Page 13 of Love Letters from a Libra
“I’m not going to lie. Most men think it’s bullshit or pretend to?—”
“Get in them jeans?” Jules finished my sentence with a smirk on his face.
I laughed despite myself. “I was going to say seem evolved, but yeah, that too!”
Jules licked his full lips. “Honestly, in my line of work, you have to notice patterns and human behavior. Astrology is just another pattern language,” Jules clarified.
Impressed, I raised my eyebrows. “Wow, most people don’t see it that way.”
“I’m not most people.”
We walked and turned to a section that was more humid and warmer.
“What’s your sign?” I asked, knowing it was clichéd, but I was curious.
“That depends. A birth chart has multiple placements, and sun signs are what most people mean, but that’s surface level.”
I blinked, surprised. “Right, so what’s your sun sign then?”
“Scorpio.”
“Ah, fixed water, secretive, intense,” I murmured, mostly to myself.
“You say that like you’re giving a diagnosis.”
I laughed. “I categorize people by their planetary placements.”
Jules gently took the plant from my hands. “Let me carry this. We’ve been out in the sun too long. You look like you could use some water.”
He was right; my mouth was dry. I followed him into an attached café where we settled at a cute little iron table. A server approached us, and Jules glanced at me first. “Sparkling water with mint for me.”
“I’ll take a sparkling water with lime,” I replied. The server nodded and left.
Our drinks arrived, and I took a long sip of my water. After our drinks, we wandered outside to pay for the plant. I was relaxed now, with the sun beaming down on us felt good. Jules walked beside me, carrying my plant in a paper tote bag as we walked along a winding path surrounded by blooming orchids. Our arms brushed against each other occasionally, sending little sparks across my skin. Jules paused to admire a row of bonsai trees.
“This reminds me of being a kid, my aunt would take me and my sister on nature days. We would visit museums on free days or take walks on the trails. I didn’t realize it then, but she couldn’t afford vacations, but Aunt Nubi always kept us busy.”
“That’s so sweet. Did your aunt raise you?” I asked.
Jules nodded. “Yeah, my pops passed when we were really young, and then my mother years later.” Jules reached out to touch a leaf.
“I’m sorry.”
Jules shrugged. “My aunt is the one who taught me to pay attention, to be quiet long enough to notice the rhythm of things.”
I smiled. “Damn, that explains the Jedi calm.”
Jules laughed. “Jedi calm. I’ll take that. I like it.”
I smiled. “I spent a lot of time at my grandmother’s with my cousin and aunties. They were loud but full of love. My mom was quiet, but my dad was the hurricane, the one who couldn’t sit still.”
Jules smiled. “I can see that; you’re definitely a little stormy.” He laughed.
I smiled but rolled my eyes.
“The good kind of stormy, summer rain. Necessary.”
His compliment warmed me like the sunlight. We continued walking.
