Page 47 of Crimson Desires

After what Aster had done for me, I wanted to buy her a proper meal. Unfortunately, at this time of night, there weren’t any open restaurants. So, we settled for pizza.

Dave drove us to a park and kept watch as Aster and I sat down at a picnic bench with our pizza, breadsticks, and a two-liter of Diet Coke.

I’d taken the mask off in Dave’s car. However, I was still wearing the sweatpants and hoodie.

The park was empty, save for Aster and me. It was surrounded by a small forest of trees and overlooked a man-made pond. The atmosphere was more lowkey than I was used to, but with the stars glittering above us and fireflies lighting the trees like little blinking Christmas lights, I found it breathtaking, nonetheless.

Aster grabbed a slice of pizza. The mozzarella was stubborn, stretching indefinitely as Aster attempted to pull her piece away from the rest of the pie.

My mouth watered, and I grabbed my own slice. I took a big bite, letting the garlicky bread and tangy sauce invade my tastebuds.

“God, this is good,” Aster sighed. “No offense, Jack, but this pizza is better than any restaurant you could’ve taken me to.”

“Really? I would’ve been happy to treat you to Second Empire.” I wiggled my eyebrows.

Aster waved her hand dismissively. “That name means nothing to me.”

“How do you not know Second Empire? It’s like, one of the nicest restaurants in Raleigh.”

“Broke is a five-letter word.”

I winced. “Right. Sorry.”

As we ate, I took a second to consciously enjoy the moment. The warm summer breeze kissed my skin. The orange glow of the parking lot streetlamps illuminated Aster’s face, leaving half of it in shadow. Frogs and crickets sang their dirges.

“You know, this is the most ordinary thing I’ve done in years,” I confessed.

Aster snorted. “Really? Because this is the most extraordinary thing I’ve ever done.”

“Different worlds,” I remarked. “But my point is, this is nice. Really nice.”

“Nicer than being a world-famous celebrity?” Aster asked.

“Actually, yeah.” It shocked me how quickly the words left my mouth.

Aster bit the inside of her cheek. “Do you think you’d ever give it up?”

“Music?”

“Yeah. In order to be ordinary,” Aster clarified.

My gut twisted. I felt like she was trying to test me somehow. Her blue eyes stared at me intensely.

I shook my head. “I don’t think so. Not to sound corny or whatever, but music is my reason for living. Yeah, being a celebrity can suck sometimes. But I wouldn’t give it up for the world.”

Aster exhaled, her shoulders drooping. “That makes total sense,” she said. Her voice sounded small. I had a feeling that if she was testing me, I’d failed.

“Would you give it up?” I asked her.

Aster laughed weakly. “Being a celebrity? No, I probably wouldn’t-,”

“No. Being ordinary,” I said. “What if there was a rock star out there who wanted to bring you into his world? It would be chaotic. A little messy, maybe. But full of adventures. And music.”

“And sleeping on tour bus bunks?” A bit of life returned to Aster’s expression.

“The rock star would figure something out,” I assured her.

Aster met my eyes, and it felt like electric wires connected us.

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