Chapter 70
[LOPEZ MANSION]
Roseanne's face filled the screen first.
Her camera was shaky, angled slightly too low, showing the edge of her jaw and the top of her messy bun.
She adjusted it roughly, clearly irritated, and the moment her face settled fully into frame, the frustration was obvious.
"This is actually insane," she snapped.
Oma, lying flat on her bed with her phone propped against a pillow, frowned slightly.
"You just opened the call, relax."
"I am relaxed," Roseanne shot back immediately. "This is me relaxed."
Ivy sighed from her own screen, sitting cross-legged on her chair, chin resting in her palm. "You're not relaxed. Your eyebrows are literally touching."
Roseanne ignored that. "I texted her, okay? I texted her properly. Not attitude, not accusation, nothing. Just normal. I asked how she was. I even told her she didn't have to talk about anything if she wasn't ready."
Oma watched her quietly.
"And you know what she did?" Roseanne continued, voice rising. "She blocked me. Immediately. No reply. No typing. Nothing. Just- blocked."
Ivy's shoulders dropped slightly. "She blocked you?"
"Yes!" Roseanne threw her hand up.
"Blocked. Like I was some random person disturbing her peace. Like we didn't just spend months together every single day."
She leaned back against her headboard, clearly trying to control herself and failing.
"I even tried, okay?" she muttered. "I didn't want her to feel lonely. I didn't want her thinking we all just forgot her because of Aurora or whatever happened. I was literally trying to be nice."
Oma exhaled slowly. "Well... I guess that's one friend down."
Ivy turned sharply to her screen. "Oma."
"What?" Oma shrugged. "I'm just saying. If she wants to isolate herself like that-"
"Guys, come on," Ivy cut in. "She shouldn't affect us this much. Maybe she just needs space. Maybe she's overwhelmed-"
Roseanne stared at her like she'd just said something ridiculous.
"Seriously?" she asked flatly. "Are you being fucking serious right now?"
Ivy blinked. "I'm just trying to-"
"Trying to what? Justify her?" Roseanne leaned forward. "I literally went out of my way to make sure she didn't feel alone. I swallowed my pride and texted her first. And she blocked me. And you're saying she needs space?"
Ivy rubbed her temple. "I'm saying maybe she doesn't know how to handle it..."
"Then she could've said that!" Roseanne snapped. "She could've replied. She could've typed anything. Even 'leave me alone.' But no. Block."
Silence stretched briefly.
Roseanne shook her head, laughing bitterly. "Months of friendship for nothing. Just like that."
Oma's expression softened slightly. "Rose..."
Roseanne waved her off. "No, because it's actually crazy. We were there for her. Every day. Every single day. And now suddenly we're the enemies?"
Ivy shifted uncomfortably. "Maybe she's just embarrassed. Everything happened publicly. The whole Leonard thing, Aurora, the group-"
"Then you chat her up," Roseanne cut in immediately. "Go ahead. Text her. Let's see if she blocks you too."
Ivy froze.
Roseanne folded her arms. "Maybe then you'll be yapping like me right now."
Oma let out a small breath. "Okay. Fine."
Both girls looked at her.
"Ivy and I will text her," Oma said calmly.
"Separately. No pressure, no drama. Just normal."
Roseanne watched her carefully.
"And if she does the same thing?" Ivy asked.
Oma shrugged slightly. "Then we let her go. Because at that point, she's the one choosing it. Not us."
Roseanne's jaw tightened. "You sure?" she asked quietly.
"Yeah," Oma replied. "We've tried. You tried. If she blocks all of us, then that's not misunderstanding. That's a decision."
Ivy nodded slowly. "Okay... I'll text her."
Roseanne leaned back again, still upset but calmer now. "I just... I didn't want it to end like this."
Oma's voice softened. "It might not. But we can't force her."
Ivy picked up her phone. "I'm texting now."
The three of them fell quiet, waiting.
Roseanne stared at her screen, fingers tapping anxiously against her arm.
Oma watched Ivy's face.
And Ivy watched the chat, waiting to see if
Kiara would reply...
or block again.
★
[RAVEN MANSION]
Aurora woke like she'd been pulled up from deep water.
Her breath came first. Then the feeling.
Warmth. A solid chest beneath her cheek.
The faint scent she somehow remembered, clean, sharp, something dark she couldn't name but recognized instantly.
Leonard.
The memory faded the second she fully opened her eyes.
Her ceiling stared back at her. Her room. Quiet. Safe.
Aurora blinked slowly, disoriented.
She lifted her hand and rubbed her face, then turned slightly, checking the time on her phone.
4:52 PM.
Her brows pulled together.
She had slept that long?
She pushed herself up against the headboard, hair messy, mind still foggy.
The dream lingered in fragments. Water. Panic. Strong arms. His voice. The way he'd held her against him like she might break.
She swallowed.
Why did she remember the way he smelled? Dior Sauvage Elixir. That intoxicating cologne.
That was... weird.
Her fingers tightened slightly around the duvet.
She unlocked her phone. The group chat sat at the top. Missed call notification.
Dozens of messages.
She opened it.
Roseanne's messages dominated the screen.
- She blocked me
- She actually blocked me
- I was literally trying to be nice
- What the hell did I even do
- I swear I'm done
- I'm so done
Ivy's replies layered between them.
- Calm down
- Roseanne relax
- We'll talk to her again
- Don't take it personally
Oma's messages were shorter.
- Let it go
- If she doesn't want us she doesn't want us
- Don't stress
Aurora scrolled silently.
Her thumb paused.
No text from Leonard.
She didn't know why she noticed that.
She locked the phone and dropped it beside her.
Then she leaned back fully, eyes on the ceiling, one arm resting over her stomach.
Silence filled the room.
And her mind betrayed her.
It started small.
The dance class. His hand gripping hers, forcing her to move. The way he'd pulled her closer when she tried to step back.
Then the basketball court. The huge screen. His eyes finding hers in the crowd.
The hallway. Their shoulders colliding. His hand grabbing her wrist before she could walk away.
The pool.
Her breath catching as she remembered the cold water. The panic. Then him.
Pulling her out. Holding her.
The rooftop.
The wind. The city lights. His hand at her waist. His voice low near her ear.
The kiss.
Her fingers curled slightly over the duvet.
Then the previous night.
The riverside. The lights. The ice cream.
The way he wiped her lip without asking. The way he carried her when her head hurt. The second ice cream. The kiss on the hood of the car.
And the last one. In the car.
Soft. Unexpected. Quiet.
She inhaled slowly.
Her chest felt... tight.
Not painful.
Just full.
She turned her head slightly, staring at nothing.
Leonard had forced his way into every moment of her life. Tough. Rough. Annoying.
Impossible. Overbearing. Arrogant.
But now...
Now when she thought of him, her stomach did something strange.
Not fear.
Not anger.
Something different.
Something she didn't want to name.
She exhaled slowly, pressing her lips together.
Her fingers lifted unconsciously, brushing her lower lip lightly.
Like she was checking if the warmth was still there.
She dropped her hand quickly.
"Ridiculous," she muttered under her breath.
She shifted on the bed, turning slightly onto her side, then back again, restless.
Her mind kept replaying him. His voice.
His eyes. The rare moments he didn't say anything. The way he looked at her like he already knew something she didn't.
Her breathing slowed.
She closed her eyes.
Not sleeping. Just... letting the thoughts settle.
It's not like she could do anything else anyway.
For the first time, thinking about Leonard didn't exhaust her.
It quieted her.
And that realization sat in her chest longer than she liked.
TBC...