A & A

[08]: the invitation

________________________

08

the invitation

"To deny myself

time with you

would be something

truly unimaginable."

________________________

Aurora honestly couldn’t believe her luck. Out of all the people in the world that she had to be stuck with for the whole summer, it just had to be the person she least wanted to be with. Edward she can accept (albeit begrudgingly) since she finds the guy more tolerable than his ass of a cousin and he actually doesn’t bother her much--just when he feels like it or whenever he feels like pissing Alexander off.

The tall, grey-eyed Giovanni on the other hand, is definitely more than she can handle. Aurora has no idea how it could have been possible, but the guy turned out to be more excruciating than he was three years ago. How could someone only grow more asshole-ic over the years instead of being a better version of themselves? Has the stupid guy never once thought that it might be a good idea to change his ways?

She looked back at the two guys still standing in the same place they were in, before she let out another annoyed huff and locked her eyes back to the front. “Should I just make up some reason as to why Alex wouldn’t be a suitable co-worker?” Aurora wondered aloud, a thoughtful look crossing her face. “But I’m pretty sure dad would be able to refute those reasons as well.” She clicked her tongue. “f**k this.”

Unbeknownst to the annoyed woman, the two men she has been trying to get away from--namely Alexander and Edward--looked at each other with smirks on their faces, communicating through their eyes that their mission was a success, and that the second part of their plan is about to go under way. 

“Looks like your ways still work wonders.” Edward commented, crossing his arms as he returned his stare to the blonde-haired woman walking away from them. “Not that I expected it to not to, but I guess some things just never change, huh?”

Alexander could feel his cousin’s stare burning a hole through the side of his head, but he paid it no mind. While he was indeed quite happy that his former lover is still as feisty as ever, he can’t help but still feel like this shouldn’t have been how things went. If things were still the same as they were the day he left, he’s pretty sure that the beautiful woman would have greeted her with a tight hug and a sweet kiss instead of the punch that he received a moment ago--that certain ending would definitely be what he prefers to have.

However, he knows that that thought of his would merely remain like that; a wishful thinking that he wishes he could turn into a reality. The possibility of that happening may be zero to non-existent, but maybe all she needs is a little push to the right direction.

While he may have turned into somewhat a gentleman over the years, he still isn’t beneath using underhanded tricks when it comes to his ball of fiery sunshine. There’s just something about her that always makes that part of him show, but he definitely isn’t complaining.

“No,” Alexander replied after a while. “Things did change. And in Aur’s case, I wouldn’t be surprised if my usual tricks and shams wouldn’t work on her anymore.”

“Because she learned?”

Alexander let out a low chuckle, thinking about how clueless his cousin really is when it comes to the one and only Aurora Crover. “She has long since learned how to deal with my unconventional retaliations.”

“So that’s why you wouldn’t be the least bit surprised?” Edward queried as he raised an eyebrow at his cousin. Sometimes, he really doesn’t get how his cousin’s mind works, but he knows that it’s best not to try and understand it. Trying would only end in failure, and he isn’t exactly keen on trying that more than he already has.

“No.” Edward shot Alexander a questioning look, but the latter just let out a chuckle. “Never mind it. You wouldn’t understand anyway. Now come on before Aur celebrates way too much about not seeing our faces anymore.”

“She would do that?”

Alexander scoffed as he started his walk towards the bakery, Edward following closely beside him. “You’ve seen how she reacted when she saw us, right? I wouldn’t exactly say that excited was what she was feeling at that certain moment.”

“I would say. She even punched you right away.” Edward laughed, recalling once again how astonished they both were when Aurora landed that swing. “It was a pretty heavy blow.”

“A bit.” Alexander said, unwilling to fully admit that the woman was able to physically hurt him when she could even barely do that three years ago. It’s really a wonder how much people can change over just a short period of time, but when it’s long-term, it’s almost like that person has turned into a completely different one; similar, but different all the same.

“No need to be all modest about it.” Edward replied. “You were wincing like hell.”

“Her ring grazed my cheek.”

“Sure, blame it on the ring again.”

As the two cousins finally arrived at the bakery they were at not too long ago, they instantly found the girl in question standing behind the cash register with Sally standing right next to her. Aurora didn't look up from the cash register, already knowing that it was only Alexander and Edward, who followed her back here. Besides, what would even be the point of further tainting her eyes with those ungodly sights of theirs? Not only would her head hurt, but seeing him really standing there would only make things all the more true. Quite frankly, she isn’t quite ready for that just yet. 

