26. Aurora
Chapter twenty-six
Aurora
T he silence in this house is deafening. I never thought I’d miss Jax’s terrible cooking or Aiden’s constant bickering, but here I am, longing for any sign of normalcy. How did we go from a makeshift family to strangers under one roof?
The soft hum of the TV is the only sound and my solo companion. I’m not even watching it. Not really. It’s just the only thing keeping me from being totally drowned in thoughts, just white noise filling the void where laughter and arguments used to be.
I sigh, leaning my head back against the couch. The past few days have been a special kind of hell. Jax’s absence feels like a physical ache, a constant reminder of how royally I’ve screwed things up. And Aiden? He’s here, but not really. We orbit each other like wary planets, careful never to collide.
I mean, what am I going to do? It feels too weird to just go to his door. And if I’m being honest, I’m not sure I’d be able to look at his bed without remembering how it felt to be wrapped in his arms.
A week ago, my biggest worry was hiding my feelings for Aiden. Now? Now I’m wondering if our little family will ever recover from the bomb we dropped on it. It’s almost like nothing else matters when Aiden and I are together. I just can’t wrap my head around the fact that I willingly blew up everyone’s spot without caring about what it could do to their friendship and our living situation.
I can’t help but feel like a selfish jerk.
Katarina’s been giving me the side-eye lately, and I know she knows something’s up. And honestly? I’m terrified to say anything, I love that girl to bits, but I can already hear her lecture, “Aurora, honey, banging your brother’s bestie is like, rule number one in the ‘What Not To Do’ handbook’.”
And she’s not wrong.
I mean, who in their right mind thinks, ‘You know what would make this living situation better? A steamy affair!’
“This is such a friggin mess,” I groan to my empty living room. Unsurprisingly, the walls offer zero advice.
I grab my tea, hoping the warmth will inspire some brilliant plan to fix this disaster. Step one, get Jax to come home. Geezus good luck with that. I mean he’s gone full ghost mode on me. My voicemails might as well be going to a black hole.
Then Aiden. Just thinking his name makes my stomach do this weird flip-flop thing. “Yeah, I’m not touching that with a ten-foot pole,” I mutter, hoping saying it out loud will make it true.
A knock at the door jolts me out of my pity party. I frown, glancing at the clock. Too early for mail, too late for Girl Scouts pushing cookies …though honestly, I could use a box of those damn Thin Mints right about now.
I tiptoe to the door, mentally kicking myself for being too cheap to spring for one of those doorbell camera thingies. Another impatient knock has me peeking through the peephole, and suddenly, I’m hoping it’s a solar panel salesman. Hell, I’d even take a Jehovah’s Witness over this right now.
Oh. My. God.
Turner’s standing at my front door like some blast from the past I never asked for. It’s been months since I’ve seen him, but I should’ve known he’d pull something like this. He’s always had a habit of sending one of his minions to talk to me before he swooped in to make a grand entrance himself.
He always did like to send in his minions before making his grand entrance.
I pull out my phone and fire off a quick SOS text to Jax. Here’s hoping. And with a deep breath that does absolutely nothing to calm my nerves, I open the door.
“Turner. What are you doing here?”
I hoped time and my absence would hit him hard, but he’s just as annoyingly attractive as he was when I left.
His skin is still lightly tanned, seeming to glow under the Florida sun, and his dark brown hair is perfectly styled with not a strand out of place. He makes me feel downright frumpy by comparison.
“I came to see you,” he says, voice pitched calmly as if he were just talking about the weather.
“Why?”
He does that head tilt thing that used to make my heart flutter. Now it just makes me want to tilt his head right off his shoulders. “Why? Are you really asking me that?”
Nothing he says is ever as it seems, not even when he proposed to me.
I cross my arms, channeling my inner ice queen. It’s taken me way too long to realize that talking to Turner is like playing chess with a cheater. Every move is calculated, every word a trap. Every conversation means having to be on guard.
Not once have I ever felt this when talking with Aiden. It isn’t that we never bickered. Half of our conversations are arguing about stupid things like whose spoon was left in the sink or why coffee isn’t a food group. No intention. No underlying scheme.
With Turner, on the other hand, it’s like going to a war you know you can’t win. I hated it then, and I hate it even more now that I know what it is.
“Yes, I am,” I say simply.
Turner shakes his head as if my answer hurts him so deeply when I know he really doesn’t give a shit— he’ll say anything to get what he wants.
“Aurora, I’ve been thinking a lot about what happened between the two of us, and now I realize that I don’t want to lose you.”
“Now you realize?” I snort at his words— Turner narrows his eyes. ‘Oops,’ I forgot he hates that. He doesn’t like being laughed at—he thinks I’m not taking his words seriously.
“It’s just we’ve been together so long, Aurora. We shouldn’t just throw our past away. I really want to fight for us, for our relationship.”
“Relationship,” I bark. “Our past is exactly why I don’t want to fight for it.” I know he doesn’t like hearing it, but honestly, at this point, I really don’t care. It’s the truth. My time away from him has only highlighted how much I do not want to be with him. I’m way happier now than I ever was with him, even with all of the drama.
Turner’s eyes narrow. “You don’t really mean that, Aurora. I know you still love me.”
This time, I feel nothing but revulsion at his words. Every part of me wants nothing to do with him.
Obviously, his latest arm candy… I mean ‘fiance’, didn’t work out either, Shocker.
It’s strange how things can change in just a few months and some distance.
“ No I don’t. I loved who I thought you were,” I corrected. “But that was then. I’ve moved on, and it’s time you did, too. Besides, what are you even talking about? Aren’t you like engaged? Leave me the hell alone, Turner.”
