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Aiden took her hand, interrupting her thoughts. She looked at him and then at his hand, entwined with hers. Aurora’s eyes prickled with tears again. She realized that he had parked in front of an apartment complex that she could tell was not luxurious at all.
“It’s going to be okay. I’ll talk to him,” Aiden said, looking into her eyes.
“And say what?” Aurora couldn’t help but sound bitter.
“I’ll tell him about us.”
“Are you even serious about me, Aiden?” Aurora couldn’t help but ask. She was fighting to hold back tears.
“Aurora, I like you. I want to be with you. Isn’t that what being serious about someone is?” Aiden said, remaining calm. How was he so calm all the time? Aurora was someone who used to be calm, but now she was finding it hard to keep her composure.
“Then why didn’t you tell Ethan?”
“I wasn’t expecting him to be there. I’ll talk to him. I promise you, Aurora.” He sounded genuine. His eyes looked deeply into hers.
“Okay,” was all Aurora could say. Her mind was too troubled to make sense of everything. She just hoped Aiden would be able to get through to Ethan.
Aiden kissed her softly and hugged her. Aurora relaxed in his arms, already feeling better. They would work something out. And when she got settled, she would tell him about her pregnancy.
Just a few more weeks.
Chapter 10:
Ethan refused to take her calls the first two days after the incident at the airport. This kept Aurora on the edge as she tried to maneuver life in New York.
Trisha’s apartment had been smaller than she was expecting it to be. There were two small bedrooms, with an adjoining bathroom. The kitchen and living-space were rolled into one, barely larger than the bedrooms combined. Although it was tiny and stuffy, Trisha had set it up quite nicely. There were little house plants, a comfy gray couch and a lamp in the kitchen-lounge area that made the place look a bit homely. Her bedroom was just large enough to house a mattress and a single closet that could fit her things. Aurora was glad she had packed light. Truth be told, she didn’t have much to pack either.
Trisha had been really welcoming, doing everything to make her comfortable. Aurora had told her everything that had happened the night she came to New York. She had been flustered and needed to vent to someone. It was strange because she had never been the kind of person to share her feelings with someone. But really, there hadn’t been anyone she could share her feelings with. Trisha had been just a colleague back then but now in this small apartment, she felt they could bond better since they saw each other more. Trisha had been surprisingly understanding, not judging Aurora for what she had done. Aurora had even found the courage to tell her about her pregnancy, needing support. Trisha seemed surprised about that one, but still there was no judgment from her side. She just politely suggested Aurora should start taking prenatal vitamins if she was planning on keeping the baby.
Aiden had asked to visit Aurora, but she had refused. She needed to figure out things on her own first before she could dive into their relationship. And she was waiting for him to talk to Ethan. Now that her brother knew, she wanted his approval before she could think of Aiden seriously.
Her first day at work had been better than what she had expected it to be. Aurora had been really nervous walking into the huge Times building on Eighth Avenue. She had to ask two people before she found her way to the co-editor’s office. The co-editor was a woman in her fifties, who talked really fast but Aurora could tell she had a warm heart. She assigned her to the news section and introduced her to her fellow writers. Aurora couldn’t lie to herself, she was feeling the pressure now. She was surrounded by so many talented writers. She would have to work hard to show her talent. She couldn’t afford losing the job she had worked so hard to get.
New York was a completely different world. The way everything worked was too fast-paced. She would have to struggle to keep up. Her morning sickness was occurring almost every morning and with that the urgency to tell Aiden.
It was the evening of Aurora’s fifth day in New York, when she was hunched on her laptop after work, trying to conduct research on the first piece she had been assigned, when the bell rang. Trisha was out to get drinks with her colleagues. She had insisted Aurora come along but she wasn’t feeling like it. Aurora looked through the peephole and saw Aiden on the other side. She opened the door.
“Hey,” Aiden said, smiling at her sheepishly.
“Hi,” Aurora replied, feeling a little awkward. Things had been tense between them after the airport incident.
“I know you said we shouldn’t meet but I wanted to see you,” Aiden spoke, shifting from one foot to the other.
“I’m really tired today and I-”
Aiden cut her off, “I talked to Ethan.”
Suddenly, Aurora wasn’t feeling so tired anymore. She was scared he would tell her Ethan had reacted harshly.
“What happened?”
“Let’s go out for some ice cream. It’s Friday, you don’t have to work till Monday.”
“What did Ethan say?”
“I’ll tell you on the way,” Aiden replied, taking one step towards her.
“Aiden, I don’t know.” Aurora wanted to go with him. She wanted to know what Ethan had said but something was holding back. She wasn’t sure of her future with Aiden and that was bothering her.
