Chapter Fifty Aurora
Chapter Fifty
Aurora
Second day back, the campus was finally calm after the chaos of the first.
I’d finished class early and couldn’t stop thinking about Honey. It had been two days since I last saw her little orange furball face, and the ache to hold her was stupidly strong.
Maybe that was an excuse. Maybe I just wanted an excuse.
Joshua was by the field, pulling his hoodie over his head, a whistle blowing in the distance. I hovered by the bleachers, clutching my notebook, waiting for him to notice.
He did.
He always did.
“Can I—” I hesitated for a second before continuing, “go see Honey?”
He paused mid-step, brows drawn for a second before he nodded.
Then, without a word, he reached into his pocket, pulled out his keycard, and pressed it into my hand.
“Take this.”
My eyes widened. “But—” I started, but before I could finish, he spoke again, cutting me off.
“Wait,” he dug into his pocket again, phone in hand, thumb moving fast. He looked back at me, voice steady and matter-of-fact. “It’ll be here in a few minutes. Your Uber.”
Before I could protest, to tell him I could take the bus, that he didn’t need to, he jogged onto the field.
I stood there, the keycard cold in my palm, staring after him as he joined his team.
He didn’t look back.
—
The keycard beeped, and the door clicked open. I pushed it slightly, expecting stillness, maybe Honey curled on the couch all alone, waiting for me.
But instead—
There was someone there.
A woman. Early twenties, maybe mid. Perfectly put together in a neat sweater and jeans, scrolling through her phone on Joshua’s couch as if she belonged there.
Honey was perched beside her, tail flicking lazily, until she saw me. The tiny trouble froze for a split second, then bolted off the couch, paws padding against the floor as she sprinted toward me.
“Hey, baby,” I whispered instinctively, crouching down, scooping her up. Honey nuzzled into my chest, like always, purring, warm, familiar.
When I looked up again, the woman was standing.
She smiled politely, that kind of professional, practised smile. “Oh, hi. Sorry, you must be Miss Campbell, right?”
I blinked, confused. “Um…”
“I’m Emily,” she said, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. “The caretaker. Mr Lockhart hired me.”
Caretaker.
My lips parted, but no sound came out.
Caretaker.
I looked down at Honey, who was purring happily in my arms, then back at the woman who’d been sitting where I usually sat.
“Oh,” I said softly. “Just a caretaker.”
“Mm-hmm.” Emily’s tone stayed bright. “He said he’s been busy with training lately and also class, too, right? So I come by to feed her, clean up, and make sure she’s okay.”
Right. Class and practice. Of course.
I nodded quickly, gripping Honey a little tighter before smiling, polite and quiet. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt.”
“It’s fine!” she chirped, reaching for her bag. “I was just about to leave, anyway.”
I stood there by the door, letting her pass, my heart oddly heavy.
Just a caretaker.
Of course he’d hire someone.
Why wouldn’t he?
For a moment, the air felt heavy in my throat, an awkward silence, the kind where I didn’t know if I should step forward or back. Emily was kneeling by the door now, slipping her shoes on, humming quietly as she adjusted the strap of her bag.
Then she smiled up at me, casual, easy. “You’re just as sweet as he mentioned.”
I froze, blinking once, twice. “He… what?”
She laughed softly, straightening. “Joshua. Mr Lockhart,” she corrected, catching herself. “He told me there might be a girl who comes up sometimes, small, about five-five, brown hair, soft and beautiful.”
My stomach flipped so fast it almost made me dizzy.
Beautiful?
Emily tilted her head with a grin, eyeing me up and down in a way that made it obvious she was connecting the dots. “He described you perfectly, by the way. You’re really pretty.”
I felt the heat creep up my neck instantly, crawling over my cheeks.
Of course it did. My body loved to betray me.
I adjusted Honey in my arms, looking down at her tiny ginger head instead of Emily. “Oh,” I mumbled, trying not to sound too thrown. “He… mentioned me?”
“Mm-hmm. Said you might stop by for the cat sometimes.” She smiled again, oblivious to the storm she’d just caused. “You must be close.”
Close.
I didn’t answer that. Just nodded faintly, pretending to focus on the way Honey pawed at the hem of my sleeve.
Emily waved before stepping out the door, cheerful as ever. “Anyway, have a good night, Aurora. Honey’s all yours.”
And then the door clicked shut, leaving the apartment silent again. I stood there in the middle of his penthouse, heartbeat a mess, trying to process what she said.
Joshua… described me?
Small. Five-five. Brown hair. Soft and beautiful.
