Recapturing Fate

Chapter 12

As Aurora and Renee entered the diner everyone stared yet again except for all her friends. Alexa was on the phone but ended the call before looking up at Aurora. Just as Jen did last night, Alexa ran full speed at Aurora and engulfed her in a hug. Aurora laughed as Alexa practically carried her to the rest of the group.

Aurora looked as if the two couples were busy with each other’s loving goodness. Max was watching as they did so and rolled his eyes with a smile.

“Hey you guys, look! Guess who I got!” Alexa said with a big smile.

Again, Aurora was trampled by them and before she knew it Anthony carried her to the pool table. He placed her on the table and she punched him on the arm. “You’re scaring my friend Ant,” Aurora said jumping off the table and walking towards Renee.

“Aur, I uh should wait in the car. It’s an old friend’s reunion, not for me to barge in on.” Renee said while Aurora pulled her hand toward the rest of the crowd.

“Stop being a baby. They’re going to adore you.” Aurora said while rolling her eyes.

As they reached everyone their eyebrows raised in question. “This is Renee, my closest friend from Miami,” Aurora said while Renee blushed furiously. Jen stood up from her position next to Tristan and walked up to them.

“Hi, I’m Jen. It’s great to meet you.” She said with a big smile. Renee smiled and they got into a conversation. Aurora watched as Tristan sat in the corner drinking a beer looking out the window. Aurora walked over to Max, who was standing next to the couple. She grabbed him in for a hug and he looked down at her shocked.

“Hey Aur.” He said with a grin. He leaned down to kiss her cheek and she laughed sweetly.

“Hey Maxxy. Looks like you’re still the charmer. How are you?” she said smiling as he put his arm around her shoulders.

“Great now that you’re here.” He said with an arrogant grin.

Aurora rolled her eyes. “Please love. I eat guys like you for breakfast. Is that all you got? What happened to blowing the socks off me with your smooth ways?” Aurora said happily.

Max laughed loudly and tried to catch his breath. “I think you’re mistaking me for Jack.” He said with a bigger smile.

“Last I checked you used to do the same thing. That’s why I had to beat off at least three girls a day for your sake.” Aurora said with a scoff. Max rolled his eyes and thanked the world he had Aurora. She was the sister he always wanted. He turned himself to the girl whom Aurora came in with. She was quite pretty. She had that look about her that she was innocent and vulnerable. Her smiles lit up her face and seemed to warm that snowy December day.

“So tell me more about your friend,” Max said with some nervousness.

Aurora untangled herself from him and smiled suspiciously. “Looks like Maxxy has a crush.” She said in a sing-song voice.

“Maybe I do, maybe I don’t,” he said mocked back.

“She’s a great girl Max. Dare I say perfect for you. Judging by what your type was in high school I think she fits your standards. She picked me up after breakups. They weren’t fun, so she told me that I was perfect the way I was and I shouldn’t let anyone change my mind. Too bad none of the exes has ever said that.” Aurora said gloomily.

Max looked down at his close friend and pulled her into a hug again. “Guys are stupid and we make mistakes but those guys you’ve dated are incredibly ridiculous. They shouldn’t have tried to change you. They should have just gotten to learn to love you for you. I know I have.” Max said lightly.

Aurora looked up at him with a glint in her eye. “You topped off your charmer lines.” She said with a grin. Max grinned and flicked her on her arm.

Tristan watched as Aurora and Max talked. When he kissed her on the cheek Tristan almost stood up. Her smiles as she talked to Max widened with each word said and he couldn’t keep his arm off her. She wasn’t even his anymore so he knew he had no say in what she did. Tristan wanted to feel annoyed but he couldn’t. It was Max. He was harmless when it came to dating and anything that involved love. He also knew Max had different standards than most. He had met the girl Aurora brought with her and she smiled warmly at everything and even him. He could have sworn Aurora told this woman about their past and yet she was all smiles and warmth. Her eyes had a gleam in them that scared Tristan a bit. She seemed dynamic and that was perfect for her.

