Chapter 9 - Back to Normal

"You better listen to my words, Aurelia. If he doesn't crave you, he's not the one."

𝕮𝖍𝖆𝖕𝖙𝖊𝖗 𝕹𝖎𝖓𝖊

It had been a full week since Aurelia had been hiding away in her mother's house, and she loved every second of it. Every day offered some new, fun activity Aurelia and Antonella could do, and though her mother's medicine would wear off frequently—sometimes in public—this was the first time Aurelia felt at peace and truly happy without abusing drugs.

Antonella also had fun and loved having her daughter so close to her. However, even so, she was still adamant when it came to their departure.

"Okay, Aurelia, pack your things," Antontella said after opening the door of her daughter's room and stepping inside. "Time to go."

Fuck, Aurelia thought. She decided to ignore her mother in hopes that she would give up and leave the room.

However, Antonella never gave up on anything. She banged on the wall to get her daughter's attention.

"Aurelia!" Antonella snapped. "Get out of the bed now!"

Aurelia groaned. "Aghh, but Mami—"

"No buts!" Antonella said, snapping her fingers. "You better get your butt out of here before I beat it."

"Why can't I just stay forever?"

Aurelia shifted onto her side, turning her back to her mother.

"Because you can't. I live here, too, and I don't have enough for the both of us," Antonella replied. "If you want somewhere to live, go with your father."

Aurelia rolled her eyes and slowly crawled out of the bed. "Dad is in jail, so I could never go with him."

"Keep drinking like your life depends on it," Antonella said, "and you'll join him soon."

"C'mon, let me stay, mi hermosa estrella." Aurelia pleaded, ignoring her mother's comment.

Antonella put her hands on her hips. "You only call me your beautiful star when you want something from me, and no. You need to leave now."

Aurelia pouted and tried her best to plead with her mother using her eyes.

"Now."

Finally giving up on begging her mother, she sighed and decided to start packing.

I should've known Mami would never change her mind about me leaving the house, she's Hispanic, she thought.

Antonella stepped closer toward her daughter. "I need you out in an hour. I can help you pack if you want."

Aurelia shook her head. "No thank you. I don't even have anything to pack anyway."

"What did you use to brush your teeth then? Your finger?"

"No," Aurelia muttered. "Um, I used the spare. It felt really hard on my teeth, though."

Antonella frowned. "Which color?"

"Uh, pink."

"Qué? María!" 

Oh dear. Aurelia braced herself for a session of yelling.

"That hard 'toothbrush' is the brush I use for my feet!"

Aurelia almost threw up. Her face flushed a bright red as she imagined the hard bristles scrubbing against her teeth, and she shuddered at the thought of bacteria transferring from her mother's feet to her mouth. A wave of humiliation washed over her as she recalled how casually she had used it, unaware of its true purpose.

"Please tell me you're joking," Aurelia muttered, trying to keep her voice steady as her heart raced. But deep down, she knew there was no punchline; the reality of the situation was far worse than anything she could have imagined.

"Do you have any idea how unsanitary that is?" Antonella exclaimed, her hands on her hips, but the corner of her mouth twitched, fighting a smile.

"I thought it was just a really rough toothbrush!" Aurelia protested, her stomach churning. "I didn't know!"

"You need to ask before you use unfamiliar items, mija," Antonella replied, stifling a laugh. "Again, if you need me to help you with anything, just ask."

She quickly left the room, and a few seconds later, Aurelia could hear loud giggling.

Fuck! she thought. Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! Those feet might be the only thing competing with the Las Vegas landfill for the most grotesque places on Earth, and I brushed my teeth with their germs! Ugh, fuck my life!

Aurelia frowned and grabbed a small black plastic bag containing her wedding dress.

"Mami!" she called out. 

Antonella entered the room. "Yes?" she answered, smiling.

Aurelia pretended she didn't see her mother's sly grin. "Can I keep the clothes I have on now? I only have my wedding dress, and that's ruined."

