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Aurora laughed, her heart opening as she stabbed the breading of her white fish. “I’ve never had a relationship before. And to be honest, the concept terrifies me.”
Brooks nodded. “It’s not a perfect topic of conversation for right now. I know that.”
“It’s not that I’m against it,” Aurora told him, her eyes filling with tears.Why was she always a blubbering fool?“It’s just that my mood swings from one end of the spectrum to the other, and I need to figure out how to stand on solid ground.”
Brooks nodded again, clearly emotional.
“But you’ve been the most stabilizing force of my life in ages,” Aurora breathed. “I don’t know how I got so lucky. I mean, you just walked off that boat and—”
“And now, we’re here.”
“Eating beige food,” Aurora said, snorting.
“Like I said. It’s my favorite.”
Brooks and Aurora held the silence for a little while, both contemplating the immensity of the previous two weeks. Aurora, who upheld everything poetic and musical and beautiful in the world, felt as though it was a relationship taken from a film or a book. But then again, she knew that reality didn’t work that way, that there was always a crash waiting for you if you didn’t tune into what was actually going on.
“Don’t stay the night,” Aurora told him.
Brooks arched his eyebrow.
“I don’t even think they’ll let you.” Aurora’s heart filled her throat.
Brooks was quiet for a moment, staring into his pineapple. “But what if you wake up here alone?”
Aurora closed her eyes, remembering those horrific nights after her mother had died when she’d woken up all by herself in that house— the house where she’d died, and wondered how in the world she could possibly go on. The darkness had felt especially thick, an inky fog that had made her wonder if the sun would ever manage to come back up again.
In short, she truly didn’t want Brooks to leave her alone that night. She just had no idea how he would manage it.
After dinner, the nurse came to give Aurora something to help her sleep. Aurora thanked her and curled into a ball with her head on the pillow. Brooks sat beside her, holding her hand as he gazed into her eyes.
“You’re going to fall asleep soon,” he told her gently. “And when you do, I’ll be here, making sure you’re all right. I promise you that. You’re not alone.”
And as Aurora’s universe faded to black, Brooks’ hand cupped hers with such warmth that, for the first time since her mother took her last breath, Aurora felt peace.
ChapterEighteen
After Ella and Will’s band’s exhilarating performance in downtown Nantucket, they packed up their equipment and headed to the Irish Pub for congratulatory beers, abandoning the stages, most of the sound equipment, and all the food stalls. At first light, the entire town planned to chip in to clean up the festival grounds, but tonight, everyone wanted to ride out the festival wave and celebrate the first official weekend of summer. The air was thick with conversation and laughter, and everywhere Ella looked, she spotted lovers, families, and exuberant smiles— all enriched from the performances of the day. Ella made sure to count her lucky stars for every moment of it. It had truly been a pleasure to return to the Nantucket stage, especially with her fiancé by her side.
Although Ella shivered with adrenaline from the epic gig, as she sat beside Will with her Guinness, her mind returned to Aurora, to the panic in her eyes when she’d run off stage. As though the universe had heard her worries, Will raised his phone and said, “Brooks finally texted me.”
“What is it?”
“He said she has a room at the hospital, that she’s sleeping there tonight. Tomorrow, they’re going to take some tests.” He paused, then added, “He says she’s had a crazy year and that the last few weeks have brought all that emotion to a head.”
“Tell him to go get some rest,” Ella said. “We can go up to the hospital tomorrow.”
Will texted, then shook his head. “Brooks says he won’t leave her side.”
Ella’s heart cracked at the edges. “I think she’s been alone a long time.”
“Not anymore,” Will finished.
After their beers, Ella and Will hugged their bandmates, suggested another hang-out before everyone headed back home, and then broke the news that they’d been asked to go on tour this autumn— after Danny and Laura went to college.
“Are you serious?” Audrey jumped up and wrapped her arms around Ella, ecstatic. “Have you been holding back this information all week?”
“I didn’t know for sure until a few days ago,” Ella confessed. “But yeah. I guess we’ll be seeing a lot more of each other later this year.”
