Chapter 77
1463words
Aurora nodded, glancing towards her friends who bobbed their head along with her. Her mother's lips split into a large grin, her silver eyes twinkling with excitement.
She jammed her palms together, "Oh, I always knew you would make me proud." Aurora stiffened when Miriam pulled her into a hug, "This calls for a celebration, we have to throw a party as soon as possible."
Her ears perked up at that and she quickly pulled herself away from the hug, "What about tonight?" She queried hopefully.
"Tonight?" Miriam cocked a brow, looking between her and the others.
Mason slipped in, nearing her, "Yes, Mrs Rochester, it has been too long since anyone has thrown a party in Rosedale, think if it as you opening the season."
Miriam fell silent, her thinking face coming on and Aurora crossed her fingers behind her back. Then she smiled, her mouth growing wide with elation,
"That's a wonderful idea, Mason!"
"Agreed," Natasha chipped in, "But it has to be big, a night to be remembered for months."
Her mother was nodding along already and Aurora could see the gears turning in her head, "But we don't have enough time, it's already-"
"Twelve pm," Mason interrupted sweetly, linking his amr through hers, "That's more than enough time to prepare, we could help you out."
Aurora lifted a hand, "I'd send the invitations, Natasha is good with designing e-cards."
Natasha grinned, pulling up her thumb in an 'okay' gesture.
"And," Mason piped up, "I could be your personal secretary for the day."
"Well-"
"Don't worry, mom," Aurora pressed, smiling warmly, "Everything will go perfectly."
Her mother nodded, a determined expression flashing in her eyes. As Mason led the older woman away, she threw him a discreet but grateful look, he just winked in return, sweeping her mother away.
"Alright," She turned towards Natasha, propping her hands on her hips, "Let's get to work."
The preparation took a lot of time, mostly because they had to redecorate the entire house. Her mother and Mason had to plan out an entire meal, they'd even bought a three tier cake to top it all. Natasha helped her design a hundred e-cards and sent it out to hundreds of people, including the town's mayor and everyone in their school. Of course, they had to tweak a little details in the invitation.
"Are you sure this is going to be fine?" Natasha had asked earlier, concern shining in her eyes.
She'd smiled ruefully, placing an arm around her shoulders, "I hope so," She had replied.
By the time they were done, it was a little past seven and everywhere had turned dark. Her father had returned a while back and retired to his room to change.
It was quite difficult to keep her mother's phone away from her so that she wouldn't see any update from the school board. By the time it was past eight, the living room was beginning to get crowded and her mom was ushering people in. Natasha had to go home to dress quickly while Mason was proactive enough to bring his tux along with him.
Aurora stared at her reflection through the full length mirror, admiring the deep blue dress that her father had brought in for her. At first, she was skeptical when he walked into her room, looking all shifty and holding a large box in his hand.
Her skepticism only grew when she opened the box and saw the dress. Her father had never taken the time to personally pick out something for her so it was a first and it was hard to keep a straight face when he kept looking at her with those big hopeful emerald eyes. He'd brought it as a congratulatory gift and she'd almost spilled the truth right there and then but luckily, he has received an urgent phone call and excused himself.
It stunned her but the dress perfectly molded against her curves. It was a mermaid like design, the bodice was tight-fitting up until the knee length where it flowed freely to the ground, pooling around her legs. Her head was swept to the side in fanciful curls and a tiny tiara, courtesy of her mother, was placed atop her head to complete the look.
"Has anyone ever told you how much you look like a regency queen?"
Her eyes grew wide on hearing the familiar voice and she slowly spun around to see Ryan leaning against the doorframe, his hands folded against his broad chest,
"Ryan?" She gasped in surprise, stalking forward, "I'm so glad to see you. When did you get here?"
He shrugged, walking further into the room and kicking the door shut with his booted foot. She eyed his outfit curiously, he was dressed in black pants paired with a belt and a white and blue striped shirt that had the logo of a company pasted on the breast pocket and then a cap sat on his head, shielding his face from the light,
"A while back, I had to come in with the electric team," No wonder he was dressed like that, "But it's crazy down there, I didn't realize how large your house actually is."
She didn't know what to say to that so she just smiled. He whistled lowly, obviously still surprised by their display of wealth,
"You must've felt really disgusted coming up to my apartment every time," His eyes flashed with shame and she instantly shook her head, taking his hands into hers.
"Don't say that," She chastised softly, "The truth is, I felt more at home in your apartment than I've ever felt living here."
His head cocked to the side, an accessing look in his orbs. Finally, he sighed, drawing her in for a hug.
"Are you ready for tonight?" He murmured and she sighed, grateful for the change in topic.
She pulled back to stare at him better, "If I'm being honest, I have no idea what to say," She blew out a breath and he cupped her cheek, "I don't want to blow it up, this is the only opportunity I'll ever have."
"It's not your only opportunity," He encouraged, smiling warmly, "Even if this fails, you'll have millions other opportunities to stand up for what you want."
She chuckled wryly, her brows knitting together, "By then it'd be too late and she'd have had me married off."
A hesitant emotion flashed in his orbs, however he cupped her other cheek, forcing her to stare into his intense orbs.
"I know you're going to do great out there. You're strong and brave, braver than a lot of girls, plus you haven't come this far just for everything to go to waste," His gaze was unwavering and she found herself being cocooned in the fierceness behind his dark eyes, "You can do this. I believe in you."
She covered his palm with hers, squeezing gently, "Thank you," She whispered, wishing she could say more than that.
What she felt for Ryan was undoubtedly more than gratitude but for some reason, she couldn't embolden herself enough to say the words.
Aurora gave him one last tight smile before trying to move awa from his grasp but he held her firmly.
"Ryan, I have to go now," She muttered, "It's almost time-"
He pressed his forehead against hers, drawing in a long breath, "I know," He whispered weakly, "I know but before you go, I just want you to know this."
Aurora waited, her eyes searching his for some sort of clue. He looked very tense, his eyes nervous and his fingers shaky.
"Ryan, are you okay?" She asked, peering at him with concern and raising a hand to press at the side of his face. That only caused him to take in another sharp inhale and she quickly dropped her hand but he caught her wrist, intertwining their fingers together.
"Before you leave, Aurora, I want you to know," He repeated, this time steely determination rising in his orbs, "I need you to know that I love you. I have no idea when I began feeling this way and I don't expect you to say it back but I just want to let you know that it's never going to change, I love you, Aurora and I'm thankful that I got to experience this feeling with you."
It felt like the entire world was swept from underneath her feet and she couldn't breath, couldn't move, couldn't even blink. Ryan smiled at her state of shock and proceeded to press a kiss on the tip of her nose,
"I'll leave you to finish up," He threw her one last warm smile before walking out and leaving her totally at a loss for words.
