♞ Adrian: “From how you handled the issue with the divorce years back, do you think you deserve her forgiveness easily?” The question was sudden. My fingers subconsciously stopped tapping at the armrest of the couch I was sitting on. My gaze trailed outside the window, and fell on the song sparrow perched on the window sill, twitching annoyingly, and tapping the window glass with its beak. The bird must have noticed me gazing at it, it tilted its head. Left. Right, and then left again, before it turned around and flew away. The absence of the sparrow brought back my attention to Iris’s question which threw me deep in thought. There was a particular reason why I had chosen Iris as my therapist years ago. Actually, it goes both ways. She believes she had chosen me herself, while I, on the other hand, know for a fact that I picked her out of the countless options available back then. She had a reputation for being sharp and brutally honest. She didn’t sugarcoat things or ent
♞ Adrian: If words were physically sharp, I was certain hers would have stabbed through my heart, or fucking knifed my bloody heart out of my ribcage. “You mean she moves on with someone else?” I asked carefully. The words sounded bitter in my tongue and I had to let it out. Iris had a thoughtful look on her face, before she answered, “Not exactly that… but in this situation, yes.” I remained silent for a moment, and Iris waited quietly for an answer. A minute passed, and I eventually answered “I don't know," I murmured more to myself but she heard me clearly. Iris pressed her lips into a thin line, and then shook her head. “Then that's your answer,” She said. “You’re still tying your worth to whether or not she forgives you.” I clenched my fists, letting her words sink in. “I just want to make things right.” “You can’t rewrite the past,” she reminded me gently. “All you can do is be the kind of man who won’t make the same mistakes again - whether she’s in your life or not
♛ Aurora: Despite what I thought, and despite continuously convincing myself to not care about Lucy’s words the other day, I still couldn’t ignore what she had said. I knew for a fact that I shouldn't simply believe whatever she said without confirming it first from Adrian, but still… I ran my fingers through my hair, and let my head fall on the headrest with my eyes closed. Should I just speak with him? That wouldn’t be easy to do, at least on my part but it would make my thoughts stop spiralling this way. A deep breath escaped my lips, and I finally opened my eyes after a long moment. It’s been exactly three days from then, and to my surprise Adrian hadn’t shown up at the site this week, which was really weird, especially considering the fact that he had been the one constantly showing up everyday since we started two weeks ago. “Ma’am, are you listening to me?” My eyes finally trailed up at the sound of Bonnie’s voice. I blinked, pulling myself out of my thoughts, and
♛ Aurora: My gaze fell on the neatly brushed sleek black hair, before it trailed lower to the pair of dark brown eyes staring right at me. My brows creased into a frown, “Noah?” Noah’s lips pulled up into a warm smile, “Hi. Aurora.” he greeted softly. “I had no idea you were coming around,” I stated, and he simply shrugged at my words. “Had no intention of letting you know I was going to drop by your office.” He said after a moment. How did he know my office? I had no idea. But I don't think it would have been difficult to. He must have asked around. And besides, Astra & Co. was a company one could easily locate in the city. After we saw each other at the charity event weeks back, I hadn't seen him since then, and I was far too occupied. I almost forgot about the fact that I could call him since we exchanged numbers that night. I stepped aside from the door, and gestured, “You can come inside.” He nodded, and without another word he stepped inside the office. He was
♛ Aurora: My brows pulled together at his words. “What proposition?” “I need your help with something,” he clarified in a clearer tone. I folded my arms, and leaned back on my seat, having a gut feeling that wherever this conversation was going wouldn't settle well with me. “If you are the one who needs my help with something, then that’s not a proposition, that’s a favor, right?” His lips twitched, and he smiled, his dark brown eyes brightened a little. “Alright, fine. A favor, then.” I sighed. “What is it?” Noah hesitated for the first time since stepping into my office. He leaned back, tapping his fingers against the armrest of his chair. “I want you to work with me on something. It’s... important.” I frowned. “Work with you? What kind of thing is that?” His dark brown eyes searched mine. “A case.” I stiffened, my brows furrowed at him. “A case? What kind of case are you talking about?” Noah nodded. “I can’t get into the details here, but I need someone I can tru
♛ Aurora: “So, don’t tell me you actually agreed to go on a date with him just because of that?” I scooped the oat cereal from the bowl on the dining table before bringing it up to my lips. Trish sat across from me on her seat on the table as she dug into the pasta we just finished cooking less than ten minutes ago. I had gone through the details of Noah’s visit in my office today, and somehow with how she was staring at me, I couldn’t tell whether she was pleased with the idea of me going out on a date with him, or whether she was displeased. I picked at my cereal, already losing my appetite because of this conversation, while Trish shook her head as she twirled her fork in her pasta, watching me with an expression that made my skin itch. “Say whatever’s on your mind before you explode,” I muttered. Trish sighed. “I just don’t get it. You don’t even like Noah. So why waste your time?” I spared her a blank look, “I already told you the reason. That it stems from his mothe
