Friends.
I still couldn’t wrap my head around it. But I didn’t want to ruin it either.
When we got to the building, she mumbled that she missed Honey, and before I could even answer, she was already pressing the elevator button. I followed, pretending not to smile.
The second I unlocked the door, a tiny orange blur came running out from the hallway, Honey’s little paws sliding on the floor.
Aurora dropped to her knees instantly, arms open, laughing softly as the kitten pounced into her lap. I shook my head and went to grab the blanket off the couch.
“Come on, before you freeze,” I said as she followed behind, plopping down on the couch as I pulled the cover over her lap. Honey peeked her head out of the blanket, staring up at us with her big eyes.
Oops, sorry, Honey. Didn’t see you there.
“Movie?” I asked, already picking up the remote.
She nodded.
So I scrolled through the list and picked something random, just for the background noise. Some comfort film. I didn’t even care what it was; I just liked the way the light from the TV reflected off her face.
A few minutes later, I walked back from the kitchen with two mugs. Steam rising, the smell of cocoa filling the room.
I handed her one, careful not to spill.
“Hot chocolate,” I said quietly. “Don’t say I never give you anything that isn’t trouble.”
Her lips curved slightly as she blew on the drink
We sat there for hours.
Honey purring between us, the movie murmuring in the background, the world outside forgotten.
No tension. No anger.
Just quiet.
She was here.
Still here.
Aurora Mae Campbell, my friend, the girl who turned my chaos into something human again.
I glanced over at her once more, blanket pulled up to her chin, eyelashes fluttering as she started to drift off mid-movie. Honey’s tail twitched against her arm, and I reached out to adjust the blanket higher over her shoulders.
Yeah.
Best friends.
Halfway through the movie, her head started to dip.
It was gradual at first, a slow blink, her chin lowering, her fingers still absently tracing Honey’s fur. Then another blink, longer this time, until her body leaned ever so slightly toward me.
I stayed still.
Didn’t even breathe too loudly.
Honey shifted on her lap, curling tighter, a tiny purr rumbling through the quiet of the room. Aurora’s head eventually found its place against my shoulder, her hair brushing the side of my jaw, soft and faintly smelling like vanilla.
I glanced down.
