Supernova

Nova moved back into their condo, closing the door behind her and locking it, closing off the balcony again. She moved towards the kitchen and grabbed herself a bottle of orange juice before she moved to sit down beside Aaron once more in the living room.

Aaron sat on the couch, leaned forward with his elbows on his knees as he held the game controller in his hand tapping away. He glanced over at Nova as she sat down beside him and he leaned into her gently, bumping his shoulder against hers to acknowledge her, his fingers still moving across the controller easily.

Nova rested beside Aaron, when he nudged her, she looked to him. She had no right to judge but right now she was, he needed a real job and here he was playing video games instead of taking the time out to find something that worked for him. She cracked her orange juice open and looked to the boy saying “so… work…” quietly.

Aaron continued to play the game until he felt Nova’s eyes really on him and he paused, looking over at her and he nodded, “work…” he repeated her. “I’ve been looking,” he sighed out. “Most jobs in my field are already booked up,” he admitted sadly, “or require travel and I can’t because of school and I’m not going to leave you…”

At the mention of him having looked for work she nodded her head at him, tucking her hair behind her ear. Nova tilted her head and licked her lips; well her parents were right he wasn’t going to travel so this she now knew officially. Once he was done, she tucked her leg beneath her taking a sip of the drink before she sat it aside. Her hand rested on her bump and she said, “dad has a job for you lined up here….”

Aaron sat the controller aside, turning to Nova slightly and he sighed. He knew he had asked her to talk to her father, but he wanted it to be a last resort, but maybe they were on their last resort. “What’s the job?” he asked, dragging his hand down his face.

Nova looked him up and down and she shifted before she said “interning” easily “that’s what you asked of him, that’s what you asked of me” she said slyly before she picked up her orange juice and drank some more of it down.

“Yeah but doing what? Is it a production assistant? Maybe editing?” Aaron asked Nova with a bite of his lip, trying not to grow a bit excited as he gazed at her. He truly wouldn’t be able to thank her father enough for helping him like this.

She finished the juice. She sat the empty container down and said “he didn’t go into detail with me” she lied easily. “I’m sure it has to do with stuff like that” Nova lied again. He was going to be her father’s assistant essentially, but she couldn’t break that to him now. “No matter what it is babe, it’s going to pay more than the school and that is all that’s important right now” she said slyly, reminding him of the main focus right now.

Aaron licked his lips and he nodded as he rubbed his hands over his sweats. “Okay,” he said as he nodded more. “Uh, well when do I start?” he asked. “I need to get my portfolio together so that I can show them what I can do,” he said with a smile. “I think they’d be impressed,” he said nodding a bit more, more so to himself now.

At his words Nova used her teeth to bite her top lip and she sighed heavily. “Baby they won’t need a portfolio….” she said to him as she shifted on the couch pulling him to her lovingly. “Right now… all you can really be babe is like… his assistant” she said. “He’s going to almost pay you 20 dollars and hour. That’s good money we need that” she stressed to him knowingly “please Aaron, do it. Even if it isn’t what you want to do because in the long run it’s going to pay off for the baby's sake” she reasoned.

Aaron completely deflated at Nova’s words and he sunk down into the couch as he gazed at her. “What?” he said softly. “Just… the errand boy?” he asked her, his face now drained. “Babe…” he sighed out deeply at her begging and he dropped his head, rubbing the back of his neck as he mumbled. “I’ll do it…”

Nova looked to him and she sighed softly “Aaron you have to sit your pride aside right now” she told him. “If I could get up and work right now I would proudly. But I can’t” she told him. “And the baby isn’t going to get any cheaper, so I don’t know what else to do. Anything else he found you’d have to travel” she said to him. “As a matter of fact, why not do that?” she asked him. “Travel” she shrugged.

