Part Two.

Part Two.

The new Soren Ishida

Aspen could do nothing but stare, stare at the smiling, almost perfect god crouched down in front of her. Stunned was an understatement for what she felt right now.

When did the biggest delinquent of Cedar Creek high school become like…this?. he was even smiling!

Aspen couldn't remember any instance in all four years of high school that she had seen him smile like this.

But well, they did roll with completely different set of people and their paths barely crossed, but still

He…was smiling.

And…at her.

She sniffled and said lamely "You're smiling"

He blinked once, twice, long dark eyelashes casting shadows over his cheekbones, before bursting into a soft sonorous laugh

"I'm just happy you remembered me" he finally said on a chuckle

Aspen sniffled again "I've never seen you smile before, even on graduation day. I remember you looked like you wanted to strangle Principal Foster when he was handing you your diploma"

He chuckled again and shuffled closer to me "I was a gloomy teenager then, you can't blame me, I had a lot of stuff going on then" he waved a ringed hand in a vague manner before grinning again.

"But now, you can see my smile all you want"

And then he smiled even wider, almost blinding Aspen with his perfect, crystal white teeth.

She couldn't help but let out a small, watery smile which later evolved in a laugh when Soren cupped his hands under his chin, framing his face.

When he saw her laugh, his eyes lit up and his smile softened "There, you're smiling"

And she was.

Aspen touched the corner of her turned up lips with hesitant fingers before breaking out into a wider smile, her earlier tears forgotten "I am" she commented before her voice turned fake serious "What sort of sorcery is this?"

He let out a short laugh before holding out a hand to her "I can't reveal my secrets"

Aspen, still smiling, took his hand and allowed him to pull her up, accepting the handkerchief he offered her "Thanks" she mummered, wiping her drying tears.

Soren's hand still held hers but he drew away hurriedly after giving her hands a firm squeeze. She thought nothing of it and instead let out in a light breezy tone "You've changed a lot"

Stuffing his hands into his pockets, Soren gave a shrug "It happened along the way"

She grinned and ran a hand through her hair "How did you even recognize me?"

"How could I not recognize Cedar Creek's golden princess?"

She groaned "How can you even remember that god awful nickname?"

He chuckled but didn't answer, instead he asked "Wanna go sit?", pointing at a small wooden bench a little ways from where they stood, right before the ledge of the roof.

Silently, they both settled down on the slightly cold wood and Aspen looked out over the skyline, at the lights twinkling all around.

The city was pretty at night.

"So.." Soren started, his voice light "Why aren't you down there mingling with your loyal subjects?"

"I could ask you the same thing, was everyone freaked out by you smiling, they kicked you out?"

He laughed lowly, his dark eyes flashing with mirth "I'd forgotten how quick your wit is"

Aspen shrugged "Its one of my best qualities"

Silence fell, only broken by the echoes of the booming music still going downstairs

"I didn't feel comfortable mingling and attempting polite conversation with people who secretly hated and were afraid of me a decade ago" he sighed, leaned back in his seat and propping his feet up on the ledge

"I'm not as dumb not to recognize a fake smile when I see one"

Aspen cast a glance at him and found him looking at her, his gaze intent. She felt weird under his gaze, like he could see right through her to her very splinted heart.

"What about you?" he asked after a bout of silence

She blew out a long sigh, turning sideways in her seat, propping her elbow up on the backrest and cupping her cheek "I ran away"

"Why?"

She licked at her dry lips before speaking again "Because I'm the stupidest person that has ever lived on the planet Earth"

Soren chuckled and mirrored her posture "that's a pretty hefty title, why do you think you deserve it?"

"Its a long story, long and embarrassing"

He made a point to glance to obviously expensive watch at his wrist "Well I've only got all night and I do love embarrassing stories so…." he motioned with his free hand for her to go on

Aspen couldn't help but smile softly. The difference between the surly, always blank faced Soren she remembered from a decade ago and this Soren sitting in front of her was amazing, so startling. She couldn't believe it.

"Are you really Soren? Because I can't believe it"

He laughed loudly, throwing his head back in mirth.

Aspen watched his handsome face become even more amazingly handsome as he laughed

"What can I do to convince you I'm really Soren?" he asked, still chuckling

A past memory suddenly flashed in her mind's eye, a shirtless Soren running track during gym class, his pale skin glistening with sweat under the sunlight and under his right pec, a peculiar birthmark shaped like an almost perfect triangle

"Show me your birthmark" she let out with a small smile on her face

"What?" his brows were furrowed in confusion

"Your birthmark, you know, the one shaped like a triangle on your chest"

"My birthmark? How do you know I have that?"

She narrowed her eyes playfully "every girl in our year knew you had a birthmark, stop asking questions and show me, or you can't because you're not Soren, maybe you're a shape shifter like Mystic from X-men…." the rest of her tirade trailed off when he suddenly tugged off his shirt, exposing his torso

"So believe me now?"

Aspen's tongue was tied into many many knots that would take years to undo, her eyes glazed over his flawless toned chest, over rock hard abs that could cut through steel and bulging biceps that made her mind fuddled. Fuck! He was ripped!

