Beautiful People #6: Arietta and Lucas

Happy Valentine's Day, oh my attractive readers. Here is a valentine for you:

What am I doing for Valentine's Day, you ask? Eating chocolate and singing happy birthday to my mother. That is how Valentine's Day goes in our household. :-)
Also, a lot of retweeting of the #221BeMine valentines on twitter. They are all ohsoclever.

I also thought it would be a perfect time to partake in this month's Beautiful People linkup, since the theme is COUPLES!

 

This month, I am introducing you to Lucas and Arietta from my new novel which is yet untitled. All I can tell you is that it is supernatural, and about an unlikely group of ghosthunters. 

(Thank goodness, you think, finally a Beautiful People for a novel OTHER than the Venice one. Phew.)

So - here are Arietta and Lucas (the pictures link to my Pinterest, which has sources/artist credit):

   

  

1. How long have they been a couple?

When the story begins, they've been a couple for about three months. They definitely like each other. :-)

2. How did they first meet?

They've known of each other since Arietta was two, when Arietta's family moved into Red Hills Village. They weren't really friends until high school, but knew of each other because small town life kind of demands it.
They went to two different schools through 8th grade. Arietta went to the school in the slightly larger town across the woods because it was a nice private school and her parents are those kinds of parents. (They couldn't separate themselves from their upper-middle-class suburban upbringing.) On the third day of High School, the girl next to Arietta giggled about Lucas and mentioned his dreamy eyes. Arietta shrugged. Lucas didn't talk much, so she hadn't noticed him.
But then they were in a group for a presentation together, and there was some friend overlap between their friend circles, so over time they got to know each other.

3. What were their first thoughts of each other? (Love at first sight or “you’re freakishly annoying”?)

Arietta: "Oh. That's that quiet kid that lives down the block from us. What's my next class?"

Lucas: "She is extraordinarily gorgeous, funny, and intimidating. Her enthusiasm and impulsivity scare me, like all extreme extroverts do. I am going to do my introvert thing and lurk awkwardly with her friend group, and maybe she'll talk to me. That's a scary thought, but strangely appealing. But she probably won't even notice me anyway. What am I thinking?" *dissolves in despair*

4. What do they do that most annoys each other?

Arietta HATES it when Lucas overthinks things. He tends to overthink things a lot. He's very introspective.

Lucas gets annoyed with Arietta's undefined schedule.

"Do you have some time tomorrow to go see a movie?"
"Yes! Wait. Actually I think my mom said something about my grandma coming over?"
"So no?"
"I dunno. Maybe my grandma's coming this weekend, not tomorrow. I lost my planner. I probably didn't write it in anyway. Oh, and I think I might have a doctor's appointment, but I don't know what time."

Arietta likes living in the moment a little too much, and it makes Lucas slightly uncomforable. He's briefly considered getting a separate planner to keep track of her schedule HIMSELF, but then decided that was a bit weird.

5. Are their personalities opposite or similar?

Rather opposite. Lucas is introverted and content with a consistent lifestyle of reading (mainly poetry), hanging out, and playing video games. Arietta is extroverted and is in constant search for stimulation and excitement in her life. Lucas is fine being in a casual basketball game with friends every so often; Arietta is a hard core volleyball player and when she's not at practice, she's running about the woods climbing trees.

6. How would their lives be different without each other?

Lucas would live a relatively monotone life of the average highschool kid. Arietta brings in impulsiveness to his life.

Arietta would probably die because she did something stupid and life threatening, and Lucas wasn't there to remind her that it was stupid and life threatening.

7. Are they ever embarrassed of each other?

If you asked Arietta this question, she'd laugh at you. What, embarrassed of LUCAS? The most cautious guy in the world? HA. It's more likely that she'd get embarrassed of HERSELF.

Lucas, on the other hand, sometimes gets embarrassed of Arietta, because that's what comes with having an impulsive girlfriend who says whatever's on her mind. But in those moments of being embarrassed for her, he's also kind of proud and attracted to her. Ah, the struggles of the introvert.

8. Does anyone disapprove of their relationship?

Not really. Lucas' parents adore Arietta (who doesn't?), and Arietta's parents are glad that Lucas is a nice normal child. They know that if Arietta dated someone like herself, the world might just possibly get destroyed.

9. Do they see their relationship as long-term/leading to marriage?

Lucas is kinda scared because though he wants this to be long-term, he knows that if he commits to Arietta, he commits to a life of madness and adventure. Which is both thrilling and frightening at the same time.

Arietta is deep down terribly in love with Lucas, but hasn't bothered to be introspective enough to realize it.

10. If they could plan the “perfect outing” together, where would they go?

Making allowances and accommodations for their sometimes differing interests, here's their ideal outing:

First, if they were lucky, Arietta's dad would be having a cookout on the back lawn. (Oh, and it would be summer, of course.) Then after some burgers and soda, they'd set off for the nearby woods.
They'd make their way to the river. Arietta would probably end up at least somewhat wet, because she decided to go walking on the river stones and slipped. Because she was already wet, she'd splash Lucas and then of course there'd be a splashing fight culminating in both of them soaking wet, laughing, and Arietta trying to pull tangles out of her long hair. Then they'd sit and chat on the sunny bank while they dried.

Or Arietta would climb a tree and spend the next fifteen minutes trying to convince Lucas to come up. The throwing of acorns/pinecones/whatever was available in the tree might possibly be involved as convincing strategy. Eventually, Lucas would invariably climb up, and they'd chat up there, with interludes of Arietta trying to get Lucas to climb up HIGHER COME ON IT'S GORGEOUS UP HERE!

By then, it'd probably be dusk, and so then they'd head back to town and stop by at Ernie's Ice Cream, where Lucas would get two scoops of chocolate and Arietta would get... well, it changes every time. For this one, let's settle on a scoop of coffee and a scoop of raspberry sorbet. :-)

Then Lucas would invite her to his house for video games, which, because Arietta doesn't play, means Lucas playing by himself with Arietta snuggled next to him on the couch. He always does way better or way worse on those games. It's always a toss up between wanting to show off (and thus doing better) or getting distracted (and thus failing). But either way, there's cuddles, so it ultimately doesn't matter.

Then Arietta's mom would call her and remind her that tomorrow was a full moon so she had to come home now and make pre-werewolf preparations and so the night would end, with Arietta making some excuse about her mom wanting help with something.

Lucas would say, "Do this again tomorrow?"

And she'd say, "I'm busy tomorrow. It's family night." Which isn't entirely true, but what is she going to say - "I'll become a wolf when the full moon rises tomorrow and go off into the forest to run with my pack?" Sometimes the truth is harsh.

Well, maybe that's not the ideal ending. :-P I got a little carried away, as you can see. Actually, that answer might become a scene in the book, because I really like it. :-)

~Sophia

What do you think of Lucas and Arietta? (I think they're just the CUTEST.)
Do you have any cute couples in your novels? Troubled couples? Just tell me about ALL the couples in your stories, and link me your BP posts!