Aquarius
Act 6

Behavior & Personality Traits
The typical Aquarius man:
* is unwilling to reveal his feelings
* is friendly toward everyone
* is a group-of-people person
* is fair-minded and has his own very strong but personal moral code

*

An incessant tweeting stirred Nadia from her sleep, she thought they were just the ordinary chatty Kathy wild birds outside, but then she realized her phone was making the noise. With half-opened and blurry eyes, she reached for the phone on the nightstand and picked it up to see what the commotion was about, but all she could see was the time. 

She then glanced around the room and then sighed. She should get going. She slowly sat up and felt like she was rising from the dead. 

"Leaving so soon?" a voice asked from under the covers beside her on the bed. 

"Yeah, sorry," Nadia said as she pulled some Bermuda shorts over her panties and searched for her t-shirt. 

"Well, I had a good time last night," they said to her as they stretched under the covers, making them shift off their head and from over their face. 

"Me too," Nadia said as she snatched up her shirt and pulled it over her head and her arms through the short sleeves. She had rubbed her eyes and blinked several times to get used to the morning light.

"Sure you don't want anything to eat?"

"You're such a Mama Bear," Nadia said to them, and they smiled lazily and blushed. "But I gotta go," she said as they sat up, covering their breasts with their bedsheets.

"Text me," they said simply as Nadia put on her Vans, found her bag and helmet, and went to their bedroom door.

"I will. Bye," Nadia whispered and left out as quietly as she could. She groaned as the rising sun glared straight into her eyes once she stepped out of the house. She struggled to find her shades in her bag with just her hands. When she finally did, she put them on immediately. She brightened the screen on her phone. She had a load of notifications from TikTok and a few text messages from Aquarius.

hey call me when you can

Nadia's eyes widened, which was easier now that she was facing away from the sun as she headed to her moped. Was she forgiven, or would she pick up from where she left off last night and cuss her out again?

oh, and random question, whenever an account is hacked, is it normal for money to be put in instead of taken out?

Nadia's eyes widened, and a second later, she called Aquarius. What the hell was she talking about?

"Hey," Aquarius answered.

"I'm surprised you're up this early, sunshine."

"Speak for yourself."

"My phone's been going crazy," Nadia said as she adjusted her backpack on both shoulders and gingerly sat down on the moped seat.

"Mine too. My Cash App is acting up-"

Nadia's eyes widened again. "Where are you now? Home?"

"I'm at the apartment, yeah."

"Can I swing by?" she asked and paused, or was she still pissed at her?

"Yeah, sure," Aquarius said, and Nadia smiled. Good. They can move past this like grown women. 

"Headed there now, see you soon," Nadia said, then hung up. She couldn't believe it. She put on her helmet but didn't bother to secure it as she started the moped.

When she arrived, Aquarius answered the door wearing just a maxi dress. Her thick curls piled on her head as usual, and a blue satin scarf adorned with black butterflies tied around her scalp. "Want some tea?" Aquarius asked as she let her in.

"Yeah, sure, thanks," Nadia said as she removed the helmet and placed it on the counter. She also put her backpack on the ground next to the door and stepped out of her Vans. She sat on the couch in her living room. "Did you sleep on the couch last night?" It felt very warm.

"Didn't really sleep," Aquarius said with a shrug as she handed her a mug. 

"So, what's going on with your Cash App?"

"I'm getting money from unknown sources. Look," Aquarius said as she showed her phone to her. Nadia smiled widely. "Don't get too excited. It's obviously not mine. I don't know any of these people. I mean, right? This money can pay some of my overdues, but I can't accept it, right?"

"Here, lemme show you something," Nadia said as she found the video she made last night and was surprised at all the views on it, which explained why so many followed through on her request. 

Aquarius watched in shock, and when it ended, Nadia felt terrible. 

Shit, she hoped she didn't think she pitied her. She hoped that she saw her intentions were good. She wasn't trying to put her on front street, but she was going through a crisis right now. 

