I peered out of the corner of my eye and studied her.Shehad pulled her hair down out of the bun it had been in and had one hand tangled in the curls.
Aurora was fascinating to watch.
Day to day, she was as stubborn as a mule.Therewas a fierceness in her eyes.Aforce to be reckoned with.Thatforce hadn’t died, no matter how much she claimed it had.
Aurora didn’t know it, butIhad been watching her the night she and her friends built the bonfire on the beach.Isaw the way her jaw clenched, but she doubled down on burning her notebook.
That stubbornness would either be her end or be the very thing that would bring her out of the ashes.Itwas the kind of hard-headedness that made her unsinkable.Shejust needed a quiet harbor to fix her sails.Ifher drive for writing was anything like her drive for renovating the house, it would take her to the ends of the earth.
* * *
Beep.Beep.Beep.Iblindly reached for my phone to silence the alarm.
Why was my door open?Ialways slept with it closed.Ifthere was ever a fire, closed doors blocked smoke and flames, giving people a chance to escape.
The silhouette hunched over the kitchen table was my answer.
Aurora was still here.
I don’t know whyIwas surprised.Shehad been shotgunning coffee like her life depended on it at two in the morning.Thatwas the lastIremembered watching her before my tired eyes got the better of me.
She looked so peaceful, sleeping on the kitchen table.Partof me didn’t want to wake her.Theother part of me knew her neck would be jacked up for a month ifIleft her like that.
From the looks of it, she had fallen asleep in the middle of writing.
My second alarm blared, butIquickly silenced it.Ididn’t want to startle her.
I eased out of bed, trying my best not to let the old box spring creak.Ihad thirty minutes beforeIhad to be at the station.Usually,Iwould have slept in a few more minutes before throwing on my station gear and heading out the door.
But today,Igot up right away; energized likeI’djust gotten a full night’s sleep instead of a few measly hours.
I got dressed in silence, brushed my teeth, took a shit, and made sure my bag was ready to go.Auroranever stirred.IthoughtIwas a heavy sleeper, but she slept like the dead.
Without stopping to think twice,Icrept up to the table and peered at her computer.Thescreen had locked automatically, which was probably a good thing considering she was using the space bar as a pillow.
As carefully asIcould,Itucked an arm under her knees and braced one behind her back, bringing her to my chest.
She mumbled incoherently in her sleep, but didn’t wake.Auroratucked her head against my bicep and chest and let out a gentle breath asIcarried her into my bedroom.Shecurled into my pillow the momentIlaid her on the mattress.
I had never been jealous of a pillow before, but fuck that thing.
I glanced at the time and knewIcouldn’t linger.Itucked her in, then grabbed her phone off the table and plugged it into my bedside charger so it would be good to go.
The rain was a bitter insult asIhurried out to my truck.Whilerain meant a mellow day for everyone else, exploring the museums and aquariums down the coastline, for me it meant we would be running non-stop.
Bad weather was a foreboding omen.
The crew about to get off shift looked dead on their feet.Theyhad been going all night long.
Drew came in behind me, dropping his shit in his locker. “Morning, sunshine.”
“Morning.”
“You look well rested," he quipped sarcastically. “Andby well rested,Imean you look like shit.Youall right?”
“Peachy.”Igrinned from ear to ear to spite him.
Drew flinched. “Neverdo that again.It’sterrifying.”
