[12]: the nonchalance

_______________________ 12 the nonchalance "Your asininity with emotions, imprecision and unclear approach; those words you utter, at best be well-thought." ________________________ With everything turning upside down in Aurora’s eyes and Alexander being aware of that certain fact, the smirk he had on his face widened in an instant. These types of situations are certainly what he lives for since he gets to annoy the apple of his eye for as long as he wants, especially since her reactions don't disappoint. The smirk plastered on his lips widened further when they both passed by Edward, who is standing outside a coffee shop with a brunette beside him. The latter obviously didn’t miss it since he gaped at the sight he saw before excusing himself from the brunette he was with and jogging towards his cousin and the woman hanging on his shoulders—literally. Edward couldn't really believe what he's seeing. It's one thing for Alexander to listen to whatever he says, but it's another when he actually does what he says. He never really expected his cousin to do his suggestion earlier on because of how naturally stubborn he is, but the sight in front of him just proved how wrong he was. So with a clear of his throat and a look in his eyes that shows how greatly surprised he is by the turn of events, he said, "I see you decided that my suggestion was worth following." Knowing that voice anywhere, Aurora instantly perked up in her dangling position and yelled, "Edward, you f*****g i***t! This is all your fault!" The guy in question glanced fleetingly at the woman hanging upside down on his cousin's shoulder, a smirk slowly making its way onto his lips before he said, "How's your view down there, Aur? What does Alexander's ass look like?" "f*****g horrible." came Aurora's immediate reply. Edward laughed at the woman's reply, but the guy in question however, didn't find it as amusing as his cousin. A growl escaped his lips that was immediately paired with a scowl that was etched on his face, his eyes narrowing on the sight in front of him and scaring away the two children who, coincidentally, was on his line of sight. "Not what you said the last time." Alexander said, his scowl now replaced with a smirk when he felt her kick his thigh. "Oh-ho." Edward chorused with a teasing smile on his lips. "The last time?" He looked at his smirking cousin. "What happened the last time?" "Absolutely nothing." Aurora replied, feeling herself start to get a bit dizzy from all the swaying and all of the blood that started rushing through her head. "Oh God, my head hurts." She muttered, still cursing Alexander for saying such stupid and childish lies. It's like he has a strange fetish for such preposterous things that doesn't even benefit him—not even the slightest. Except when he makes insinuations like the one he just uttered, then he might just be able to—which is such a pathetic thing to do, really; such ridiculous notions. "I wouldn't really believe nothing happened." Edward said with a smirk, feeling thoroughly amused by the quick banter his companions are engaged in. "Say, Aur, would you like to be the one to explain it all to me?" And then there's Edward's always annoying reactions. She thinks it's really just an instinctive loyalty or a genuine familial one, but he always—and she means always—hangs on to his cousin's every whimsical word and antic. The two cousins have somehow been two peas in a pod ever since they were little, but not in a way that they literally do everything together and see each other almost everyday. No—that kind of "two peas in a pod" is the indifferent yet audacious Alexander Giovanni and the temperamental yet sweet Aurora Crover. She's pretty sure that if it weren't for the fact that the both them grew up together and had such close ties, they would never, not in a million years, ever become friends. They were too much of opposites for her to actually consider and entertain the ridiculous idea yet, here they are years later, with her hanging upside down on his shoulder, and him rumbling in amused laughter. How that ever came to the way it is now, she still can’t believe that it was all because of her. Damn her for being so insistent on making the guy her friend. Well, she was a child then. Children love to make new friends and Alexander just so happened to be the closest one she’s got—especially since they see each other often because of their close familial ties. "I would love to, except there's nothing to explain." She deadpanned, too caught up in her own arising anger and annoyance to notice that they already stopped. For a moment, she just stayed quiet and wondered what the hell was going on, when Alexander finally put her back to her own two feet and she found herself standing in front of Sally's bakery. “What are we doing here?” Aurora looked around the place with a confused look plastered on her face. Alexander shot her an equally confused gaze. “What?” “Are your ears not working like they normally would or something?” The chuckle that escaped Edward’s mouth wasn’t left unnoticed by either party. All attention instantly