Page 35 of The One That Ran Away
“There are two who are most compatible with Aquarius, in my experience.”
“What’s the first one?”
“Aries.”
Shannon glanced at the lesbian couple again. No wonder she had been drawn to the woman in the chair. The stars had foretold it.
“What about Aries am I attracted to?”
“You, specifically? I have no idea, but as someone who also gets along with Aries, I can say that one of their most redeeming qualities is that they truly do not give a single shit about what other people think of them. It’s hard to find more self-assured people.”
Oh, boy. No kidding.“Anything else?”
Jess shrugged. “I think of them as being rather childish, but in the good way. They know how to indulge in nostalgia and have fun when other people might think something is too immature. Yet they need more grounded, mature signs to balance them out. Astrological compatibility is as much about giving as it is taking. Everything is about balance.”
“Huh.” Shannon had to stop herself from staring at the other woman on the far side of the room. “What about the other sign?”
Jess acted as if she hadn’t heard her.
“I said…”
“Libra,” Jess blurted. “Libra and Aquarius are one of the most solid matches of the zodiac.”
“Oh.” Shannon didn’t think much of that until she realized thatJess was a Libra.“You’re not joking, right?”
“I said I’ve been in love with a lot of Aquarians. I wouldn’t joke about something like Libra and Aquarius compatibility.”
“Wow. Okay.”
“Uh huh,” Jess said with a sigh. “Welcome to my hell?”
“So…” Shannon might regret asking this, but how could she not at this point? “What is it about Libras that are so good for me?”
Jess pressed her fingers against her forehead as her elbow dug into the table. “The thing about us Libras is that we’re vain and judgmental fucks. You Aquarians like vain and judgmental fucks.” She laughed. “What else is there to say?”
“You had such nice things to say about Aries. Sounds like you’re being too self-deprecating about Libras.”
“We’re known for being the balanced judges of the zodiac. In a perfect world, every supreme court justice would be a Libra. We can read people and see them for who they really are. Maybe that’s why I’m good at this crap, though I don’t totally believe in it.” Before Shannon could ask anything else, Jess continued, her voice deep with the trained conviction of a professional astrologer, “Libra and Aquarius are a match founded on beauty. Beauty for the world, for finer things, and for people who intrigue them. Aquarians know that they’re hot shit, and Libras recognize what hot shits they are.”
“Who are all these other Aquarians you’ve been falling in love with?”
Jess snorted. “You don’t want to know.”
“They must be pretty special women.”
“Actually,” Jess said, biting her lip, “you’re the only Aquarius woman I’ve had anything with.”
“What? That means the others were…”
Jess shrugged again. “Guilty. My gold star was revoked years ago.”
Shannon furrowed her brows. “What does that mean?”
“It means I’ve fucked dudes. I’ve even been in love with them.”
“I thought you were…”
“First rule of astrology is the same as the first rule of sexuality,” Jess interjected. “There are no absolutes until you’ve lived through a lot of shit. Even then, absolutes are constructed from bias.”
