Quote:
Originally Posted by
Mad Eye Touz 
"I DO like you. You know it, too, because I've told you. You've told me. We've talked about it," Aspen began, no longer retreating but.... entirely exasperated. "I don't know why you choose to forget. I guess I get why you're hurt and I never meant to do that, but what am I supposed to do about it now? If you dont' want to miss me, or hang out anymore,or anything - then fine. Just say so and you won't see me." Though, he was already pretty good at not seeing her when he wished for it to be that way.
Aspen crossed her arms and refused to look at him. She already knew he was hurt, she didn't want to see it again right now. Selfish, perhaps, but she couldn't take it at the moment. She had enough stress, enough uncertainty in her life. Cornelius was that one person that helped alleviate it - not add heaps of stress TO it.
"If you should still be mad at me, then be mad. I'll stay out of your way." Entirely. Completely. Cease to exist. "That'll help you not miss me."
She wouldn't say so, because it ... it bothered to even THINK it, but she did think Cornelius was being stupid. Why would he keep hope down? Why was he THIS bothered? Why was kissing SO important? With her little goblin still clasped tightly in her palm, Aspen stared off at a tree.
Cornelius stood quietly as Aspen began to respond to him, speaking more than she normally did as she attempted to get her views across. His eyebrows rose a bit at her words, not realizing that this was how she saw it.
"It's not that I don't want to see you, Aspen," he complained honestly,
"I don't want you to stay out of my way, I don't want you to be out of my life, I don't want any of that!" He tried to find eye contact with her as she stared past him at a tree he presumed was somewhere in the distance.
"I want the exact opposite of that, I want you around all the time, okay?" he tried his best to clarify, obviously getting a little upset himself. Couldn't she understand? That if they stayed together, or friends, or whatever, he would just be more and more upset if Joao was in the picture?
"But if you're...if you and Joao are..." he visibly paused, trying to avoid saying it,
"...together..then I can't keep remembering how much I like you. Because then I'm just hurting all the time."
He hated having to explain this, and he let out a brief sigh after his words were out, hoping desperately that she understood it.
"Wouldn't you be afraid to keep liking me if you had heard that I kissed some girl?"