𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐁𝐀𝐁𝐘𝐒𝐈𝐓𝐓𝐄𝐑 (𝐖𝐋𝐖)

𝟎𝟖

♕
𝑖𝑟𝑖𝑠'𝑠 𝑝𝑜𝑣

"Tell. Me. Everything."

My cheeks warmed as I tried my best to ignore my best friend's stare.

It's the next morning, and Phoebe and I are the only ones up. My mom is still sleeping peacefully in my bedroom, and Aurora and Ariella are still in the guest room.

I thought that it would be nice to make breakfast for everyone, so I woke up earlier today. The only reason that my best friend is wide awake happens to be because she claimed that she wanted to help out in the kitchen. However, she has only been using this time to poke at me about what happened between Aurora and I last night.

I refused to tell her anything.

"There's nothing to tell." I replied softly, sliding a pan full of bacon out of the oven.

Phoebe scoffed, "Bull-fucking-shit." she waited til I passed by her to yank me towards her by the arm, "I walked in to see you both about ready to tongue each other down, and you're gonna lie and say 'there's nothing to tell'?"

I inhaled sharply as flashbacks from the encounter Aurora and I had before Phoebe interrupted began to resurface.

I remember the feeling of the blonde's fingers pressing softly into my skin, the warm, adoring touch sending a flutter of pleasure through my entire being. She had held me so close to her and touched me so tenderly as if I was a rose full of thorns.

Beautiful.

The woman had called me beautiful, — in more ways than one — and it caused my legs to tremble and my eyes to flutter close. It wasn't just all about what she said, but also how she said it. Her voice was comparable with that of a mystical waterfall; light and calming. But also like silk; alluring and expensive. When the woman spoke to me so gently as she did all I wanted to do was give up the little control that I had over my body.

"She's definitely got you wrapped around her finger." Phoebe snorted, eyes studying me, "Your face says it all."

"Shut up." I mumbled, poorly attempting to hide the smile on my face as I maneuvered over to a cabinet, searching for plates.

The redhead finally decided to hop off of the counter that she was practically glued on, and help me set the table for everyone.

As I was finishing pouring orange juice into all of the glasses around the table, the delicate sound of tiny, running, footsteps came rushing towards Phoebe and I's direction.

I knew who it was without having to think twice, so I placed down the glass and jug of juice before opening my arms wide, a smile on my face as I waited for the young girl to come crashing into them.

Just five seconds later, I was tightly hugging Ariella, lying on my back due to the force that I was hit with. The six year old giggled along with me at our own antics, not noticing the pairs of eyes on us as of yet.

Hugging Ariella had become a habit.

Dare I say, a very good habit. Who knew how much a small hug from such a tiny being could bring me so much serotonin?

"How'd you sleep, sunshine?" I asked the habitually hyper girl.

"Great!" Ariella pulled away from me, swinging her arms by her side, "But, Mamma says that we have to leave soon."

A soft chuckle was heard above us, which caused me to look up and spot Aurora. Golden hair messily thrown over the woman's shoulders shone gorgeously with the help of the sun. Her lips were pulled into a smile, and her arms were crossed in front of her.

"You know you have ballet lessons later on, princess." the taller blonde spoke, running a hand through her hair.

I pinched the girl's cheeks once seeing a frown start to form on her pouting lips, eliciting a giggle from her.

"Well you can't leave without breakfast," I grinned, nodding over at the table full of food, "How about you drown your pancakes in whatever toppings you want while I go wake up my mom, yeah?"

Ariella darted over to the dining table without another word being spoken. I laughed and stood up to my full height, shooting a glance at my best friend who smiled at me, a bitten strawberry in her hand.

My eyes rolled slightly at Phoebe as I made my way out of the kitchen, sending a warm smile to Aurora when passing her.

♕

I smiled at the teen boy at the counter before walking over to where my mom was seated, a total of two boxes in my hand.

One box was pushed aside while the other was sat in the middle of our shared table, a dozen of donuts with different topping on each one.

After everyone had left — Aurora and Ariella to ballet lessons and Phoebe to god knows where — my mother and I decided to come over to the bakery that was across the street from home.

The place smelt of nothing but sweetness, many cakes, cookies, and pies on display for any and everyone to try. Cream colored walls, a few such as the one behind the register were brick. A marble flooring trailed all over the shop, reflecting faces of customers as they smiled and the dim lights that hung from above. Pop music played softly throughout the space, causing some people to hum lowly to the lyrics as they nibbled away on their treats.

