3. Aurora
I hate my stupid asshole of a brother. He’s dumb, and stupid, and just so damn hateful.
Today is my thirteenth birthday and our parents are throwing me a huge party at our summer house, and instead of enjoying it, I just had to watch that asshole kiss Stacey Smith behind the pool house.
I mean Stacey Smith, really? I mean yeah, she’s the most popular girl in my class, but she’s a huge bitch, what in the world could he possibly see in her?
He knows I hate her, so why the hell would he do that to me?
I don’t know why, and it’s not like I stuck around to find out, even as he pulled away and saw me watching them.
No, I bolted to my secret hiding place so none of our friends would see my tears.
I don’t know why I’m even crying, but now my face is red and puffy, and my stupid dress doesn’t seem as cute as it did a few hours ago when he told me I looked pretty.
I hate him.
Everest is usually my favorite person in the entire world, but right now I’m just so mad at him.
A twig cracks beneath someone’s shoe and my eyes snap up, but instead of the moody eyes of my brother, I find those of his best friend Harden’s instead.
His eyes are just as inquisitive as always, like they hold an ocean of deep, vast secrets, ones that only darken when he spies my tears.
What happened, Aurora? He quickly signs, and it takes me a few seconds to work out what he said between my tears, and the fact I haven’t been learning as long as he has.
“Nothing, Harden, I’m fine,” I lie, dashing away my tears, but he knows me too well for me to hide my feelings, and instead ignores my words and drops down in front of me onto his knees.
You’re a terrible liar.
He’s right, I am a terrible liar, but I can’t tell him why I’m upset, not really anyway, but maybe I can bend the truth a little.
“Everest kissed Stacey,” I start carefully, measuring my words, knowing that he will detect any hitch in my voice, and when his face remains both confused and impassive, I quickly add, “Well she should know my brother is off limits, isn’t that like an unwritten rule of girlhood or something? ”
I don’t know why I’m so jealous. I mean I do, but I don’t fully understand it. It’s not like I care when I see Archer kissing someone. My friends are always crushing over him and it doesn’t bother me in the slightest, but whenever they mention Everest it’s like a knife to my already bleeding heart.
It was only a kiss, I’m sure it meant nothing to him. He signs, probably thinking that will make me feel better, but honestly it makes me feel worse.
“Yeah, well, It’s not like I would know, no one ever wants to kiss me, not with you guys always scaring them away,” I huff, and I’m granted with one of his rare smiles.
Is that what you want, Aurora, to be kissed by one of those punks? He questions, nodding his head back in the direction of the party, and I force myself not to drop my stare to his lips, as I snap back at him.
“I want to be kissed by anyone,” I rush out far too quickly, only realizing my mistake when his eyes widen at my response. “Forget I said that,” I add, pushing back up to my feet and dusting off my dress, but Harden only follows, his intense stare now holding mine.
You’ve never been kissed? He signs, searching my eyes and ignoring my no doubt now reddening cheeks, until I sigh and shake my head.
When he doesn’t sign anything else, I huff. “You can’t honestly be surprised, you guys chase away every single guy that comes within fifty feet of me,” I explain pointlessly, but he doesn’t respond to that, just continues to hold my stare, as if searching for the lie.
When he doesn’t find it, the intensity only grows, an emotion I can’t place in his stare, as he takes a tentative step toward me.
He signs something else, but I miss whatever it is, too focused on how he’s looking at me.
Like I mean something, like this moment does.
He takes one more step and I have to tilt my head slightly to keep meeting his stare.
My heart is beating wildly in my chest and my hands fist into the skirt of my dress so I don’t do something stupid like reach out and touch him.
He doesn’t like that, but thankfully I am still frozen, as his own hands come up once more and I think he is going to sign something again, but instead one of them rises to my mouth and the pads of his fingers dance along my lips.
“Harden,” I whisper breathlessly, almost desperately, not sure why I am even saying his name, but that one word erupts something between us.
His hands cup my cheeks and then his lips are on mine, gently, exploratory, oh so perfectly, and everything else just falls away.
