Heart of Coal

Chapter 4

I woke up with a killer headache and with someone's breathing right next to my ear. My eyes flutter open and I try to remember the events that took place yesterday. I jump back in surprise to find the guy from the diner sleeping with me in my guest bedroom. 

I close my eyes and try to remember how the hell he ended up here, but came up empty. I sat up and looked down at his face. Stopping myself from admiring his features, I slap him on the cheek. 

He quickly yelps and falls to the floor. 

"What are you doing Aurora?"

"Who are you, small dick?"

"Are we seriously doing that again?" He huffed, clearly wanting to go back to sleep.

"Doing what again."

He sighs and sits down on the side of the bed. He looks up at my standing figure and cocks an eyebrow. "Sit down."

I hesitantly go closer and sit, waiting for him to explain. 

"Aurora. You kissed me last night."

"So?" I reply. In the inside I was facepalming myself with the amount of surprise I was facing. I always cover my emotions. Feelings were nothing to me. They were meaningless to me.

"So?"

"Why are you repeating what I said?" I ask, annoyed. 

"It means nothing to you?"\

"No. I was drunk. The fact that you weren't wasted and still allowed me to kiss you just shows how much of a womanizer you are." I explain.

"That might be so, but you said something yesterday."

"I ---"

"And you were sick."

"STOP talking for just a second!"  I scream. "Just explain who you are and what you're doing."

"Vince Daniels, CEO of The Daniels. I went to the diner and saw one of your managers talking to you over the phone. I told him to give me your address since I overheard him say you were sick."

"I'm not sick." I interrupt

"Yes, you are. You were burning up yesterday."

"It doesn't matter. Leave it."

"Aren't you going to show me respect?"

She raises her eyebrow and scoffs. "Why? Just because your a rich, arrogant, CEO. That's meaningless to me." 

"Now you listen---"

"No. You listen. I don't know why you felt the need to come here, but you're better off leaving. Anything that happened yesterday was a mistake. Don't think much of it. I shouldn't matter to you either way. You have plenty of sluts to go around."

"Is that jealously I hear?" He smirks.

I keep my voice calm and emotionless, hiding the shock of how he figured that out. "It's just an explanation, but call it whatever you want. I don't care."

He gets up and starts pacing the room. 

"What are you doing?"

"I don't understand you. You said something to me yesterday, but I can't tell if this is the real you or the drunk you was the real you."

"Just forget whatever I said yesterday. It doesn----"

"No, Aurora. You told me you wished that it worked. You wished you could have a relationship that would work for once. You want a person you could lean on and you told me you wish that was me. You loved seeing my reactions to your sarcasm and comebacks. And that for the first time, you had fun saying all those insults to me."

I couldn't seal the shock that entered my face. I was starting to remember bits and pieces all of a sudden. I shook my head in denial. 

"I was kidding Vince. Don't take it to heart."

"Could've fooled me. Why can't you just tell me how you feel?" He yells.

"Why do you even care?" I scream "Why does it even matter?"

"Because you're the one person I can never get out of my head. For the first time I keep thinking about you and no one else. I have a want to see you every single moment of each day. I see you smile and I can't stop thinking of how beautiful that is."

"Well it's your time to be heartbroken then." I retort.

"You're rejecting me. Just like that?"

I nod with ease.

"Why?"

"Because it's just how it has to be."

"Why?"

"Vince, I have things to do. Get out." I huff. I turn around to leave, but he pulls me toward him once more.

"Tell me what you're so afraid of."

"Are you expecting me to say I'm afraid of love? Isn't that too cliche? I'm not scared of anything. I just know the truth and that itself brings me to tell you that."

"What's the truth?"

"That I don't want you."

He stares at me in shock and I take that time to leave. I walk downstairs and get busy making breakfast. 

I hear creaking fom upstairs and see Vince walk downstairs in a daze.

"Close the door on the way out." I shout as he leaves. 

"We're not done here yet, Aurora." 

I roll my eyes and get busy making breakfast.