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Chapter 1:
“What are you writing?” Aurora’s head swerved up at the sound of Ethan’s voice.
She quickly snapped her laptop shut before he could see what she had been writing. Her brother always had the nosy habit of trying to snoop into her journals when they were kids. Now middle-aged, he still acted like a kid and took every chance to annoy her.
“None of your business,” she took a sip of her coffee as Ethan sat down on the stool next to her.
“What are you doing here anyway?” Ethan asked, his voice echoing in the almost empty coffee shop. At Goldman Coffee, there were hardly any customers at any given time of day. Truth be told, that’s why she spent most of her writing time here.
She couldn’t write at home mainly because her father was constantly blaring the television in the lounge, and there wasn’t a moment of quiet she needed to get lost in her writing. Ever since she was ten years old, Aurora had loved to write, creating new worlds with her words, and getting lost in them.
“Working on a piece for the local magazine. They want to cover the factory workers’ protest again.” She answered, letting out a frustrated sigh.
“No news from the magazines you applied to?” Ethan asked, taking a sip of his caramel latte.
“Nope.” Aurora had been sending her pieces to famous magazines for the past two years. She desperately longed to pursue a career in writing and had been dreaming of launching her magazine since she was a teenager. But life seemed to have different plans for her.
When she turned 16, her mother passed away. Aurora and Ethan had an age difference of almost 11 years, so Ethan had already moved out and was working in New York by that time. She was the one who was left behind to look after her father, who had a hard time adjusting to their mother’s death.
Aurora still remembered that time, vividly as if it was just yesterday. Her memory had not been blurred by the vicious cycle of time. She remembered her father’s utter depression at having lost his beloved. She had not gotten any time to process the pain and grieve, because she had to handle her father. She could still remember how she had put the crippling despair aside as she tried to take care of her father.
Aurora had to sacrifice going to college and had to work at a local bookshop after she graduated from high school. That was fine for her since she loved reading books, but she had always envisioned herself as a writer of books that would one day be displayed in these bookshops. Her dream to pursue English literature from Oxford got pushed down her list of priorities after her mother passed away.
Eventually, she got a job at the local magazine as an editor and writer, but the local magazine had five employees who rotated between positions. The local magazine didn’t offer the creative freedom she desired; she wanted to explore the world and write about more important topics than what was happening in her town.
After her father had regained his wits a few years after her mother’s death, Aurora enrolled in creative writing courses online. It wasn’t Oxford but at least she could pursue what she loved best. Now in her mid-twenties, she knew writing was what she wanted to pursue, and she dreamed of getting a job at a renowned magazine firm in New York.
“I just came to grab a coffee. I’m heading out to the beach tonight with some old friends. You wanna join?” Ethan’s voice interrupted her thoughts again.
After graduation, Ethan settled in New York, where he worked with a construction company. He was home for his annual vacation, the only time of the year she and her father got to see him. She did not share a very close bond with her brother. Maybe it was because a small part of her felt abandoned by him. He had not been there when their mother had passed away. He had come home for the funeral but left again two weeks later for college. She was the one who was left behind, almost alone and with a parent in complete despair. But it wasn’t all bad, they got along fine, rarely fought and looked out for each other when needed. Maybe it had to do with their age difference that they couldn’t be closer but she had made her peace with it.
“No, I have to finish this piece. I’m heading home in a bit.” Ethan left after that, but Aurora found herself unable to finish the writing piece she was working on. She was tired of writing about the town’s petty affairs.
Aurora said goodbye to Mr. White, the coffee shop owner, who had been running the shop for the past thirty years, and headed out. That was what it was like in her town, people who lived here had been for generations. Now, the youth of the town had started to pursue college and move away. But the old people were quite content, being in the quiet town by the beach. There were the occasional factory protests and bar fights but nothing scandalous or untoward ever happened. Life was monotonous and simple.
The sun had set when she stepped out, and a soft breeze was blowing in from the ocean. The ocean was the highlight of the small town she lived in. She loved it just as much as she hated the town and wanted to escape it.
If there were one thing she would miss about the town when she left, it would be the ocean. She loved to take walks by the beach and had entirely come to enjoy the solitude that had become a part of her life. The ocean waves calmed her whenever she was disturbed or couldn’t sleep at night.
Aurora found herself thinking about her life once again, something she found herself doing a lot lately. She couldn’t help but feel that at the age of 27, she was far behind in life than others.
Instead of going home directly, she decided to calm herself by going to the beach. She had declined Ethan’s offer to meet with his friends and had not changed her mind. She would walk by the other end of the beach, where the crowd didn’t hang out, to clear her mind and then leave.
As she reached the beach, the sound of waves crashing against the shore instantly relaxed her. She felt a wave of calm wash over her, and she could think about her future without frustration. Aurora wanted to get a job in New York, the city always bustling with life, and she was ready for a new beginning. Her life for the past ten years had been uneventful and lonely, her only friends were her co-workers, and the last boy she dated had been in high school.
Sometimes late into the night, she craved a true partner. Someone who would support her in achieving her dreams. Her brother was her only friend, but he had his own life back in New York. She longed for her own life as well and wanted to escape the mundane routine she had.
The sound of laughter interrupted her train of thought, and she realized it was coming from the other end of the beach, where Ethan and his friends were probably drinking beer and catching up.
Feeling lonelier than she had ever been, all of a sudden, Aurora decided to leave. She didn’t want any of Ethan’s friends, whom she knew as well, to recognize her and ask questions about what she was doing with her life.
Such questions always embarrassed her. Besides, it was time for dinner anyway, and her father would be waiting for her.
Just as she was about to turn away, she noticed a silhouette approaching her. It seemed like someone else was walking on this side of the beach. She wanted to leave, but something about the shadow was oddly familiar, even in the faint moonlight. It was a man with salt-and-pepper hair and a seemingly muscular build.
“Aiden?” She couldn’t help but ask. As he came closer, her vision cleared in the dark, and she recognized him as Ethan’s childhood best friend, Aiden.
Aiden hadn’t noticed her as he looked down as he walked. His head jerked up, and she was met with his gray-blue eyes. Something about those eyes had always made her feel a bit uneasy.
