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“Oh, I see. Do you like living here?” He held eye contact with her.
“Not really.” She had wanted to lie but for some reason she couldn’t.
“There’s not much around here, is there? I’d die of boredom in this place. How do you get by?” She wanted to think he was judging her, being spiteful. But his expression seemed genuine, surprising her a bit.
“It is boring. Hoping to get a lucky break soon and make my big escape.” She felt stupid even as she said those words. But she couldn’t hold herself back from saying them. The only person she shared her feelings with, which was also very seldom, was with Ethan. But there was something about the warm wind blowing, the sound of ocean waves crashing against the shore and Aiden’s gray eyes that made her want to not lie to him.
She remembered when he asked about her job in the morning. How unconfident she had felt talking about herself.
“What do you really want to do with your life? Not just the job bullshit.”
“I’ve done creative writing. I want to be a writer or an editor. Whatever I can find.”
“I have links with people in Times and Cosmopolitan. Do you need a reference?” Aiden asked, shuffling from one foot to another.
The sun was starting to set and the sky was turning a purplish blue. The lights of the little stalls on the beach hadn’t turned on yet. It seems as if the world was slowly drifting off to sleep in this small little town but within her, everything was in turmoil.
“No thanks. I don’t wanna be a bother. How’s your aunt doing?” She changed the topic, feeling pathetic for having overshared.
“She’s coping. I was just heading home. Do you want to join us for dinner? She was just remembering you the other day when Ethan came over.”
“Oh, I’ll drop by some other time.”
“Ethan will be coming too.” His response was a bit curt, as if he wanted her to know he was only inviting her because her brother would be there. Why was he friendly one bit and stand-offish the other? Aurora remembered Ethan telling her something about how Aiden’s girlfriend had left him a few years back but she couldn’t remember the story now.
Maybe he didn’t want to let people in because he had been hurt but he was lonely as well? She shrugged off the thought, as soon as it came. Aiden Turner was a lot of things but lonely could not be one of them. For as long as she could remember, he was always like this. It seemed like he wanted to be left alone and avoided people.
Agreeing to the dinner, she messaged her dad that she would come home after dinner so he wouldn’t worry about her. As she walked besides Aiden towards his aunt’s house, she couldn’t help noticing how much taller he was than her. He was quiet the whole walk, back in his brooding mood. She thought a few times of striking up conversation but decided not to since he seemed not to be in the mood for it.
Aiden’s aunt was a widow without children. She had raised Aiden since his parents had passed away when he was just a baby. Mrs. Roberts seemed to light up when she saw Aurora.
“Oh my, you’ve really grown!” She beamed at Aurora as they entered the lounge. Her house was homely, with paintings and pictures all over the walls, soft lighting, and comfortable sofas with hand-embroidered cushions. Aiden headed over to the kitchen to get dinner ready while Aurora sat down with Mrs. Roberts to catch up. Mrs. Roberts had gotten really frail over the years. Perhaps it was the loneliness or just her recent injury but there was a deep sadness within her eyes.
She told Aurora all about her fall from the stairs, how her arthritis made walking much worse over the years. She was recovering but it might take a few months before she could be on her feet again without help.
Ethan showed up half an hour later with a bottle of red wine which Aunt Katie was particularly delighted to see. They had cheeseburgers for dinner which were prepared by Aiden and to her surprise were really yummy. Aiden seemed to ignore her for the rest of the evening, not even looking at her. Only once she noticed him looking at her when he thought she was concentrating on her food.
For some reason, that really bothered her. She couldn’t decide if he did that on purpose, the hot and cold behavior or maybe she just mistook his politeness for friendliness before.
After dinner, Aurora offered to help Aiden clean up and do the dishes while Ethan decided to entertain Aunt Katie with a game of monopoly. There was silence in the kitchen while Aurora did the dishes and Aiden cleaned up.
Aurora couldn’t help but notice that there was a natural harmony to her and Aiden’s movements in the kitchen. They worked well together, without bumping or getting into each other’s way.
While handing her a dirty plate, Aiden’s hand brushed against hers. Aurora froze in her movements and looked at him. She was surprised to see that he was looking at her as well, a little closer than he should be. Aurora could smell his strong musky cologne from this distance and unwillingly, she felt a strong pull towards him. Aiden’s gray blue eyes were staring directly at her, his expression unreadable, and his hand still softly brushing against hers. She wanted to move away from his touch, but she was unable to.
Could he feel the attraction she was feeling in that moment?
In that moment she finally put her finger on what she had been feeling when she saw Aiden on the beach the previous day. She was attracted to him. But there was more to it than just physical allure, it seemed as if there was some chemistry between them.
What was happening to her? He was older than her, and most importantly he was her brother’s best friend.
The moment was broken by the sound of laughter from the lounge. Aurora quickly pulled her hand away and started watching the dish Aiden had just handed her. Aiden moved away from her, busying himself with stacking the dishes on the rack.
Her heart was pounding fast inside her chest and a flush crept onto her neck and cheeks. She hoped Aiden couldn’t see it. She stole a quick look at him but to her dismay, he wasn’t looking at her. His expression was neutral. She couldn’t even be sure if that moment had just happened or not.
That night, Aurora found herself unable to sleep. Her mind kept racing with thoughts of Aiden. Every time she closed her eyes, she could see his gray-blue eyes and perfectly chiseled face. They were so much different than one another. He was brooding, handsome and successful. She on the other hand seemed to be from an entirely different world than his. It was foolish to think he could even be attracted to her.
It was only when the birds started chirping in the morning that Aurora was able to catch a few hours of sleep.
