Aurora sat comfortably on the front porch steps, legs crossed, sipping her morning coffee. The city's weather was slowly getting better, with blossoming trees and cheerful birdsong. Being up in the morning to enjoy nature's beauty made her happy.
She turned as the front door creaked. Her mother stepped out, coffee in hand.
"Any news from Sofie?" Aurora asked after a sip of her coffee. She sighed softly at the distinct flavour. A tiny sip of coffee could temporarily ease your discomfort.
"Yes, she says your dad is better now. Noah's struggling to juggle his part-time job and studies. Sofie's worried, but I don't think there's much to worry about, right?" Her mother asked. Aurora nodded.
"Tell me, darlin', how's he doing? His grades?"
Aurora shook her head. "He's doing well, Mum. His grades are good too. He's managing fine. No need to worry." She replied softly.
Aurora's mother, Nora, breathed a sigh of relief. "Try talking to him, dear. He's your brother after all. Have a chat." The old lady suggested.
"I'm trying, mum," Aurora sighed. "I went to his restaurant yesterday and told him about the universities that are accepting applications. I'm making an effort, Mum. But it's tough."
Nora smiled warmly at her daughter. "I know."
Aurora looked at her mother. How could one maintain a friendship with an ex for so long? Isn't it painful to see your ex with someone else? But maybe it doesn't hurt if you find someone who knows and loves you even more than your previous partner.
Her parents split up when she was eight. When she asked them why they couldn't stay together like other families, they said their family was different.
Their family was truly unique.
"Do you miss Dad, Mum?" She couldn't help but ask the question that had bothered her since her teens.
"I guess I miss him as a friend. We thought it was love when we got married. We knew each other so well as best friends, and we mistook what we had for love. We married thinking it was true love." Nora gave Aurora a friendly smile. "But we were better off as friends."
Her mother even accompanied her to her father's wedding, ironically Aurora being the flower girl. Aurora couldn't decide if she was happy her father found true love or sad that he would only visit her and not stay.
After marrying Sofie, her father moved to Portsmouth. Aurora would visit him during holidays, but she mostly stayed with her mother. She didn't want her mother to be alone during the holidays. And when Sofie became pregnant with Noah, Aurora saw her father's care and devotion to the woman he loved. A part of her was envious—truly envious. She wished her mother had been pregnant with her brother instead of Sofie, hoping they could have a happy family like others.
But she knew it was impossible.
Sofie was wonderful. Impossible to hate. She treated Aurora just like her mother did.
Nora paused her gaze on the coffee mug in her hand.
"Didn't you try to make it work? I mean, to fix—I don't know." Aurora's voice came out as a whisper.
Nora placed her coffee mug on the ground, her interest in coffee faded, and she stared ahead.
"We did," her mother sighed. "We both tried to make it work, to give you the family you deserved. But it didn't work out in the end. We decided it was better to split and stay friends than to continue in a forced relationship." Nora smiled gently at her daughter.
"Yes. Friends," Aurora mumbled something. She asked her mother, "Did you love Dad, Mum?" She wanted to know if it was love or not, because she could see they loved each other.
"I did."
The two women fell silent.
Yes, Nora did love the man.
Nora could see the longing in her daughter's eyes. She wanted to be selfish and stay married to Aurora's father for the sake of her daughter. But life rarely goes as planned. During Aurora's absence, Joseph and she fought a lot. Even as friends, they probably fought less than when they were married. Nora, as a mother, didn't want their fights to affect Aurora. So, they chose what was best at the time. To move forward in life, but separately.
Aurora's eyes held a yearning for Joseph's affection. She cried quietly with sadness whenever her daughter saw Joseph enjoying time with Sofie and Noah. She tried to move on, give Aurora the family she deserved, and find love like her ex-husband did, but she couldn't, maybe because she loved him deeply.
Nora stood up, gently patting her daughter's shoulder. "I'm visiting your father today. Do you want to come?" She asked.
Aurora was about to decline when her mother spoke again. "I'm going to the supermarket to buy groceries, and you're coming with me."
Aurora shook her head gently, a smile on her lips. "Only if we take the tram." Her mother chuckled at her.
"Just a tram."
♡
Aurora's mum, Nora, agreed to wait at the hospital until Noah arrived so the older ladies could rest, leaving Aurora to tackle the weekly shopping – alone.
She made her way to the checkout after loading her cart with essentials. Nipping her lip, she scanned the store, making sure she hadn't missed anything.
Cereals, tampons, milk, fruits, veggies, chicken wings, noodles.
"Check," Aurora murmured, her list clutched in her hand. Sighing, she shifted her attention to the bloke in front of her, who seemed to take forever pulling notes from his wallet.
Looking at him, she mouthed, "Slowpoke."
Her gaze flicked left, her lips quirking. Her heart raced as she saw the same bloke from the tram flashing her a smile.
The creepy bloke.
Her relief was palpable when the cashier called her over for checkout. She moved quickly and began scanning her items.
From the corner of her eye, she saw him chatting with a young bloke behind the counter, his eyes fixed on her. Why is he staring? She grumbled inwardly. As Aurora noticed the creepy guy exiting the store, she let out a discreet breath. Thank goodness.
Thanking the cashier and paying, she walked out of the supermarket with a smile. Her smile grew wider when she saw him standing a bit away, talking on his phone. She started walking towards her tram stop, attempting to ignore him. Glancing back, worried he might follow, she saw him walking in her direction.
"Why? Seriously, why?" Aurora muttered.
Swiftly getting her tram ticket, she let out a sigh of relief not seeing him behind her. She sat on the bench, grocery bag in hand, waiting for the tram. Unlocking her phone, she started listening to music through her headphones.
Aurora hummed along when she spotted him walking towards her. Surprise painted her face. She quickly took up space on the bench with her bags, turning her head to appear nonchalant.
As the tram arrived, she gathered her stuff and stood. She stepped back as the creepy bloke boarded. Searching for a seat, she sighed when she saw an empty one. But her hope quickly soured as it was right next to the creepy guy with the familiar smirk.
She berated herself mentally for even noticing his smirk. Will fate ever be on her side? All she could do was wish him away in her thoughts.
"Love, why stand when there's an open seat?" An elderly lady pointed to the adjacent spot. Aurora smiled politely, heading towards the very guy she was trying to avoid.
"Modern definition of twists and turns," she muttered.
♡
YOU ARE READING
Rainbows & Promises
Romance"I'm feeling emotions I've never felt before," he murmured, pressing his forehead to hers. "I'm keen on explorin' these sentiments with you. There's no pushing me off. I give you my word, my love." ...
