i'm not your problem anymore.

“Yeah, definitely.” She nodded in agreement. “I think that’s why I want to have my own law firm some day. I don’t even like the idea of letting someone else be my boss.” She didn’t just want to be in control of her personal life, but her professional life, too. Granted, she knew she would have to start somewhere, like everyone else, but that didn’t mean she had to get stuck in one place either. “I think we all make that mistake once or twice,” she said with a laugh. “Pretty sure the second someone says to not look down, the instinct is to do precisely the opposite of what you were just told.” At least, in Nova’s experience, but she was pretty well known for doing the opposite of what anyone told her to do. “I get it. They aren’t everyone’s cup of tea, but I’m weird and like being scared.” She shrugged. “I am, yes. The butterfly stroke is my thing. I also just swim for fun, too. I like being in the water.” 

“That was a knee-jerk response to being lost in the woods, therefore I cannot be held accountable for it,” Nova was quick to reply, equally as teasingly. At his following words, she held her phone up in front of her, disappointed to see that there was still no signal. “Fuck, I hope so,” she said, the words followed by a sigh mixed with a chuckle. “At least it’s a nice day out, right? Although, I probably shouldn’t have said that aloud because next thing you know, it’s gonna start raining,” she joked, playfully glaring up at the sky like she was silently threatening it to remain calm. 

“Hey, no one said no teasing ever, but only fun teasing. None of that hurting my feelings stuff though,” she joked as she awkwardly returned the hug, before pulling back and looking at Kenzie again. In truth, it wasn’t easy to hurt her feelings. She liked to believe that she was made of titanium, for the most part. “I’m not going to deny that there is a possibility of falling. I’m human and as a human, obviously I have feelings, but I can choose to ignore them. It’s great that you’re willing to take chances. Because there are people who will definitely catch you. And probably some that might catch me, too, if I gave them the chance but I’m not willing to do that. At least, not at this point in my life.” And probably not ever, but she didn’t tack that on. 

“You know what, that thought never crossed my mind, but it makes sense, right? Like, maybe there’s some elderly people cult that you can only join once you hit a certain age and until then, the only time you see those candies are at the house of your grandparents or on Halloween,” she replied jokingly, words filled with laughter. “Dang, that is so sad, I’m such a great friend to have, too. Your loss, I guess,” she said as seriously as was possible, before more laughter spilled from her lips. “Kidding. That isn’t the only requirement and I mean, there are exceptions to every rule, as they say.” The words were followed with a grin. “Oh, totally. Nothing beats authentic ramen, though, but that can be said for most food. Authentic is always going to taste better.” She was incredibly excited for their next destination, mostly because she knew she’d get to eat tons of Japanese food and it was one of her favorites. “No? I would totally get in one of those, if I visited anywhere it was an option. But I’m a risk taker, to put it mildly.” Impulsive and reckless was more like it, but she preferred to say “risk taker”. 

“Are the delusions setting in already? We must have been out here much longer than I thought,” she was quick to reply, voice filled with a concern that was very obviously fake. She tossed yet another glare his way at the reminder that she, also, hadn’t the slightest clue where they were. It annoyed her that he was right, which was why she was choosing not to respond to that little statement, given that she had no desire to give him the satisfaction. She pressed her lips together, glare intensifying as he snuck in another innuendo. “You have a point, but.... you know what else I hear? People start seeing things that aren’t there, grow afraid of their own shadow and even start to not recognize the person that they’re with... and just snap.” She snapped her fingers, as though to emphasize the point. “If we stay out here tonight, might want to sleep with one eye open, just in case,” she warned sweetly. “Also, depend on you for comfort? Even in the most dire of situations, I would never be desperate enough for that.” 

nova’s outfit for the lunar new year charity gala

“Well, wasn’t like I was actually trying.” She shrugged, a grin easily forming on her lips. “Why? Afraid they aren’t up to your standards?” She raised a brow, as she maintained an entirely serious expression, despite understanding where he was coming from. If the shoe were on the other foot, she’d want to see them, too, just to check for herself that they weren’t tacky. “But fine. You can see them first. I’m desperate to get out of this store anyway.” Her serious expression was quickly replaced with her previous one of disgust, as she took one more look around the store. “I wasn’t being serious. It’s called joking. You do know what that is, right?” Another joke, because she obviously couldn’t help herself. 

“Well, Jack is a piece of shit so does it surprise me that he... Wait...” She let her response trail off, as it dawned on her what Noor had just said. Granted, she’d heard her the first time, but apparently her brain hadn’t processed the information quickly enough. “Jack is your ex and he gave you fucking chlamydia?” She managed to whisper the words, but her irritation was obvious in her expression. “Piece of shit,” she repeated her earlier words, her hatred toward him not entirely justified but it wasn’t like she’d ever fully accept that she had been to blame, too. “And yet he’s out here trying to get me to fuck him again, while fully aware that he has that shit. Tell you what, if you wanna kill him, I’ll help. That’s one crime I wouldn’t mind being an accessory to.” 

“It does,” she agreed, nodding. “I’m also just not a big fan of the idea of someone controlling what I do.” At his following mention of love, she wrinkled her nose. Not because she disagreed with him, necessarily, because he was right, but Nova merely preferred to pretend that the ‘l’ word was not something she believed in, for the most part. “Yeah, that’s true. It’d be terrible not to feel joy or that warmth that engulfs you when you’re with the people that you care for most,” she mused quietly, clearing her throat awkwardly afterward, because she wasn’t usually an emotional person. “Good point. Skydiving isn’t so bad once you’ve made the jump though. Ziplining is kinda the same. Helps to not look down.” She stayed silent for a moment, having to put serious thought into what was capable of holding her interest. “My friends, usually. Horror films, definitely, but I’m not big on television, for the most part. Photography, swimming, and anything that could be considered potentially dangerous but is still fun anyway.” 

“Probably wouldn’t be so bad if we had a plush blanket, but isn’t like I was planning on getting lost so afraid I don’t have one of those on me,” she jested in reply. “I don’t disagree, but don’t always need a bed to have fun, is all I’m saying.” Nova had always found the idea of getting caught exciting, but she was aware that not everyone had such an... adventurous spirit. “Bear?” She grinned, studying him for a moment. “Seems fitting,” she tacked on after a beat. “Oliver is a good name too, but kinda curious how you got Bear as a nickname from that, have to admit.” She grinned. “Nova. Short for Novalee.” 

Her gaze narrowed, a sort of playful threatening look crossing her face as she let out of a scoff. “I ooze charm. Bite me, Oph,” she hissed playfully, before relaxing her features and allowing a smile to form on her lips. “Okay, that’s fair. If anyone is capable of getting away with murder, it’s you, and I mean that as a compliment-- cross my heart and all that,” she replied, eyes practically sparkling with amusement and relief washing over her as they reached the exit, leaving them one step closer to the food and massage she was desperately craving. “Stop. Before I start salivating. That would not be a good look for me.” But seriously, she thought, a salad bowl sounded akin to heaven at this point. She really needed to learn to not get so caught up in studying that she forgot to nourish herself. “Ugh, right? And the champagne is a must, of course. I think I’d rather have the joint, unless my masseuse is hot, that is.”