LOVE IN CROSSFIRE

AURORA'S POV. My life has been full of ups and downs, but the ups are few. Sometimes, there's silence. Other times, there's a loud noise. There's always one thing happening after the heels of another. It's the life of a not-so-strong twenty-one-year-old law student. This was me, crying my eyes out while packing my belongings on my Monday morning. Why did it always have to be this way for me? I had pleaded with Bastian a million times, I begged him with every word and action possible. He was silent. He said all he wanted to say calmly. “Aurora, I don't want to do this with you again. It's high time you left. I will move out of this house by tomorrow, so you should be out by tonight.” I was lost when he said that to me. What did he mean by he didn't want to do this with me again? For a week, we had been quarreling and he was avoiding me. My best friend, Bella, had told me this was going to happen, but I didn't want to see the possibility of this. A break-up? No! “Bastian, are you breaking up with me?” I asked, tears rolling down my cheek. He didn't even look at me. Just sat on the bed, his fingers clicking on his laptop. He didn't act like his twenty-one-year-old girlfriend was breaking down two feet away. Without lifting his eyes from his screen, he said. “If that's a more formal way to say it.” My heart wasn't just going to break, it would be shattered. It felt like my whole world was about to crumble right in front of me. “Are you also asking that I move out? Bastian?” I asked, not expecting a response actually. He didn't give me any either. I fell to the ground, and I felt so hurt. Bastian's cruelty didn't make sense, not after all we had been through together. After a while, he walked out of the room without saying a word to me. I'm certain he didn't want to see me cry, he never liked to see me cry. Bastian had always loved me, he gave me a life. Different thoughts came to mind. I wished the grounds could open and swallow me. Bastian was almost all I had, he was my life. I'd never loved anyone like I loved him. I didn't have so many of my properties in his house, so I was able to gather them before he was back. I was too broken to get out on my own. I had to call Bella. “Hey Mama,” Bella said from the phone. I couldn't say a word. I couldn't hold in my tears, I was sulking like a baby. “What has that motherf*cker done to you? I'm coming to get you.” She knew. She could tell it was about Bastian; he was the only reason I cried lately. I took my belongings out of his house and waited by the road for Bella. Bastian still didn't come back. In five minutes, a cab stopped right in front of me. I knew it was Bella. She got out of the cab and enveloped me in a tight hug. I broke down again in tears, I couldn't help it. “It's fine, Aurora. Let's go home,” she said. She helped me load my things into the trunk of the car, and off we went, silent during the ride. The quiet felt necessary, and Bella understood that need. When we arrived home, I took my belongings out of the trunk while Bella settled the fare with the driver. I worked hard to compose myself, wanting to hide any trace of my tears. Bella and I lived with my brother, Corey, who had a heart condition. Most of the time, I stayed at Bastian's place while Bella cared for Corey at home. I didn’t want Corey to see me cry; it would only upset him. I felt a pat on my shoulder, it was Bella. “Bastian is not the end of the world. This breakup is the beginning of a new life, Aurora.” “He was all I had, Bella.” I was fighting back the tears that welled up in my eyes. Bella shook her head in disagreement, “No. He wasn't all you had. You have me, and you have Corey. There's more to life than Bastian. I knew that he was driving at a breakup. All the fighting, all the complaints — He was just looking for a good chance to break up. And this is a little reminder, in case you have forgotten — you don't fight for who doesn't fight for you.” That was true. It was a lesson I learned as a little girl. My father always said, “You don't fight for those who don't fight for you, but you should tear the mouth of a lion for the one person who will fight for you.” The thought of my father at that moment made me feel sick. I didn't even want to think about him being alive; I just missed my mother. “What's on your mind, Aurora?” Bella asked. “Nothing. I guess I just miss my mum.” She placed her hands on my shoulders and patted them twice, helping me carry my belongings into the house. It was a two-bedroom flat, and funny enough, Bastian had paid for it in full. Corey stayed in one room while Bella and I shared the other. When I entered the house, Corey was seated on the couch. “Hey, sis. Are you good?” I nodded and headed to my room. As soon as I got to my room, I broke down in tears. The thought of having to pay all the bills alone without Bastian was crushing me. I wondered, did I really love him, or did I just love everything he did for me? “You have to stop crying. You don't want Corey to see you like this, right?” Bella said. I nodded and wiped my eyes, but I couldn’t control the tears that continued to fall. “Let him go. You'll get a job, and you’ll manage. I’ll guide you,” Bella reassured me. Bella was my only friend, and she did some things to earn money, though it wasn't much. “Will you consider calling Dad?” The voice came from the door. Gosh! It was Corey. His voice was weak, as always. I didn't want him to see me cry. “Corey, what are you doing here?” I asked, quickly getting up and wiping my eyes. “Aurora, I know that Bastian has dumped you, and I understand that you're broken. But we need money for your academics, and especially for my medications.” I hissed in regret. Was Corey really going to suffer with me? And for how long? “We don’t have a choice. Please call Dad,” Corey said, his voice cracking with emotion. “Corey, I'm not calling that man. I will take care of you. I will pay my fees and do everything that needs to be done. I won’t complain. Everything will be fine. As Bella said, Bastian is not the end of the world for me; he's just the end of men for me.” I meant every word. Corey nodded and left the room. Then I heard Bella say, “Why don’t you send Corey to your dad? Maybe it could make things easier for everyone.” I narrowed my gaze and gave a serious glare. “Don't you ever say that, Bella. Don't you understand? That man killed my mother.” I couldn't hold in the tears anymore, and I broke down again. Running away from my father meant running away from chaos. I thought I could receive some quiet. The silence I received could only tear me up, it's safe to call it — My Chaotic Silence. I'm just a shadow of a lady, my life has never been normal — I am Aurora Coolman.