Truthfully, if time let them, Max and Renee were perfect for each other in Tristan’s mind. He saw Max pull Aurora at arm’s length and shake her a bit to knock some sense into her. Aurora smiled wearily and they continued with their conversation.

“So Tristan, tell me about you,” Renee said looking over at him. Tristan turned his body away from Max and Aurora and looked at the girl intently. He picked up his beer and shot back a couple of sips before answering.

“What’s there to say? I’m from here and moved to Philly ten years ago but come back here occasionally. My girlfriend of a month is a snotty b***h who wants me to propose already but little does she know I lost interest in her three days into the relationship. I’m an easygoing guy and I love dogs.” He said with a menacing smile.

Renee raised an eyebrow and chuckled. “Looks like you need more excitement in your life.” She said with a grin.

“How about you? It doesn’t look like you get any excitement in your life.” Tristan said while leaning closer to the table.

“My life revolves around exciting things. I have to keep up with missed things over there. I’m from NYC so I like busy places. Now I live in Miami with Aurora and I’m her secretary. It’s a tough job so I like it. My boyfriend just dumped me because he decided I was too determined for him. Turns out he was sleeping with the restaurant's lawyer’s secretaries. His loss is my gain since I get to be independent yet I still want that fairytale romance all women want at some point. I guess I should learn how to stop telling people my hopes and dreams since it’ll turn out the way it did with the jerk.” Renee admitted thoughtfully.

Tristan gazed at the woman gently. What was up with guys hurting the good women? They were ruining the image of all men. “I think that it’s good when you tell people what you want in your life. It shows that you’re already aiming for what you’ve always wanted. Don’t give a s**t about what people think. It should always be about what you want to happen and what you think is right for your life.” Tristan spoke softly.

Renee was shocked. This guy was good. He knew what to say and when to say it. He had that feeling around him that made you feel so relaxed even if you hadn’t known him that well. Renee knew this was one of the reasons Aurora loved him before. When she told her tale, he looked at her intently and seemed to understand what she was talking about. It was like she had known him forever. “Thanks, Tristan. You’re a great guy.” Renee said with a sincere smile.

He was stunned by her reaction. She smiled at him and said he was a great guy. He didn’t think a girl could say that to him so naturally. Especially if they knew how he treated Aurora. “Thanks.” He said with a smile.

Aurora sat with her friends and spent the day learning more about how everyone lived now. Jack was fulfilling his dream as a painter and was becoming a new fresh artist in the city. People loved his drawings and bought them rapidly which helped him. When his parents found out he wanted to be a painter, they were upset. They were both doctors of the area and wished their son to follow but he was too passionate with his drawings. They didn’t know he would have been a top painter and when they found out, they showed all the dismay they had. Now that he was about to marry Tina, they were extremely happy. Tina was a doctor in the hospital where his parents had worked. Their romance was off to a great start as both families agreed to it.

Anthony had become a teacher at their high school which shocked Aurora the most. He hadn’t always been on top of his grades and now he was a Chemistry teacher. He and Roxy had been dating since their second year of college and still going strong. Aurora thought that after Jack and Tina got married, Ant would have proposed to Roxy. Ant, being a good friend, didn’t want to steal away their thunder. Roxy had also become a teacher at an elementary school.

Alexa had become a journalist for the NY Times. Aurora thought it was significant, thinking that she hated English class all her life. Her boyfriend was a businessman who traveled to different places. Their relationship must have been very strong to think that they were okay with being apart. Alexa knew he wouldn’t do anything to hurt her so it was great for her.

Jen became a nurse. She was good at lightening up her patient’s day since they were all children it made it all the more better. Aurora was happy that they all turned out successful and happy. She remembered how they used to tell each other about what they wanted to be. Aurora had always answered that she didn’t know but found that cooking was relaxing and somewhat therapeutic. Aurora was happy once again to be around them and reminisced those times they had when they were younger.