God. I hated how warm that made me feel.
I sank down onto the couch, Honey curling instantly into my lap as if she’d been waiting all day for me.
Her tiny body was warm against me, a quiet vibration of purring filling the empty penthouse.
I brushed my thumb over her ear, staring absently at the way the city lights flickered against the window.
He described you perfectly, Emily’s words echoed in my head.
Beautiful.
I exhaled slowly, trying to push the heat crawling up my neck back down where it belonged.
“Hey, Honey,” I whispered, scratching under her chin. “Am I… beautiful?”
Honey looked up at me with her big amber eyes, blinked once, then purred louder, pressing her little head into my stomach.
I couldn’t help it. A quiet laugh slipped out, shaky and embarrassed.
“Yeah?” I mumbled, leaning down, burying my face into her fur to hide the flush burning across my cheeks.
My mind then decided to wander. To him, of course.
Joshua Lockhart, complimenting me. Behind my back.
It shouldn’t have meant anything.
It shouldn’t have made my chest feel this warm or my lips want to smile. But God, it did.
He could’ve just told Emily, some girl might stop by and left it at that.
But no, he described me.
Small, brown hair, soft, beautiful.
Beautiful.
The word looped in my head as if it had nowhere else to go. Joshua didn’t throw around compliments. He barely threw words around at all. So for him to say something like that, especially to someone else—
It felt different. Feels nice.
I leaned back against the couch, Honey still pressed to my chest, and my mind betrayed me further.
His face.
Sharp jaw.
Green eyes that looked as if they saw everything.
The way his hair always fell a little messily across his forehead, as if it refused to be tamed. And that quiet expression he wore when he was focused, the one that made the air around him feel… still.
He’s pretty.
The thought hit me before I could stop it, and my cheeks burned again.
God, I was hopeless.
“Stop it,” I muttered under my breath, hiding my face in Honey’s fur again. “He’s…he’s just Joshua.”
Honey purred louder, as if she didn’t believe me for a second.
—
And it was fair.
Because the next morning I got out of bed extra early, dug through my closet like my life depended on it and now—
Now I was standing in front of the mirror wearing something I wouldn’t even consider.
A white skirt that looked almost like Aly’s tennis skirt.
White socks that went halfway up my legs, with little ribbons on the side.
Black Mary Jane shoes with a small heel, elegant, grown-up, not too much.
A white shirt, crisp, and over it, a cream vest that looked like it belonged in a fairytale library.
I even wore makeup.
God, I wore makeup today. What is wrong with me? Why am I doing this?
Concealer was dabbed under my eyes, on my cheeks. Then blush, the part I had to redo the most, because the first time I thought it was too much, but then I ended up wiping too much off, so I had to go in again.
Yeah, it was a lot of work. Then mascara, which changed my eyes completely but in a good way, I thought. Lip tint last, dabbing it with my finger instead of applying it fully.
I stared at the reflection of myself again, tilting my head slightly, fingers brushing the hem of my skirt that reached my fingertips.
“Not bad,” I whispered to myself.
And somewhere, in the back of my head, I couldn’t stop wondering—
Would he notice?
—
The morning air nipped at my cheeks as I stepped through the Silverwood gates. I adjusted the strap of my bag, tugged at the hem of my skirt, and told myself to breathe. It was just clothes. Just makeup. Just—
“OH. MY. GOD!”
I barely made it three steps before Aly’s voice shot through the courtyard like a siren. Then came Jennie, right behind her, practically tripping over her own shoes.
“RORA!” Jennie gasped, eyes wide, clutching her chest. “Who are you and what have you done with our quiet little library angel?!”
Layla looked at me from head to toe, lip parted. “You are absolutely gorgeous, like a walking Pinterest board kind of gorgeous”
“Everyone?” Aly said dramatically. “Please, she’s gonna end the entire male population here.”
Jennie nodded solemnly, pretending to fan herself. “Moment of silence for all the poor boys who won’t survive this outfit.”
I flushed so hard my face probably matched Aly’s lipstick. I waved my hand, mouthing, Stop it! But that only made them louder.
I wonder…
I wonder if he would have the same reaction, of course not the same, but would he react positively?
Would he even see me?
My heart did that stupid, uneven thing it always did when he slipped through my thoughts.
We slipped into our usual spot by the big window in the cafeteria, sunlight spilling over the table, glinting off the girls’ iced coffees.
The air buzzed with low chatter from other students, but our corner felt like its own bubble of noise. Layla was humming, Jennie sketching on her napkin, Aly already reaching across the table with that mischievous grin that always meant trouble.
