Ethan.
It's been exactly thirty-nine hours since the dinner and my conversation with Aurora. I noticed she had been avoiding me -in initially had doubts seeing that there was still rush for cure and figured she was probably busy but after seeing her obviously avoid me, I was certain she was.
Seeing that the rush for the cure has died down and she was taking the day off, I found myself walking to the guest quarters and up the stairs to Aurora's room.
I knocked twice before Aurora opened the door. Her hair was packed up in a messy bun, an oversized shirt covered her small frame and I doubt she was wearing something underneath it.
“Hey gorgeous.” The surprise was still on her face. Did she really think I was going to let her avoid me? We were a beginning of something good, I wasn't going to let her slip through my fingers just like that. And over a silly conversation.
“Hi. What… what are you doing here?” She swiped a few locks of hair off her face and tucked them behind her ear.
I drew closer to her but careful not to step inside her room and cupped her face, “is that how you would like to greet me today, love?”
“No, I just…I wasn't expecting to see you here today.”
“Why? Because you've been avoiding me and you think I would avoid you too? Come on darling, you know I can't go a day without a dose of you. The days you've manyto keep away from me has been terrible.”
“Ethan,” Aurora called with a weak sigh. She opened her mouth to say more but I pressed a finger against her lips.
“Can I come in?” With a nod she stepped to the side, letting me in and closed the door behind me. “I am truly sorry for pressing you to talk about Arne's father. I wasn't trying to take Isadora’s side or anything, I was honestly curious but I wouldn't push or ask till you decide to talk about it.”
“I know you were not taking Isadora's side, I just- I wasn't…I am not comfortable discussing that. About Arne's father.” I could see the hurt in her eyes. I couldn't fathom if it came from looking at me or from discussing the issue at hand but her eyes, when they look at me they dilate and I…
I made a sign of zipping my lips, “Never again. I wouldn't talk about it or that night, though I would admit, it was kinda hot seeing you give Isadora a taste of her own medicine.” I wrapped my hand around her waist and pulled her closer to me.
Her eyes wrinkled at the edges as her pain fell off and was replaced by a smile. “Kinda hot or hot.”
“Sizzling hot.” She chuckled. “I had no idea you hated Isadora that much.”
“I don't hate her.” She stressed.
“Well, you did call her a bitch.”
“Which she is but I don't hate her. I was thinking that after all these years that she would want to fix our relationship maybe. We used to be best of friends until-”
“We fucked up.” I couldn't remember the pleasure I got from being in bed with Isadora but, I could still picture the hurt in Aurora's face, the way she stood motionless and let that little box slip off her hand. I had been stupid. “Again, I am truly sorry for hurting you that way. The pressure I was riding under then was back then not that it was a good enough reason to turn my head but, as you know, I was really dumb.”
With a small smile, Aurora wound her arms around my neck and caressed my neck. “ I know, you really were dumb but, it's fine now. So long as you don't have to make me plunge a knife to your back and twist out your heart, you're good.”
“Mmh, kinky. I think we'd have to experiment that.” She threw her head back and laughed and for the first time in a really long while, I felt light. The burden of thinking our relationship might not work and the burden of thinking she'd never soften up to me all lifted.
I held her head steady, dipped my face and pressed a soft kiss against her lips, “to second chances.”
“Yeah,” her smile was wholesome and her voice light, “to second chances.”
As she dipped her head to kissed me back, I pulled back, my eyes searching the room hastily. “Is Arne here? I don't think he'd appreciate me kissing his mother in front of him.”
Aurora chuckled, “no he is not here. Though they should have been back by now, I did think it was them that knocked and not you.”
“Them?” Aurora took me by the hand and led me to a couch in the room. I sat in it and she perched at the edge of her bed.
“Kelly thought it would be nice to keep Arne as up-to-date as his classmates. You know, since he is missing out in his original school, she decided to be a bridge to the gap.”
“I didn't know that.”
“Yeah, it just started a few weeks ago but they have been catching up so far.”
“Should we tell Arne about us? I mean, I'd love that if you-”
“Yeah.”
“Yeah?”
“Yes.”
“I don't even know how he would react. I am internally preparing myself for a slap. I mean I would too if any man wants to-”
“Is that Uncle Ethan?” The door flew open and Arne burst inside with Kelly following behind him. “Uncle Ethan!”
“I'm sorry, I couldn't stop him. Your Majesty.” She curtsied to me. I was certain seeing me in Aurora's room was the least thing she expected. The news about our relationship has been nothing but a speculated rumor but, I was certain that after today, it wouldn't be so hush-hush anymore.
“We will see you tomorrow, Kelly. Thank you.” Aurora said and closed the door behind Kelly.
“Uncle Ethan, what are you doing here?”
“Uhm, I came to see your mother.”
“And?”
“And you, of course.”
“And?”
“Arne,” Aurora called. “There is something we would like to tell you.”
“Have you finally agreed to let me have a cup of ice cream every day before bed.”
Aurora chuckled, “absolutely not.” Arne groaned. Aurora gave me her hand and I took it and gently thumbed her fingers to let her know that I was there with her, “Ethan and I are dating. It means when are man and a woman like each other-”
“You like Uncle Ethan?” Arne's brows were creased. That was my first ever time seeing Arne express confusion. “I didn't know you liked Uncle Ethan.”
Aurora tried to slip her hand off mine but I held unto it. “Do you not like me liking Uncle Ethan?”
“Does this mean that you and Uncle Ethan are going to get married and that we are going to stay here?”
“If everything works out well, yeah.”
Arne's eyes darted between Me and Aurora and were our hands were interlaced. I knew Arne was cook with having me around but I wasn't sure if he was cool having me around as his mother's boyfriend.
“Mom, I did kinda wish you would get married to Uncle Ethan. Maybe it's just my wish coming true.”
“What? When? And why don't I know about this?”
“Because it was a wish Mom.”
“Goddess, this child. Be ready for a shower in two minutes.” Aurora chuckled and walked to the bathroom as Arne came to sit next to me.
“I was right, you like my Mummy.”