Heart of Fury - Stone and Fire # 2 [17+]

Chapter 3

cameos from everybody today!! 🥳🥳

Aurora's POV

The party was over.

Everyone had left other than me, Adriana, Layla, and now, the man walking in through the back door as well. 

"You guys really fucked this place up."

Nikolas mutters, eyes taking in all the damage. The damage being, cups, food, and glass thrown in numerous areas on the floor, while the confetti from earlier was knotted into every single piece of decoration. The bright, flashy lights were all off, so instead, the regular club lighting made all the mess seem that much worse. 

Adriana's head turns and her mouth turns into a slow, wide grin when spotting Nikolas.

"You made it!"

She skips over like a freaking sunflower dipped in rainbow sparkles and tackles him with a gigantic bear hug, making his huge body surprisingly tremble from her force.

"What about Mikhail? Wasn't he gonna come too?"

My hands freeze, the confetti flittering to the floor from between my fingers.

"I sent him to finish up some business in the West Side.. there was a deal to close up anyways."

There's a pause.

"He won't be back for a few weeks, considering how long it takes to convince them."

I feel Nikolas's directed glance on me while he's talking, even while I'm halted in my mid-clean up position near the bar counter. Adriana starts talking again, her voice wary and cautious while that accusatory gaze pins into the back of my head.

"So he won't be here for when.. you know.."

For when I leave.

I turn around before the silence can get any thicker and clasp my hands together.

"Well, tonight was absolutely amazing. I am so glad that you let me borrow the place Nikolas, thank you. The.. um.. confetti cannons really elevated the taste in party-decor."

Silence.

I swallow, Layla and Adriana both standing with their hands on their hips as if they've caught me red-handed. And Nikolas, well, he looks at me like he knows every single thought ransacking a war through my muddled-up brain. 

"Is Maximo here yet? I would really love it if I could be heading home now." I awkwardly side-step closer to the exit. 

"Why don't we all head home together? Niko can drive me, and you two can go with Max." 

Doesn't sound bad.

I quickly yank Layla and start hauling her towards the exit before the silence turns weird and gushy and I have to face seeing my sister all over the man she is unashamedly, candidly obsessed with. 

"At least lemme get my fucking purse-"

"I already have it." I slide it off the bar counter and push Layla out of the exit before jumping out myself. See, this type of situation had come around far too often for me to not be prepared. It had only been, what, a week since Nikolas and my sister's weird fight in that god-forsaken limo, and now they were fine? I didn't understand this weird, back and forth shit that had going on, but for now it seemed like they were fine. Great, actually, considering how seeing them together in one room was like volunteering to be part of a voyeurism show.