However, when Aquarius hugged her close, she sighed with relief and hugged her back. 

Water under the bridge now.

"I can't believe they're doing this. I can't believe you gave out my cash app, and they're actually donating. A complete stranger," Aquarius said as she picked up her phone and saw the requests. "I can try to get some shit turned back on before 5 pm today," she said as she looked through her phone. "Ohmygod, my TikTok is blowing up. Yours too. Nadia-"

"It's to make up for my stupid idea that we both thought was an excellent idea-"

"It wasn't a stupid idea. It was an excellent idea. I mean, we got people complimenting our music and people giving me money? Is this what celebrity feels like?" Aquarius asked, and they laughed. "Look, I'm sorry for blaming you. I thought it was an awesome idea that would work. That's why I did it. Unfortunately, it didn't work out in my favor, but it's not entirely your fault. I lost my job. I gotta admit accountability. Now I'm suffering the consequences, just thankful they didn't last long at all," she said with a dreamy smile. Nadia gave her a look.

"I gotta pee," Nadia said as she entered the bathroom. And brush her teeth; luckily, she slept over here a lot, so she already had her own toiletries and toothbrush. Aquarius sat back on the couch with a smirk as she looked through her many phone notifications. "Girl, what is this?" she heard her ask.

"What is what?" Aquarius asked, not looking up from her phone. When Nadia didn't say anything, she looked up, and Nadia was holding up a silver Rolex. She blushed instantly, knowing who it belonged to. 

"Spill it. Who was here with you last night?"

*

Aquarian parents and children can also get on very well, although serious personal problems may be ignored in favor of taking a broad view of humanitarian ideas.

*

Soon last night and this morning came flooding back to her, though it never truly left her mind. Just certain small parts were on repeat. "Hello?! Aquarius. Ohmygod, you slut. Who was here?"

Aquarius blushed and covered her face. The weird part was she couldn't believe it herself. She thought it was all just a dream, but the fact that Nadia now had physical evidence meant it was true. It actually happened.

Her work crush, who just happened to be her boss, had kissed her. Passionately. 

She's been spinning ever since. She couldn't sleep.

And she felt just fine.

Nadia sat down next to her and looked at her expectantly. "Did you finally have your first one-night stand?"

"No, it didn't get that far...we just kissed...a lot," Aquarius said, her face red and her entire body getting hot.

"Who is 'we?' Where did you meet him? He obviously makes good money if he's got a Rolex. Ohmygod, girl, you can pawn this and turn all your shit back on."

Aquarius shook her head, "No! I can't do that to him-"

"Who is 'him?!' Ohmygod, spit it out!"

"It was Ethan," Aquarius said with a smile.

"Ethan? Ethan, who?" Nadia asked and then gasped. "ETHAN? Your boss?" Aquarius nodded as Nadia stared at her with wide eyes. Then the excitement left her face, "But Aquarius, no, how could-"

"When he kissed me...I instantly stopped him. I'd been drinking a lot. I was a complete mess, actually. I'm surprised he even wanted to. But I told him he was married and we couldn't do this. I mean, Susan fired me because she thought this exact situation was going on..."

The night before...

Ethan cupped her chin in his hand and kissed her softly. Something definitely ignited inside of her, she felt a spark so strong that it scared her, and she instantly jumped back. 

"Ethan, we can't," she said as she got up and returned to the island that separated the kitchen and the living room. "You're married!" she gasped, standing on the other side.

Why did he have to do this? Now her feelings for him immediately changed to disappointment. He just cheated on his wife with her? Was he a cheater??

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry, Aquarius I-"

"Get out," Aquarius said as tears started to fall down her face. She couldn't believe this. She imagined a few times what it would be like to kiss him, and she felt guilty for even thinking about it, but a girl can dream, right?

But now it wasn't just a dream. It instantly turned into a nightmare and was a major turn-off. She saw him differently, a villainous valentine instead of a knight in shining armor. She wasn't one to judge, but she couldn't help but judge him. She saw him in a different light now, which wasn't pretty.