Now, with new eyes, I can easily see his manipulative tactics at work.
I move to close the door, but I’m stopped by Turner’s hand.
“Aurora, please don’t do this. I can’t live without you. I don’t want to.”
“That’s not my problem anymore, Turner. Let go of the door.”
I tried to push it closed, but he’s still standing in the way. I don’t notice him inching closer until his foot is now over the doorway. “Move.”
“Aurora, be reasonable,” he tries again, voice going syrupy sweet. I always hated when he did that. It made everything he said sound so condescending, making my defenses shoot up, and now is no different.
“You know no one is going to love you like I do.”
And just like that, any lingering feelings I might’ve had turn to ash. Every cell in my body screams, Nope! so loud I’m surprised he can’t hear it.
“And that’s a good thing,” I shoot back. “Your love isn’t what I want or need, and now you need to leave.”
“Aurora you—“
“What are you doing here?”
Jax’s voice surprises me, and my surprise has the door flying open when I stop pushing. Turner stumbles closer to me, and I back up when Jax enters, and Aiden rounds the corner coming from behind me. Turner whirls around, eyes going wide when he sees Jax but narrowing again when he sees Aiden.
“I’m talking to Aurora,” Turner says, like he’s explaining something to a child.
“No, you’re not,” I snap back, finding my voice. “You’re leaving. Now.”
Aiden steps up, all righteous fury. “Who’s this asshole?” His eyes narrow, “Wait, is this the ex? Tom?”
“It’s Turner,” comes a snarled reply. I have to bite my lip to keep from laughing at how offended he sounds. Jax moves forward, but Aiden holds him back. I can’t help the little thrill I feel seeing Turner flinch. He soon recovers, mouth pressing in a line before he turns his attention back on me.
“Let me guess, this is Aiden.” He nods when my silence confirms his guess. “Brian told me some hockey bozo came up pretending to be your boyfriend.”
I had to force myself not to react. “There’s no pretending. I’ve moved on, and so should you.”
“You heard what she said,” Jax insists.
He doesn’t move from where Aiden stops him, but I see his hands balled into fists. “She’s moved on with someone better, so go away and stay away.”
Turner laughs, but it holds no humor. “You can’t seriously be dating someone who just barely has a career.” He turns to look at me. “Really, Aurora? You’re this desperate to ruin your life by dating some broke wannabe athlete with a shit life and anger management issues?”
Aiden moves looking like he’s prepared to strike, and this time it’s Jax holding him back.
“Who I date isn’t any of your business, Turner— we’re done… please, just leave.”
“It won’t last,” Turner sneers. “Pretty boy here will end up a washed-up alcoholic like his dad—“
Something in me snaps. Something that’s been building since the first time he put me down refuses to be denied any longer, and before I know what I’m doing, my fist is connecting with Turner’s face. Pain explodes in my hand, but the satisfaction of seeing him reel back, a red mark blooming on his cheek, is worth it.
A sickening realization hits me. This asshole must have overheard me talking to my mom about Aiden’s situation in college. Of course, he was eavesdropping, storing away every scrap of information like the manipulative jerk he is.
I know now a narcissist will always weaponize information against you.
Turner gapes at me, shock written all over his face. “What the hell?”
Before I can say anything, Jax grabs Turner by the shirt, shoving him towards the door. “Unless you want to leave here unrecognizable, I suggest you stay the fuck away.” The door slams shut with a satisfying bang.
We stand in the foyer together, the first time we’ve all been in the same space in days. Silence hangs heavy as we stare at the walls, avoiding each other’s eyes. I’m not sure who’s more shocked by what just happened - them or me. As the adrenaline fades, my hand starts to throb, and I can’t hold back a wince. “I think I need an ice pack.”
Holy crap. What the hell just happened?
“Oh shit, yeah,” Jax says. “Let me grab one.”
I watch him go before slowly turning my gaze to Aiden. He reaches out gently, taking my red-thumping hot hand in his.
“Do you think I broke it? I ask.”
Aiden smiles and even with all the throbbing I have to force myself to ignore how my heart flutters— and if I’m being honest his smile’s always had that effect on me. He could probably make a rock blush just by flashing it.
“I don’t think so, but if it hurts too bad, we might need to take you to the emergency room.”
He carefully turns my hand to look at it, and I shiver at his breath blowing over my skin. I know it’s not on purpose, but I can’t stop my body from reacting.
“You got a good hit on him. Have you ever thought about taking up boxing?”
I laugh and shake my head. “I don’t like throwing punches, so what makes you think I’d be okay taking them?“ Aiden’s chuckle warms me, and I look down at our hands. He’s still holding mine, his thumb brushing oh so softly over my sore knuckles.
“You didn’t have to do that you know,” he says finally. “I’m used to people talking shit about me and my old man. And parts of it are true.”
His words are soft, softer than I’ve ever really heard him speak—coated in a sincerity that almost has me wanting Turner to come back so I could punch him again.
“True or not, you didn’t deserve to hear any of that from him.”
We lapse into silence, both staring at our still-joined hands. I hear Jax’s footsteps coming closer and reluctantly start to pull away. But Aiden’s grip tightens ever so slightly, keeping me close for just a moment longer. When our eyes finally meet. I’m forced to push my feelings down, and the moment shatters.
A truce is great, but nothing has been settled. Things are still as messed up as they’ve been, and I’m not sure how to fix it. What now? The air’s cleared of secrets but thick with unspoken words and lingering tension. How do we move forward from here?