Forever August ✔️

chapter eighteen

"you wanna love me, but
honey that ain't okay."
- pale waves 
___________________________

"RORY, WAKE UP!"

Aurora bolted upright in bed at the sound of her brother screaming. She rubbed the sleep from her eyes and glanced at the clock. It was nearly ten.

"Rory!" Thomas screamed again, louder this time. His hand pounded on her bedroom door, jiggling the knob but the lock wouldn't budge. "We're going out. Get up!"

"Ten minutes!" she called back, confused and too tired to argue. Aurora flopped back down onto her bed and landed on an arm. She shrieked.

"Is your house always so loud in the morning?" Gus grumbled, laying his arm over his eyes.

Aurora watched him in horror, having completely forgotten he spent the night. "You need to leave," she said, shoving him. "Now."

Gus didn't budge. His arm looped around her waist and pulled her right against him as he went back to sleep.

"Gus!" she hissed, squirming out of his arms. "Do you want my brother to come in here and see us together?"

With a sigh, Gus sat upright. "Do you want me to sneak out the fucking window?" he asked. Aurora eyed the window curiously.

"That could actually—"

"I'm kidding," he snapped. Aurora chuckled as Gus got out of bed and stretched his arms above his head, his shirt riding up and revealing a small strip of his stomach. She chewed on her lip, forcing herself to look away.

"Just wait until we leave, then go out the front door." Aurora hopped out of bed and pulled on a pair of shorts. She turned to Gus, who was watching her with his arms crossed and eyebrows raised.

"How am I supposed to lock the door behind me?" he asked.

She shrugged, running a brush through her tangled hair. "I'll leave you a spare key. Just make sure you give it back." She paused. "And don't get any copies made."

Aurora and Gus both jumped as Thomas' voice blared through the walls. "Five minutes!"

"Stop fucking yelling!" she screamed back. Gus burst into a fit of laughter and it was only a second before she did, too. They both clamped their hands over their mouths before they got caught.

"Have fun," Gus said with a smirk.

"Don't touch anything in my room," she warned, narrowing her eyes at him.

He sat on the edge of her bed, blinking up at her innocently. "I have no desire to go through your underwear drawer."

Aurora rolled her eyes, her mouth reluctantly tugging up into a smile. "You're gross." Gus laughed to himself as she walked out of her bedroom and closed the door behind her.

Her brother was waiting for her at the bottom of the stairs. "About time," he mumbled. Aurora waved her middle finger in response.

"Where are we going?" she asked.

"To get lunch."

Aurora tugged her shoes out of the closet and slammed it shut. "You woke me up like a lunatic because you're too lazy to pour yourself a bowl of cereal?"

Thomas threw her jacket at her. "I want to spend time with my sister. Is that a crime?"

"Yes," she answered instantly.

"Just for that, you're paying." Thomas shoved her out the door and Aurora quickly grabbed the keys and locked. Her brother eyed her thoughtfully. She jabbed the keys into his chest and walked to the car.