“What are you taking in school?” she asks Eli when he mentions how intense his workload is going to be in the fall.
“I’m in veterinary medicine.”
“Very cool. So that’s kind of like medical school, I guess. Only you have to know about all different species of creatures, not just one like human doctors.”
He nods. “Yeah, but most vets specialize to some extent or another. Some focus on small animals—dogs, cats, other household pets. I’m going to focus on large animals. Cows, horses and whatnot.”
“Right. Did you want to come back to Balsam Grove to set up a practice after you graduate?”
“Yeah, my mom is a vet too, so I’m going to work with her. Take over the family business, you know?”
“I wonder if my parents would be cool if I had decided to become a veterinarian. It would have made me a doctor.” Aura reaches over to grab a handful of popcorn, tossing it into her mouth.
“Your parents didn’t want you to be an actor? I’m pretty sure mine would have flipped their lids if I was as famous as you,” Dean says, and I give him a dirty look. This day is supposed to be relaxing, give her some space away from the fame and pressure.
But she smiles at him, and it’s radiant. Sometimes when we’re together, I forget that the rest of the world sees her as some oddity, something more than human. But when she smiles like that, with the afternoon light shining on her like a spotlight, her otherworldly beauty sweeps over me like a tidal wave. The way her smile makes you feel like it’s directed at you, and your life is better just being in her presence.
Or maybe that’s just me.
“No, they wanted me to be a doctor, or a lawyer, maybe an architect. A stable, respectable job.”
“That’s wild,” Eli says. “My mom loves that I’m going to be a vet like her, but my sister’s a teacher and she’s just as proud of her as she is of me.”
“Yeah, I’m sorry, Aura,” Dean says.
She shakes her head. “They’re still great. They just don’t get it. Even now.” I’m about to cut in, try to give her an out, but she turns to Colton. “It’s my turn, right? Hand me the dice.” Colton passes her the dice with a nod andDean asks Eli about his new apartment in Calgary, easing away from the touchy conversation.
We don’t get too far in our campaign, barely past the first village we stopped at to stock up on supplies and get some information about the quest, but it was fun. And it seemed like Aura was into it too. She laughed more than I’ve seen her do since we met.
She collapses onto the couch as soon as I see Dean out.
“First in, last out. That’s the Dean way. So, how was that? Did the unbearable nerdiness of it rub off on you?”
“Absolutely, and I’m for it. I haven’t had that much fun in years. You better not let Cinder die or I’ll never forgive you.” She got rather protective of her character as the game went on, which I totally get.
I sit down next to her, slinging an arm over her shoulder. Instead of protesting, she snuggles in, laying her head on my shoulder.
“Thanks for inviting me. I know it was a hassle to jam another character into your story.”
“You’re never a hassle. I loved having you here and so did the guys.”
She shifts a little. “I hate to ask this…but you don’t think they’ll repeat anything I said to the press, do you?”
My heart twists in my chest. She’s never had anyone she can trust. Always wary of the people around her, and I’m sure it’s for good reason. I’m sure her trust has been broken and people have spilled her secrets to the world. I can’t even fathom what that would be like.
“They would never. They’re good guys and they have zero connection to the media. I don’t even think they’d know how.”
I lean down to drop a kiss on her head, then pull away. Should I have done that? The lines between us seem to get blurrier every day we spend together. And the question of what we are and what I want us to be is hanging in the air between us, waiting to be asked.
She twists her head to look up at me and there’s a sadness in the depths of her beautiful brown eyes. “The thing is, they don’t need to know who to contact. The press will come to them if they catch wind of us hanging out together. Or even if they don’t. They could just wander around town asking anybody and everybody about me. That’s why I have to be so careful. But when I’m with you, I lose sight of that. It’s just so normal, comfortable. I forget. Let my guard down.”
It makes me so happy that I can be a safe place for her, but there’s another side to it. The side that wishes things could be different for her.
“Look, Aura. I need to know something, because this is killing me. When we’re alone, when you’re here with me like this, it feels so real, but when we go out in public or do a photo shoot for your social media, it’s for show.” I swallow hard, trying to figure out the perfect words that will convince her to stay. To admit that this thing between us is real. “But I really like you.” I sigh, closing my eyes because I don’t think I can handle looking at her if she’s going to shoot me down.
“In fact, I’m falling for you. And it seems to me the only thing keeping us apart is that you’re afraid you can’t trust me. Because we laugh together, we share things, and we’re wildly compatible in the bedroom. Is there any way you’d consider admitting that this is real? Because I would really like to call you my girlfriend and know I’m not a liar.”
She’s silent for long enough to leave me with a sick feeling in my stomach. Because if this scares her off and she stops coming by my place, I don’t know what I’ll do.
