Moons, Stars & Fragile Hearts

Scorpios are happy, sociable, welcoming. They are lovers, and have many affairs: she is seduced by beauty and charm.

I couldn't take my eyes off of her.

There I was, in a huge room, full of so many beautiful people, with a drink in my hands, and I couldn't my eyes off of this one girl. This was supposed to be our party, this was supposed to be the time of my life, where I'm traveling around with my best mates, playing shows and partying. Yet there I was, at a party, and she made me feel like a complete idiot.

She was talking to Tom, they seemed to know each other. She smiled a lot when she talked to him, I wondered what color her eyes are. She's small, and moves fast, even in her heels. I tried and take a sip of my jack and coke but it just slid lackadaisically down my throat. Resistance was futile, it didn't even come close to taking my mind off of her. I wondered what her name is, if she likes our band, how she met Tom. I wondered what she was drinking, if she likes to dance, if her smile is that pretty up close.

I've never been like Oli, I've never been able to just throw myself at a girl and have her melt in my hands. He says I'm shy, I say he's cocky. But he just smiles and nods, pointing out another girl, another conquest.

"Oi, Curtis." He came over, the tattoos appearing out of his v-neck and snaking all the way to his neck. "Jus' met a girl, she says she likes yeh hair."

I shrugged, finishing my glass of Jack Daniels and Coke, setting the empty glass on some random table. "Its alrigh', Oli. I don' need yeh help."

"I'm not tryin' to help yeh, I'm jus' tellin yeh." He smiled, and set his empty glass next to mine. "Oh, yeh like her, then?"

I had completely taken my mind off of Oliver, crossing my arms over my chest and watching her some more. Her hair was gorgeous, long and brown, curling just a little bit at the ends. I wondered how long it took her to do that. I did wonder about it, until I felt a shoulder nudge mine.

"Wha?" I turned, Oliver still standing there, not moving at all. He was in the same position I was in, arms crossed over his chest, even more tattoos covering his hands and fingers.

"I asked yeh a question," He laughed, looking over in her direction, pointing her out with his glances. "I asked if yeh liked her."

"I don' even know her." I replied honestly, trying to avoid Oli's cocky glances and watch her laugh at something Tom said at the same time. I wondered if Tom realized how lucky he was at that moment, to be talking to her, and to not have to deal with his brother.

"Yeh don' have to have a bird's name to fancy her, yeh know." He laughed again, and nudged me again. "Come on, follow me."

"Where?" I asked, following him anyway. Secretly, I was hoping he would take me to her, and I could say something smart and funny, something to make her laugh so I could see that smile.

"Im gonna introduce yeh, to her." Oli must have enjoyed playing 'matchmaker'; he was more excited than I was.

Up close, she looked even better. She was drinking some girly mixed thing, definitely not whiskey and soda. She continued to laugh at Tom, who was laughing as well, spinning his drink around in his glass. As soon as she saw Oliver though, her laughter stopped, a different emotion in her eyes.

"So, this is all for your band, da Vinci?" It was like she spoke with her eyes, not just her lips. I couldn't take my eyes off of them, even if I had wanted to I wouldn't have been able to do it.

"All for me band, love." Oliver said, his hands in his pockets. "Its a press party, for a record."

She smiled again, this time more like a smirk, as if she knew something he didn't know. "I don't like your music, Oliver."

He scoffed, running a hand through his hair. "Yeh don't have teh, love. Yeh still came, didn't yeh?"

I guess this time, Oliver won, seeing as though she didn't reply. She just took another sip of her drink, her red lipstick staining the top of her glass, her smile still staying strong on her face.

"Oh, right. Leyla, this is Curtis, he's in meh band."

She noticed me. I flipped my hair out of my face, taking a hand out of the pockets of my jeans for her to shake.

Her hand was ice cold, probably from holding onto her drink. "Nice to meet you." She wasn't smirking anymore, but smiling softly, as if she had to be more gentle with me than she had to be with Oli.

"You likewise." I replied, thanking God my voice didn't shake. Tom was still swirling his drink around, Oliver began looking around the room, finding a next target.

"I hope you're not like your friend here," She motioned to Oli with her eyes, who wasn't paying attention. I could see him set his eyes on another girl in another circle of people. We were history to him now. "He doesn't seem to know how to treat a girl right." She rolled her big brown eyes as he walked away, as if we weren't even there. I predicted right, he flipped his hair out of his face, and dropped one of his many charming lines on that unsuspecting girl. She was his tonight. Now, if I could get Leyla...