There is no party, no Everest, no confusion, no heartbreak, just the feel of my first kiss with one of my best friends.
Our lips move in sync dragging me down even further into my unrequited crush.
It’s soft with the perfect amount of pressure, and when his tongue gently trails along my lips and I open up, it feels euphoric.
Our tongues massage one another, a deep groan rumbling in his chest, before he roughly rips himself away.
I’m half dazed as I meet his stare again, his eyes now a mixture of panic and revelation, as his shaky fingers sign. Happy Birthday Aurora .
Then he’s gone, taking my first kiss, and my heart, with him.
I startle awake from the dream, the memory so raw and fresh that I can still feel the pressure of his mouth against mine even five years later.
It’s been two days since Harden walked me home and slept right here next to me, and his scent still lingers between my sheets like a plague.
It’s a fucking delicious torture, and I groan as it once again assaults me as I roll over in bed.
The party on Friday was a fucking disaster, which I can’t say I’m surprised, but I am still reeling about how Griffin and Harden reacted to seeing me.
Everest of course was pissed as hell, but that’s how he’s been for the last year, even on the few rare occasions that mom forced him home.
Sure, he acted normal in front of our parents and Arch, but other than that it was like I didn’t exist, like I was invisible, which of course also extended to the guys.
It would be annoying if it weren’t so predictable, but that’s just what the three of them are like, all for one and one for all.
Except for on Friday night.
When I showed up at the party, I did it with my invisible armor firmly in place, because I expected cruel taunts and veiled threats, yet instead I got the opposite.
Well, not from Everest, from him I got exactly what I expected, but with Griffin and Harden it was different.
Griffin looked genuinely happy to see me, like he had truly missed me, and Harden looked relieved, like this baseless war between us was taking its first step to waving a white flag.
I felt that shift and I know they did too, but now it’s been radio silence once more.
I’ve barely settled into my dorm because as much as I want to be here, without them by my side, it doesn’t feel like home.
I’ve only unpacked my art supplies and some clothes, just the necessities I need to be comfortable, not that I could ever be such a thing when I’m still at odds with the guys, but still I’m trying.
I stumble past the still half packed boxes and go through the motions of getting ready and going to my morning classes.
I spied Everest across the quad on the way, but after a quick double take, he ignored me completely.
Which is fine I guess, I mean, it’s not like I’m not used to it these days, and it will only be worse now I’m here on campus with him.
So, instead of wallowing in my self pity, I headed to class and focused on my work.
I’m taking art and business, the former my one true passion, the latter a requirement from my parents, and I feel thoroughly prepared for both.
School has always been my strong point, I’m a nerd and proud of it, and following in both Archer and Everest’s footsteps here at Fairfield, it just feels right.
As if just the thought of him conjures him, my phone starts to vibrate with an incoming FaceTime call, and when I pull it out, I spy my brother’s face.
“Wow, it only took you three days to stalk me,” I start by way of greeting, grabbing my lunch order from the takeout window and taking a seat under one of the umbrellas.
My brother Archer plays hockey for the New York Rangers, which means since he graduated two years ago, he isn’t just famous in Fairfield anymore.
He and all his friends were drafted to major NHL teams, and can’t go anywhere these days without being recognized.
Which unfortunately extends to Everest and I, although I’m not sure it bothers Ever as much as it bothers me, not if the girls all over him on Friday night are anything to go by anyway.
It’s not that I don’t like attention, everyone wants it at some point or another, but I only want it from the right people.
Growing up with money makes people look at you differently.
Either you have way more than them, or not enough to be considered truly one of them.
Either side of the scale isn’t fun and it meant I always found it hard to fit in and make real friends.
That’s only gotten worse since Archer was thrust into the spotlight, and I know he hates it just as much as I do.
Not because he doesn’t like the attention, he loves it, thrives on it, always has, but for his fiancé, Daemon, it’s a different story entirely.
Their entire life is under a microscope constantly, and he’s nothing if not protective of the people he loves.
“Daemon said I had to wait that long,” Archer replies with a sheepish smile, and I roll my eyes at him, more than used to his antics.