Aurora | H.S.

6. stars and dust

Make sure to read the note at the end. xx

Feeling weightless, I carried myself into the apartment and shut the door after biding Harry one more goodbye. He left me with a see you soon that made my heart ram into my throat, making me speechless as the door shut between us. I rested my weight against the wooden door, taking a deep breath and looking out at my empty and quiet apartment.

Footsteps grew louder and louder until Cecilia was standing in the foyer entrance, one of her perfect brows raised and a smirk tugging at her lips. "Well, well, well."  

I probably look like a fool with the dopey smile on my face but I'm undeniably happy. It's odd for me to be this hopeful considering I'm nearly a full pessimist. Ask anyone. Cecilia follows me into the kitchen where I pull open the fridge and pull out a nearly empty bottle of wine. Rather than getting a glass I take a sip right from the bottle, gaining a hearty laugh from Cecilia.

"Wow," she gasped playfully, "you are either drunk or completely head over heels."

"I haven't had a lick of alcohol and I feel intoxicated," I admitted breathlessly, the red wine burning a bit down my throat and even more so as it settles into my stomach. I'm positive this is what a schoolgirl feels like when she's found a crush, minus the alcohol, of course.

Cecilia sniggers, but she has this look in her eyes that I can't quite put my finger on. A bit of surprise and excitement flickers behind them. We've been best friends almost our entire life but right now, her thoughts are a mystery. She snatches the wine bottle from my hand and takes a small sip for herself.

"You like-like him," she sang.

"It was one date," I rolled my eyes and took another sip, hopping up onto the marble counter top and letting my legs dangle over the edge.

Cecilia looked skeptical now. "It's okay to admit that you feel something with him. Weren't you the one who used to preach about soulmates in middle school?"

"I was thirteen," I defended with a pouty face.

"Thirteen and convinced that our fates are written in the stars—that we all have a special someone—"

"Are you sure I didn't say this after I watched some shit Nicholas Sparks movie? I'm positive that's from The Notebook," I interjected.

Cecilia rolled her eyes and accepted the wine bottle from me, taking a sip then handing it back. We stayed like this until midnight, chatting about what we thought our fates were over the rest of this shitty bottle of wine, then another. Even in a drunken daze I knew that there was something special about Harry. Not only does he make me feel safe, he makes me laugh, and the way he looks at me makes the air in my lungs deplete.

* * *

Dust particles dance around in the beams of sunlight that shine through the plants by the window. I've been a bit out of it, staring mindlessly at how they appear and disappear like some sort of magic trick. It's peaceful today; quite and calm, no midmorning rush or lunchtime buzz in the shop. Most slow days occur on rainy days but today is a beautiful day and I feel confined to this store.

As bored I am, I can't help but let my mind roam.

Images of Austin flash in my head; his million-dollar smile that made me feel bankrupt in the end, those stupid blue eyes I lost myself in more than I'll ever admit. But as much as I want to despise him, I really can't. Sure, I can't stand him for leaving me but I wonder if he ever thinks about us.

Does he ever worry about Eliana? Does he regret not sticking around? Does he fear that Eliana's sick or tired or upset?

Worse, does he hate himself for knowing that he isn't the reason Eliana is happy and safe?