A day had passed since Odd gave Aelita the books to read. The books had given her plenty of information to help ensure healthy growth for the unborn child for the next nine months. They had told her what to expect during each stage of her pregnancy and how to relax during this special time in her life. They also proved to be a distraction from the blank email still open on her computer. She wanted to tell her boyfriend overseas that they were expecting but she wanted to find the right way to say it to him. In her mind, she thought that doing anything else besides looking at the plank piece of digital paper would help her find the right words to gently break the news to Jeremie. While the plan did not work, she felt that she had accomplished enough already and that the words will come out soon. As she sat on her bed and closed the book, Aelita heard a knocking at the door. "Who is it?" she called out.
"No one," the voice called out.
Aelita shook her head as she took a magazine that was buried underneath the pile of books and approached the door. With one swift motion, she opened the door wide and smacked Odd on the head with the rolled up periodical. "You're such a dork," she said with a smirk.
Odd rubbed the spot where he got hit as he entered the room. "But you seem to like dorks, so that's OK," he retorted.
Aelita tossed the magazine back on her bed before folding her arms. "So, what brings you over here... again?" she asked.
"I wanted to see how you were doing with those books I borrowed from the library," he said. "I know it's a lot of material to read but a little progress is better than none, you know?"
"Actually, I'm done with them," she said. "Thanks again for getting them for me. I truly appreciate it."
"No thanks necessary, princess. Always glad to help," he said as he grinned from ear to ear.
Aelita looked at her friend suspiciously. "Call it women's intuition, but I have a feeling that you didn't just come here to check up on the books," she said.
Odd panicked briefly. He really did come over to see how she was doing. However, he also went to her room for his own benefit. It made his heart smile to see whom he thought was the most beautiful girl in Kadic. With the predicament he was now in, he thought that it would be in his best interest to make sure she had everything she needed, especially since the one who put her in this predicament was thousands of miles away. Not wanting to seem shallow, however, he needed an excuse here and now so that she wouldn't become suspicious. "I'm bored," he answered in the nick of time.
"Bored?" she asked.
Odd nodded his head. "Well," he started, "Ulrich's out with Yumi again today. I'm not sure what they're doing but I know that with him gone, I don't have much else to do. So, with me on the verge of boredom, I wanted to come and hang out with you for a while... if that's OK with you."
Aelita laughed for a bit. "Of course that's OK," she responded. "It's just funny to hear that you get bored when he's out on a date. I mean, you don't always need him around to do something, do you?"
"Of course not," he answered.
"Then it sounds like you're jealous of Yumi for taking away all of his attention," she accused.
"I'm not jealous!" he exclaimed. "At least, not very jealous."
Aelita cocked an eyebrow as she took a seat on her bed. "You're going to have to explain this one," she said.
Odd grabbed the chair next to the desk and sat down, chest facing the back rest. "Ever since Ulrich and Yumi finally confessed to each other, things have changed," he explained. "They're all good changes. Both of them have been more open around each other. There's less hostility anytime some relationship questions come up and they hang out with each other more often than we think. They're all shiny happy people right now. Believe me, that's great and I'm very happy for them both. It's just that..." He paused for a minute as Aelita leaned in closer, intrigued by where this was going. "I wish I could experience that, too, you know?"
"But you're more experienced than they are," she said. "This is the first relationship both of them have been in. You've had plenty of girlfriends in your life. Doesn't that count for something?"
Odd shook his head. "It's not the same," he argued. "They've got a bond that's stronger than anything else out there. They can trust in each other and be there for one another when things go bad. Me? I've got nobody. Every time I've tried to get into a relationship with a girl, it's lasted a week at the most. It starts off well but ends once any one of us find one little flaw in each other."
"What about Samantha?" Aelita asked.
Odd shook his head again. "That was completely a one-way deal," he stated. "I tried to give something to it and she never gave anything in return. I tried to get something for her, she wanted to steal it instead. I anted to set her on the right path, she wanted to stay on the wrong one. In the end, it never worked out and I would have been worse if I stayed in it."
Aelita placed her hand on his shoulder. "You'll find someone out there. You're to good of a person not to. Just give it some time and the right girl will find her way to you."
Odd smiled weakly. In his mind, the right girl was already in the room with him. He knew, however, that this wasn't the right time to say anything. Not yet. For a moment, they both sat down in silence.
"So, what do you think Yumi and Ulrich are up to now?" she asked, breaking the silence.
Odd cocked an eyebrow of his own. "You mean Yumi never fills you in on anything?"
Aelita shook her head. "You know, every time I try to get anything out of her, she somehow manages to turn it around so that I end up spilling my guts while she stays quiet. It's so unfair!" she cried out.
"Don't feel too bad," Odd said. "I can't get anything out of Ulrich either. If he was ever interrogated, he'd be perfect at not cracking under the pressure. In fact, the interrogators would end up confessing to things long before he would say a word."
Both of them laughed at that thought. "Oh, man, look at us gossiping about our friends," she commented. "This is so much fun, I'm surprised I never did this before."
"You mean you and Jeremie never talk about Yumi and Ulrich?" he asked curiously.
Aelita scoffed at the idea. "Jeremie can be a real stick in the mud sometimes," she answered. "He's not one to encourage gossip."
"Looks like I have to play the part of 'girl friend' and gossip with you more often," he said as both of them continued to laugh at themselves and the thought of Odd relaying hearsay like a high school gossip queen.
This was the routine that had occurred for the next few weeks. Odd and Aelita made sure to spend time with each other as much as possible. While it was a series of bonding moments for both of them, the effects for each person were different. For Aelita, the time spent with Odd was a time for comfort. She could forget her predicament for even a short period of time. She could be young and carefree and not have to worry about an impending child or telling a boyfriend thousands of miles away about the events that had transpired since he left on his program. For Odd, the time spent with Aelita made him realize that he was right all along. While Jeremie had fallen for her first, it was clear to him that he was meant to be with Aelita. She was different from all of the other girls he sought after in the past. Unlike hem, she was someone special and someone that would not shy away from a person's flaws. To Odd, she was the one he had been seeking his whole life. His only challenge now was to tell her himself.
Chapter 10 is done.
What was supposed to be a short fic has ballooned into something that will be 13 Chapters in length. After reading the early parts of this fic again, I realized that I need to give the OxA portions the same amount of 'screen time' as the JxA portions. It's only fair since one of the major complaints people get from these fics is how aloof Aelita seems to be in making her choices. That's something that I'm not trying to do. Hopefully it'll all work out in the end.
Chapter 11 will hit soon... hopefully. With that Chapter being a very important one for the story, I need to make sure everything is kosher with it before unleashing it to the masses.