TW: ED
—
The next two weeks proved to be the same as the first two days of work, in every aspect.
She hadn't been able to go to Hogwarts since the shop was so busy, and she wouldn't be able to go for another week. The busyness was slowly going down since they've been open for awhile, but it was still an insane mess every single day. She fell behind in eating and sleeping, and Angelina took every change she could to poke fun at the situation, and Aurora no longer had much energy to fight back.
She still told Fred that she loved him every day, but her feelings weren't changing, and if anything, she was making things worse by lying.
Once again, she watched the sunrise through their bedroom window, and closed her eyes just as the alarm went off. Fred shut it off and kissed her temple like he normally does, and she hummed in response, groggily opening her eyes once more. The lack of sleep was beginning to get to her, and Fred began to notice.
"Good morning, Aurora," He rasped, before narrowing his eyes at her, "Are you feeling okay?" He asks, observing the dark bags under her eyes, her cheeks that were beginning to sink in, and her skin that have lost their normal color.
"I'm doing alright, just didn't sleep well." She said, smiling at him. The same smile that had been working for weeks, wasn't working this morning.
"You've always been a fighter, darling, but I can tell when you don't feel well." He chuckles. Could he, now.
"I promise I'm alright, Freddie." She reassures, rubbing the sleep from her eyes, or the lack thereof.
"I can tell you aren't. Take the day off, I'm sure we'll be alright without you for a day." He says, pressing his lips to her forehead and pulling away with a smile.
Aurora wanted to fight him on the topic, but a day off from work is just what she needed. She let out a sigh and settled back into the bed, Fred rubbing her shoulders gently.
"As much as I'd love to stay with you for the day, I have to get ready for work." He says sweetly, planting another kiss on her temple before getting out of bed and heading to their shared bathroom.
Aurora let out a sigh and curled onto her side, her arms wrapped around her waist. A day off from working at the shop is just what she needed, and it gave her plenty of time to care for herself, and hopefully repair her mentality before Fred returned home from work.
She let her eyes fall shut, the sound of water running in the bathroom soothing her hyperactive mind. She was utterly exhausted, and sleep hit her like a freight train, knocking her out before Fred returned to the bedroom.
Time away from Fred might just be what she was looking for, since he was the main cause of her stress. Then again, that was completely her fault. She got herself tangled in a lie she can't back out of, and that lie made everything worse than it had to be, and she found herself wanting to be away from him, even after he's done nothing but be perfect to her.
Fred silently walked back into their room and saw her asleep in the sheets, and a small smile formed on his face. He gathered the things he needed for work in a hurry before heading to the door, turning back to look at her before heading out.
"I love you, Aurora." He whispered with a goofy grin on his face, shutting the door behind him as he left.
That boy was hopelessly in love with her, and he believed she felt the same way for him, and it brought him so much happiness. He wanted to shout it from the rooftops, he wanted to tell all his friends and family, he couldn't possibly say it enough. He loved her, and she loved him. So he thought.
—
Aurora spent the majority of the first half of her day off in slumber, rejuvenating her exhausted body, and it proved successful. She awoke midday feeling more energized than she's felt in the last month, and it was refreshing.
If Angelina and George stayed to help Fred prepare the shop for the next day, then they should probably be returning by 10:00, which meant she had ten hours to do whatever she wanted.
Seeing that her mental health was slowly decreasing, she felt it would be best to take a day for herself, to recuperate. Walking to the kitchen, she shivered as she entered the room, even though she was wearing a pair of Fred's sweatpants and his large jumper. Her diet hadn't been the best, so she made herself a smoothie before returning to her and Fred's room, taking a seat at her desk.
Grabbing a spare piece of parchment, she dipped her pen in some ink and poured her heart into a drawing of the solar system, a simple act that brought her so much joy. She had made countless drawings of planets, stars, and galaxies, but they never got old to her.
She managed to fill the page with planets, their corresponding moons, tidbits of information about every doodle, and the occasional accidental ink splotch. She leaned back in the chair and looked over her work, making sure her minor details were correct. Smiling to herself, she put away her writing utensil and pulled out an informational Astronomy textbook that Professor Sinistra had gifted her during the holiday's of her sixth year.
Aurora had written on every single page of the book, and the spine was bent from how much she read through it. The information inside wasn't just educational to her, but fascinating as well. She thoroughly enjoyed learning about the great beyond, that, even as a witch, she couldn't fully understand.
The textbook reading had pushed her mind to her future career at Hogwarts, and she realized she would need to visit soon, since the holiday break was quickly approaching. She closed the book and placed it next to her parchment, still wet with fresh ink, and walked over to the wardrobe, gathering a few belongings she would need when she left.
While she took the time to do her own things, Fred completely left her mind, and as much as she hated to admit it, it felt good. She would occasionally catch a whiff of his cologne, or sift through his shirts, but overall he wasn't too priority in her mind.