turned to him, but he wasn’t the least bit perturbed by it. After all, he’s already used to it after years of having to deal with it by himself, so it’s no problem to him at all. “Excuse the stupid, Aur. You know how Alex’s mind’s works, don’t you? It’s full of inane and anomalous things that you can’t even imagine to decipher no matter how hard you try.” He gave the woman a smirk. “But I guess that doesn’t apply to you, does it?” As always, the pair ignored his words. That certainly left him sighing in his place. Why does he even try when they even barely acknowledge his words at all? Instead of directing his statement to his cousin, Alexander merely focused his attention on Aurora. “Sorry to not live up to your expectations, but they’re working just fine.” Having given up on trying to understand whatever it was that his former lover was trying to point across, he merely waved her off and added, “Well, whatever.”  Aurora rolled her eyes at his reply. She should have expected that from him already—that type of distractedness is definitely something that only he could ever dare to pull off, yet it still manages to make her feel more annoyed than she already is—despite knowing that that response is what she was going to get from him from the get-go. Edward sighed again. “Of course. Sure, act like I don’t exist to either of you. My fragile feelings are not hurt at all.” Again, the pair ignored him. Well, whatever. He doesn’t need their attention anyway. The other Giovanni stretched his arms, still unaware of where him, his cousin, and the blue-eyed woman he is with are currently standing. "Seriously Crover, you weigh a ton. My arms and shoulder hurt." He ignored the glare she threw his way. "You're so heavy." "Who told you to carry me anyway? Stupid, idiotic bastard." The menace in her voice was something that Aurora is pretty sure he decided to ignore as well. That didn’t really matter to her, honestly, as long as that doesn’t surface in the middle of an argument. A smirking Alexander directed his attention to his slightly pouting cousin, the latter now scowling because of how the former lovers only give him attention when it involves blaming someone. “Do you want to speak up, or should I do the honors for you?” Edward’s scowl deepened. “You dare talk to me after you ignored me so valiantly?” “Right, I forgot you were such a drama queen.” Aurora stated, a lull of mirth clearly palpable in her words. “Do you want us to caress your hair, Ed?” She teased him in a mocking tone, which left Alexander laughing in his place while the guy in question merely glared at her. “Or perhaps a mollycoddle from us would be more than enough to appease your ever growing need of affection?” “Piss off, Crover.” Edward replied, the scowl on his lips only deepening. At that moment, Alexander seemed to have already noticed then that he's not where he's supposed to be because he stopped his motions, effectively also stopping Aurora and Edward from their banter, and looked around the area just to make sure he's not hallucinating. The confusion fogging Aurora’s mind and her expression never let up; if anything, it only upped when she saw Alexander had a thoughtful look on his face. "What?" She asked. “Do you need to ask?” Edward scoffed. “It’s pretty clear what’s got him all mesmerized.” It took a moment for Alexander to gaze at her mesmerizing sea blue eyes (ignoring his cousin the process), too busy thinking about how the hell he managed to mistake the route of the park for the route of Sally's bakery. For one, maybe it was because of the prospect of him being able to spend some time with her when Sally and Frank finally took off for their second honeymoon, or because he just got back from this town and this country that his mind is still hazy and full of things that has something to do with Colombia. He reckons that maybe it's a little mixture of both, but secretly hoping deep inside that his reason number one would definitely come to life. It’s a pretty far-fetched desire of his, but it’s not impossible also. The fact that he’s even already standing here with her early in the morning is a testament to that. "Nothing." He answered after a long silence, his eyes looking directly into her own. "I guess I mistook the location of the park for the location of the bakery." She scoffed as she crossed her arms, her once neat ponytail now a messy one that is framing her beautiful face. "Well no s**t, Sherlock. We did end up here, didn't we?" The sarcasm that was laced in her tone of voice was impossible to miss; even her expression is telling him that she thinks he's stupid, but that's not his fault, now, is it? He spent the last three years of his life living in Colombia with no summer visits to the place he once called home, so he was bound to forget the directions and get them all mixed up—not that he's really expecting her to understand since she never thinks clearly when she's angry, hungry, and frustrated. And right now, she's all three—the kind of Aurora that is the most challenging to handle. Edward laughed. “How could you only notice that now, you dimwitted cousin?” Alexander released