AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Jimmy’s coming today,” she says, and I look at her for a long moment.
“Aurora, I’m sorry,” I say softly, and she shrugs.
“It’s fine,” she says. “Don’t worry about it.”
She continues eating as if nothing’s wrong, and her blasé attitude is beginning to anger me, but I can’t say why. Did I expect her to be sobbing all morning? Not really. But I didn’t expect this as well.
I open my mouth to apologize again but then Jimmy knocks on the door and I groan, getting up to let him in.
Aurora leads him into the bedroom so that he can do a quick exam on her, and I wait in the living room, bile rising in my throat from the hangover. I eat my toast and that helps a little, and make myself a cup of coffee.
Jimmy nods at me when he leaves, and I’m grateful for his discretion.
“What’d he say about resuming our activities?” I ask, hoping to lighten the mood just a little.
“He says we’re all systems go,” she says, but there’s something oddly flat in her tone.
“Do you...do you evenwantto?” I ask.
“Well, we already did, last night, remember?”
“Who could forget?” I ask, grinning, but she doesn’t smile back.
She just walks out to the pool and takes off her clothes, wearing a one-piece that I’d bought for her on our last supply run together.
Aurora jumps into the water and I frown and go back inside, clearing the dishes from breakfast.
What’s going on with her? Is she really still mad at me? If she is, why isn’t she yelling at me? Why isn’t she telling me I’m a selfish sonofabitch?
Aurora comes back inside after a while and I’m sitting on the couch, staring at the television but not really watching anything.
She starts to walk by me but I grab her wrist, stopping her.
“Are you still mad at me?” I ask.
She pauses for a long moment, and I feel a sense of relief, thinking thatnowshe’ll yell at me.
But she doesn’t.
“No, I’m not mad.”
“Something’s clearly wrong,” I say dryly.
She shakes out of my grip. “No, I just had the wrong idea. Things are different than I thought, that’s all.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” I ask, frowning.
“I thought maybe I meant something to you. Now I know that I don’t,” she says plainly, and walks into the bathroom.
I walk in behind her as she strips off her one-piece and gets into the shower. I huff out a breath and take my clothes off, getting in with her.
“We’re not done with this conversation,” I warn.
“Could have fooled me,” she says, turning away from me.
“Aurora,” I say.“Principessa.”
“Don’t call me that,” she barks, turning around, her brown eyes flashing, and there’s a spark. Some signs of life.
