Hello everyone and welcome to another writing challenge by WritingNook.Gr!
For the month of February, we have a rather difficult challenge! Here it is:
Write a story that begins and ends with the exact same sentence. The opening sentence gives a happy note to your story, while the ending sentence has a more dark twist! To make it more interesting, try not to surpass a 5000 word count.
I chose to continue the story from the previous challenge (Part 1: click here for Greek & here for English) So again, this AU fanfic features characters from my current WIP! I truly hope you enjoy it and i would love to read your thoughts on the characters, so don't hesitate and leave a comment down below!
Happy reading!
Part 2
“Hello, Mrs Cabbel.” She came closer and my arms wrapped instantly around her waist. She smelled of heaven and vanilla and I buried my face in the crook of her neck. It’d been a week since we last met, she was in France for a seminar and I was sent to Scandinavia for shipment delivery. The entire week I craved to wrap her in my arms, to feel her body press against mine. Well, for the latter, I’d have to wait a little while longer.
“Miss Boreman, for now.” Her voice reached my ears like a siren’s song and I slowly drew back. Big and beautiful, her brown eyes drew me in, a feeling of euphoria taking over my mind. My fingers caressed the jewel hanging around her neck, the gift I gave her when I asked her to marry me.
“For now,” I emphasized and a mischievous smile spread on my lips. Today we would spend together, aside from visiting some close friends early in the afternoon. “So, did you enjoy the seminar?”
She laced her arm with mine and we walked for several blocks, talking and stopping at shopfronts. Although I was not particularly interested in Louis Vuitton’s new collection, her smile while browsing made it all worthwhile. Just like that, we ended up with four shopping bags, all pieces of the new collection. I noticed a swift in her mood, eye darkening every time I added a bag in my hands.
“What’s wrong, my love?” I asked once we ordered. We visited Aurora’s favorite café in London, a cute little building, hidden in a small alley of the busy city, shadowed by the tall building around it.
“A pair of boots, an overpriced purse and two dresses, because I was struggling to pick the one I liked the most…” Her voice was heavy, fingers fidgeting nervously with her pendant. She must have noticed the confusion on my face, because she added “I’ve told you a million times, I don’t need you to shower me with gifts.”
That again. She had indeed told me a million times, just like I had explained tenfold that I wanted to give her everything. She was an independent woman, I knew that. She made her own income, she studied to add to her already broad spectrum of knowledge and she had been awarded many times for her achievements. Still, she was the one I would bring the stars on Earth for.
She wasn’t the only one calling me out, of course. Mother never missed the chance to throw some shade, but considering her relationship with Aurora, I never put much thought into her words. My brother, on the other hand, simply displayed his disapproval in side glares and disappointed huffs, never once voicing his opinion. Friends and colleges advised me all the time, especially after hearing their words echoing in Aurora’s own voice.
They misunderstood her from the moment they met her, thinking she was daddy’s little girl who grew up having everyone at her beg and call and stayed with me for my money. The truth always left them speechless, shame plastered all over their faces. Many were the times they even apologized to Aurora and she, with a bright smile, told them no harm was done.
What pained me was that no one ever tried to get into my shoes. Few were those that truly knew what happened in my house, back in those years when I was unable to control any aspect of my life. Even fewer knew the only gesture of love came in the form of things that faded with time. That in life, only if you provide materialistic goods people stick around. That was the lesson my parents taught me and, no matter how wrong it was, it still influenced my decisions to this day.
“Can we please not talk about that, hm? It’s been a while since we last met, I don’t want to ruin it.”
“Of course,” she replied, yet her tone was anything but reassuring.”But just so you know, truly happy I’ll be on the day I feel like we no longer need to talk about it.”
Conflicting thoughts clouded my mind since that moment. Hours passed without me and soon we sat in Shei’s living room. My brother, Tom and Aurora’s sister, Dawn were already there and soon two more would be added to our little company. We talk and talk until Bonnie and Zac rang the bell, five boxes of delicious pizzas in hand. The girls stayed in the living room, while we headed to the kitchen to prepare plates and drinks.
I was lost in my thoughts, failing to keep up with the conversation around me. Tom nudged my shoulder at some point, asking what troubled me so much I spaced out. I decided to share my conversation with Aurora. As frustrating as it was, Zac knew a side of her I’d never get to experience.
“I’ve told you before, my friend, you girl is an odd one. You are giving her everything on the plate and it drives her mad.” Zac took a sip of his beer, looking behind my shoulder to make sure none of the ladies were coming our way. “Need I remind you what happened when I tried to convince Bonnie she didn’t need to get a second job?” He shook his head in amusement, a low chuckle escaping her lips. “The Boremans don’t want little puppies following them around, wagging their tails. She’s told you that before. She wants to be challenged, to strive for something and conquer it. The moment she feels you can’t keep up with her, is the moment the clock will start ticking.”
