Recapturing Fate

Chapter 5

When she reached her mom’s house she noticed a Black Maserati parked in the driveway. Not him, she thought to herself, please don’t let it be him. She parked her car and then stared at herself in the mirror. “At least I don’t look like a complete train wreck.” She whispered. She got out of her car carefully and elegantly strolled to the door opening it. The house was silent.

“Mom? Where are you?” she yelled around the house.

She threw her keys onto the table and eyed the couch only to flop onto it unceremoniously. Her skirt rode up past her knee cap and she pulled it down with a quick tug. She heard footsteps heading towards her and stood up to face the culprit. He hadn’t changed a bit and yet he did so much.

That beautiful black hair she had run her fingers through long ago was stylishly cut. His dark brown eyes glittered with amusement and held that conceited essence she had remembered so well. Her gaze went down to his lips which she had reminisced kissing her lips and neck. His trim body had filled in from his boyish figure. Tristan was anything but a boy now. She thought about how it would have felt if he wrapped his arms around her like he had many times before.

Aurora crossed her arms in front of her and felt her heart race frantically. Of course, he had to still be amazingly attractive. Time had done him well. Finally, she noticed she had been staring for a long time and averted her gaze to her feet. She heard his silky, husky chuckling as he stepped toward her. Damn him…

Her first instinct was to step back but instead, she held her ground.

“How are you Aurora?” Tristan said smoothly.

Aurora thought her heart had come to a standstill. His voice was like that f*******n fruit she had wanted to indulge on for so long. She cleared her throat and held her composure.

“I’m doing perfectly Tristan,” Aurora said with ease.

He smiled and she felt her heart pound yet again.

“That’s good to hear,” he said with a gentle smile.

The tension was thick between them. Aurora felt her mouth tug to a smile and she started walking toward the kitchen. If her mom had set this up she would have been upset. Or would she be thankful? Tristan had been indeed a surprise but she didn’t know if it was a good or bad one. She felt his gaze follow her as she walked away. Behind her, she heard a deep sigh and footsteps trailing her.

Her mom was in the kitchen humming a soft tune while cooking something. It smelled quite delicious and she was shocked that her mom was cooking. They had always had a cook come in and make something when she was younger. Her mom turned to her and smiled.

“Hello dear. How was it at Dad’s?” Maria said happily.

Aurora’s mood darkened as her mother mentioned him. Tristan walked up and sat on a nearby stool.

“Horrible. He didn’t listen to me. He didn’t believe he was a bad father. You took it better than he did. He didn’t even think about it that much. He just went to the damn conclusion he was a great dad.” Aurora said heatedly.

Tristan listened in on this harsh conversation. He knew how hurt Aurora had been in the past and maybe in the present about her family. He saw how every day at school her smiles seemed forced. He had the picture-perfect family life everyone would have envied for but he didn’t bring it up around her. He valued her too much then to hurt her so stupidly. Now as he watched her speak so angrily about her father it pained him more to see her look so impassive. Those ten years had done a lot to her. Good and bad.

When he first saw Aurora all the guilt he had from before crept up on him. Those shining sky-blue eyes had darkened as they talked about this topic but he remembered how bright they had been. He had to admit her voice was sweet and yet so strong. Her soft skin had a healthy glow upon it. He remembered that dark hair. It always seemed to be wild like her personality.

She was fire and he knew he would be burned by it but in the end, it was him who used her flame against her. She was so beautiful then, but now she had grown into a flawless being. So independent and natural it scared him still how her personality and looks affected him. Her personality held that hurt she recently carried the most, which he hoped didn’t include seeing him. Maria turned to her daughter and frowned.

“John Mathews never changes. He’s always been so damn stubborn. It was always what he wanted. Maybe this is why our family never worked out.” Her mother murmured.

Aurora stared out the small window at the dark clouds that rolled along lovely weather for her horrible mood. “Well, Aunt Victoria and Dawn were there. This may make me sound childish but I’m jealous of Dawn. Dad treats her better than he treated me.” Aurora said sadly.