"Of course, mija," Antonella replied. "You don't need to return them, either."

Aurelia smiled. "Thank you, reina."

She began to slip her sparkly, tall heels on her feet but Antonella stopped her.

"No, mi corazon, don't wear those. They will hurt your feet. You can wear the hiking boots you wore on our walk the other day. Feel no need to return them."

Aurelia smiled. She was extremely grateful to have a mother who cared about her so much.

God, Aurelia thought, thank you so much for such a kind, compassionate mother. Please don't take her away without taking me, too.

ᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠ♡♡♡

Jimmy was an old, sensitive man, so he almost got a heart attack when he had realized his wife fled their wedding and went to hide somewhere. It had been about a week since the event occurred, and he was worried sick that entire week. He went through more than twenty packs of cigarettes from the stress.

Surprisingly, the Vice President of the United States had missed the random girl he met on a dating app dearly.

I wish she were here right now, he thought while lying in his bed. She would rub my feet, cook my favorite pasta, and kiss me, all done perfectly. Now she's nowhere to be found.

Ding-dong!

Jimmy sat up as his doorbell rang. "Rocco!" he called out. "Rocco!"

Almost immediately, a slim, athletic-looking young man with straight, long blonde hair tied back into a low ponytail arrived. He wore a nice-fitting uniform made for butlers.

"Yes, master?"

Jimmy smirked. "I love when you call me that," he said. He looked at Rocco's beautiful emerald earring and diamond nose ring. "I hope you like the little gift I got you."

Rocco nodded. "Yes."

Jimmy frowned. "Yes, who?"

"Master," Rocco muttered. "Yes, master."

"Good boy. Go answer the door."

"Yes, sir," Rocco said as he quickly left the room.

Once he knew he was out of sight, he grimaced. Rocco hastily stepped down the polished wooden stairs and walked to the front door.

He pressed a button connected to a small speaker and spoke into it. "Who is there?"

"Aurelia," a voice answered.

Rocco's face brightened. "Oh, come right in, madam!" he smiled after unlocking the door and opening it.

Aurelia stepped into the large mansion and beamed at the sight of Rocco. "Hey, Roxland."

"Good evening, madam. How are you feeling?"

"Um," Aurelia mumbled. She paused.

Rocco was someone she loved to talk to, and they talked about a lot, including their bad days and insecurities. However, sometimes Aurelia felt like Rocco never told her the full truth about his life but she didn't mind. She never trusted anyone with the full truth of her life, either. 

Aurelia didn't know whether to lie or to tell the truth. Lying would allow her to see Rocco's reassuring smile again, but the truth would make him frown, and she would spend at least thirty minutes explaining how horrible she had felt recently.

She decided to lie. "I'm fine. You?"

Rocco smiled, making Aurelia smile herself. "I'm great now that you're here, madam."

"Ha, did you miss me?"

"Miserably."

"Aw, Roxland. You're so thoughtful with your words," Aurelia grinned.

Rocco bowed. "Thank you, madam."

Aurelia put her hand on Rocco's shoulder. She saw him as the little brother she never had because he was smart, caring, and only seventeen. 

"I'm going to sneak off to bed now," Aurelia said. "You take care of yourself, okay?"

Rocco's smile dropped but quickly rose again. He did not want his madam to think he wasn't content. 

"Okay, madam."

"I love you, Roxy."

Rocco bowed his head. "Vice versa."

Aurelia kissed him on his smiling cheek and quickly left for the grand staircase. 

A wave of fear and anxiety drowned her being as she quietly stepped up the polished wood. What excuse would be reasonable enough for her week-long absence? Aurelia knew whatever excuse it was, it had to be good.

She sighed and tried to remain calm as the familiar feeling of unease pricked and plagued her mind. In this huge palace, a rapid, fearful heartbeat was normal. Aurelia just needed to get used to it.