♛ Aurora: I heard the sound of a car pulling up to a stop outside the apartment and a breath I hadn't even realized I was holding before escaped my lips. My gaze trailed over to the wall clock which read 6:45 P.M. Thank goodness I got ready and prepared early, I whispered to myself as I stood by the mirror in my bedroom, trying to wear my pair of earrings. I glanced down at the tight brown dress I was wearing, my fingers brushed against my neck as I fixed the collar of my dress. With one last look at myself I sauntered outside my bedroom door and headed straight to the main door in the living room. The house was very quiet, mostly because Trish wasn't around. Something held her back and she wouldn't be able to come home till later. I picked up my purse on the couch, and slipped my phone inside. When I reached for the door handle, I hesitated, my fingers lingered about it. A small part of me wondered if I should just turn around, kick off these heels, and curl up on
♛ Aurora: I opened my mouth to argue, then shut it when I realized he wasn’t entirely wrong, but then I hadn't even realized. I let out a breath and answered to his satisfaction, “Alright.” “Good,” he said, leaning back with a satisfied smile. “And lastly, you have to try and have fun.” I exhaled. “That one might be a challenge.” “Then I accept the challenge,” he said, grinning. “Now, tell me something very random about yourself.” He dived into a conversation so fast. I blinked. “Like what?” “Anything at all. Perhaps a weird habit, a childhood story, something I wouldn’t expect.” I thought for a moment before speaking up, “Well... when I was seven, I tried to dye my hair with orange juice because I thought it would make me look like a fairy.” Noah stared at me for a second, then burst out laughing, his shoulders shaking with the force of his laughter. I frowned, was it that funny? “That’s the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard. Did it work?” “Of co
♛ Aurora: “I can't do this,” I whispered, more to myself, but loud enough for him to hear me. I couldn't even concentrate on driving while I was on my way home. And it was all because of him. To make it all worse, Lucy's attempt at planting seeds of doubts in my head had somehow worked. I couldn't think. My heart felt like it was being shredded into tiny pieces, and it tore me apart. I was so tired of all this. And despite all the love I had in my heart for him, it was a pity that he didn't trust our love so much to be able to completely be honest with me. What on earth could he be keeping to himself that wasn't worth me knowing? Nothing, absolutely nothing serious. The only ever thing that had tore me apart in my years of living was my parents' death, because they left me all alone. Second to that was my divorce with Adrian. And third, was the child I lost. There was nothing else he could say that could destroy me so much that it would break our very fragile relations
♞ Adrian: I scrubbed my hands over my face, fingers digging into my eyes until I saw stars. My phone sat on the passenger seat, and I glanced at it, fingers itching to pick it up and call again. The last call had gone unanswered. The one before that too. I’d sent her a message. And it was simple, stupid, and fucking desperate. ‘I’m outside. Can we talk? I just need five minutes.’ Nothing back. I glanced through the car glasses, and my gaze fell on the windows of her house. Maybe she wasn’t home. Or she was and she’d seen my message and rolled her eyes and tossed her phone into a drawer. God, I wouldn’t blame her. I was parked across from her house, my car engine off, with my hands gripping the steering wheel. I had brushed my fingers through my hair countless times that it was all disheveled. My fingers tapped on the steering wheel, searching for something to keep my concentration in check. It didn’t work. I was still unraveling. She hadn’t answered my calls. I co
♛ Aurora: Just thinking about the look in his eyes before he stepped out pulled my heartstrings. Not in a soft way, but in a cruel one. I gripped the steering wheel tighter and a deep breath escaped my lips. Adrian’s words played in my mind continuously. And then all he left me with was, ‘I’m sorry.’ Like that would do anything, or make it all better. No explanation. No assurance. Just that. I blinked hard, pushing the lump in my throat back where it came from. I shouldn’t have expected anything different. I knew Adrian wasn’t the kind of man who let people in easily, I had known that since I met him, he wouldn't let people know him that deep, especially not when he was hurting. But still... part of me had hoped. Naively.Foolishly. We’ve been together for more than half a decade, so all this wasn't supposed to be something we still bothered about. What was worse than being shut out was being almost trusted. As if I had earned enough of his heart to be touched