"Satisfied?" he spoke again, but she didn't pay him any heed, still caught up in mentally drooling over his muscles. She located the familiar birthmark under his pec and against her better judgement, ran her fingers over it.

His skin was warm and smooth, electricity raced through her palm, up if she was burned.

She didn't even notice the tiny jolt he gave when her fingers ran over his skin.

"O-okay" she stammered softly, looking everywhere but at him "You can put your shirt back on"

She was pretty sure her cheek were flaming red.

She heard Soren chuckle as the rustle of clothing being put on sounded. After a few seconds, she turned back to him and found him smiling, his shirt back on.

"Your face turned so red right now" he joked and Aspen slapped his arm playfully, slightly embarrassing

"Stop it"

He chuckled and dragged a hand through his hair, brushing his hair backwards "Alright, I stripped for you, now you have to tell me the story"

"Okay fine, but no judging or even judging thoughts or else I'll hate you forever"

He made a crossing gesture over his heart

Aspen took a deep breath and told him everything, right from catching Caleb cheating on her this afternoon to getting fired to realizing that everyone thought she was so dumb for giving up her dream for a guy who ended up cheating on her with a synthetic barbie.

"You don't know how bad I feel, because they're right, I am dumb. I let Caleb overshadow my dreams, aspirations , everything I held dear" she paused and swallowed down the lump in her throat, trying to will herself not to start crying again

"Even Rhys" she stopped tearfully

Soren who had been silent all through out her story suddenly grabbed her hand in his and gave it a firm, comforting squeeze, one that made the uncomfortable lump in her throat disappear

He didn't say anything, he just held her hand in his warm, big one, his thumb slowly stroking her skin, his dark eyes, soulful and soft boring into hers.

Oddly Aspen felt better, his silent, strong presence was comforting to her in the weirdest way, making her feel settled and warm inside. His gaze was like a tight hug, just what she needed right now.

Taking a deep breath, she wiped under her eyes with the handkerchief still in her free hand and said softly "I haven't cried this much in a while, I feel like a leaky faucet"

Soren's reply was even softer "You're not"

The wind whipped through the roof, blowing Aspen's hair into her face. Blinking, she brushed it back and met his gaze again, suddenly feeling embarrassed under his intense eyes "I'm sorry, I ruined the mood" she held up the mascara stained cloth she held "And your handkerchief"

Silence fell once again and the pair just sat, looking at each other, the thumping of the music a background sound to them

That was until Soren spoke "to be honest, back in high school, I never liked Caleb"

That made her chuckle softly "You and about half the student body"

"I always thought he was an asshole, and now I know he's an asshole"

"A big throbbing asshole" Aspen added, a light mischief filled smile on her face

"The biggest"

"Ginormous"

"Godzilla sized"

They both broke down into laughs that echoed round the roof and faded into the night air.

When they finally recovered from their mirth, Soren patted her hand in his, an encouraging smile on his handsome face "Everybody makes mistakes Aspen, don't beat yourself up about it. And its never too late to start over"

He paused and tapped his chin, feigning deep thought "Just think about this as the beginning of a brand new chapter in the book of Aspen Irons, and thankfully this chapter will exclude the cringey high school douche bag that has shit for brains"

Aspen 'hmmed' and replied with feigned seriousness "A brand new chapter eh? How about a brand spanking new, 'New york's bestsellers book'. I like that"

He chuckled "And what shall be the name of this fantastic book I can't wait to read?"

Now it was her turn to tap her chin "I don't know, 'Aspen Irons: The second time around?"

"Down to earth, I like it"

She laughed, her shoulders shaking with the effort

Soren let out a thrilled smile as he watched her laugh, her head thrown back in barely restrained glee. To him, it was the most wonderful scene in the world, something he wanted to capture and never let go.

A fleeting pleasure, wonderful and bright.

Aspen felt much better than how she did a few minutes ago, it was as if the giant weight on her chest had finally disappeared and she could finally breath. For once in a long while, she felt optimistic energy flood through her, washing away the bitter and heavy feelings of regret and pain.

She felt light and free.

Her laugh finally wound down to giggles and she looked out over the scenery again, admitting softly "No one has made me laugh this much in a while, except for Rhys" a nostalgic glaze came over her jade eyes, along with a smirk "We used to have so much fun together, I miss him a lot"

Blowing out a huge sigh, she continued "but now he's married and I threw our friendship in the garbage" another sigh "now I don't have anyone to dance to Madonna and Micheal Jackson with"

Seeing her so forlorn, Soren felt a pain in his chest "Why don't you try to make up with him since you miss him so much?"

"Do you think he'll forgive me? He is as petty as me, even more so"

He shrugged "Maybe, you guys have been friends for a long while, I'm sure he wouldn't want to just give up on the many years of friendship between you two"

"Remember I gave up on the many years of friendship first"

Shrugging again "Doesn't matter, if he cares about you, I'm sure he can forgive you" he paused and grinned "And if he doesn't, I'll be your friend, I've been told I make a stellar best friend"

That got Aspen laughing again "You?"