"Aquarius, please, I can explain-"

"No! Let me explain something to you! Now, I'm the manipulative slut that Susan said I am. Why would you put me in such an awful position?-"

"That's just it, Aquarius. Again, Susan has no fucking clue what she's talking about," he pleaded, but she just shook her head and walked to the door, and started unlocking it. He walked toward her to keep her from opening the door. He knew she was blaming herself, and she didn't need anything else on her conscience. He was obviously making it worse. "Aquarius, please. My wife and I are separated!" he exclaimed as she tried to open the door.

Once he said that she stopped. "Wait...what? Since when?"

"For months now. I don't know why Susan is so concerned about my marriage all of a sudden when she doesn't know that we can't even stand each other right now."

"Why didn't you say something?"

"I keep my work and personal shit separate. It's not exactly public knowledge, either. The kids don't even know."

"How don't they know?"

"I've been back and forth, staying with my mother, taking care of her. They think I'm over there just because she gets sick a lot, and that's part of the reason, but the other reason is that I will be moving out soon. When I am home, I sleep in the guest room. I go to bed after they lock themselves in their rooms on their tablets, and I leave before they even get up."

Aquarius crossed her arms over her chest, hugging herself, "I'm sorry, Ethan," she said sadly.

He softened at her sad face, "It's ok, you didn't know, and I still crossed a line. I should go. You got enough on your mind already-"

"So, wifey isn't expecting you to come home tonight?" she asked him. 

He shook his head, "No, and even if I did, she could care less," he said sarcastically.

"So, why did you kiss me? Did you feel bad for me? Wanted to make me feel better?"

He chuckled, "The question is, why wouldn't I kiss you? Aquarius, have you seen yourself?"

"Yes, and I look like fuck" she said, and he chuckled at her choice of words, "What?"

"Are you kidding me? Even if you feel like hell, you look like an angel. When you're sad, you're still beautiful, and that's why I'm here, Aquarius. That's why I'm truly here. I care for you. I couldn't let you leave out of my life like that, let you slip away. I needed to see your beautiful face again. Work won't be the same without it. Since she and I separated, it sucked, but then you showed up and...I looked forward to going to work every day. I hate all the overtime, but it doesn't feel like it when you're there. Maybe Susan did see something. Maybe I wasn't so good at hiding it. You didn't notice how I look at you?"

Aquarius' breath caught in her throat. She gulped and took a deep breath. "Honestly, yes, but I always convinced myself it was nothing. I didn't want to assume. You were happily married as far as I knew. I also thought the energy we have between us made you look at me like that. You didn't say anything to prove that was right...until now. We...vibe."

"The energy we do have is wild. It's even addicting. We definitely vibe. So you did know?" he asked as he approached her.

"I noticed a little, but like I said, I didn't want to assume. If I did assume, I would think everyone wanted me," she said with a chuckle, and he laughed.

"How could anyone not want you? If I were single, I would have taken you out already. No confusion," he said, and she blushed. "I can't believe you're single. I can't believe..." he said and then stopped.

"That I'm all alone?" she asked sadly.

"Stop, you're not alone," he said as he walked toward her until he stood right before her. "That's why I came, to tell you you aren't. I'm here for you, for whatever you need. You're not alone; you got me."

Now it was Aquarius that was holding him close, kissing him with all of her might. She clutched onto him like anyone would when their crush finally told them they wanted them too and was actually available to truly reciprocate their feelings. She sighed happily in between the kiss. This was no longer a nightmare that it easily could have been.

It was a dream come true.

Both girls sighed dreamily as Aquarius recounted the events of the night before. 

"Well, I'm happy for you because you seem happy, despite everything that's happened," Nadia said. "You deserve it. Happiness."

"You do, too," Aquarius said to her. 

