Secrets [H.S.]

1.

Aurora DiLorenzo

Malibu. Born and raised. I missed waking up to the calming sounds of the ocean waves lapping onto the sand.

I hadn't been back in two years, since I had moved to New York with Matt. Well, I'd been back to see my dad and Cora, but that was only a few times. I missed it here. The calmness of it all. New York was so fast-paced and busy. I missed being able to catch my breath.

I had been back for two days now. Staring out my bedroom window, I watched as the waves rolled onto the sand, creating a beautiful foam before the next set of waves rolled up to take it away before leaving behind a trail of its own.

"Rora," my dad's voice carried from downstairs. "come on down, breakfast is almost ready."

It was strange being home after so long away, but I honestly missed it. The last year of my life was very confusing for me. I no longer had security. I ended my long term relationship. Nothing bad had happened, Matt and I just grew apart. We dated from junior year of high school up until four months ago when we decided to end things on good terms. We finished out our lease in New York and that's when I decided it was time for me to come home. He stayed there and I wished him the best of luck.

I stood from my windowsill bench as my sweater fell past my cotton shorts. I headed for the stairs and made my way down to the kitchen. As I walked in, I could smell the coffee and the pancakes cooking.

Blueberry. My favorite.

"Good morning, daddy" I slid onto the barstool in front of the kitchen island. I propped my elbows up onto the counter and clasped my hands together under my chin, watching my dad as he flipped the pancakes, glancing at me.

"I was thinking, maybe you could swing by the office later today." He started, putting the last pancake on the plate and turning off the stovetop. "See if it's of any interest to you".

I watched as he placed the plate down in front of me. My father was the CEO of DiLorenzo Inc. A company I wasn't very interested in. It was a great company from what I've heard, a printing company that worked with some of the biggest names in California.  They printed all sorts of things, from books to articles, to God knows what else. In all honesty, it seemed like a boring job.

Truth was, I only got my degree in business because I wasn't totally sure what I wanted to do in life. Hell, I was only 22. Freshly graduated from college and supposed to have everything figured out. I grew up with only my dad and my younger sister, Cora. My mom died of breast cancer when I was four, Cora just a baby. I figured business was in my path since I grew up wanting to be just like my dad.

"Yeah, sure I'll stop by. What time?" I poured some syrup on my pancakes, cutting off a piece to put in my mouth. Delicious. There wasn't anything my dad couldn't do.

"How about 4:00? Before I leave the office? I'll give you a tour of the place. We've renovated since the last time you've been there." He spoke, stopping to take a sip of his coffee.

"Sounds good to me, I'll see you there. You better get going before you're late, daddy." He chuckled, placing his coffee cup in the sink before kissing the top of my head.

"I'll see you at 4:00." He called as he walked toward the front door. Opening it, my sister came stumbling in. "Nice to see you too Cora, glad you made it home last night." He joked, hurrying past her. She smiled at him, before making her way into the kitchen.

"You look terrible," I stated finishing off my last pancake. I took a sip of my coffee, wondering how she got away with half the shit she did. She groaned, sliding into the stool next to me placing her head down on the countertop.