He let out a fake shocked look "What's wrong with it? I can dance to Madonna and MJ with you much better than he probably can"

She giggled "No doubt I would totally want to see that but no way would I wouldn't want to be your best friend"

"Why?"

"Wasn't Hames your best friend in high school? And didn't you guys go to jail that one time?"

Soren scratched his nape, a slight embarrassed look on his face "That was a misunderstanding, you can't hold me to that" he paused "And besides, its not like you two were any better, you guys were in detention just as much as I was"

Aspen countered, fake outrage lacing her words "That was because Rhys was always pulling me into his hare brained schemes, remember when he snuck into the girls' locker room and poured glue all over Lindsey Stone's clothes just because she called me a bitch at cheer practice"

He let out a bark of laughter as the memory came back to him "Yea I do, she was screaming bloody murder for the rest of the day because she had to wear some ugly Christmas sweater home in the middle of June from Lost and Found"

"I had nothing to do with it but when Principal Foster caught Rhys, he dragged me down with him, we ended up spending two weeks in detention and besides Jail is nothing like detention"

"But you guys were really bad, the teachers used to call you two 'The terrible two'"

Aspen laughed "I remember that, that was a horrible nickname. Rhys loved it though, said it made us sound like comic book villans. He was lucky he was on the football team or he would have been suspended a dozen times like someone I know" she motioned subtly with her head to Soren by her side.

The latter just chuckled lightly "Yeah I was suspended a lot, made for good vacation time"

"Its a wonder how you even graduated"

"Noone would ever know"

The two shared a short laugh.

When it died down, Soren spoke again, his tone light "You probably don't remember this but we were friends for a short while before middle school"

She turned to him, her brows furrowed "Really? When?"

"Between second grade and third grade, we used to take karate together and whenever you and I were to spar, you would always, without fail, kick me in the shins"

A giggle escaped Aspen's lips, that sounded like her "Really?"

He nodded, smiling "Yeah, and then I would burst out wailing, with snot and everything, and then the other students would start crying too, a true nightmare situation" he paused and pinned her with a faux serious look "Every. Single .time"

This time, she laughed, long and hard. She could imagine the scene even though she couldn't remember. Her dad did use to tell her how much of a trouble maker she was when she was little.

"Oh my God!" she wheezed "I'm so sorry but its just too hilarious" she broke into another set of cackles "You were probably so terrified of me"

Soren chuckled, his dark eyes pinned on her beautiful laughing face "I was" he replied, his voice softer than a feather

It took a while for her to calm down and ask "But then what happened? How come I don't remember you at all?"

He blew out a sigh, leaning back in his seat "I moved back to Japan just before fourth grade with my Dad"

"Oh right, I think I remember that, you moved back in 9th grade right?"

He nodded but didn't say anything. Silence fell for a few seconds before he shifted in his seat, leaning forward to ruffle her hair "But you were so cute back then, like a miniature Steven Seagal"

Aspen's mouth hung open as her hair wisped untidily around her face "You didn't just do that!"

He let out a deep chuckle before leaping out of his seat, just narrowly dodging her attacking hands going for his hair. She followed, sprinting after his running figure, chasing themselves all over the roof until she managed to leap onto his back and attack his hair, messily ruffling it while laughing manically.

She leaned back to admire her handiwork, ignoring his arms that snaked underneath her thighs, holding her steady.

His once neat, pitch black shoulder length hair was now a wispy mess atop his head, but instead of frowning, he had a big, thrilled smile on his face.

"Haha! Payback is sweet!" Aspen exclaimed as she leaped off his back, still smiling

Laughing he asked "Satisfied?"

"Very"

They both chuckled

"You look cute like that" she commented while she tried to fix her hair, looking up at the cheery, dark clothed giant in front of her, fixing his own birds' nest "I wish your girlfriend would see you like this"

"I don't have one" he replied as his hands worked, trying to restore his hair back to its original style.

Aspen couldn't believe it "Really? How the hell do you not have a girlfriend?" she paused "Or wait, don't tell me you have like a dozen baby mamas?"

"Nope" he answered "No girlfriend, no baby mamas"

She gave up trying to fix her hair and dug in her pocket for a hair tie, finding a bright pink one, she drew her red hair into a ponytail "How is that even possible?"

He shrugged "Believe it or not, I was waiting for the one"

"Was?" she asked as she continued watching him try to fix his locks "Does that mean you've found her?"

He tried hiding the small smile that suddenly erupted on his face, his eyes boring into hers "More or less"

Aspen didn't analyze his words and gave an internal shrug, discarding it from her mind "Want a hair tie?" she offered after watching him struggle for a few more seconds

He nodded and she handed him another bright pink hair tie "Now we'll match" she commented, motioning to hers, snug in her hair.

He chuckled and with deft movements, pulled his silky hair into a bun before drawling "In the mood for a drink?"

"Yep" she agreed "All that chasing made me thirsty"