Sally, however, looked up from the paper she was holding, eyes instantly zeroing on Alexander as she looked at him with concern. "Andy, are you okay?" She asked as soon as she stood in front of the two cousins.

Aurora merely rolled her eyes at the interaction going on in front of her, thinking how ridiculous it was for Sally to worry about the small graze and bruise on Alexander's cheek. It's not like it's going to kill him anyway. It's going to heal not too long from now, no doubt--a few days, give or take.

Alexander flashed her a small smile. "I'm fine, Sally, really." Intending to keep his part of the deal, he glanced fleetingly at Aurora, who paid him no mind, before looking back at the concerned woman in front of him. "But would you mind just keeping this little incident between us?"

That statement was enough to make Aurora look up from the cash register she was still learning to operate, hands still against the machine.

Sally's eyebrows furrowed, her eyes showing unadulterated confusion about the turn of events. "What? Why?"

"Well," Alexander scratched the back of his head with a sheepish smile on his face. "I wouldn't want my family to worry about something so minuscule as this. Frank's going to freak too when he finds out, no doubt, so I also don't want to give him something to worry about when I'm perfectly fine."

"Funny." Aurora chimed in, all attention now on her. "That's not what you told me just moments ago."

Alexander ignored her—as always. Well, when she’s being annoying at least. And this time, she definitely is. Shouldn’t she even feel grateful that he actually stuck to his words about promising to make her stepmother stop informing Frank about what happened? Honestly, that woman is just too proud and ridiculous most of the time. He turned back to Sally. "Can you promise me that this is just going to be between us?"

Sally thought it over for a moment, weighing both the pros and cons of the situation. After a minute had passed, she released a sigh and told Alexander, "Alright, fine. I won't tell anyone."

He gave her a grin. "Thanks, Sally." He looked at Aurora (who looked away from his gaze), his eyes lingering on her for a moment too long, before he finally looked back at her stepmother. "So, what can I do to help around here?"

And just like that, the incident about the punch was instantly forgotten, Aurora silently thanking Alexander for keeping his part of the deal—not that she would ever thank him verbally, of course. Which the guy probably already knows. She wouldn’t be surprised if that was actually what’s going on through his mind, since he does know what to expect from her and what not. Truth be told, he’s quite good at that certain aspect that it always manages to make her both touched and irritated.

As both Alexander and Sally stood beside Aurora, the both of them going over the things Alexander is supposed to take care of, a familiar voice greeted their ears. “Am I just going to be ignored here until closing time?”

The three of them were surprised when they found Frank standing there with a grin on his face, his eyes mainly going back and forth from his daughter to the guy standing beside her and vice versa. That certain action of his didn’t escape the former’s attention, but wisely decided to say nothing. If she made a big deal out of that, not only would her father question her about it, but the asshole beside her would tease her to no end about it too. 

"Dad!" Aurora greeted in surprise. When in the world did he even arrive? She didn’t hear the opening of the door, much more detect his presence before he finally made himself known.

Frank turned to her daughter. "Hey, princess." And then, he looked at his wife. "I have news."

"Really? What is it?" Sally asked, looking genuinely curious about what her husband has got to say.

With a grin, Frank said, "Aurora is in the top three of their department, so I was thinking that maybe we should go out to have dinner tonight to celebrate."

"That's a perfect idea!" Sally grinned as she turned to Aurora. "Congratulations, Aurora."

Aurora only muttered a quick thanks in reply. 

Meanwhile, Alexander kept his gaze on Aurora. He has always known that Aurora was intelligent, much so that she always ends up being a topnotcher when they were still in high school. With him witnessing that certain fact even after all these years, it made him feel slightly nostalgic about the whole thing--especially since that’s one of the things that they easily share with each other. With a small smile on his face, he told Aurora, "Congrats, Aur."

This time, Aurora merely rolled her eyes, to which Alexander merely chuckled to in reply.

Frank, who only noticed Alexander's presence the moment he told Aurora congratulations, turned to him and said, "Andy, you should really join us for dinner tonight."

Aurora's eyes widened instantly. "What? Dad, no! Do you even know that he—"

She was cut off when Alexander held her wrist, making her look at him with both annoyance and curiosity in her eyes. "Don't say anything to your father about you being my personal assistant." She was about to protest, when he added, "Unless, of course, you want to explain to him how that happened."

