3. Aurora #2
“And how is my favorite person?” I ask, making his stare light up in surprise at my question.
“I’m doing good, Rora, how are you?” he replies with a cocky ease I will never accomplish, and I smirk.
“I was actually talking about Daemon,” I clap back, but instead of being offended, his smile only widens.
“He woke up to me sucking him off, so I’d say he’s pretty good,” he fires back with a wink and no shame, and I groan at the same time as the man in question does.
“Baby, please don’t say shit like that to your sister,” Daemon complains off camera, but my brother only shrugs, staring at his new fiancé in wonder.
I’d be sick with jealousy, at how easy their love is between one another, if I weren’t so happy for them, but that happiness only lasts approximately two seconds before Archer’s attention finally comes back to me in question.
“Did you pick a dress for our engagement party yet?” he asks, reminding me that not only do I still need to pick a dress out for the event, but that next week I’ll be forced into a room with Everest and his two dumb sidekicks, and have to pretend that everything between us is fine.
I’d be lying if I said that dealing with their cold shoulders has been easy, it hasn’t, but it is easier to manage when we aren’t together.
Out of sight and out of mind or whatever, but the few times we have been together over the last year have been the hardest times I ever had to endure.
And yes, I’m including the time I was assaulted at my mother’s charity event a couple of years ago.
That was done by someone who I knew not to trust, the pain was minimal, and the guys got there before it went too far, but this?
This is something I never could have prepared myself to withstand.
We were best friends, I trusted them with everything, right down to protecting me when I needed it most, and now?
Well, now we are nothing, not even friends, and the pain is unlike anything I have ever felt.
“I’ve picked out a few options, I just need to narrow it down,” I lie, knowing when it comes to something trivial like this he won’t notice or dig any deeper.
“Sounds good,” he replies, not the slightest bit interested in my clothing choices, as he sips his pre-workout drink.
“Has Ever checked in on you yet?” he asks with a smirk, presuming that things between me and our other sibling are still the same as they once were, despite the tension he has seen between us in recent times.
He probably chalks it up to regular sibling drama.
“Hmm, oh yeah, I saw him and the guys over the weekend,” I reply as casually as possible, and it’s not technically a lie. I did see them, but I wouldn’t exactly call what happened between us checking in.
“Good, at least with those three around I know that nobody will be messing with you,” he grunts, no doubt remembering that awful night at the charity event as well as I do, and I almost snort a laugh.
Nope the three guys you see as my protectors are the only ones treating me badly, Big Brother.
“Yeah,” I agree noncommittally, before I add, “Well, listen, Arch, I’d love to stay and chat but I have another class soon and I need to eat my lunch, so I better go.” I force a fake smile across my mouth and my lie allows me to quickly wrap up the call and say goodbye.
I love my brother, I really do, but lying to him daily about my secret feelings is hard enough without also lying about Everest and the guys too.
As soon as the call is over I tuck into my lunch, enjoying the quiet calm of an early morning break before the mad rush of the rest of the campus, except that calm only lasts about five minutes.
I’m barely a quarter through my lunch when I spot him, and as I contemplate how quick I could escape before he sees me, his eyes, as if they knew I was there, instantly flick in my direction.
A broad smile spreads across Griffin’s face as he spots me, a smile I fell in love with before I even knew what love was, and before I can do anything, like flee, he is marching toward me with his friend Bishop in tow.
The few people who are around, mostly girls, follow their movements and I roll my eyes, already packing up my lunch.
“Rora, looking good, sweetheart,” Griffin grunts, spinning one of the chairs until the back faces me and straddling it, leaning his arms across the top. “Did you enjoy the rest of your weekend?” he asks, no malice or amusement in his tone, as if Friday night never even happened.
Is he kidding me? That’s how he wants to play this?
“You mean after my step brother banished me from your house?” I ask in confirmation, noting the way he flinches a little at my words. “Oh yeah, it was splendid,” I scoff, shoving the remains of my lunch in my bag, just as Bishop comes to a stop at the table and offers me a wry smile.
Bishop Burke has been friends with the guys for as long as I can remember, and I’ve always liked him.
He’s a good guy, a good friend, and the only one of them who hasn’t treated me like a complete and total pariah in the last year.
“Aurora, good to finally see you’re a Flyer,” he greets with a smile, tapping the center of his FU hockey jersey before holding out his fist for me to bump, and as mad as I am at the guys, it doesn’t extend to him.
I hit his fist with my own, offering him a genuine smile. “Bishop, it’s good to see you, I’ve missed your crazy, how’s your dad?” I ask, and his smile widens at the fact I’ve not only remembered about his dad’s car accident, but asked about it too.
“He’s good, said physical therapy is a bitch, but he’s getting there,” he replies with a more serious smile now, and I nod along to his words.
“Well pass on my love and tell him I’m thinking about him,” I reply, rising to my feet and tossing my bag over my shoulder with another smile.
“I’ve got to go, but I’ll see you around, okay, we’ll do lunch one day and catch up, just the two of us,” I add, directing my words only to him, not bothering to give Griffin a second look.
Bishop smirks knowingly, throwing himself into the seat I just vacated and spreading out, as he flicks his stare between Griffin and I. “Yeah, Rora, I’m sure I’ll see you around.”
I nod with another smile and turn on my heel.
“Really, Aurora? It’s like that?” Griffin calls out to my back, and the only response he gets is my middle finger.
I’ve begged for their attention and reasonings for the last fucking twelve months, and he made it perfectly clear where he stands on Friday night, and it’s next to my brother. So fuck him, and fuck my brother too.
I’m done.