Collin knocked on Aurora's room door. It was just a little after ten so he thought she may be back from her prior engagement. He had texted her earlier but didn't get a response so he thought that she may not have seen his message. He decided that he would knock a second time and wait two minutes to give her a little time if she was in the bathroom. After the second knock, there was still no answer so he thought he would grab a drink at the hotel's bar before heading to bed. He had another busy day ahead and needed to get some rest anyway. He walked towards the elevator, as it opened Aurora stepped out.
"Collin!" she said exuberantly. "I'm sorry I was just about to respond to your message" she smiled at him.
"I was just checking for you, I thought you went to bed". He couldn't stop staring at her. She was absolutely breathtaking and she looked more beautiful than when he last saw her.
"I was heading down to the bar, would you like to join me?"
She smiled again. "I'll meet you there, give me a few minutes to change".
As Collin sat by the bar waiting for Aurora to join him he couldn't help but wonder what her mother would say if she knew they were together right now. He thought life was probably eating popcorn and having a good laugh as its events can suddenly change. Who would have thought that he would be right here, right now in this moment with the person whom he loved the most? As he pondered about the complexities of life, he felt a gentle touch on his shoulder.
" How far did you go?" Aurora asked in the sweetest voice that captivated his very being.
" Not very far" he lied. " I was just thinking about what I need to get done before I head back to Ohio".
"Ohio? What are you doing in Ohio?".
Aurora was a little confused.
" I thought you knew that I'm going to school there. Didn't your father tell you?"
Apparently from her reaction, it was clear that Aurora did not have any idea that fate had brought them even closer than she had realized.
As the evening went by Collin told her about how he had ended up attending the University of Northwestern in Ohio and how grateful he was to Jamal to make it a possibility. He didn't tell her of Jamal's sudden passing nor about anything about the business. He wanted to keep that piece of information to himself for the time. She expressed how proud she was of him as he deserved every bit of happiness and success.
Throughout the conversation, she couldn't help but think how much she loved him. He wasn't proud, he was determined, hardworking, and loving. He loved his mom and sisters as he often spoke of them. He loved Uncle Joe and she knew he once loved her and she understood if he no longer had those feelings for her. After all, she had been engaged to another man, and not only that she was intimate with him too. She was no longer the girl he fell in love with years ago nor the girl who was ignorant of intimate pleasures. Now, she was a woman. A woman who had been with another man.
Collin noticed her sudden distance.
"Are you tired?" he asked.
She slowly nodded and smiled.
" I'll walk you up, you must be".
A few minutes later Aurora and Collin were standing at her room door.
" It was so good catching up with you Aurora, I had a good evening. I guess we'll see each other" he smiled at her.
Just as he was about to walk away Aurora quickly spoke.
" How, how is it that you didn't ask about the wedding being postponed?" she asked in a low tone, her head bowed as if she wasn't too sure it was a good idea. Maybe he didn't want to know what had happened between her and David because he wasn't interested in her anymore.
" I didn't want you to feel embarrassed and besides it's none of my business".
"Turns out my mother had a part to play in that too".
Collin scoffed. He wasn't surprised. Nothing surprised him about Claire Flemming. She was as vicious as they come.
"I'm sorry, but if you love David you should marry him, not on your mother's terms but on your own".
What the hell was he saying? As soon as the words came out he instantly regretted it. He didn't want her to marry anyone but now she probably thought that he didn't want to be with her when in reality he wished that they were in her bed instead of standing outside talking about a marriage that he was happy was canceled.
Aurora didn't say anything except smile. She got the answer she was looking for. Collin was no longer in love with her and she needed to accept it. She opened her door, told him good night, and went inside.
Collin tossed and turned for the entire night, he couldn't sleep as he played the last conversation he'd had with Aurora over and over in his head. Why would he ever try to convince her to marry David? It was one of the stupidest things he had ever done. He checked his phone, it was 3 a.m. He threw back the covers and sat up as he realized how fast his heart rate was. Aurora tended to make his heart beat faster because he was thinking about her.
"Are you up?" He typed on his phone. He didn't expect to get a reply. It was late and Aurora would be sleeping. However, to his surprise, the phone buzzed in his hand with a message which said "Yes".
A few minutes later he was standing at Aurora's room door. He had sent her another message to say he was coming up. He knocked on the door lightly and she immediately opened it to let him in.
"Are you alright" she whispered.
She was wearing silk light blue pajamas and her hair was in a ponytail. He couldn't help but notice that her face seemed to have a light glow as if she had put makeup on. He was flattered that she made an effort to look pretty for him at 3 in the morning.
"I'm fine, I just, couldn't sleep and since you couldn't sleep I thought you could use the company. I'm sorry, why is it that you couldn't sleep?".
He had an idea as he thought she was too distraught over the cancellation of her wedding to David. She must have been so heartbroken when he broke the news. He knew because he remembered the night of her party when he found her by her neighbour's pool and he told her that he didn't love her. Her reaction left her heartbroken and angry. He would have done anything to relive that night but it was all in the past.
" I am probably just anxious to head back to Ohio" she lied. " I never could sleep before I travel".
"I understand, I'm that way too" he smiled. " I know things have not been easy with your wedding being canceled so I'm here for you if you need me."
She smiled at him and nodded.
"Thanks, Collin, you're a really good friend".
Friend. The word stung him like a bee. He didn't want to be just her friend. He wanted to be her man, her lover, her confidant. He wanted to be that and so much more.
He stepped closer to her. He could smell her faint perfume as it lit up his senses like a fuse box. He lightly pulled her into him and placed his forehead on hers as he took a deep breath. Aurora could feel her legs getting weak and her heart was beating fast as if it was running a race. He smelled so good! She had closed her eyes but slowly opened them to see that his eyes were closed. What the hell was he doing to her?
He raised his head as he slowly opened his eyes to stare into hers.
" I have a confession," he said in a low tone. " I know the timing is all wrong but I don't want to be your friend Aurora. When I look at you, I think about kissing you, I think about how much I love you, I think about" he paused and sighed. " I think about how much I want to make love to you, I don't have friendship feelings for you Aurora, and deep down you know this. You drive me crazy".
She couldn't help herself when she pulled his head down to hers.
"Kiss me" she whispered and Collin happily obliged her.
The way he kissed her was so sensual and slow. Her lips tasted like cherries. They were soft and moist. He couldn't help himself as he allowed his tongue to slowly massage hers as she reversed his technique with her own. After a minute, she slowly raised her head and smiled.
" What are you thinking?" he asked.
" You mean everything to me, Collin. I loved David but I have always been in love with you. You are it for me, you know that, I know that, and deep down my mother knew it too. I love you."
"And I love you".
She hugged him and he held her.