CHAPTER SEVEN.
1373 Words
Aurora stood barefoot in the kitchen, stirring a pot of pasta while soft music played from her speaker. Audrey sat at the dining table, scrolling through emails on her tablet, her face calm but her jaw slightly tense, the kind of tension Aurora had grown up recognizing.
Ryan lounged on the couch with dramatic disregard for posture, one leg thrown over the armrest. Laila was curled beside him with a coloring book, completely absorbed.
“This is domestic,” Ryan announced lazily. “I could get used to this. Someone get me an apron and a husband.”
Aurora snorted. “You can barely commit to a hairstyle.”
“Rude. My hair commits to me.”
Audrey glanced up, smiling faintly. “He’s exhausting.”
“Oh please, you love me,” Ryan replied without shame.
“I tolerate you,” Audrey corrected.
Ryan fakes being hurt, Audrey laughing at his childish behavior.
The front door opened quietly, and Noor stepped in, her heels already in her hand, shoulders slumped in a way Aurora rarely saw. Her usually immaculate composure was……frayed
Aurora turned immediately. “Noor?”
Noor forced a smile. “Hey.” She spoke softly, voice low.
Ryan sat up straighter. “That smile is fake. I know fake smiles. I invented them.”
Noor exhaled slowly and set her bag down. “My parents called. There’s… an emergency.”
Aurora’s chest tightened. “What kind of emergency?”
“My father’s health Aurora,” Noor said carefully. “I need to fly home. Tonight, if possible.”
The room stilled.
Aurora crossed the space in two strides. “Of course. Whatever you need.”
Noor hesitated, then glanced toward Laila, who was now humming softly as she colored. “That’s actually why I came here.”
Aurora already knew.
“I don’t trust just anyone with her,” Noor continued. “And the timing is terrible. Flights are booked, bags are half packed already, a…a…and” her voice caught slightly “…I need to know she’ll be okay.”
Aurora gave her a reassuring smile “ She’s in safe hands Noor”
Noor nodded.
Aurora knelt in front of Laila. “Hey, superstar.”
Laila looked up. “Hi, Aunt Aurora.”
Aurora smiled gently. “Would you like to have a sleepover with me and Uncle Ryan for a little while?”
Ryan gasped. “I’ve been promoted.”
Laila’s eyes lit up. “With pancakes?”
“Yes,” Ryan said solemnly. “So many pancakes.”
Noor’s shoulders sagged in relief. “You’re sure?”
Aurora stood, gripping Noor’s hands. “Absolutely. Go. Be with your family, They need you, she’s safe here.”
Noor swallowed hard. “Thank you. Really.”
Audrey stepped forward. “I’ll help too. You won’t have to worry.”
Noor nodded, emotion flickering briefly across her face. “I know.”
Later that night, after Noor had left for the airport and Laila had fallen asleep on the couch, the apartment settled into a quieter rhythm.
Aurora cleaned the kitchen slowly, while Audrey stood by the window, arms folded tightly across her chest.
Ryan watched her for a moment, then spoke gently. “Okay. I don’t want to be intrusive, but you’ve been doing that thing all evening.”
Audrey didn’t turn. “What thing?”
“The silent suffering thing. It’s very cinematic, but unnecessary.”
Aurora paused, glancing at her sister. “Audrey?”
Audrey sighed and finally faced them. “I didn’t want to bring it up tonight. Noor had enough going on.”
“But now?” Aurora asked softly.
Audrey walked over and sat at the table, rubbing her temples. “My fiancé and I… Bryan and I…we’re not okay.”
Ryan blinked. “Oh.”
Aurora sat across from her immediately. “What happened?”
Audrey let out a shaky laugh. “What hasn’t? He’s controlling, Aurora. Not loud about it, subtle. Comments about what I wear. Where I go. Who I talk to. He calls it concern.”
Aurora’s jaw tightened. “That’s not concern.”
Ryan “ I second that.”
“I know,” Audrey said quietly. “But I kept excusing it. Telling myself it was stress. Pressure, or…or that it was maybe his work.”
Ryan leaned forward. “Let me guess. He doesn’t like New York.”
“He hates it,” Audrey admitted. “Hates that I’m here. Hates that I didn’t ask permission.”
Aurora reached across the table and took her sister’s hand. “You don’t need permission to live your life.”
Audrey’s eyes glistened. “I think… I’m finally realizing that.”
Silence settled between them, heavy but honest.
Ryan cleared his throat. “For what it’s worth, if you need someone to dramatically curse him out in three different accents, I’m available.”
Audrey laughed weakly. “I might take you up on that.”
Aurora squeezed her hand. “You’re not alone. Whatever you decide, you have us.”
Audrey nodded, emotion thick in her voice. “That’s why I came early. I needed… safety, warmth.”
Aurora pulled her into a hug without hesitation. “You’re home.”
Much later, when the apartment lights were dimmed and the city outside hummed quietly, Aurora stood by the window alone.
Her phone buzzed.
A message from Brielle.
~ Hey, I hope your night is going well. Just wanted to say I really enjoyed today, Thank you, hope to see you soon.
Aurora smiled softly, typing back:
~ I did too, Tonight is a bit chaotic, but good lol, and thank you too, We’ll catch up soon. Night.
Morning came differently, with a child in the house.
Aurora realized this the moment she heard soft footsteps padding across the hallway at exactly 6:42 a.m.
She groaned quietly into her pillow.
“Aunt Aurora?” Laila’s small voice followed, tentative but hopeful. “Is the sun awake yet?”
Aurora cracked one eye open and smiled despite herself. “The sun is awake. I’m… still negotiating.”
Laila giggled and climbed onto the bed without permission, plopping down beside her. “Uncle Ryan said we’re making smiley pancakes.”
Aurora sighed. “Of course he did.”
By the time Aurora made it to the kitchen, Ryan was already shirtless, wearing an apron that read I Burn Water, flipping pancakes with far too much confidence.
Audrey leaned against the counter, arms crossed, watching him with amusement. “He’s been like this since six.”
“I thrive in chaos,” Ryan declared.
Aurora poured coffee and glanced at Laila, who was humming happily at the table. The apartment felt warmer, louder, fuller and strangely comforting.
Still… responsibility sat heavy on her chest.
Noor was gone. Her absence was loud in the quiet moments.
“Mommy will be back soon,” Aurora told Laila gently, brushing syrup off her cheek.
Laila nodded. “I know. She said you’re the safest place.”
Aurora swallowed.
Later that afternoon, Audrey insisted on walking with Aurora to the grocery store.
“I need air,” she said simply.
The streets buzzed with their usual energy, horns, chatter, movement, but Audrey was quieter than usual.
They walked half a block before Audrey spoke.
“He called again.”
Aurora didn’t ask who, she understood perfectly. “What did he say?”
“That I’m being selfish. That I embarrassed him by leaving early. That I’m ‘confused.’” Audrey laughed bitterly. “Funny how men always call clarity confusion when it doesn’t benefit them.”
Aurora stopped walking. “Audrey.
Audrey turned to her.
“You don’t owe him comfort at the expense of your peace,” Aurora said firmly. “If you’re unhappy, you’re allowed to say so.”
Audrey’s eyes shimmered. “I don’t think I want this marriage anymore.”
Aurora pulled her into a hug right there on the sidewalk. “Then we’ll face that together.”
Audrey breathed out shakily. “Thank you.”
They resumed walking.
And then, they turned a corner and nearly collided with a figure .
Rex.
The moment stretched, short, sharp, and unavoidable.
Aurora stopped cold.
So did he.
- Writer
