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The morning sun was just beginning to peek over the horizon as Dr. Aurelius’s car pulled out of the university campus. Inside, Gallus was fast asleep in the back seat, his face peaceful despite the turmoil of the previous night. Aurelia sat next to him, her eyes fixed on the passing scenery, lost in thought about the revelations and their implications.
In the front, Dr. Aurelius glanced at Selena through the rear-view mirror. He cleared his throat, breaking the silence that had settled in the car. “Selena,” he began, his voice serious, “there’s something important we need to discuss.”
Selena turned her attention to him, her eyebrows furrowing in concern. “What is it, Dr. A?”
He took a deep breath, choosing his words carefully. “It’s about Gallus… and you. Given the reactivity of Gallus’s newly discovered element, francium, we need to be cautious. Especially you, Selena.”
Selena blinked in surprise, her gaze shifting to the sleeping Gallus. “Me? But why?”
Dr. Aurelius sighed, his grip tightening on the steering wheel. “Because of your element, platinum. It’s a catalyst, and in the presence of a highly reactive element like francium, it could trigger unpredictable reactions. We don’t know what could happen if you get too close to Gallus thanks to his powers.”
The car fell silent again as Selena absorbed the information, her mind racing with questions and concerns. As they continued their journey to the city’s top lab, each of them was wrapped in their own thoughts, the quiet only broken by the soft hum of the car engine and the occasional snore from Gallus. The day had just begun, but it promised to be a long one.
Selena was known to be a more kinesthetic learner. She learnt things by doing them, hence why she chose photography, which gave more importance to practical rather than theory. This made complete sense if you were ever friends with her. She was always comfortable with a little bit of physical display of affection among friends, as long as it didn’t go too far. She had an instinct of dragging people by the hand or hugging her friends to comfort them.
And now, thanks to the problems both she and Gallus would face if ever they were to be too close, she felt guilty. She knew that his last episode happened shortly after her hand slightly brushed against his - and that was neither of their faults. Her heart sank as she considered the implications of his words. The thought of not being able to express her friendship and support to him easily was disappointing, to say the least. She glanced at him, his chest rising and falling in a pattern with each breath and felt bad for him as well.
“I hate francium…” Nickolas muttered to himself. “I hate it so much…”
“I know that feeling. I personally am not a fan of radon, the one just before it on the periodic table…” Dr. Aurelius replied.
“Right… Aurelia told us. I hope you don’t mind.”
“No, I don’t mind… at least I’ve not lost another element yet. Radon is a gas. I lost my nitrogen power after inhaling it. Thankfully, francium only takes a copy of one’s power, but… it’s less stable than radon. I’m honestly somewhat afraid…”
“As I heard Selena tell Gallus once, during lunch time, you just have to feel the fear and do it anyway…”
“You’re right, Nick… thanks.” the professor replied, eyes shifting from the road to the rear-view mirror for a brief second.
“By the way, Ari’s asleep. I think she was just as tired since I woke her up in the middle of the night.”
“Ari?”
“Aurelia,” he replied. “I guess she got tired of taking in the view of the outside world.”
Nickolas glanced back at the sleeping pair. Aurelia had fallen asleep, her head resting on Gallus’s shoulder. He felt a pang of jealousy seeing them so close, so peaceful. He had always admired Aurelia, her strength and determination, her unwavering loyalty to her friends. But seeing her there, with Gallus, stirred feelings he hadn’t quite acknowledged before.
He turned his gaze back to the road, his mind a whirl of thoughts. He knew he had no right to feel this way. After all, Aurelia and Gallus were just friends. Besides, how was the already-sleeping Gallus supposed to know that she fell asleep on his shoulder. But he couldn’t help the twinge of envy that gnawed at him.
At the moment, Gallus was a dormant volcano, which could explode at a moment’s notice and potentially harm Aurelia, which worried him. But he knew she was resilient and would be back to normal within seconds - literally.
“What’s wrong, Nicky?” Selena asked, a playful smirk on her face as she noticed his expression.
“You don’t get to call me that, Selena.” he replied, running a hand through his hair.
“But Aurelia does…”
“She doesn’t get to either. But her I can’t stop. You, I can. So, stop.”
She chuckled and glanced back at the sleeping pair.
“Jealousy is not a good color on you, Nicky.” she said, shaking her head.
“Why would I be jealous of Aurelia?” he replied, not commenting on her use of the nickname.
“She’s popular, funny, and be honest, you think she’s pretty. But I’m not talking about her, I’m talking about Gallus.”
“No offense to him, but why would I be jealous of his powers? Radioactivity is cool and all, but dangerous.” he deadpanned.
“Let it go, Selena,” she muttered to herself, just loud enough so he could hear her. “Boys are oblivious creatures… you can’t do anything about it.”
