Fated: A Lover's Journey Against All Odds

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Collin knocked on Aurora's room door. It was just a little after ten so he thought she may be back from her prior engagement. He had texted her earlier but didn't get a response so he thought that she may not have seen his message. He decided that he would knock a second time and wait two minutes to give her a little time if she was in the bathroom. After the second knock, there was still no answer so he thought he would grab a drink at the hotel's bar before heading to bed. He had another busy day ahead and needed to get some rest anyway. He walked towards the elevator, as it opened Aurora stepped out.

"Collin!" she said exuberantly. "I'm sorry I was just about to respond to your message" she smiled at him.

"I was just checking for you, I thought you went to bed". He couldn't stop staring at her. She was absolutely breathtaking and she looked more beautiful than when he last saw her.

"I was heading down to the bar, would you like to join me?"

She smiled again. "I'll meet you there, give me a few minutes to change".

As Collin sat by the bar waiting for Aurora to join him he couldn't help but wonder what her mother would say if she knew they were together right now. He thought life was probably eating popcorn and having a good laugh as its events can suddenly change. Who would have thought that he would be right here, right now in this moment with the person whom he loved the most? As he pondered about the complexities of life, he felt a gentle touch on his shoulder.

" How far did you go?" Aurora asked in the sweetest voice that captivated his very being.

" Not very far" he lied. " I was just thinking about what I need to get done before I head back to Ohio".

"Ohio? What are you doing in Ohio?".

Aurora was a little confused.

" I thought you knew that I'm going to school there. Didn't your father tell you?"

Apparently from her reaction, it was clear that Aurora did not have any idea that fate had brought them even closer than she had realized.

As the evening went by Collin told her about how he had ended up attending the University of Northwestern in Ohio and how grateful he was to Jamal to make it a possibility. He didn't tell her of Jamal's sudden passing nor about anything about the business. He wanted to keep that piece of information to himself for the time. She expressed how proud she was of him as he deserved every bit of happiness and success.

Throughout the conversation, she couldn't help but think how much she loved him. He wasn't proud, he was determined, hardworking, and loving. He loved his mom and sisters as he often spoke of them. He loved Uncle Joe and she knew he once loved her and she understood if he no longer had those feelings for her. After all, she had been engaged to another man, and not only that she was intimate with him too. She was no longer the girl he fell in love with years ago nor the girl who was ignorant of intimate pleasures. Now, she was a woman. A woman who had been with another man.

Collin noticed her sudden distance.

"Are you tired?" he asked.

She slowly nodded and smiled.

" I'll walk you up, you must be".

A few minutes later Aurora and Collin were standing at her room door.

" It was so good catching up with you Aurora, I had a good evening. I guess we'll see each other" he smiled at her.

Just as he was about to walk away Aurora quickly spoke.

" How, how is it that you didn't ask about the wedding being postponed?" she asked in a low tone, her head bowed as if she wasn't too sure it was a good idea. Maybe he didn't want to know what had happened between her and David because he wasn't interested in her anymore.