“I said I’ll do it,” Aaron repeated himself. He had already sat his pride aside when he asked her to speak to her father in the first place. This was just the bottom of the barrel now. Her words struck him. “I am not leaving you to do all of this alone,” he told her. “Don’t bring it up again,” he said sternly. “I’ll do it a’ight, I’ll take the job for you and our son…”

Nova looked at him as he repeated himself and she nodded her head. As he went on speaking to her with a bit of authority in his voice she said “fine” defensively raising her hands. She moved to pull herself up on her feet and she grabbed the trash moving to toss it away in the kitchen trash can before she turned the light off in the kitchen.

Aaron looked at Nova as she got defensive and he sighed out. As she stood up, he picked up his controller and forfeit the game before he started over, playing from the last saved checkpoint. As she flicked off the kitchen light, he glanced over at her for just a millisecond before he returned his eyes to the TV.

Nova walked out of the kitchen with a heavy sigh and she moved towards their bedroom in her LV slippers. She rolled her eyes to herself as she slammed the bedroom door behind her before she instantly regretted it. Hopefully, he ignored it and her, she didn’t want to escalate things she was just frustrated. They built everything on their parents' help and now all of a sudden upon finding out they were having a son he had become high and mighty. She thought it was so damn stupid. Kicking her slippers off she climbed into the bed adjusting her biker shorts over her belly, they were causing a faint line on her bump and she pulled them down below her belly as she stroked the area a bit.

Aaron beat the level quickly, ignoring Nova slamming the door as he did. He didn’t even want to argue with her. It was no use. He felt useless and defeated. He couldn’t take care of her and their son without a damn handout, what type of man was he? He knew Nova didn’t say it, but she thought differently of him because he didn’t just have wealthy parents and money just lying around. She never said it, but it was in her actions and the way she went about things. Sighing out, Aaron turned off the game for the evening and he turned off the TV. Dragging his feet, he flicked off the light and moved into the bedroom. He pulled his shirt off and tossed it on top of the dresser before he toed off his socks and climbed into the bed, getting under the covers and laying down with his eyes closed as he let out a deep and sad sigh.

Nova caressed her stomach for a while before she moved to change her clothes for the day. She placed some shorts on her body, they were too small, but Nova didn’t care one bit she was always the hottest at night and once the heat brought on her attitude that was it. If the heat woke her up, that was it. She licked her lips, unfastening her bra and tugging it off herself before she pulled on one of his tank tops. She climbed back in bed and turned the tv on, a few minutes later he surfaced not saying a word as he climbed into bed with her. She looked at him and she shifted rolling onto her side, and she rested her hand on his broad chest. “I love you” she said sadly to him, a pout on her lips.

Opening his eyes, Aaron looked at Nova and said, “I love you too,” as he gazed at her. He let out a deep sigh once more, just taking her in before he closed his eyes once more, turning his head to the side a bit. He looked to her once more, dropping a peck on her lips before he closed his eyes again, his broad chest rising and falling easily.

At his words she pouted more, gazing at him as he gazed at her. He pecked her lips and she kissed him back fully before he pulled away and she said with a heavy heart. “Tell me what you are thinking and what you are feeling baby…” Nova didn’t really ever feel they were the deep type and maybe that was the problem. Mia told her she needed to talk to him, really talk to him and considering her friend had the ring and she didn’t she figured she needed to try.

Aaron looked back at Nova at her words and he said, “girl what you talkin’?” as he shifted on the bed a little, rolling his head some as he stretched a bit.

Nova looked at him at his words and she shifted looking to him crazily, she sighed as she shifted rolling off him. “That’s the issue Aaron” she said to him seriously “you never want to talk about anything” she stressed as she laid on her back. “You are so cut off from everything” she voiced agitatedly; she rolled her eyes as she repositioned herself. “How are we going to raise a child and we can’t even communicate” she mumbled to herself.