Knowing that Alexander is actually making sense, she sighed in her place and swallowed back the words that were about to come out of her mouth. Damn him and his quick reasoning. Guess that part of him still hasn’t changed even a bit, huh? Well, it’s not really something that he could change that easily so it’s really no surprise to her that it turned out like that. Still, that certain trait of his is still annoying as hell.

Frank looked at her curiously. "You were saying, princess?"

She gave her father a sweet smile. "Nothing, dad."

Frank looked skeptical, but let it go nonetheless. So instead, he turned to Alexander and was about to ask him about dinner once more, when he noticed the bruise on his cheek. Concerned about the guy that he sees as his own son, instantly furrowed his eyebrows together as he asked, "Andy, what happened to your cheek?"

Both Sally and Aurora stiffened the moment those words escaped his mouth. However, while both women were visibly slightly panicking in their places, Alexander stayed calm and gave off a carefree chuckle. "Oh you mean this?" He pointed to his cheek. "It's nothing. Edward and I were just playing some game earlier and then we both got too angry, so he ended up punching me on the face."

“Yeah, kind of my fault since I taunted him too much.” Edward chorused, drawing all the attention towards him.

Frank's eyes flickered with disapproval as his gaze shifted from one guy to the next. "The both of you should be careful about the things you do. You always end up hurting each other."

Alexander gave off another laugh. "Will do."

“Don’t worry, Frank. I’ll make sure to punch him a bit more softly next time.” Edward said with a cheeky grin etched on his lips.

“Ed…”

Edward instantly held his hands up in the air, silently telling the older Crover that he concedes. “No more punching, next time.”

Frank nodded his head. “Good.” He turned back to Alexander. “So, dinner? Ed?”

“No, it’s alright. Mom wants me to be home for that, but thanks though. And congrats, Aur.”

Aurora muttered a quick reply, anxiously waiting for the vexing guy’s reply to her father’s invitation. This time, she didn't interrupt as he replied, "Sure. Dinner sounds great."

Aurora muttered a few things under her breath, showing her displeasure of spending yet another moment with him. Did her father really have to invite him to dinner? It was hardly necessary. This was supposed to be a celebratory dinner for her, wasn't it? Does her father really like Alexander that much that he's willing to bring him anywhere, despite her obvious protests? This was all so unfair.

As she huffed in her place, Alexander said under his breath, "Looks like we're having dinner again after a few years."

She released a breath. "This is the worst thing ever."

"And you're the best thing ever." came Alexander's reply.

She merely rolled her eyes at him, ignoring the laughter that just came out of Alexander's lips.

— • — • —

"I seriously can't believe dad invited him for dinner." Aurora muttered in front of her mirror as she curled her hair for the dinner that was taking place in exactly an hour.

"That's because your father likes him a lot." Alicia replied from the other line, chuckling when she was able to picture out just what Aurora's reaction and expression is right now. "And because he still believes that you and Alex are meant to be."

Aurora scoffed as she curled another bunch of her blonde hair, not the least bit happy about her best friend's statement. "Do you even realize how ridiculous you sound right now?" She asked, disbelief lacing in every word she uttered. "You sound exactly just like my dad."

Her red-headed friend laughed at her statement, the mirth in Alicia's eyes never wavering even when her steady gaze is focused on the movie playing in front of her. Despite her attention being divided into two, she still managed to focus almost all of it on Aurora and say the things that are appropriate to say. After all, it’s something she’s honed for years because of how Aurora always, always coincidentally calls when she’s in the middle of something. "It's true anyway. I'm pretty sure even your mom is still hoping deep down that you and Alex end up together." She said, reaching out to get a piece of cookie from the plate resting on her bedside table.

"They're crazy if they think that's going to happen. That's completely impossible." Aurora replied, but knowing deep down that her mom and dad aren't really crazy for thinking that. They both still hold high hopes for her and Alexander, especially now that Alex has suddenly come back and will be spending the rest of the summer with her, looking after her stepmother's bakery. After all the things that happened today, she's starting to regret ever giving in to his father's request about the bakery—and Theo was no problem since he's always welcome to stay together with her, her mother and Graham back at her childhood home.

Aurora really felt like wanting to bang her head against a wall at the moment. Why does her life have to be so complicated? 

"I highly doubt that." Alicia told her friend in reply. "And besides, aren't you still in love with the guy? It's completely possible that the both of you are getting back together."

