A Shelby Mistress

Loss

Aurora laid still on her side, her head firmly on the pillow as she watched Tommy across the room. She had been watching him for quite a while, daring not to move and bother him. It was plain to see that while Aurora had been sleeping, Tommy had tasked himself with a small bit of snooping around Aurora's room, perhaps even the whole house. The empty side of her bed had not been slept in which meant Tommy had ample amount of time to complete his search quest. Aurora didn't mind, her house was open to him, she had nothing to hide within these walls. If truth be told, it made her happy to see him take such interest.

Tommy was now resting on the chair in the corner of the room, his feet up on her small desk. Something within his hand had taken his interest and to Aurora's surprise his eyes filled with such raw emotion, one she had never seen the likes of before. He appeared, sad, disgusted, furious and agitated all at once, it was overwhelming and the more time that passed the more thick the air around them became. Aurora could see that Tommy was offended by what was in his hands yet he made no move to take it from his sight
Pulling herself into a sitting position, Aurora swallowed harshly as she finally recognised the small box he had found.
She began cursing herself internally for not hiding them better but how was she to know that Tommy of all people would find them. Tommy's eyes flickered to hers momentarily, acknowledging that he knew she was awake before turning back to the box. With a small yawn, Aurora slipped out of bed and approached Tommy, placing a hand on his shoulder and giving it a soft reassuring squeeze. She smiled slightly as he reached up and took her hand. Without uttering a single word she bent down until their ears lined up and stared down into the box with him.

Aurora had never seen David's war medals up close before. When he had handed her the box and told her to take them away she had done so. Never had she gotten the urge to open it up and look inside. Now as Aurora came face to face with them she couldn't find the words to describe just how haunting they appeared. They were nicely decorative medals, glimmering in the morning sunlight and yet Aurora was terrified. Flashbacks of the war erupted within her mind, the smell, the fear, the loss, the pain from the aftermath. Aurora then felt guilty, she couldn't possibly fathom what Tommy was thinking as he looked down at these small pieces of torment, the shiny little medals that came with a life filled with nightmares, suffering and anguish.

"I remember me Dad destroying his, I think Chris did too but David was different. One day he came to me, demanding I take the medals far away from him, somewhere that he'll never see them again, couldn't destroy them you see, said he tried yet couldn't tear them away from his hand. Suppose everyone felt differently about them. Henry never got any medals, to them bastards in power he was just another nameless solider who had fallen into the mud. Why would they give a solider medals when he had failed at his job. You were all sent away to do the worst possible task and what did you get in return for the trauma, a bunch of fucking shiny medals, worth nothing but painful memories" Aurora explained, a tear dripping onto Tommy's shirt as her thoughts shifted to Henry.

Feeling her tears drip on to his shirt, Tommy snapped out his trance and hastily placed the lid on top of the box. Turning to face Aurora, he gave her a pointed look, one that told her to dry her tears and pull through the sadness. Bringing her hand away from Tommy's shoulder, Aurora quickly wiped her eyes and took a deep breath.
"The War is over mouse, let's not look into the past ey? It's time for everyone to fuckin' move on"
Putting the box back into the draw he got it from, he slammed it and rubbed a hand over his face. Bending down, Aurora placed a kiss on his head, letting her lips linger against his hair for a moment.
"It's not over, not for you and that's ok to admit. You don't have to pretend with me Tommy, just know I'm here, always" Aurora cooed gently running her fingers through his hair before caressing his cheek.
Bringing his hand away from his eyes, Tommy leaned up and pressed his lips softly against Aurora's. Pulling her into his lap, he held her close, craving her touch in a desperation he had never experienced before. Tommy felt his mind beginning to settle slightly as her warmth seeped into his skin, dragging those cold, damp tunnels from head and replacing them with a set of golden eyes.