a sigh. "Alright fine, it was my fault. But at least we ended up here, right? For all we know, we could have ended up somewhere else that’s foreign territory to all of us.” “In case you forgot, you distrait, taxing moron, I actually live here so wherever we end up, I could always be your guide of some sort.” Edward stated matter-of-factly. “Not that I would offer my most precious helping hand after purposely forgetting all about me.” “What are you? A child?” Alexander rolled his eyes. “We get it. Now let's go inside and have some breakfast." Just as he was about to drag Aurora inside, she said, "Wait. We're not having breakfast there." He raised an eyebrow at her, the exhaustion of everything already starting to weigh down on him more than it did a moment ago. "And just why the hell not?" "Because stupid, are you really willing to eat pastries and baked goods for breakfast? I am really dumping you if you go inside that bakery." She told him, her eyes challenging him to do the exact opposite of what she just said. Edward merely looked at Aurora and Alexander with amusement in his eyes, his mind still wondering how they ever managed to last so long in a relationship together when it mostly just consists of them arguing back and forth. Still, being a witness to that is entertainment at its best, so he’s not really complaining. Take now for example—the both of them starting yet another banter because of where they’ll eat breakfast. And so, instead of breaking it up like he usually would, he just let them be and watch how this situation would play out. Alexander, sensing Aurora’s irritation, decided that annoying her further would be better. How that is, he has no idea as well. He gave her a smirk and said, "So what if I want to eat baked goods and pastries for breakfast? That's my choice. And you, are going to follow me because," he moved his head closer to hers, the challenge in her eyes slowly subsiding. "rule number one, remember?" He laughed when she growled at him and pulled his head back, creating once again the distance between them a few seconds ago. "And technically, I'm the one who dumped you." Something flashed in her eyes then; he saw it perfectly. He's just not sure whether it was rage or something else. She felt like he slapped her hard across the face with his words, knowing in that instant that his last statement referred to their failed and sorry excuse of a relationship three years back. Aurora was barely just hanging on to her snapping point when he just had to say those words. Did he really have to rub it in her face that he doesn't have feelings for her anymore? It hurt when he said it through FaceTime when he finally talked to her after weeks of no communication, but it hurt more so now that he's saying it in front of her in such a nonchalant manner that made her insides burn with fury and misery that she's suppressed for so long. Is she really that unimportant to him that he could say those words like it's nothing and still have a smirk attached on his lips? Were the moments they spent together not worth anything to him at all? "Who cares if I break that stupid rule?" She muttered, trying to not let the hurt she felt show through her voice. "There's no punishment anyway; you never said anything about that so whatever." And then she walked away from the two men staring at her to go to the cafe right across her stepmother's bakery. It seemed like in that moment, Alexander had lost his knack for figuring out what the hell is going on through her past lover's mind and what she's feeling deep inside. Maybe it was because of how incredibly hungry he is or maybe it's because he's exhausted as hell but it sure is a perfectly bad time to have lost that now; he just managed to make the woman he loves resent him even more. Oblivious to the unfortunate turn of events, he released a chuckle as he looked at Aurora's retreating figure and looked at his cousin while saying, "She has such a horrible temper." Edward didn't know if Alexander was doing it on purpose or not, but with the way he's so nonchalant and unperturbed by what's going on, told him that his cousin didn't catch the hurt that passed through Aurora's eyes the instant he said that stupid remark about him being the one to end things between them. Edward could only stare at Alexander with a blank look on his face, all the amusement he felt moments ago dissipating in an instant. It disturbed him how his cousin seemed so nonplussed about what happened that all he really wants to do is smack the guy for being such a moron. Releasing a sigh, he said, "You're such an i***t. Why would you say that?" "Say what?" Alexander's forehead creased in a frown. "About you saying that you were the one to end things between the both of you." Edward sighed again, the disappointment he felt towards his cousin clearly palpable in the way he’s acting. "Did you not see the look in her eyes? She was totally affected by your words!" "But that was just a stupid joke; of course I didn't mean it. Why do you think I'm being so nonchalant about it? I knew what I was saying." He reasoned out, finally getting why Aurora