She was lying to him, and there was no way out of such a lie unless she wanted to break his heart, and she couldn't do that. If she had never said those three words, she wouldn't be killing herself trying to make it a reality, but in the same breath, if she had never said those three words, she could only wonder if he would feel the same that she does now.
It was a loop of a problem that would only resolve if she developed true love for Fred, true romantic love.
She had always been strange when it came to love, and there was no true reason as to why, but she struggled to feel such a powerful emotion. She never admitted her love to anyone, or if she said it, she never truly meant it. It was a personal issue that Aurora couldn't seem to overcome, but it had never been a true issue until she developed such strong feelings for Fred, but the feelings weren't strong enough to be considered love.
After she finished packing a small bag, she looked back at her desk and saw the half finished smoothie, frowning to herself. She felt her stomach growl, and she wrapped an arm around her torso, picking up the glass and downing the rest of the contents, shivering to herself.
She wasn't intentionally trying to harm herself, but the thought of downing a meal made her feel guilty. She felt that since she was doing such an inconsiderate act, she didn't deserve to improve herself, and she wouldn't deserve to improve herself until she improved other aspects of her life.
And just like that, her mind was back on Fred.
Glancing at the clock by their bed, she saw that only an hour had went by, and she still had about nine more until she'd see him again. She couldn't tell if that was a relief or a burden.
"Accio broom." She muttered, sticking out her hand. In an instant, the broom floated from the kitchen and smacked into her hand.
Aurora had always been a cleaner when her emotions were bad.
She let out a long sigh as she began to sweep their floor, and even though the room wasn't dirty at all, she found it comforting. The simple act of tidying up the shelves, dusting various surfaces, and straightening everything out was nice.
She gathered up a few things to place in their nightstand, and when she slid the door open, her eyes landed on their polaroids they took together. She dropped what was in her arms and picked up the photos, flipping between them.
Her eyes drifted over their happy faces together, the green face mask making Fred look even cuter than he normally did. She couldn't help but smile at the sweet pictures, but furrowed her brows when she noticed the explicit ones were missing.
It wasn't exactly shocking, since she had seen Fred use the photos before, but he normally put them back when he was finished. She shrugged her shoulders before gently placing the pictures back, along with the rest of the stuff that belonged in the drawer, shutting it when she was finished.
She noticed the simple act of cleaning around their room exhausted her, and she could do well with another nap, but decided against it, choosing to clean the rest of the house as well, excluding George and Angelina's room. She spent the next few hours using no magic, making sure every room in the small apartment was perfect, and by the time she was finished with it, it was just that.
Normally, after a days work like that, she would feel refreshed, but she just felt tired. Aurora slumped her way to the shower and cleaned herself off before returning to her bed, sliding under the warm blanket. She glanced at the clock and saw she still had hours until Fred would be returning home, and she let her eyes flutter shut at the thought of peaceful sleep before he returned.
It was awful to think that he was the cause to all her problems, when in reality it was her, but she couldn't help but notice the trends. It was her fault, but she made it his fault as well, and it was terrible.
As deep as she was, there was no true way out unless she were to come clean, which she had to do. On the path she's currently walking on, she could feel her true feelings towards Fred only lessening, since she's made their relationship feel forced. She had to be honest for her own sake, but the act of her being honest would break his heart, and she didn't want to do that.
But it was the only way.
She slept up until she heard a loud bang from the fireplace, signaling someone had returned by floo powder. She kept her eyes closed, and kept the blanket pulled up above her shoulders, quietly listening to the footsteps throughout the house. There were three separate pairs, meaning they all returned together.
She listened as Angelina giggled a bit, and she assumed it was George laughing with her, when suddenly the door opened and closed, followed with a loud sigh. She listened as Fred walked around the room for a bit, before heading to the shower.
She had to tell him.
She sat up in the bed, staring at the bathroom door for what seemed like eternity, waiting for Fred to return. This was something she was both dreading and looking forward to, and it was killing her. The thought of hurting Fred in such a terrible way was breaking her heart, but she couldn't continue lying to him, not when it was eventually going to ruin their relationship. In the same breath, telling the truth at this point might do the exact same thing.
She heard the water shut off, and knew he would be returning soon, after he went through his usual nightly routine in the restroom. She swallowed the lump in her throat and rubbed her now clammy hands on the blanket, blinking at the door. The usual butterflies that Fred always gave her had been replaced by hornets, and her stomach turned at the thought of the conversation they would be having in mere minutes.
He was completely unaware of Aurora's true feelings, and she was about to hit him like a freight train. He believed they were two happy people in love, and Aurora was going to completely flip his world, and it physically pained her at the thought of doing so.
Suddenly, the door to the bathroom opened, and the light streamed into the bedroom, illuminating Aurora's now very awake face. Fred's eyes landed on her, and he smiled a bit before walking over to their wardrobe, setting down his dirty clothes and dressing himself.
"Oh, Aurora, I thought you were asleep." He chuckled, ruffling his hair with the towel.
She needed to tell him.
"We need to talk."