Aurora looked at Renee and Tristan they were in a deep conversation. She hoped they weren’t talking about their past and knew Renee wouldn’t bring it up. They smiled at each other and laughed happily as if they were old friends. Aurora smiled and felt a hand rub her back softly. She looked up and saw Jack smiling down at her flirtatiously.

“I miss you being around here.” He said dramatically.

Aurora grabbed him for a hug and caught him off guard. “I missed you too Jack! I’m so happy you and Tina are getting married. I better be invited.” Aurora smirked.

Jack pulled away from her and pulled a stray hair away from her face. “Aurora, would we tell you about the wedding if you weren’t invited? Humm?” Jack smiled knowingly.

Aurora looked toward Tina who was dancing around with Ant as Roxy watched smiling. “You never know. I haven’t seen you guys in ten years and I didn’t even tell you guys I was leaving. Are you mad I didn’t tell you?” She questioned nervously.

Jack’s face darkened and he looked her straight in the eye. “ I was but I got over it. We all talked about it when you left and we decided that you were chasing for your dream life. It was only after three weeks that we found out your parents divorced. Plus we knew you had problems with Tristan and then your parents so we decided you did the best move you could think of.” Jack said with a shrug.

She couldn’t help but cry. She had become such a baby today. It wasn’t normal for her to be such an emotional wreck. What he said was true. She wanted that life she dreamed about. She didn’t let anything stop her and she didn’t realize that she hurt the ones she loved. Jack pulled her into a hug while shushing her softly and she gave a watery laugh and said, “Don’t worry Jack. I promise to tell you all where I am from now on.”

Renee turned to view everyone and noticed Aurora crying softly into the guy who she thought was Jack. They were a close-knit group and she could see why Aurora had held these people close to her heart.

“Hey Tristan, tell me more about Max.” She said turning towards Tristan, who was still sitting across from her. Tristan smiled at the flushed woman in front of him. “Looks like you have a crush and you don’t even know him.” He smirked while looking towards Max.

He looked back at the woman who viewed him with wide eyes and a blushing face. “I uh well... I don’t know.” She stuttered uncomfortably.

He chuckled and leaned in closer to whisper to her. “Don’t worry. I won’t tell anyone about this little crush.” He whispered with a wink.

Renee buried her face into her open hands and groaned. “I just want you to tell me about him,” Renee said still blushing.

Tristan threw her a knowing look. “Sweety, you’re practically drooling at the thought of him. It’s not obvious but I’m good at knowing these things.” He smiled smugly.

She gaped at him. “Wow. You’re good.” She sighed tiredly. “To answer that question earlier, he’s a great guy. I’ve known him since he moved next door to me in second grade. It was nice since I finally had a friend my age in my neighborhood. I remember when we used to play sports he would be beyond best even if pissed everyone off, no one could mess with him. He is pretty smart which makes people envy him more but it’s just more that he’s an overachiever. It’s really good to have someone like him around because he knows how to relax you.” He smiled lightly.

Renee thought about that declaration. This Max guy was interesting. He intrigued her more than other guys did and she loved how it felt to be thinking of a guy nonstop yet again. He seemed different from the superficial jerks she dated before and that was a good sign.

“Thanks, Tristan. You think I have a chance?” she asked grinning

“Maybe.” He said shrugging. They both laughed loudly and brought themselves back to reality.

“I feel like I’m a teenager telling my best guy friend back home about all my crushes and flings. He always told me about what guys want and I decided all guys are different and I shouldn’t think they’re all the same. Turns out they practically are.” She admitted. Their conversation deepened and it felt as if they talked forever.

“I think you should talk to her for a bit,” Aurora said as Max walked next to her. He rolled his eyes at her and smiled.

“Look Aur I’m a big boy and I can do this. No need to mommy me anymore. Plus she seems interested in her talk with Tristan so why should I be rude and butt in?” Max said exasperated.

Now it was Aurora’s turn to roll her eyes and she laughed. “Well if you don’t want to talk to her now you’ll get other chances,” Aurora said with a big smile. Max looked at her with a gleam in his eyes.