seemed to have been upset when she walked away and why Edward only managed to look at him a few seconds ago. "Well that was idiotic of you. Do you really not care about the girl that you're saying things like that without a care, without considering how she would feel, and pass it off as a laughing matter?" By now, Edward was feeling slightly irritated by his cousin's impulsive behavior. Screw that—he was insanely irritated by his doltish cousin. If only he could deal with him on behalf of Aurora, he definitely would. However, doing that would be way too easy on the guy, so he restrained himself and left it all to the woman currently cursing the guy with every fiber of her being. “You're so stupid!" "It was a f*****g joke!" Alexander exclaimed, not understanding how they couldn’t take a single joke. Are they not merely overreacting? Why would he not care about the woman’s feelings. Hell, her feelings are what he cares about the most, so why would he even go out of his way to purposely hurt her? Sure, he does it when they’re arguing, but that’s just that—an argument. It’s a two-way street, so whatever it was he said would be blown up in his face when the woman goes in for a far more sinister kill than him. "It didn't sound like a f*****g joke! Don't tell me you're still angry about her and Dexter that you're taking it on her like this? You can't exactly blame her for entertaining other men. You broke up with her, remember?" Edward released a big breath, the exasperation he feels for his cousin making itself known more than ever. Why does Alexander have to be so stupid when it comes to Aurora? Things would have been so much easier if he just learned to get his head out of his ass once in a while. "You're the one crawling back to her with an apology and not the other way around. At least try to act remorseful." "I'm not angry about that! f**k that s**t. So what if Dexter is after her? I'm the one she loves and not him. He had three f*****g years to get her and he was unsuccessful." The irritation he was feeling when he was having his argument with Aurora resurfaced real quick. He knew what he was doing; he didn't need his cousin to lecture the f**k out of him. And he is remorseful about everything; he's just good at acting like he isn't. Obviously, that’s not a good thing at all, but it’s just so hard for him to change that all of a sudden since he’s been that way for such a long time already. Not only would it feel weird for him, he’s pretty sure the blue-eyed woman would recoil even more because of how naturally cautious she is to the changes around her. That cautiousness would only surface further than it usually would since the source of the change is him. "But look where that 'unsuccessful' s**t you mentioned got him." Edward retorted. Right now, he’s absolutely confident that his words this time around would make more of an impact than any of the other words he just uttered. After all, what better way to get his point across than actually rubbing a certain fact right in his stubborn cousin’s face, right? "Him and Aurora are closer than ever. What about you?" Edward didn't need to say the words "she hates you" for him to understand what his cousin is trying to say. So as a result, he stayed quiet in his place, no words to say for once, his mind trying to grasp the things Edward just told him. The irritation that started building up inside of him dissipated in an instant and all that was left was his realization of how stupid his words did sound. His cousin noticed the change in his demeanor and immediately took that as his chance to say the few more things he's always been meaning to say. "I wouldn't be too confident about everything if I were you. Feelings are subjected to change over time and with you and your asshole-ic ways, I say it's not too long from now. So, I suggest you go and have breakfast with her and be less of an insensitive bastard. Apologize for your stupid words." He patted Alexander on the back. "Good luck. I'll see you later at home. And try to be more mindful of your words, yeah? No matter how immune she is to your knife-digging words, a part of her would still be hurt by whatever s**t you utter—especially when it touches sensitive things. You’re smart, Alex, but you’re a dumb piece of s**t when it comes to romantic connections.” And with that, Edward walked away with a whistle, leaving Alexander in his place, feeling totally nonplussed about what the hell just happened. He gazed at the cafe across him with a sigh and started his walk, thinking about just how in hell he's going to apologize for what happened as subtly as he can—he can't let Aurora know what he's really thinking about, now can he? Oh screw that. Of course he’s bound to let the woman know what he’s thinking about. Even if he does apologize in a subtle way that only her would be able to understand, his thoughts would still be bared to her in ways he doesn’t like—even if it is the woman he loves. He settled his gaze on the cafe again, sighing once more as he thought about how he’s going to apologize for his stupidity because it sure as hell won’t be an easy task to do.