It was aesthetically peaceful.

"How's the bakery at home?" I questioned my mom, picking up a chocolate donut that had diced strawberries in the center of it.

A sip of hot coffee was swallowed before she responded, "It's the same as before you left; lively and well managed. It couldn't be any better. Though, I do miss the help of my daughter."

I laughed and tucked a strand of hair behind my ear that'd fallen from the claw clip's grasp, "I haven't been gone for long."

"It sure does feel like it." she smiled gently, grabbing a plain chocolate donut with sprinkles, "You're growing up so much."

My eyes caught sight of the small pout on my mom's face, "If you start crying, so will I," I pointed out, reaching over the table to poke at older me's right cheek.

She swatted my hand away while laughing, biting into the pastry that she'd picked up. A grin took over my features as I watched my mom devour the donut. I handed her a napkin and waited til she was done dabbing at random places on her face before speaking up again.

"I promise to visit more often."

"You said that last time." she stated matter of factly, her cheeks puffed.

I cringed slightly at her rightness, "Yeah. . . I did. It's just that after I was fired, I wasn't in the right mindset. It took one of Phoebe's pep talks to get me through it all."

"That damn Phoebe." my mom chuckled, "What would you do without her?"

My answer was immediate, no hesitation whatsoever.

"I'd probably come running back to you, complaining about how hard being an adult is."

A watery laugh as she reached out to me, her hands in my own, "I'd lock the door so you couldn't get in. Mom used my flabbergasted state to her advantage, "So. . . Tell me about Aurora."

My whole body immediately grew hot.

♕

I put on a loose tank top with a pair of comfortable shorts before moving over to my vanity to place down the green claw clip that I wore today on it.

My phone started to play its ringtone, which made me furrow my eyebrows, wondering who could be calling this late at night.

Fingers ran through my hair as I hopped onto my bed after picking up my phone.

It was Aurora.

I answered.

"Hi." she whispered into the phone, her breaths soft and controlled.

"Hi." I breathed out.

We were both silent for a while. This was the first time that we'd be speaking alone every since what happened a night ago.

The extra box that I had gotten at the bakery was a treat for both Ariella and Aurora, so after I dropped them off and received my routinely hug from the younger blonde, I left to head home, only waving my hand awkwardly as a goodbye to Aurora.

I wasn't ignoring her, but I was just a little more nervous around her after what had happened.

"Ari hasn't stopped talking about how good those donuts were." she mentioned, attempting to start a conversation.

I smiled and slid underneath the comforter of my bed, "I'll gladly buy her more whenever she likes."

Aurora chuckled, her voice growing drowsier by the minute, "Even without my permission?"

"Ariella Romane gets whatever she wants when it comes to me, so, yes, even without your permission, Ro."

"Mhm, 'Ro?' That's new." the blonde rasped, "I like it, darling."

Subconsciously, I clenched my thighs together. Every little name that Aurora gave to me, I happened to react to them. Most times in a sexual way.

Such names as darling, love, baby, etc. causes a pool of wetness to coat the inside of my underwear. I wasn't sure if it was just the names in general or the person who spoke them.

When Aurora said either of the above, I would melt on the spot (sort of like I'm doing now). The power that she has on me is concerning, yet I crave for her to take things further, to actually take control and drive me into insanity.

I could only imagine how skilled she was when it came to sex—

"Now is not the time." I mumbled to myself.

"What'd you say?"

My eyes fluttered a few thousand times before I was brought back to reality, "Oh, nothing. Just thinking to myself. Just a tad worn out from the day." I responded quietly.

"Yeah, sorry for calling this late, I just really wanted to hear your voice right now." Aurora said, truthfully.

And there goes the eruption of butterflies.

I wrapped myself around my covers, chewing on my bottom lip to contain a smile, "You're forgiven. I'm actually glad that you called. Last night was. . ."

"Fucking amazing." she finished, no doubt in her tone, "Iris, everything that I said yesterday, I meant. It wasn't the wine talking or anything like that. Just all me."

A sigh full of relief, "Thank you for admitting that. I really enjoyed my time with you. . . like really, really."

"And I 'really, really' enjoyed it too." she chuckled, slightly mocking my word choice.

My eyes rolled as I laughed, "I'm happy to hear that."

"Me too."

After that, we both sat in a comfortable silence until eventually we were both passed out from exhaustion, our call still ongoing.

♕