Before I could even unlock my phone, she plucked it out of my hands. “Password?”
I blinked. “W-what?”
“Password,” she repeated, wiggling her perfectly manicured fingers. “Don’t make me guess. I will guess.”
“It’s… 1-0-0-4,” I muttered, tugging the straw between my teeth.
Layla tilted her head, confused. “Isn’t that like… Miles’s birthday?”
Jennie gasped dramatically. “Oh my God, you’re sooooooooo into him,” she said, dragging the so for at least five seconds.
Their eyes snapped toward me, teasing, waiting, and I could already feel the heat creeping up my neck.
“It’s—” I cleared my throat. “It’s not… It’s not because of Miles. Koreans call it Cheonsa, meaning angel.”
For a second, they went still. And then all three of them hummed, nodding together.
Layla spoke first, “Suits you, our little precious angel.”
Jennie nodded afterwards, agreeing. “Very fitting.”
The sound of typing filled the air again. I leaned over, trying to peek, but Aly angled my phone away from me.
“What are you—”
“Making you an Instagram account,” Jennie sang. “You’re too pretty to stay off social media.”
Layla nodded. “Plus, we could send random reels to each other. Insta reels are crazy”
“Depends on the algorithm,” Aly chimed in, “but yes, crazy, especially the shit Jen sends”
Jennie smiled, wiggling her eyebrows, and that made me giggle a bit.
It didn’t take long for Aly to start scrolling through my gallery, and then she froze. “Wait…”
Jennie leaned in. “What?”
Layla peered over her shoulder, and then all three of them gasped as if I’d committed a crime.
Oh, here we go again.
“Aurora Mae Campbell,” Aly said slowly, turning my phone toward me. “There are no selfies. None. Zero. Not even one blurry bathroom mirror picture.”
I shrugged, fiddling with the edge of my sleeve. “I—I don’t take photos of myself.”
I really don’t. Not because I didn’t find myself pretty or anything, but I just never got the time, and it never really occurred to me that I should. I didn’t need random photos of myself when I had a mirror.
Jennie clutched her chest. “This is a tragedy. Do you know how photogenic you are?”
“I don’t—” I started, but they were already moving closer, eyes gleaming with determination.
“Okay,” Aly said, smirking. “We’re fixing that right now. Come on, angel. Pose.”
“No!” I blurted, hands flying up to cover my face. “If it’s my profile picture, I want it to be all of us.”
That stopped them cold.
Jennie blinked. “All of us?”
I nodded, shyly looking up. And suddenly they were crowding around me. Aly holding my phone, Jennie adjusting my hair, and Layla wrapping an arm around my shoulders.
“Okay, big smiles, show them pearly whites!” Jennie said, and we all cracked up laughing as Aly snapped the photo.
Click.
Another.
Another.
The photo that stuck was the one mid-laugh, messy, real, all of us squished together with sunlight spilling over the table.
“Perfect,” Aly said softly, typing something quickly into the bio before turning the screen toward me.
@auroramae
A pin emoji next to Silverwood University
And at the very bottom, some science emojis.
Cute. I like it.
Jennie then started giggling, “Oh, this is rich.”
We all snapped our heads towards her, and she turned her phone to face us. Face glowing with amusement.
“Cold. Ass. Grayson. Followed. Aurora.”
Aly blinked. “Wait—Alex Grayson? Mr I Only Follow Two People? And one of them being you”
“Yup,” Jennie said, popping the p proudly. “And the other one’s Joshua, obviously, because they’re attached at the brooding hip. But that’s it! He literally follows no one from this university except me and that asshole of a best friend.”
She raised her eyebrows at me.
“And now you.”
I blinked, cheeks heating.
I like him. I like Alex. We were both British, and he reminded me of something I miss a lot. Home.
Aly grinned. “Well, you just became part of an elite club, babe. Cold-hearted Instagram boy doesn’t follow anyone without a reason.”
Jennie sipped her drink, muttering, “Maybe he’s trying to balance Joshua’s karma by being nice to someone.”
They all laughed.
And I forced a little smile too, but my mind was elsewhere. It always is nowadays. It’s always with him.
Would he care? Would he even follow me?
No one here knew about the quiet friendship that bloomed between us, the kind that lived behind closed doors, soft and unseen.
So I just nodded, pressed follow back, and tucked my phone away with shaking fingers.
Jennie bumped my shoulder. “Girl, you’re seriously lucky. He follows no one but me and his twin.”
I smiled faintly. “Guess I’m… lucky then.”