CHAPTER FOUR.
1200 Words
Aurora’s apartment was quiet in the way only late nights in New York could be the city still alive outside, but her space wrapped in a fragile calm. The soft hum of traffic drifted through the windows, mingling with the distant sirens and muted laughter from the street below.
She slipped off her heels the moment the door closed behind them.
Ryan kicked the door shut with his foot and tossed his jacket over the couch dramatically. “That party took at least three years off my life. I need water. Or wine. Or a therapist.”
Noor set her clutch down neatly, already heading toward the kitchen. “Water first. Therapy later.”
Aurora stood still for a moment, her back against the door, her chest rising and falling slowly. The black satin gown still clung to her skin, the faint stain from the wine now barely visible but emotionally louder than it should have been.
Ryan turned and froze. “Okay. Pause. Nobody move.”
Aurora lifted her head. “What?”
“You’ve got that look,” he said slowly. “The one that means something happened and you’re pretending it didn’t.”
Noor glanced back from the kitchen, her sharp eyes immediately locking onto Aurora’s face. “Aurora? What is he talking about? Did I miss something?”
Aurora exhaled, pushing away from the door. “Can I sit first?”
They didn’t tease her after that.
Minutes later, they were gathered around the living room, Ryan sprawled across the couch, Noor seated upright like she was in a board meeting, Aurora curled into an armchair with her knees pulled slightly inward.
Ryan broke the silence. “I saw him go in after you.”
Aurora’s fingers tightened around the glass of water Noor had handed her. “You heard?”
“Enough,” Ryan said softly, unusually serious. “Enough to know he crossed a line.”
Noor’s voice was calm but firm. “Tell us exactly what happened.”
Aurora hesitated, then nodded. “He followed me in. Said he needed to talk,complimented me, he acted like the past was… unfinished.”
Ryan scoffed. “Of course he did.”
“I told him to leave,” Aurora continued, her voice steady but her eyes distant. “He didn’t touch me. He didn’t force anything. But he stood too close, and he said things he shouldn’t have.”
Noor leaned forward. “And Brielle?”
Aurora shook her head. “She doesn’t know. She wasn’t there. And she genuinely didn’t mean to spill the wine.”
Ryan waved a hand. “That girl is not the problem. Trust me, I’ve got a sixth sense for villains. She’s not one.”
Aurora nodded slowly. “She actually came back to the boutique. Said she didn’t meet me. She introduced herself properly at the party before the disaster. She is kind too”
Noor’s brow lifted. “Kind how?”
“She asked questions. About the designs, about me. Not in a fake way,” Aurora said quietly. “She said she wanted to learn. She wants to be friends.”
Ryan blinked. “Well damn. Plot twist.”
Aurora allowed a small smile. “I like her.”
Noor studied her carefully. “And that scares you.”
“Yes.”
They sat with that truth for a moment.
Ryan stretched his legs. “Okay, new rule. Rex is officially on probation. You do not engage. You do not entertain. And if he breathes too loudly in your direction, I will personally ruin his reputation.”
Aurora laughed staring at him. “You can’t do that.”
“Watch me.”
Her phone buzzed on the coffee table.
She glanced down at it and froze.
Audrey.
Aurora frowned. “That’s strange…”
Noor tilted her head. “What is it?”
Aurora answered. “Audrey?”
Her sister’s excited voice burst through the speaker. “You’re sitting down, right?”
Aurora straightened. “Why?”
“I got a last minute contract. I’m coming earlier than planned.”
Aurora’s mouth fell open. “Earlier as in—”
“Tomorrow morning.”
Ryan choked. “WHAT?”
Aurora laughed, stunned. “Audrey, we said next month!”
“I know,” Audrey said cheerfully. “Surprise?”
Aurora pressed a hand to her forehead, smiling despite herself. “You’re unbelievable.”
“I’ll call when I land.”
The line went dead.
Ryan grinned. “Well. That explains the chaos energy tonight.”
Noor smiled softly. “Family always arrives when you need grounding.”
Aurora leaned back, heart lighter than it had been all evening. “I think… I really do.
THE NEXT MORNING,
Aurora was halfway through her first cup of coffee when the knock came.
She frowned. It was early, it’s barely even 8 o’clock.
Padding toward the door in silk pajamas, she opened it…and froze.
Audrey stood there, sunglasses perched on her head, overnight bag in hand, glowing like she’d stepped straight off a magazine cover.
Aurora stared. “You said next month.”
Audrey grinned. “I said earlier than planned. I didn’t say how much earlier.”
Aurora laughed and pulled her into a tight hug. “You’re insane.”
“I missed you,” Audrey murmured.
“I missed you too” she replied.
Behind them, Ryan appeared, squinting. “Is this the famous sister or am I hallucinating?”
Audrey pulled back, smiling brightly. “You must be Ryan.”
He gasped. “OMG she knows my name.”
The apartment felt different with Audrey in it.
Aurora watched from the kitchen doorway as her older sister unpacked with careless grace, tossing clothes onto one of the sofas like she already owned the space. Audrey moved with the ease of someone used to cameras and eyes, confidence stitched into every gesture.
Ryan leaned against the counter beside Aurora, sipping coffee. “I see it now,” he murmured. “The genes. It’s unfair, honestly.”
Audrey glanced over her shoulder. “You sure are Ryan. The dramatic one.”
“The iconic one,” he corrected. “Welcome to New York, where your sister pretends she’s calm but is actually a control freak.”
Aurora shot him a look. “You’re still here?”
“I live here now,” he said smoothly.
Audrey laughed. “I like him already.”
Aurora sighed, but the corner of her mouth lifted. “Traitor.”
Noor arrived shortly after, laptop in hand as usual. She paused at the doorway when she saw Audrey, her expression softening. “Audrey?.” She asked unsure.
Audrey straightened instinctively. “In flesh, You must be Noor. Aurora talks about you all the time.”
Noor smiled. “Only good things, I hope.”
“She says you’re the reason her life doesn’t collapse.”
Noor chuckled. “That sounds accurate. Exactly what Aurora would say”
They settled into an easy rhythm over breakfast, coffee refills, teasing, quiet updates about Audrey’s contract and how suddenly everything had shifted. Aurora listened more than she spoke, absorbing the comfort of familiar voices filling her space.
- Writer