Aaron looked at Nova at her words and he smacked his lips some as he ran his hand down his face. As Nova rolled over and said her peace, he let out a huff. “You don’t need me Nova,” he said as he stared up at the ceiling. “You’ve got it all under control,” he said. “Your parents are wealthy, and you’re set for life,” he mumbled. “I have to grind every single day and I feel like I ain’t shit because I can’t truly provide for you and him,” he said, still staring up at the ceiling, his hands folded over his stomach. “You don’t do it on purpose, but you make these little comments or gestures or looks, and I know you’re judging me…” he said shaking his head a little. “I walk over to the clearance rack because that’s what I can afford and you turn your nose up,” he said. “I work for hours, doing what I can here and there, but it still ain’t enough,” he huffed softly, his eyes still on the ceiling. “I just feel so fucking inadequate…” he said as he patted his stomach idly now. “I don’t want to have to beg for handouts…” he sighed, “but I am… for you…” he mumbled. “But I don’t feel appreciated or… like it means shit at the end of the day…”

Nova looked to him as he began to speak his truth and she sighed to herself, she did need him was he crazy? She couldn’t have done half of this without him and was only doing this because of him. He didn’t know how many times he walked into a clinic to rid herself of the responsibility of carrying their child, but she loved him. She licked her lips as she pushed the covers down a bit, to cool her body off as she rested there listening. “I’m sorry” she breathed to him, she grabbed his hand and laced their fingers. “You are crazy if you think I don’t need you. I need you every second of every day. I need you for things big or small, things you aren’t even aware of. I breathe you Aaron” she said getting emotional. “I’m not judging you” she said shaking her head as she too looked up at the ceiling herself. “You are going to succeed; you are going to jumpstart all of those dreams but realistically everyone needs help Aaron” she said to him. “My dad wasn’t always who he was, and someone helped him lay the foundation he built for his family” she told him. “We need help, we can’t do it alone Aaron. We can’t. I can’t do it alone, no matter what you think” she said looking at him. “Having him could limit my potential… and of my dreams from coming true. We are all sacrificing here. This pregnancy is pulling us both in directions we don’t necessarily desire Aaron, this is life” she said sadly.

Aaron continued to look up at the ceiling as Nova apologized and he nodded slightly as she spoke how she felt now. Slowly he looked over at her, taking her in as she spoke and he sighed softly, giving her hand a squeeze as she laced their fingers. As she grew emotional, Aaron tugged her closer to him and he brought her hand to his mouth, kissing it softly. Slowly he looked back at the ceiling, taking in her words as she spoke, and he sighed. Everyone did need help. No one really did it on their own merit anymore. As she spoke about her sacrifices, he bit his lip. He hadn’t thought about that. There was no way they would both be able to travel all over with a child. One of them was going to have to take a step back. He frowned slightly and he dropped a kiss on her lips. “I hadn’t thought about that,” he admitted. “Nova I’m sorry,” he whispered.

As he brought her closer, she moved without a second glance or thought. She looked at him as he spoke again and she shook her head “there’s no need to be, I’ve dealt with it and cried my tears. It's fine. Sacrificing is what a mother and father does” she told him heartbrokenly. “You can still graduate and get your work out there though” Nova said “you just have to pace yourself, baby steps. Dad wanted to get you that big break babe, but I knew you weren’t going to leave my side. So now we have to work with what he has. Either fly out Aaron or… grab sandwiches. Whichever you choose, remember it will be a hell of a lot better than what we are trying to get by on” she told him. She kissed him back and she rested her chin against his shoulder “things aren’t easy right now” she said a tear falling “but I have faith it will get better” she said softly.

Aaron held Nova close, gripping her hand against his chest. He bit his lip softly and he said, “Nova,” softly. He didn’t want her to give up on her dreams but in truth one of them had to and his field would bring more money in quicker. He dropped his head back against the pillow and he listened to Nova. “You’re right,” he said quietly. “I’ll get the sandwiches for now…” he said humbly “and maybe a few months after he’s born… and we’re good and stable, I might travel if an opportunity presents itself,” he said quietly. Feeling her tears, Aaron rubbed it away and he hugged her to him. “God don’t make no mistakes,” he said softly.

Nova sniffled lightly at the man’s words; she hated how emotional the pregnancy made her. “I like that idea, it’s a great plan” she told him softly. Children changed things, but when they changed the things that matter. Damn did that hurt. “Mhm” she said sweetly to him as she closed her eyes another tear falling as she did.