" confession. "
A U R E L I A
"GOLD. YOU'RE HERE."
A painfully familiar voice speaks behind me and I turn on my heel immediately.
"Rainer." I speak sternly.
His emerald eyes meet mine and he looks as good as ever. As good as the day we met, nearly nine months ago.
The second I had embarrassed myself in front of him that day, I just assumed he was going to hate me. Well, he certainly doesn't now considering this art gallery of my pictures I'm standing in.
Why am I thinking about that moment?
I sigh as he takes a few steps closer to me, step by step he's closing in the space between us. He reaches a hand out for me and cups my cheek but I avoid his gaze.
"Aurelia.. Let's talk." He says in a voice so low it's almost like a whisper.
Talk?
I don't have anything to say.
Though I'd spend hours listening to his voice.
'Ari, refuse him. He betrayed you and broke your heart.' My mind tells me. But the words that come from my heart and fall off of my lips say otherwise.
"I'm ready to talk."
He nods, a small smile tugs on his lips which he parts to speak.
"You're not just a good fuck to me, Aurelia. You're my everything. My heart, my soul, my body, my love, my reason to live. Do you get that?" He tilts his head.
"You give me life, Gold."
Rainer leans down closer and I can't say I'm not desperate to feel our bodies touch again after so long. But then he stops, his lips are inches away from mine and I shift my gaze between his eyes and his lips.
I scrunch my eyebrows, feeling his hot breath fan my lips as I wait for his next words.
"From the moment you awkwardly stood in front of me at the office as I called your last name, I knew you were special. You have this charm and aura that manages to entrap me everytime I'm in its vicinity."
A pause.
And a tear falls from his precious emerald eye.
"And God, do I love being trapped by it. It's a feeling I'd never give up. Never. Nothing for anything. Except for your love, of course." He says the last few words with a chuckle, making me smile the tiniest bit.
His dimples are showing. The sight of the two dips on either side of his lips has me melting.
I press my lips against one another, still unable to form my words but then he doesn't stop talking. He moves closer, his lips brush against mine but then he pulls away immediately.
"I know I fucked up, Aurelia, and I am so, so, so sorry. You must know that my feelings have not changed and I still yearn for your affection and offer mine, even more than ever."
Now, I'm the one crying. The sincerity of his voice touches my heart and I don't think I can stay mad at him any longer. Not when he's like this, for me.
"But one word from you will silence me forever. If, however, you choose to still despise me for what I have done, I have to tell you."
Jane Austen. Pride and Prejudice.
This man surely did his research on me. I chuckle, another tear falls and before I can bring a hand up to wipe it away, Rainer gets to it first.
"You have broken and mend me, Aurelia. Your name, it's— It's forever carved into my brain and I know I can never get away from you. I know my hands can't and won't keep themselves apart from you when I see you, so please."
Each word he speaks makes it harder for me to resist. I bite my lip, holding myself back from saying everything that I want to say and his gaze shifts between my eyes and my lips.
His name falls from my lips and he looks like he's seconds away from kneeling down in front of me.
And I don't know if I should be scared or not.
R A I N E R
I COULD KNEEL down in front of her right now, this very second.
Each syllable and letter of my name that escapes her parted lips makes my heart melt piece by piece.
"Yes, Gold?" I ask, tilting my head which makes my face inch closer to hers yet again.
She bites her lip and looks like she's holding back all of her words. I force a small smile and soften my gaze, anything to get her to open up.
I have a feeling she doesn't trust me as much as before, and I hate it.
"You're cruel for what you did, Rainer. And I'm sorry it took me so long to realize how much I'd be losing if I don't forgive you." She says, reaching a hand out for me and placing it on my cheek.
"I'm so sorry—"
"Don't be, Gold. You have nothing to be sorry about, this is all me." I mean everything I say.
This is because of me.
She was sad because of me. She cried because of me. She refused to see anyone for days and days because of me and I don't think I can forgive myself despite her forgiving me.
"No, please, let me be. I refused to accept your apologies for so long yet here we are, standing in a fucking art gallery filled with my pictures that I'm assuming you took and set up. I can't leave a man like you just like that, Rainer, and I won't."
I won't.
The two words that leave her mouth make me want to ask her if I can take her hand and listen to her say two other words too.
The mere fact that she'd be willing to stay with me, even calling me 'A man like you', has me on the verge of tears.
"Aurelia.. God, I.." I pause, scoffing.
"I love you. So damn much."
Within seconds, her lips are crashing into mine and my hands have already found their spot on her sides. She pulls me in close by the neck, her chest pressing against my lower stomach and I can feel her smile on my lips.
Aurelia caresses the back of my neck, her hands running up and down my nape as I lean down to push myself deeper into her. She feels amazing, as if heaven were a person.
She is indeed my heaven, and words cannot explain how many times I'd be willing to die for her.
After a few long seconds, she pulls away, breathing heavily while her hands never part with my skin. She looks up at me with innocent, hazel eyes filled with desire and I tuck a strand of hair behind her ear.
"You don't know how long I've been waiting for that."
She chuckles, showing her pearly whites and I can't hold back my smile at the sight of her dimples.
Most people would think that asking Aurelia Emberlyn to be my fake fiancée was the worst decision of my life, though I only think it was the best.
If this woman never piqued my interest with her last name and gorgeous features, I don't think I would be as happy as I am now.
So fucking happy that she's mine. Happy that I can call her my girlfriend without having to worry about her being scared. Happy that I can kiss her in public, in front of anyone.
Soon.
Soon, she'll be my real fiancée. She'll take my last name.
"I love you." She says.
I smile, "I love you more."
Aurelia Morelli does sound quite nice.
────
Okay, not much of a cliffhanger this chapter but I will say that this is the second to last one :')
One more chapter then the epilogue and then who knows what's next 🤷♀️
I'd like to briefly address some comments I've received regarding Aurelia's being unforgiving to Rainer.
What Rainer said and did to Aurelia wasn't easily forgivable. I get that to some of you, it was, though for her it wasn't and as the author of this book, that is how I wrote her.
I won't respond to comments talking about this, this'll be the only thing I'll say.
Also, thank you all for 1k votes and 41k reads!! I love you all :))