By the end of the day, all her bills were paid with help from the mysterious donors, and Ethan deposited money into her account. For once, she felt secure. She felt that as long as she had Ethan on her side and Nadia, she could get through this.

That she could get through anything.

*

Aquarians can be pretty crazy together on occasion, as they all have bright minds and are intuitive.

*

A few weeks later...

Amethyst opened her mailbox in the lobby of her apartment building and put a letter inside. She smirked and closed the little door, and locked it.

Per her mother's request, she wanted her daughter to keep in touch with her via letters. Emails, texts, and memes that she never understood were ok, but she wanted something substantial.

"Something I can hold since I can't hold my baby."

It was sweet, and Amethyst happily obliged. She wondered why she moved across the world despite missing her "baby." Phone calls and Facetime were few and far between because of time differences and their schedules. But it was still nice to open her mailbox and be excited to find something in there that was meaningful to her besides a paycheck or an Amazon package. 

It was nice to know that her mother still cared and missed her, though she had a weird way of showing it. 

She flipped her long braids over her shoulder but then stopped dead when she saw a tall girl walk in looking like a Black Malibu Barbie.

"Janiah?" she asked softly, and surprisingly, she heard her. Janiah turned to her, lifted her hot pink shades off her face, and smiled at her.

"Amethyst! I was hoping to run into you," Janiah said as she walked towards her. She pulled her into a hug which surprised her. The last time she saw her, she was bruised, skittish, jumpy, and didn't want to be close to anyone. Looking at her, she was back to herself, at least she thought. She was the same bad bitch that walked into the record store that fateful day and blew her and her friends away with her talent.

She still wondered what the hell happened to her and why she left without saying goodbye.

And then, as if reading her mind, she said, "Sorry for skipping out on you like that when all you did was help me. That was fucked up, and I'm sorry."

"No, it's ok. I just hope it wasn't something I did."

"Definitely not. Or...well, maybe you helped me so much I was comfortable enough to carry my tired ass back home. I still should have at least thanked you and said goodbye." Amethyst waved her off.

Water under the bridge.

"That's not why you came back here, right?" Amethyst asked her in shock.

"I was hoping to see you, yes, but I'm also here to bother your apartment's management-"

"Ah, Miss Renee, you're back," the complex manager sighed as he stood behind the long counter. "What can I do for you? Wait, let me guess-"

"How far have I moved up on the waiting list, man? Come on. Or do any of your tenants need a roommate??" Janiah asked as she walked up to the counter to speak to him. A patiently waiting woman gave her a dirty look as she did.

"Like I've told you several times before, Miss Renee, when you move to the top of the list, we will call AND email AND text when something is available. However, nothing has changed," he said to her. He hated repeating himself once a month. 

"No one's moving out?"

"I can proudly say everyone enjoys themselves here. Most tenants have been here for years, right Miss Levine?" he asked as he noticed Amethyst. 

Amethyst just gave him a small smile. It was nowhere near Buckingham Palace; hell, what do the Americans call it? It was mostly a roach motel, without the roaches, of course. She's only been here for years because this was still the cheapest place to live on the island. Now that Bermuda's caught on to the colonizing phase, building up more expensive homes, and pushing out people with low incomes, no one could afford to move.

"Yeah, when I first moved in, I was paying $2000 less. Those were the days," she quipped. The manager shut his mouth. 

"Wow, you used to be cheaper?"

"We all have to upgrade, keep our residents happy, renovate-"

"And keep up with inflation," Amethyst quipped again. His mouth snapped closed again.

He quickly breathed and asked, "I'm sorry, Miss Levine. Was there something you needed?" Though he couldn't sell Miss Renee anything right now, he didn't want Amethyst's smart mouth to ruin a potential sale.

"She's with me...or I'm with her. We know each other," Janiah said. "Don't you all have a referral program?"

"We do, but we have nothing to refer you to," the manager said impatiently. Janiah rolled her eyes and let out a massive sigh through her nose.

"I would like to be helped, you know. I actually live here and was standing here first," the now impatient woman said as another employee came out of one of the back offices.