Nickolas frowned, his gaze shifting from the road to Selena. “What do you mean, Selena?” he asked, his voice barely above a whisper. “Why would I be jealous of Gallus? And what does this have to do with Aurelia?” His heart pounded in his chest as he awaited her response, the silence in the car growing heavier with each passing second.
Selena chuckled a bit, before replying, “You wish you were in his place… don’t you? Right next to Aurelia… and that you wish that it was you she’s subconsciously leaning on…”
“Shut up, Selena…” he grumbled. “Why would I want her sleeping on my shoulder anyway? I wouldn’t be able to move my hand.”
Selena laughed, her eyes sparkling with amusement, as she began an over-exaggerated rant. “Oh, Nicky, it’s not about the inconvenience of not being able to move your hand. It’s about the comfort, the closeness, the intimacy that comes with someone trusting you enough to fall asleep on your shoulder. It’s about wishing that you were the one she felt safe with, the one she chose to lean on. But you’re too stubborn to admit it, aren’t you?” She gave him a knowing look, her grin never leaving her face. “And that, my dear Nicky, is why you’re jealous of Gallus.”
Nickolas rolled his eyes, trying to ignore the heat creeping up his neck. “I’m not jealous, Selena,” he retorted, his voice firm. “And even if I were, which I’m not, it wouldn’t be about Gallus. It would be about… never mind.” He trailed off, realizing he was about to admit more than he intended. He quickly changed the subject. “We should be focusing on getting to the lab safely, not on who’s sleeping on whose shoulder.” He glanced at Selena, hoping she would drop the topic. But knowing Selena, he doubted she would let it go that easily.
“And by the way,” he added, his tone rivaling the sarcastic tone of Selena’s explanation, “I’m using your proper given name bestowed unto you by your parents and would encourage you to do the same for mine. Or will it help if I call you by your full name?”
Selena, who never liked her full name all that much, since it sounded ‘too much like a Disney princess’, groaned and smiled back. “Fine, you got me. ‘Nicky’ is reserved for Aurelia. Who, by the way, doesn’t mind her full name. So, you can’t use that against her.”
“Meh, I’ll find a way to make her stop it.”
“Sure, you will. You may stop her from calling you Nicky, but she might have a whole collection of other nicknames.” she replied. “And you definitely can’t stop your own feelings.”
Nickolas let out a sigh, his gaze returning to the road. “I’m not jealous, Selena,” he repeated, his voice steady. “Besides,” he added, his tone lightening a bit, “I’m sure Aurelia has plenty of other people she could lean on. She doesn’t need me for that.” He tried to keep his voice casual, but there was a hint of sadness in his words. He knew he was lying to himself, but he couldn’t bring himself to admit his feelings, not even to Selena. Not yet at least.
“Liar, liar, pants on fire. You’re lucky I can’t set things on fire right now.”
“Oh, I can, actually. I never told anyone, but my third power is phosphorus. I’m not joking, it really is.”
“Good, that’s a start… Now, repeat after me for the rest. ‘I’…”
“I,” he repeated, confused.
“Like…”
“Like,”
“Aurelia.”
“No, no! Selena, I would set you on fire if we weren’t in the car right now!” he yelled, instead of repeating the last word.
“Nah,” she replied, nudging his shoulder. “Empty threats. Besides, Aurelia can heal whatever burn you inflict on me, so I’m good.”
“You are a real pain, Selena, you know that?”
“And yet, we’re still talking, Nicky…”
“I guess I’m just that jobless, Selena Brielle Platina.”
“Shut up!”
Selena let out a laugh, her eyes twinkling with amusement. “Oh, Nickolas, you’re too much,” she said, shaking her head. “But fine, I’ll stop teasing you… for now.” She glanced back at the sleeping pair, her smile softening. “Let’s just focus on getting to the lab safely. We can deal with all this… drama later.”
Nickolas let out a sigh of relief, his shoulders relaxing slightly. “Thank you, Selena,” he said, his voice sincere. “And for the record, I don’t hate Aurelia. I just… I don’t know. It’s complicated.”
Selena nodded, understanding in her eyes. “I know, Nickolas. It’s always complicated when feelings are involved. But don’t worry, we’ll figure it out. We always do.”
As the car continued its journey, the sun began to rise higher in the sky, casting a warm glow over the city. Despite the tension and uncertainty, there was a sense of hope, a promise of a new day and new possibilities. And as they drove on, each lost in their own thoughts, they knew that no matter what challenges they faced, they would face them together. Because that’s what friends do.
[Side note: you'll be seeing a LOT more of "I'm so over it" or "I'm surrounded by idiots" Nick in the chapters to come... that's my favorite form.]
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