From a tiny opening, I could make out a masculine figure, dressed in black. He wore a hat, and his face was shielded from me. All I could see was his back as he kept pacing around the room like he was searching for something.
I remained frozen in my spot, not daring to take a closer look. I was still traumatized from the other day's attack, and I wasn't sure I could handle another.
Eventually, he left. Upon hearing the door click shut, I fell out of my hiding place. Thank God my presence went unnoticed. I couldn't imagine how that could have played out.
I found Pierce standing outside his apartment, pacing back and forth. From the worried look on his face, I was in for a good scolding.
"Aurora," his worried eyes met mine, but anger soon flashed in them.
"Where have you been?"
I laughed, hoping to lighten up the atmosphere, but his frown only deepened.
"Did I not ask you to stay home?"
"I went home for a bath." The words came out before I could process them in my head.
Shit, I shouldn't have said that.
Disbelief was written all over his face, "Is that the excuse you could come up with?"
Of course, he thought I was lying.
"It's not a lie," I argued.
"Tell me, where have you been, Aurora?"
For some reason, I was starting to get annoyed. Why wouldn't he believe me? Where else could I have gone if not home?
Crossing my hands across my chest, "I said I went home for a bath." I repeated my previous answer but this time in a tone that showed I was upset.
He scoffed, "Don't you realize how ridiculous that sounds? You were attacked and almost killed just a week ago. You, of all people, know how unsafe it is out there. Yet you want me to believe you went home for a bath? What happened to the restroom inside?"
"Why are you so upset, anyway?"
He stepped forward, closing in the distance between us, and then looked into my eyes fiercely.
"Why didn't you tell me about the boy that saved you?"
"So that's what this is all about?"
"Answer me, Aurora!"
"Because he made me promise," I said. "He said he's got some bad records and can't go to the police. If I had told you, you would've searched for him no matter what."
Everything I said was true. That day, while walking me home, Grey made me swear not to talk to anyone about him. I agreed because why not? After all, he saved my life.
"And how am I to know you're telling the truth? How am I supposed to know you're not coming back from meeting him?"
He was accusing me of cheating, wonderful!
We have not even been together for a month, and now this.
"Don't you dare," I warned.
"Well, explain yourself," he demanded.
Like as if I wasn't going through enough already. A stranger broke into my home and walked around like it was his playground. Hours later, I'm being accused of cheating when all I wanted to do was breathe.
"You know what? I won't." I spun around to leave, and he caught me.
"Where do you think you're going?"
"Somewhere far from you and your nonsense." I pushed him off me and walked away. I'm tired of all this drama. All I need is a quiet space.
Pierce did not bother to chase after me, which I'm thankful for. It wasn't until I got outside that it dawned on me that I had nowhere to go. There's no way I'm going back to that house, knowing some stranger has my keys, and I can't go back to Pierce because seeing him right now will make everything worse. So, where do I go?
Wherever my legs lead me, I guess.
After walking for what seemed like hours, I came to a stop at a bus station and settled on the lonely bench for a rest. I should probably go to a hotel or something.
I flipped out my phone to check my account balance and see which hotel would fit my budget.
"Aurora?"
I saw a girl standing steps ahead with a smile on her face. Her face appeared familiar, but I couldn't recall where I met her.
"It's me, Jordyn," she said upon seeing my confused face.
"Oh," my mouth fell open, "Brown suit."
Don't blame me; her suit was the first thing that caught my eye that day, seeing as it matched her skin tone perfectly.
She threw her head back and laughed innocently. I felt some of the weight on my shoulders lifted just by watching her.
"Do you live around?" She asked, done laughing.
From the fancy bag she held, I could tell she was on her way back from the supermarket and probably lived somewhere around here.
"No, I'm just taking a stroll," I replied.
She eyed me and said, "Is everything okay?"
"Yeah," I lied, "Everything's fine."
But I guess she didn't buy it.
"Would you like to accompany me home for a chat?"
I had nowhere to go anyway.
Rising to my feet, "Lead the way."
Jordyn and I spent the whole night getting drunk and bonding over stupid things we did in the past over men. Although I avoided talking about Pierce, she didn't bring it up, but I'm sure she must've had some questions. I must say she's fun to be around; being around her made my worries disappear into dust. I almost couldn't remember why I was upset again. Meanwhile, Pierce wouldn't stop calling, so I switched my phone off. I'll deal with him in the morning.
"You know I almost threw myself into the ocean when he broke up with me," Jordyn recalled, taking a slurp from the beer in her hand.
"I dedicated my whole life to him, changed my personality, everything just to suit his taste, and yet he left me simply because his mother said no."
Her eyes were red and swollen from the alcohol, but I could also see the sadness in them.
I placed a hand on her slumped shoulders, "He didn't deserve you, Jordyn. Trust me, it's his loss and not yours." I wasn't very good at comforting others, but watching her made my heartbreak, and I felt the need to do something.
Wrapping my arms around her, I pulled her in for a hug, and she embraced me tightly.
"It feels like I've known you for years," her hot breath fanned my neck as she spoke.
I could say the same, you know. I felt the connection too.
"Let's be sisters from now on," I proposed, to which she immediately nodded.
"Sisters."
The next morning, I felt like a total wreck, as if a truck had run me over the night before. My knees were weak, and I could barely stand; my eyes felt heavy, and a bitter taste lurked at the tip of my tongue.
"Morning, sunshine," greeted Jordyn in a sing-song tone.
I managed to sit up and look at her, "Why do you look normal?" I said, upon observation. We both drank ourselves to a stupor last night, but for some reason, she looked perfectly okay, and I was struggling to keep my breakfast down.
"Some of us don't get hangovers, you know," she said, walking towards the mirror with a lipstick in hand.
She was dressed for work already, once again in a brown suit.
"What's with the obsession with brown?" I asked.
She paused, "It's his favorite color."
"Jordyn, you know that's not healthy."
From the look of things, I doubted she was over this guy, which was a shame because the girl was gorgeous with a good heart. We hadn't spent that much time together, but I could tell any man would be lucky to have her in his life.
Turning to me with a smile, she said, "Says the girl who ran away from home."
I was floored, "How do you know that?"
"It'd be weirder if I couldn't tell. I mean, you were sitting on a bench alone with both shoulders slumped, looking like a lost puppy. What are you, ten?"
I looked away, feeling ashamed.
"Why didn't you ask, then?"
Done with the lipstick, she tossed it on the table, "Because I figured an escape is what you needed."
"So you offered to take me home."
"Yes,"
"Thank you, really," I couldn't express my gratitude enough with words.
"It's no biggie," she said. "Sisters, remember?"
"Sisters."
The sound of the doorbell put an end to our little sweet moment. Jordyn dashed out of the room while I remained stuck in my position. Seconds later she walked in with a boy behind her.
"Aurora, meet my little brother-"
"Grey," I completed the sentence before she had the chance to.
She appeared stunned and turned to Grey for answers, "You guys know each other?"
His orange-shaped face was torn into a huge grin, "Remember I told you about saving a wild cat from a pack of wolves the other day? Well, her name is Aurora."