"And hows a girl s'posed to be treated, Leyla?" We took our attention off of Oliver, and my gaze fell back on her. Her nails were painted black, and chipped a little bit along the sides. Still, her hands stood out against the clear glass she was holding, which was now empty.

"Well, if you want any brownie points, you could go get me another drink." She smiled wider this time, handing me her glass, her hand brushing against mine, her fingers lingering against my palm. "I'll be at the table, the one right over there." She pointed, flipping her hair over her shoulder and making her to way to where she pointed.

I felt like I had just exhaled for the first time in 20 years as soon as she left. I had her glass in my hand, the one with smudged red stains on the top, from where her lips rested against the edge. I didn't linger there for too long though, I felt my feet taking me to the bar almost as soon as she had left. It didn't even require thinking; I was going to get this girl another drink, whatever she was drinking, and I was going to give myself another glass of liquid courage.

Press parties are funny sometimes. You are either in the band, or not. And I don't mean in the way that you have to play an instrument; Tom did shit and still got all the same privileges of Oli or I did. Luckily, this was one party where I was in 'the band', and I was able to get drinks quickly, the bartender congratulating me on the new album. I was polite, thanking him, just in case I needed another round. It's not like I would have been mean to him anyways, though.

She was still sitting at that table when I got back, looking so calm and collected, even if she was alone. Her head was down, her hair covering her face from my view, her hands furiously moving on the table top. As I got closer, I saw what she was doing. She was drawing something on a napkin.

"Yeh an artist?" I broke the ice, her eyes flying up to meet mine as I set her drink on the table, making sure not to splash any extra condensation from the glass onto her napkin.

Even though she was looking down at her napkin, I could see her roll her eyes and scrunch up her cute little nose. Her hands began moving slower, shading the outline she had made. "I wouldn't go so far as to call me an artist; I'm no Van Gogh, but I do paint. Oil, mostly. Oil on canvas." She looked up at me again, a smaller smile on her face. Her brow furrowed softly when she was concentrating, and she tended to tuck her hair behind her ear when she was focusing. "I can't pass up inspiration, though."

"I've never met a painter before." I tried to not make it obvious I was studying her. I copied Tom, swishing the Jack Daniels around in my glass before taking the first sip. "Or someone who draws on napkins at parties."

"There's a first time for everything then, right?" She didn't look up this time, giving me a good opportunity to memorize her face, to watch the way the tip of her nose curved slightly upwards, to notice how perfectly round and red her lips were, to notice that she had yet to take a sip of her drink; the glass void of lipstick stains.

"Yeh gonna drink, or did yeh make me get it for ya for nothin'?"

She looked up from her drawing, setting it to the side as she moved her drink in front of her. "How'd you know I was drinking a mojito?"

"The bartender remembered yeh." I shrugged, watching her curve her pretty fingers around the glass and take a sip. She closed her eyes when she drank, only opening them once she swallowed and her glass was set back on the table.

"Really? I guess I tipped him well." She laughed, I wondered if she knew I didn't get it. I did laugh along though, just in case it would have made her feel awkward.

"So," I swirled the whiskey and coke around some more, mixing it together more. Straight whiskey on top of coke is never favorable. "How do yeh know Tom? And Oliver?"

She rolled her eyes, making them stand out even more, making me magnetically drawn to them. They were deep and beautiful, looking as if they went on forever and ever. "I showcased a painting at a gallery Tom was showing a collage at. Oliver made an ass out of himself, Tom and I became friends, and somehow I ended up here, drinking and talking to you. Fate does weird things all the time, Curtis."

I absolutely adored the way she said my name. I let a small smile crack on my lips, but quickly covered it by taking another drink. "Cheers to tha'." Our glasses clanged together noisily, her eyes closing again as she took another long sip. "It's nice to meet yeh, Leyla."

"Likewise, Curtis." She laughed, setting her drink down and leaning on the table, her head resting on her palm, elbow resting on the table. "You know, you're pretty cute under all that hair in your face. And unlike your friend Oliver, you got some manners. You're alright."

"Is tha' so?" I said, staring down into my glass, trying to hide the excitement in my face. "Well, you're alrigh', too. Maybe even a little bi' more than alrigh'." I flashed a small smile back at her, which she returned.

From that moment on, Leyla completely had me.