"Ahhh, Attiya, can you help her out, please?" he said to the girl, and she nodded. "Again, Miss Renee, we will let you know when we have something for you. We are full," he said and then walked off to let them know the conversation was over.

"Fuck," Janiah said under her breath as she adjusted her breasts in her tight pink top. She wore a short skirt that matched, platform heels, and her hair and face were beat to the Gods. She looked like a million bucks. Why would she want to live here?

"Is where you're staying really that bad?" Amethyst asked her.

"It's expensive. I'm not making the same amount of dough like I used to," she said uncomfortably, not looking at her.

"Oh yeah, you were let go from your job. How's that-"

"Oh, I'm working at a restaurant in Hamilton," Janiah said quickly. The tips were good, but waitresses don't get tipped like strippers do.

"That's good-"

"Look, if you hear anything, like if someone needs a roommate, is renting a spot, or is moving out, please let me know. I can't stay there any longer," Janiah said as she fidgeted and fixed her hair. She was upset and trying not to snow it.

"Yeah, I got you. Are you ok, Janiah?"

"Yeah, I just...I got dressed up for nothing," Janiah said as she looked around. Amethyst raised her eyebrows. Janiah didn't seem like the type to dress for someone else's pleasure or attention—just her own. "There's this guy that's usually behind the counter. He was here the first couple of times I inquired. He's tall, has short locs-"

"Oh! Deion?"

"Deion!" Janiah said. "I couldn't remember his name for the life of me. Well, he was more willing to help me, if you know what I mean, I was hoping to talk to him."

Janiah didn't like doing it, but she was forced to learn at an early age that showing legs, ass, and breasts can give you favors beyond your wildest dreams if you impress the right person.

Amethyst admired it. She didn't have the balls at all. "Deion acts like he runs the place, but he doesn't. Anything he promised you, don't believe him. He still has to go through Mr. Manager on everything he does. But yeah girl, if I hear something, I'll let you know."

They then exchanged numbers. "Thanks, girl; also, I wanted to know if you still had that anxiety stuff we smoked last time. It really helped me out."

"Yeah-" she said but got interrupted by an alert on her phone. She forgot she had somewhere to be. "But I was just heading out-"

"An audition, huh?" Janiah said, peeping the alert on her phone and noticing Amethyst's bass guitar resting on her back. "Well, congrats, girl, lemme not hold you up. I'll just hit you up."

But Amethyst just stood there frozen. Henri gave her a long motivational speech full of affirmation that made her feel confident enough to have the courage to walk out the door and go. Now that feeling has faded. Her audition fright and the dark voices in her head started to take over. But if she returned to her apartment, Henri would be disappointed.

"I hate auditions," Amethyst said.

"I've only been to one since I got here. I'm too busy working my ass off so I can sleep at night," Janiah said.

"Come with me? Can you?" Amethyst asked her.

"What? I don't play guitar."

"It's these two girls; they went viral about a month back. They're trying to make an all-girl rock band. They posted the audition notice on their TikTok, and ever since they've gone viral, every post of theirs blows up," Amethyst said as she showed her the girls' page. "You're a drummer. I bet they need a drummer."

"I don't know...I don't even have my equipment with me. I don't even have my lucky sticks."

"Girl, walk in there and look like that? You'll win them over before you even play a beat."

"Shut up."

"I'm serious!" Amethyst said. "Besides, I need some moral support. Henri usually goes with me, but he has to work all of a sudden."

"Oh yeah, your, um, roommate?"

"My boyfriend," she corrected her. 

"Well, I can't exactly say no to that pretty, pouty face," Janiah said. This will give her something to do while she tries to figure out what the fuck to do with herself tonight. "I'm not gonna audition, but I'll support you. I owe you."

*

Typical occupations that involve experimentation, ideas, investigation, analysis, and innovation attract Aquarius.

*

https://youtu.be/n0hDtjeYhZk