Tom remained motionless, eyes darting from my face to Zac’s. He has on the ready after our friend's final comment, in case the situation got out offhand. But no matter how angry Zac’s statements made me, I couldn’t but acknowledge the truth behind his words. Although, Aurora was nothing like her cousin. Bonnie tended to easily lose her temper, making me wonder how Zac managed it with her. Thinking about it, Aurora was not like Dawn either.
We carefully headed back to the living room and Shei cleared the coffee table for the pizzas and drinks. A weird kind of silence spread around us, the ladies seeming more interested in the steaming, full of calories pizza than in conversing with us. I should have known it was the calm before the storm.
“So cousin, how is Aidan?” Bonnie wondered, and her cousins almost choked in their drinks.
“Who?” The mere mention of that name made the blood rush to my head.
“Aidan,” the redhead repeated, a wide smile on her face.”Aurora’s colleague that escorted her to Paris.”
“Bonnie, that’s enough!” The panic spreading on Dawn’s face and the gleam in Bonnie’s eyes said more than Aurora would ever be willing to share.
I dumped the pizza and walked out to the balcony. Even though autumn brought a chilling night breeze since early October, I could still feel the blood boiling in my veins. I could feel the veins pop in the side of my neck and my knuckles had turned white. I heard the door slide open and Aurora stood beside me.
“Why didn’t you tell me he’d come with you to Paris?” I asked, barely managing to keep my voice low and steady.
“You really wonder?” Her fingers cupped my chin and pulled my head to the side, forcing me to look at her. In her eyes, all I could see was apathy. “I didn’t want to cause a scene.”
“Good job on that,” I murmured and pulled away. I wanted to get out of here and forget all about her trip to Paris. After all, she would wake up in my arms the following morning. There was something in the way Bonnie smiled, however, that stirred the rage in my veins. “Bonnie seemed thrilled,” I trailed off as if saying there was a special reason behind it.
“Of course she did.” Aurora laid on the railing, long hair blowing in the direction of the wind. “She had to get you worked up after all.” A deep sigh escaped her lips, eyes lingering in the city lights. “You know she is not fond of you. Even so, you still allow her to cause trouble.”
“Your cousin is not the problem Aurora! Your relation with that bastard is!” For a moment I saw a crack in her confidence. She took a step back, bewildered by the tone and volume of my voice. I didn’t realize how loud I had spoken until Bonnie came to the door.
“Everything alright?” Her icy gaze pierced me, her message received loud and clear. Try anything funny, if you dare.
I was so determined not to avert my eyes first, I didn’t notice the same sinister expression on Aurora’s face.
“I suggest you lower your voice.” Everyone had come to watch the show at the door now, with Dawn trying to decide if her sister or cousin would be the first to spiral out of control. “I will say this one last time, so listen carefully. Nothing happened, or will ever happen, between me and Aidan as long as I am with you. We are going to have a serious problem if you ever doubt that again. You see darling, the real issue here is not my relationship with Aidan. It’s your ever so fragile masculinity.”
I didn’t even manage to utter a word and Aurora was already by Bonnie’s side, the crowd parting for her to walk through. Her silhouette was swallowed by the light, the only thing lingering behind the echo of her last touch.
The stars were already mapped out in the sky by the time his eyes violently shot open. He sat up, sweat making the sheets stick on his body and arm trying to catch a shadow no longer there.
It took quite a few moments for his eyes to adjust to the absolute darkness of the room. The cold pierced his bones like daggers and a shiver run down his spine. He tried to figure out what had happened.
Was it all a dream? Was that night a mare memory or a sick, twisted game his mind played on him?
“Aurora…” Her name came out as a hushed prayer from his chapped lips and he looked for her body next to him. He even reached out with his arms, to make sure his eyes were playing no tricks.
She wasn’t there.
But he could still feel her. He could still feel her lips tracing kisses down his neck, her nails leaving love marks all over his back. He could still feel the moment he became one with her, their limbs tangled and his mind drawn in a sea of lust. No, this couldn’t be just a dream.
He turned and switched on the lamb on his nightstand, relief washing over him at the sight of the unmade sheets on the other side of the bed. So, she was here.
But why did she leave?
He was ready to pick up the phone and call her, when his eyes got a glimpse of something sparkling on the other nightstand. He slowly approached it, hand shaking as he reached for the pendant.
The delicate jewel was cold in his hand, long abandoned by the warmth of its former owner. Lifeless under his touch, it was the last remnant of his life with Aurora.
His fingers closed protectively around the jewel and he brought it to his chest, hoping his heart would be able to restore it back to life. A single tear ran down his face, landing on his closed fist.
“Hello, Mrs Cabbel…”
Comments