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But as the blissful week passed, Aiden’s holidays were coming to an end. Aunt Katie seemed to be healing but still she needed full-time help to manage. Aiden had hired a full-time nurse for her who would live in the make-shift room in their attic.
On the last evening before Aiden left for New York the next day, Aunt Katie invited Aurora for dinner at their place. Aurora had visited Aunt Katie almost every day since Ethan had left. Her and Aiden maintained distance in front of Aunt Katie but once or twice Aurora had felt that Aunt Katie was looking at them as if she knew something was going on between them.
Maybe she knew they had spent the night together during the storm. But it couldn’t be possible because she was asleep when Aurora left in the morning.
Aunt Katie was sad to see Aiden go. Aurora felt sorry for the old lady who had to live all alone and decided to visit her more often. Aiden passed her soft smiles when he thought Aunt Katie wasn’t looking over the dinner table. But tonight, Aurora wasn’t feeling well.
She felt like she was being left behind once again. First by her brother, all those years ago. And this time, by Aiden. She was reminded that she did not have a life of her own, that she just spent her time watching people come and go when she remained in the same place. She and Aiden hadn’t even made any plans about where this secret relationship was going. She didn’t even believe in long distance relationships. Aiden had such a busy life in New York from what he had told her. How were they going to manage? And for how long? She didn’t even know if she was going to get a job anytime soon.
Her heart was heavy as she tried to eat the grilled fish that Aiden had made.
After dinner, Aurora volunteered to do the dishes while Aiden helped Aunt Katie settle on the couch. A few moments later, he was by her side helping her dry the dishes.
“You’re really quiet tonight,” he said to her, glancing at her.
“Oh, really?” Aurora faked a smile.
“Are you alright?” Aiden caught her hand, holding it softly.
At that moment, Aurora knew she was falling in love with him. And it terrified her.
“Yeah, just thinking about jobs.” Aurora couldn’t tell him the truth so she had to think of the next best thing. Aiden’s grip on her hand tightened a bit, an attempt to console her.
“Oh. About that, I was thinking, why don’t you come with me? It would be easier for you to find a job if you were in New York. Don’t you think so?”
Aurora put a finger on her lips, motioning him to talk quietly lest Aunt Katie were to hear them. In the background, she could hear the sound of television so they might be okay.
“I can’t just get up and leave with you tomorrow. That would be suspicious. And what about Ethan?” She didn’t think it was going to work. And where would she live? With him? It was too soon.
Aiden remained quiet and she could tell he was thinking about what she had said. It hurt her a little. If he was serious about her, he would want to tell Ethan too no matter what the reaction would be. But maybe it was his commitment issue that wouldn’t let him.
“I’ll hear back from some place soon,” Aurora said, trying to sound cheerful. “You should go sit with Aunt Katie. I’m almost done.”
Aiden placed a soft kiss on her forehead and left the kitchen. When Aurora was done washing the dishes, she sat down on the kitchen stool, feeling a bit dizzy. She hadn’t been feeling quite herself lately. Sure, having Aiden around had been a big change in her otherwise monotonous routine. But she seemed to be feeling sick too, especially when she woke up in the morning.
That was when Aurora realized: she had missed her period.
She quickly took out her phone and looked at her period tracking app. Yep, she was about a week late. But that didn’t necessarily mean she was pregnant. It could be the stress that was messing with her hormones. But she was never late.
Aurora’s head reeled from the thought. What if she really was pregnant? Was her career over before it had even started?
She didn’t think Aiden wanted a baby. He didn’t even want to commit, and they had barely started their relationship. Aurora’s heart started to beat faster and her breath came in short bursts. She was panicking and now was not a good time for this. Aiden could walk in and ask her questions about what was going on and she wasn’t even sure what it was.
She poured herself a glass of water from the jug on the kitchen counter. As soon as she took the first sip, she started to feel a lot better. She had to calm down. Aurora had to take a pregnancy test. Maybe it was just fatigue and stress about her career that were the cause of this. She couldn’t panic when she didn’t know what was going on.
She calmed herself down and went back to the lounge where Aiden and Aunt Katie were playing a board game. Even though she was not feeling it even a little bit, she joined them only because she didn’t want to ruin Aiden’s last night. It was around 9pm when Aunt Katie said she wanted to go to bed. Aurora helped her to her room. She was feeling tired herself and wanted to go to bed. But she wanted to say goodbye to Aiden properly. She wouldn’t be going with him to the airport in the morning.
He was leaving with a friend of his and Ethan’s so it wouldn’t make sense of her to go with him. Especially, when their relationship was secret.
When she closed the door to Aunt Katie’s room and stepped out, she saw Aiden waiting for her by the front door. He gave her a warm smile that lit up her heart.
“I’m going to miss you,” he spoke rather softly. His eyes looked beautiful in the dim-light of the hallway.
Aurora hugged him, not saying anything. Aiden seemed a bit surprised, but hugged her back, enveloping her in his arms. His cologne was sharp and citrusy and she really liked it. It went with his personality.
“How is this going to work?” Aurora asked, careful to keep her voice down.
“We’ll call everyday and soon you’ll get a job in New York,” Aiden said, his voice sure. Was he saying that only for her or did he want it as much as she did?
