A Promise kept

CHAPTER TWENTY

WEDNESDAY MORNING - THE BENNETT HOUSE

Aurora was on the porch swing with iced tea when her phone rang.

Elena

She answered instantly. "Hey!"

"Rory!!" Elena’s voice was loud. "Okay so I need details. You said sibling day was 'interesting'. What happened??"

Aurora laughed. "Nothing. We went to Market Street—"

Inside, through the cracked kitchen window, Luca froze.

He was getting coffee. He could hear everything.

Irene was at the sink. Alessio was reading the paper.

"Wait," Elena said. "Who’s that guy you were talking to at the movies? The one from Lone Star?"

Aurora’s voice dropped. "Caleb. And Elena, don’t—"

"Did you see him again??"

"...maybe."

Luca’s jaw ticked. He set his mug down too hard.

Irene looked over. "Luca?"

He shook his head. "I’m going for a walk."

WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON - THE WOODLANDS WATERWAY

Her phone buzzed.

Caleb

Hey Rory. U busy later?

wanna go to the waterway? Snow cones + bad arcade skills

As a date. If u want it to be

Aurora stared at it. Grinned.

yeah. 3pm?

See u there beautiful

It was sweet. Stupid sweet.

They fed ducks. They lost to each other at the arcade claw machine. Caleb won her a tiny plush turtle and immediately gave it to her.

"For the 100 degree days," he said.

And then they sat on a bench under the cypress trees. The waterway was glittering.

Caleb turned to her. Really looked at her. Hair up in a messy bun. Sunglasses pushed up. Freckles from the sun.

He said it quietly, like he wasn’t sure he should:

"Rory. You’re beautiful."

Aurora went completely still.

"Oh."

"Too much?"

"No." She smiled, small. "Just... no one’s said it like that before."

Luca shows up.

He wasn’t following her. He was at the other end of the waterway getting coffee.

He saw her. Saw Caleb. Saw the turtle.

He walked over, hands in pockets.

"Hey," he said to both of them. To her: "Principessa." To Caleb: "Hey man."

He looked at Aurora. "Are you good?"

"Yeah."

"Cool." He nodded at Caleb. "Be back before dinner, Ro."

Then he left.

Ten minutes later, a boat came too fast around the bend. Too close to the dock where a little kid was leaning over.

Caleb moved first. He grabbed the kid’s hoodie and yanked him back.

The boat swerved. Water splashed everyone.

The kid’s mom was crying, hugging him.

Caleb turned back to Aurora, soaked, breathing hard.

"You okay?"

She was staring at him. "You didn’t even think about it."

He shrugged, dripping. "Instinct."

Luca saw it from across the way.

And for the first time, he didn’t see a threat.

He saw someone who would jump.

Luca texted Ethan later.

Luca: I think Ro might be okay.