Moon and Stars

fourty seven

She was grateful that he was being accepting, and that he was still showing her love and care, but she wished that it brought him as much happiness as it brought her. It could possibly be, and he's just not showing it, but there's no way for Aurora to know for certain.

She hurried through the shower, letting the hot water soothe her nerves and worries. She got ready in the steamy room so she didn't disturb Fred, but when she stepped back into the room, he was awake and sitting up just as he was before, waiting for her to get to bed.

She smiled at the small act and walked to her side, pulling back the blanket and sliding under the sheets. She naturally curls into Fred's side, her back pressed into his chest, and he lays an arm across her side, grabbing her hand and interlocking their fingers.

Fred nuzzled his head into the crook of her neck and placed a gentle kiss on her exposed skin, before laying his head back down on the pillow. Aurora shivers a bit at the feeling of his warm lips, and scoots closer to him, letting out a heavy sigh.

"Goodnight, Freddie." She says quietly, and he squeezes her hand in response.

"Goodnight, Aura." He replies in a whisper, and his eyes fall shut.

Aurora let's her own eyelids close, and she slows her breathing down. The small but noticeable feeling of Fred's heartbeat against her back soothes her, and as his chest rose and fell with every breath, she found herself becoming tired quickly.

Before she felt sleep overcome her, Fred shifted gently next to her, lifting his head to her ear.

"I love you, darling." He whispered, before laying back down, and the two of them drifted off into the best sleep they've simultaneously had in weeks.

—

When Aurora's eyes opened in the morning, she stretched her arm out to Fred's side, and felt nothing but an empty space next to her. She squinted a bit as she sat up, and looked over to see Fred was no longer there.

She groaned a bit as she got out of bed, stretching her arms and legs. After a while of not sleeping next to someone, she began to stretch out as she slept, but now that she was back next to Fred, she didn't move as much, and her limbs had stiffened overnight.

That's a problem she would never complain about.

She listened for noises from the bathroom, but got only silence in response. The gears in her brain suddenly clicked, and she turned back around, looking at the clock on their nightstand, seeing that it read ten o'clock. They usually awoke at seven o'clock for work, so it wasn't unusual for Fred to be gone from bed.

Suddenly their bedroom door swung open, and Aurora jumped at the sudden noise. In walked Fred with two cups of coffee, and he chuckled a bit at her dramatic reaction.

She furrowed her brows at him as he handed her a hot cup, and she took a sip, the hazelnut flavor rushing through her body. Fred closed the door behind him and went back to the bed, propping his upper body up on the bed frame as he drank his own, watching Aurora closely with narrowed eyes.

"I thought you'd be at work?" She asked, coming to sit back on the bed next to him.

"After you left, it was just three people running the place every single day, and as you know, Angelina is barely help, so it was just two. We hired staff." He said, and Aurora nodded in response, taking another sip. Fred's eyes suddenly widened, and he set his coffee down on the nightstand before turning back to Aurora and taking the coffee from her hands, setting it on the table next to her.

"I was drinking that?" She asked, and he smiled a bit at her confused state, before shaking his head, gaining a serious expression.

"I know we need to talk, but first, I need to tell you something that happened between Angelina and I." He said, and Aurora's stomach dropped at his words.