The Sun, Moon & Stars [GxGxG]

23. Rest & Reconciliation (Part I)

A/N:

New books, who 'dis?!

While I have you, be sure to check out my profile for a couple of my latest releases. Don't worry; TSM&S gets priority, but I did want to put something else out there, and I've got a ton sitting in the drafts, so if you're ever bored waiting for another update and you're open to it, try reading some of my other stuff.

There's plenty more where this came from.

Trigger Warning:
SUICIDAL TENDENCIES

Saturday, December 14th, 2024
(Present)

Aurora's POV

I'd relived the horrors of my past, senses dulled to the world around me. It allowed me to fully experience what was, what I tried so hard to forget; but I remembered now.

Finally.

Opening my eyes was different this time because never before had I been able to truly say, "I'm awake."

Those words were the first to be spoken, and although they were more like a whisper, the hushed declaration reached every person in the room. They even managed to cut through the suffocating atmosphere. Telling my story had relieved me of the brunt of the negative emotions that came with bottling everything up for so long.

It was liberating. Empowering, even, but goddamn... it hurt; the price of self-awareness translated to a daunting reality. Soul-crushing, more like, but amidst the brokenness were all the missing pieces, at last, and in that, there was the hope of putting everything back together.

How to go about that was clearly the next logical step, and it started here with us.

To either side of me were my loves, frozen in shock and lost in thought, while in front of me, Roman and Penélope were left speechless under the weight of their disbelief. I didn't blame them.

I couldn't keep my own body from shaking. Still, I muster the strength to rally the people in the room, who I was comfortable enough with to call my family.

The first thing I do is reach out to my girlfriends, offering a grounding grasp to each of their hands. It snaps them from their trances, and in turn, they, too, become anchors, steadying me.

"Thank you," I begin solemnly. "All of you. I wouldn't have made it this far if not for your patience and encouragement. You never gave up on me, and it's for that reason that we have the chance to make things right."

Penélope exhaled slowly, the tension easing from her shoulders. "You needn't thank us for the bare minimum, dear girl. Everyone here cares about you."

"She's right, James," Roman added, a faint smirk forming. "We've got your back."

"Always," Nia and Dev murmur in unison.

I look at the elder in the room. "What's our next move? Where do we go from here?"

That seemed to be the question on everyone's mind, and to no one's surprise, Penélope came through with an answer. Instructions, rather.