with Nicholas Michealson messing up her life from the bleachers.
Her phone ringtone stopped her from going further, and a private number stared back at her. She wondered who could be calling with a private number, and her mind went to a certain bastard. He was the only person who would call her with a private number. She wasn't shocked when he got her number. She knew her boss would give him a few dollars on the toss. She picked up the call. He probably wanted to confirm if she was off the case like he heard.
"Hello, Mr. Michaelson." She said curtly, and his sharp intake of breath hit her ears. Gone were those days when sounds from him used to set her body on fire. She wasn't ready to go down that lane with him. Even though, at the sound of his voice, her pants would be a pool of juice, she didn't mind. She waited a few minutes for him to speak before she hung up.
"Astra, you dropped the case after I specifically requested it for you." She tried to hide the laugh that was building up in her throat. He was probably expecting her to cower at his voice or something, but this was a new Astra, and he wasn't ready to meet her yet. She waited the same way he waited before replying to him. She enjoyed the way her name rolled off his tongue, and those were part of the things that made her fall in love with him five years ago, but things have changed now.
"I believed my boss delivered my message to you that I wasn't interested in being your lawyer anymore. There are other better lawyers at the firm, and I don't think this is debatable. If you're not satisfied with our work, there are over a hundred law firms in the state. " She heard him take short breaths. He was probably too angry, and he didn't want to overreact or say something she would sue him for.
"I can make you jobless within minutes, and you will have no choice but to crawl and beg for my mercy," he said, with each word laced with anger. She wanted to laugh at him and remind him that she didn't care about his little threats anymore. The urge to laugh took over, and soon she started laughing loudly while he listened. When she was done laughing at him, she bade him goodbye before hanging up without waiting for him to reply. She doesn't even care if he killed her soul. She chose the short sunflower dress in the corner of her wardrobe, and she decided to pair it with flats.
___________
Nicholas stared at the wall, and he hated the way he couldn't do anything to get her back on the case. He had even offered to pay thrice her usual price, but her employer was adamant about not forcing her to continue the case. When it was starting to get awkward, he knew he had to stop himself.
He stared at the unopened bottle of scotch and the reality of her words got back to him. She wasn't lying when she said all he did was drink himself to a stupor and blame her for things she had no control over. He hated himself for being very vulnerable to him and letting him toy with her in this manner. She knew the power she had over him, and she was using it in the perfect manner.
Five years down the lane, what they used to share didn't have any effect on her anymore and she is probably married to another person. He didn't care, but yet he could barely get his thoughts in place at the thought of her. The lucky bastard who got married wouldn't know how lucky he was. Maybe he should have waited to talk this out amicably with her, without having to shout at each other like adults.
He was starting to doubt if she was truly married because she had no ring on her finger and yet she was claiming her husband hated people breathing down on her. There was only one way to find out how she had been doing all these years and why she went under the knife for a new face. She was sure there would be fresh juice to delve into.
He picked up his phone and placed a call to his private investigator. He ordered him to get a detailed file on how Arya had been dating after their divorce, and he hoped to keep his fingers crossed while waiting for the files. Maybe taking this scotch wouldn't change anything. After much deliberation, he finally opened the drink. He was going to get drunk because his ex-wife doesn't give two fucks about him anymore. Sad much?
Three bottles down, Nicholas felt the urge to visit Astra again. Perhaps he is still haunted by her, and no one cares. He was not even feeling shame at the thought of groveling for her to take him back, and he knew she was lying about the whole husband thing. There's no ring yet on her hand, and he doesn't even care about the whole thing. He picked up his car keys again and he made his way to his car. He was driving to only one destination in his mind, and that was Astra's apartment.
He knocked on her door, and she threw it open. He made his way inside without even waiting for her to invite him inside. Astra wasn't surprised at the whole thing, and she knew that before she knew it, he would be in her bed sleeping. She could perceive the alcohol on his breath and she almost puked. She knew the dream she had the previous night was actually very accurate and that he was truly in her apartment. It was starting to become a frequent thing, and she couldn't bring herself to stop him from visiting her. She hated to admit it, but suck was enjoyable with him spooning her.
She closed the door after him, and she saw him make his way to her bedroom like they owned the apartment together. She hated to admit it, but he looked so good here. If only they were a true family and they hadn't had that nasty divorce five years back, then he would have been happy with her.
She climbed into bed after she helped him remove his jacket and his shoes, and she covered him with the duvet. She resisted the urge to go closer to him, but in the end, she gave in to temptation and allowed herself to go closer to him. She wrapped her arms around him, and instantly his arms came around her protectively. He snuggled his head against her neck before whispering.
"Why are you doing this to us?" He whispered, and very soon his soft snores filled the room. Astra had no answer to his question, and she had no idea why this was happening. She had no idea why it was happening to them and if she could just suddenly put the past behind her and live in the present.