The Traps of Black Swan

Nikun didn't want to affect Ava's birthday so he interjected as soon as he saw Aaron flicking on her forehead. "Hey, hey, hey, why are you hitting the birthday girl?" He was always the mood booster.

Anyway, Aaron still asked Ava, pretending to be grim for her negligence, "Didn't you realize you were floating?"

Instead of fear, Ava excitedly asked with her black orbs dazzling brighter than ever, "Was I flying?" Since everything was a dream for her, how could she even sense it? His gentle flick was nothing compared to her mother's slaps so it wasn't enough to bring her out of the haze.

Aaron: "..."

Nikun burst into laughter while his girlfriend, Mehak breathed a sigh of relief patting her chest. She couldn't believe Ava gave them a heart attack and she was excited about it.

Nikun twirled her around and pressed her shoulders down, "Let me show you how you were flying." He notified her first and saw her eagerly nod ready to fly. 

Anybody can fly in the dream, after all.

Nikun lifted his pressure on her shoulder and held her hands. Aaron felt his heart slowly quicken its pace so he didn't dare to go aside, ready to hold her anytime.

Ava was fascinated when her legs went up and her height increased more than Nikun and Aaron. Yet there was no hint of fear.

While Nikun was chuckling looking at her astonished, Aaron was still speechless at how much she trusts them and brave too.

Mehak took some pictures from her digital camera and checked them. Always seeing Ava in casual clothes, she hadn't expected her to look so pretty in a dress.

The scene in the picture looked dreamy, to see the little pretty girl in the air holding the balloons. It felt like a picture out of a fairytale with two princes. She suddenly became envious of not being Ava at the moment and grumbled at Nikun, "Nick, I want to try too." 

Ava happily let her try. Nikun laughed at his girlfriend who desperately wanted to float with balloons but the balloons weren't lifting her weight, "My piggie, I will get double the amount of balloons for you. Come."

Ava giggled when Mehak kicked him and pouted. She sat aside while Nikun removed some balloons from the bunch and made sure Aarvi wouldn't fly away. 

Looking at her standing stiffly, Nikun and Aaron looked at each other. They wanted to say they weren't taking pictures for the school admission form but Ava was really clueless and her smile was rigid thinking of the camera. 

Nikun's girlfriend had heard about Ava a lot so she stood up to ease her up, "Ava, copy me. Let's dance."

She started moving her body in slow dancing moves. Nikun was trying to copy her and Ava was heartily chuckling at his stunts while Aaron took her pictures.

The best year Ava Kelly had was 8th grade. And her best birthday was the 14th year.

At five in the evening, she thanked them repeatedly for the day, then she headed towards home with a huge smile on her face. She wanted to give them a return gift but didn't know what to choose. 

Slowly walking, she recalled the whole day of events. When she had left her house, she never had thought it was her birthday or her day was going to be so amazing and focused on her. This importance, she never got from anybody. 

And the thought of her parents just wishing her a happy birthday felt like a big far-fetched boon. Gradually she recalled how her parents threw a party every year for Jose's birthday and forgets hers. She wasn't jealous of Jose, she was really happy for her little brother but being a small part of their life was so difficult. 

Recalling her first, probably last birthday celebration, tears made their way down her cheeks. She wiped them off desperately, she didn't know if she was happy or sad. Probably there were both happy tears for enjoying a birthday once, sad because of her parents and her always busy grandfather.

There was nobody around and the vehicles were rarely passing by. She sat on the bench aside and cried so that she wouldn't have to cry inside the four walls of her room and get scolded by her mother.

…

At another end, Nick and Mehak gave the camera for printing pictures quickly. They wanted to give the gift on the birthday instead of the next day. Since they knew Ava goes by walk, they were sure that they could catch up with her.

After they got the pictures, Mehak checked them and extended her hand to Aaron who was wearing his headphones lazily sitting on the chair. "Aaron, you should go."

Aaron gave a questioned look removing his headphones, it was their gift for Ava. Nick was confused too.

"Dad says, he shoots the pictures of what it feels like to him. When he looks at it, he will understand what it means to him."

Nikun again gave a questioning look to his girlfriend. Her father was a filmmaker and photographer. He wanted to grab the pictures and see but Aaron already reached out for it.

Aaron shuffled through the pictures to understand what Mehak was trying to say and he discerned it.

Ava Kelly was much more than his happiness. 

If the pictures captured by Mehak resembled a little fairy in the fantasy world, his pictures said Ava was the world. Her emotions had a life that could spark his soul, make his heart sunny, and a smile unknowingly would threaten to appear. 

He knew the difference between Ava's different smiles. The ones which she sports to hide her fear, sadness, confusion, or dissatisfaction. Then the ones which bloom from her heart when she is actually happy. The reasons for it are always small. As small as a smile at her, wave of hand at her. 

If her smile of mask showed how strong she was, he wished to protect her real smile and be the one who could bring those smiles. When he completed checking all the pictures that were in his hand, he wanted to see her.

Without showing a damn single reaction, he kept those pictures back to the envelope while Nikun, who checked the pictures, exclaimed in high regard for his friend, "Wow, dude, I didn't know you were such a good photographer."

Mehak rolled her eyes at him, she was better than Aaron. She was a trained photographer but of course, her viewpoint is different from that of Aaron. They weren't meant to be compared. She paid for the pictures, ignoring the two boys.

A sudden thought struck her mind, "Hey, my dad is looking for a teenage model. How about I show him Ava's pictures?"

Nikun wanted to nod and approve her thoughts, Aaron stood up, "Nope." Then he left the shop without bothering to say Ava wasn't into it and she is awkward in front of cameras.

….

Aaron's family driver had reached to pick him up like every day and he left in the car in a slow race, looking around to find Ava.

He noticed a small figure sitting on a bench, facing the kid's play area of the regency, burying her face between her legs. "Stop the car." He immediately ordered, thinking what could have made her cry. She might be obedient but he knew she was stubborn to the bones. 

He alighted the car and rushed up to her. He was about to touch her head and call her name, she lifted her head feeling a presence… Then she flashed a heart-melting smile.