♛ Aurora: The air between us suddenly felt so tight. As if sensing my discomfort, Adrian released a deep sigh and his gaze dropped to where his fingers were. Without another word, he simply reached out and buttoned my shirt for me, after fixing my collar he pulled away from me and sat down on the other end of the couch. My gaze remained on the ceiling for a long moment. I couldn't get up. Rather, I couldn't bring myself to. The feeling in my chest was swallowing me whole and I couldn't do nothing about the ache. It was crazy, all these… I thought we were doing better, and that based on past mistakes that made us lose things we never wanted to, we weren't supposed to go through this path again. But somehow, Adrian still didn't trust me enough to be able to handle whatever he was keeping away from me. Different situations, same instances. I couldn't breathe. Suffocation wrapped itself around me, holding me so tightly. The same feeling and fear I didn't think I would ever f
♛ Aurora: My breasts pressed against his hard, warm abs and a shiver rolled through me. I wanted his shirt off. God, I wanted it off. He ran his face up and down my neck, as though savouring the moment. I had no idea when he reached for my buttons and slowly unbuttoned them. His large hands slid down my stomach, and trailed circles around my navel. I wanted him to go lower, but just as his fingers reached my trousers they slid back up. My skin burned beneath his palm when he touched the bare curve of my waist. His other hand cradled my thigh, my skirt bunched high. He pulled back just slightly, only an inch, resting his forehead against mine. My breath was unsteady. My hands didn't stop roaming. My lips didn’t stop aching. His erection pressed against the inside of my thigh, and if he would only step forward a few inches, it would be right where I wanted it, and needed it. I swayed, my eyes heavy-lidded, when a solid grip came to the side of my neck to hold me still whi
♛ Aurora: Unlike the soft kiss from last night, this one was demanding in a different way. In an entirely different way. Adrian clung to me, pulling our bodies closer to each other as he tilted his head and deepened the kiss. He nibbled my lower lips softly, demanding for access into my mouth. My eyes flickered open and landed on his closed eyes, like he was pouring out every single conflicted emotion he was feeling into the kiss. I opened my mouth slowly, giving him access and soon as I did, Adrian's tongue slid into my mouth, searching for mine. He looked like he wanted to say something to me, but was finding it difficult to voice and instead chose this method of clinging to one another like our lives depended on it. “Adrian,” I called his name, not because I wanted to stop, but because I wanted him to talk to me instead of bottling whatever he was hiding. I swallowed the words stuck to my throat, when his hands which had been on my waist slid lower to my backside.
♞ Adrian: “Come in.” Rory’s voice answered from inside. My gaze dropped briefly to her assistant, who knocked and stepped aside. Gabriel's words from earlier rang continuously in my thoughts, and I fought hard to push them aside. Without a word, I pushed the door open and walked inside. The moment I did, my gaze locked on Rory’s. She was sitting behind her desk, a glass of water in hand, a thoughtful expression in her eyes. But the second her eyes met mine, something flickered. Something close to surprise at my sudden presence. I wasn’t sure. A warm feeling settled in my chest, and I spared her a small smile, which she returned, “Adrian.” The smile on my face vanished as quick as it came when I noticed the man sitting across from her, as he turned slightly, just enough for me to get a clear view of his face. My brows creased into a tight frown. What the fuck was he doing here? What was his name again, Nath? Norman? Noahm Actually, I didn't give a damn what his name was. F
♛ Aurora: With my arms crossed to my chest, I stared blankly at the person sitting in front of me. “You know, there could have been other methods you could reach out to me than this, right?” “I know.” He responded. And added almost immediately, “Do you realize how long I've been trying to reach out to you? you weren't answering my calls, neither were you replying to my text messages. And from the last time, you did warn me to not bypass your receptionist without an appointment.” My brows furrowed tightly, “You never texted me. Nor called.” I dropped my gaze to my phone and picked it up, before reaching out for it. “I did.” “Noah, you didn't.” “I swear, I called you and texted numerous number of times.” Scrolling through the call logs of my missed calls. I didn't see any message or missed calls from his number which I had saved to my phone. I looked up at him with a frown, “There’s no message or missed calls from you here.” Noah looked offended, his brows pulled tog
♛ Aurora: I arrived at my workplace an hour later than usual. The elevator was silent, safe for Bonnie absentmindedly tapping her feet beside me. I don't think she realized she was even doing it, her gaze was rooted to the screen of her iPad. I spared her a side glance, and pressed my lips into a thin line, before glancing at the count of numbers to the top stairs. A deep sigh escaped my lips, and I shut my eyes close for a moment. Adrian and I had come to the conclusion that it was better to feign ignorance for the meantime till we are able to track every single person connected to the collapse on site. While I didn't completely agree at first, it later dawned on me that it was the only best option we had, at least for now. So, somehow I agreed to act oblivious to it for the next couple of weeks. By then, I would also keep an eye on Bonnie’s every movement. Eventually, she’ll make a mistake that would be too big to hide. I brushed my fingers through my hair, and a deep sigh es