Tristan felt his heart lurch painfully as he heard of her father’s actions. Aurora was always a strong girl. She left this place just as he had. That itself was a strong move.

“That’s his way. Don’t let it phase you.” Her mother said nonchalantly.

Without another word, Aurora departed the kitchen and headed to her old room. Tristan wanted to follow her but Maria suggested he shouldn’t.

“Tristan if you want to get close to her again then take it slow. I’m still working on that relationship with her. You hurt her a lot and so did I. We have to work at it for a while.” She said with a gentle smile.

Tristan didn’t know what to say so he decided to nod slowly and just sat there waiting for her to come back. Aurora ran up to her room as fast as she could. She needed to get away from this old feeling. The one that made her angry and the one that caused her grief when she least needed it. She wanted things to be better. Her life in Miami was working out for her but she had that feeling in her that needed to be appeased. Before she entered her room she looked at the door.

On the door, she had left pictures and signs saying she was normal. She turned the knob slowly and entered the room and her past flashed before her. This was where the tears were shed, the laughs were let go, the screams were muffled from her ears, and the thoughts of a better life led her to reality. This room was her sanctuary when things had become harder. The beige walls had been covered with posters and pictures of her friends. In that room, all of her teenage belongings remained.

When she left she decided to change her lifestyle. She didn’t want to be treated as a child anymore. She wanted the maturity of everything to finally sink in. It did happen. She went to college, and culinary school, and then went to work for a famous restaurant. She didn’t know if that maturity was all in her head or was there. I’m done with this place, she thought solemnly; after I’m gone it will be as if this place never existed yet again.

She roamed throughout the room and viewed the pictures hanging on the wall. There had been one picture that caught her eye and made her remember those things that happened years ago. It was of her and Tristan. On that day, the sun was brighter than it had ever been and they decided to go to the park. They sat on a swing together as she sat on his lap and he kissed her. It was innocent but sparked unspeakable passion.

The picture was taken exactly when he kissed her by one of their friends. She was happy she got to look at the picture once again to see the memories that she had somewhat forgotten. She didn’t know why she had forgotten that moment even if Tristan wasn’t a big part of her life anymore. Her thoughts were broken after hearing a knock behind her. She turned around to see him leaning against the door jam. She smiled at him and lightly waved him in. This was the boy who had broken her very vulnerable heart yet she had no room to hate him. He was also the one who had taught her what true love was. Frankly, it was too late for her to care. Love if wanted, would have been hard to be renewed. They couldn’t just start where they left off. What made it worse was she couldn’t deny her renewed attraction for him. She was being affected by their past…their closeness…their intimacy.

He moved toward her and sat on the bed as she overlooked him. The last thing she needed was for Tristan to ruin her again.

“So what do you do now and where do you live?” He questioned with a smile.

“I’m a Chef in Miami.” She replied.

He chuckled. “I didn’t see that coming.” He said smiling wide.

Aurora raised an eyebrow and replied, “I decided to do it after college. Maybe I could have been a lawyer if I wanted to but it wasn’t me.”

Tristan stared up at her and looked as she gave a faraway look. “Well, I bet you’re a good chef.” He said.

She looked down at him and replied, “I hope to think so.” From the kitchen, Maria shouted to them and told them to come down for dinner.

Before Tristan moved out the door he stopped and looked back at her.

“You know I never wanted to hurt you.” He whispered.

She stood in place and observed him. “It’s alright Tristan. That’s the past and I’m over it.” She said straightforwardly.

He gaped at her for a minute before forcing a smile and departing down the hall. She groaned. What made him think she wanted to discuss the matter? It had embarrassed her and hurt her at the same time. He acted as if nothing happened between them. If only he knew all thing things she felt about them. If he didn’t mean to hurt her what was that stunt he pulled supposed to do? Make her smile? She sat in her thoughts for minutes more before heading down the stairs to join them.