37. Too Much
Chapter thirty-seven
Too Much
Hayes Rosewood
Aurora doesn’t seem like the type of woman who could be bribed.
However, I figure it can’t hurt to give her an iced coffee before dropping the news about my parents on her.
I wait outside the performing arts academy building, grateful that I added an iced coffee sleeve to my purchase this morning.
The sleeves were at the checkout counter, and there was a pink one, so I couldn’t resist. The few dollars is worth it, because it’s protecting my hand from freezing cold condensation on an already blustering day.
I take a sip of my hot coffee, trying to warm myself, though caffeine might be a mistake considering the anxiety pinballing through my chest right now.
The doors open, and a group of slender women dressed in layers with buns on top of their heads pour out.
Aurora is amongst them, wearing a pink leotard that shows beneath her open gray jacket.
The sweatpants she has on are rolled up several times at her waist, and her shoes are bubblegum-pink puffballs.
She looks adorable and beautiful, and I’m about to ruin her entire day.
She tugs out her wired earbuds and tucks them into the pocket of her sweats as she approaches. I extend the coffee toward her, and she accepts it with a faint smile.
“Good morning, beautiful,” I greet, and press a brief kiss to her lips.
She blushes the same shade as her leotard.
“Morning. I didn’t expect you to be waiting out here.”
I swallow and muster up a smile.
“I thought it would be nice to walk together. How was class?” I ask, and take her hand in mine, intertwining our fingers. The action grounds me, stifling some of my worries.
“It was good,” Aurora replies softly, taking a sip of her iced coffee. “The instructor complimented my form, which is rare. She’s more likely to point out faults than anything.”
“That’s great,” I say with a real smile, bringing her hand up to kiss the back of it. “I’m proud of you.”
Her blush deepens a shade. She looks down at the ground as we walk.
“It’s not that big of a deal.”
“Anything involving you is a big deal,” I correct. “You are royalty after all.”
Aurora groans. “Are you ever going to drop that bit?”
“Unlikely.”
She shakes her head, but she’s smiling as she takes another sip of her coffee.
It’s quiet for a moment, and my mind races to fill in the gaps with everything that could go wrong in our upcoming conversation.
Aurora seems oblivious to my spiral, which is good.
She’s surveying the path ahead of us, which is teeming with students and staff alike.
Almost all of whom turn to look as we pass.
“Do you think I’ll get used to this?” she asks. “Being watched.”
My heart sinks at the discomfort in her tone. It was easy enough to play things off when we were fake dating, but now that this is real, she has to contend with what it means to be attached to a Rosewood. And if we stay together, it will only get worse from here.
“I hope so,” I answer in a quiet voice. “But I guess I don’t know what it’s like to be without the spotlight. There was no transition for me, since I grew up this way.”
“I can’t imagine,” she murmurs. “But I guess you can get used to just about anything with time, right?”
She squeezes my hand. I squeeze it back.
“Right.”
Unless, of course, time just brings about resentment.
I could see Aurora growing tired of the social outings and appearances.
It’s not hard to imagine her hating everything to do with the world I grew up in.
She thinks regular parties are torture tactics.
A gala teeming with politics and fake smiles would be the bane of her existence.
I don’t know how I’m going to ask this of her.
We need time, but even then, would that help? Maybe it just puts off the pain for a later date. I can see the computer science building up ahead, and my stomach flips. If I don’t tell her soon, I’ll just keep putting it off until my parents get angry, which wouldn’t do either of us any favors.
I tug Aurora off the path and to a stop beneath a mostly barren tree. A few leaves cling to the branches, but the majority are deposited on the ground beneath our feet.
“I need to talk to you about something,” I say, forcing the words out.
“Is everything okay?” she asks, worry etched into her expression.
“Not really,” I say with a weak laugh. “My parents called.”
Her brows pull together. We haven’t talked much about my family life at all, so she doesn’t know the implications of those three words.
“What did they say?”
I pause and draw in a fortifying breath.
“They found out about us.”
“Oh,” she says, her eyes widening a little.
“They want to meet you. I know this is all so new, but if they don’t meet you soon, I’m worried they’ll be upset whenever we are ready for an introduction.”
Some of the color drains out of her expression, but she nods.
“Okay, that makes sense. You met my parents, so if you need me to meet yours, that’s okay too.”
I rip the next Band-Aid off. “They live in New York City.”
Aurora doesn’t say anything. I can see her mind working, though, probably thinking of how terrible this is.
“We’d take a jet to the city. I can make it a day trip, but at most we’d stay one night,” I tell her quickly, hoping to soften her to the idea.
I wouldn’t blame her if she refused. She’s busy, and this is short notice, as well as likely to be unpleasant. There’s no reason for her to—
“Okay,” she says, surprising me.
“Okay?” I echo.
She dips her chin. “You’ve done so much for me, it only makes sense to return the favor. Plus, I’ve never been to New York.”
A small smile graces her lips. She’s completely unaware of our impending doom, but seeing her happy lightens the burden on my shoulders.
“Would you want to stay a night, then? I could show you around the city,” I offer.
Her eyes light up. “If it’s not too much.”
In spite of the foreboding feeling building in my chest, I can’t help but smile at her excitement.
“Nothing is too much when it comes to you, Princess.”