"Definitely not." Aurora immediately said, remembering all the things Alexander said and did hours ago. Those things were more than enough proof that she doesn’t want that in her life once again. Experiencing that once is enough for her. A repeat of that would just be plain masochistic of her. "I don't even know why I liked him in the first place. He's an absolute t**t! He even made me his personal assistant! Can you believe that?"

Those words were enough to make Alicia pause the movie she was watching and sit up straighter in her bed, all of her attention now on the friend who is ranting on the other line. "How in the world did that happen? Seriously, in a span of a few hours you and Alexander could do the craziest things." Alicia stated, her mind still trying to wrap around the words that she heard from her friend. "On second thought, do I even want to know what happened?"

Aurora completely stopped whatever she was doing—applying the highlighter to her cheekbones—with her hair now all curled to perfection, to give Alicia all of her attention. She held the highlighting powder on her left hand as she said, "Yes, you do. It was a funny story, actually."

All the years Alicia has spent together with Aurora, she knows that when her friend says that, it's not a funny story at all. It's the result of whatever pent up rage that has been building up inside of her, along with her impulsive decisions—and the outcome is always the same: either she ends up getting hurt, or the other person ends up getting hurt. Judging by the things Aurora has told her, she has come to the conclusion that maybe this time, the other person was the one who got hurt and not the other way around.

Just thinking about how Alexander could have been done in by Aurora was more than enough for all the memories years ago to resurface in her mind. Having that vivid image in her mind made her shudder slightly in her place because of how extreme Alexander and Aurora were at times.

"I doubt it is, but alright. I'll listen to your story." Alicia said after a long moment of silence.

With a thoughtful look plastered on Aurora's face, she told her friend, "Well, for starters, I punched him the moment I saw him."

"What?" Alicia exclaimed, not being able to keep her surprise from her tone of voice. Aurora, upon hearing Alicia's shrill voice, winced and pulled the phone away from her ear for a few seconds before pressing it against her ear once more. "Why did you punch him?"

That's when Aurora told her the entire story. From the moment she saw him in the bakery, to the conversation they had at the bench outside the bakery, to his father inviting him for dinner. The whole time she was telling the story, the frown on her face was never let up. She was still upset about Frank inviting Alexander for dinner, but there's really nothing she can do. Once his father decides on something, that's it—it can't be changed no matter what. So to prevent any scoldings she's going to get, there's nothing else she can do but suck it up.

If the awkwardness between the past lovers weren't as tangible as when they were talking outside the bakery, Aurora is sure that that awkwardness would surely show itself during dinner. She just hopes that her father would take that into account and never do that kind of thing again. However, knowing how her father is, she highly doubts that’s what’s going to happen. If anything, she’s pretty sure Frank would only keep inviting the guy more and more until all of that awkwardness in the air has fully evaporated.

Alicia's first reaction was to laugh at Aurora's disfortune. "Oh this is amazing."

Aurora scowled. "No it's not."

"Yes it is." Alicia replied with a chuckle. "And aside from that, I still can't believe Alex is back."

"Neither can I." After thinking things through, Aurora added, "Do you think there's some way I can make him go back to Columbia?"

"You're so mean." Her friend replied. "Well, you've always been mean so nothing's really changed."

Just when she was about to reply, she heard a knock from her door, immediately assuming that it's either her father or her stepmother. With a sigh, she put the highlighting powder back on her vanity, grabbed her phone and opened the door.

"I'm just about done so if you could give me a few more—" Her statement was immediately cut off the instant she saw who was standing outside her door.

With a grin on his face as he leaned on the doorframe, Alexander said, "I can give you all the time in the world if you want."

Alicia, knowing that voice anywhere, sat up even straighter in her bed as a grin etched on her face. "Aur, is that Alex?"

Alexander's attention turned to the phone the scowling Aurora held in her hand, hearing Alicia's voice from the other line. "Hey Aly." greeted Alexander.

"You can hear me?" came Alicia's surprised reply.

"You're on speaker." Aurora replied, unable to keep away the irritation in her voice because of her eyes suddenly seeing the one person she doesn’t want to see.

Alexander gave her a smirk. "Are you ready yet? Frank asked me to come and get you."

"Well," Alicia started. "I better get going. Talk to you later, Aur! Enjoy your dinner with Alex."

And then she dropped the call despite Aurora's protests.

She laughed, already knowing that she would hear an earful from Aurora later, but she'll worry about that later. This time, she's just going to act as Alexander's wingman. "That Alexander." She shook her head in mirth. "He's definitely doing this on purpose."