Page 111 of Wildfire
“Stay mad at the patriarchy, Ror.Ciao.”
Aurora throws her phone onto the bed beside us and turnsaround, climbing over each leg until she’s straddling me with her head pressed against my chest and her arms wrapped around my waist. I stroke her hair, not saying anything. Another five minutes of silence pass and I can’t remember a time where she’s ever been this quiet.
Eventually, she pushes herself off my torso, sitting up to face me. “So, that was Elsa.”
“That was Elsa,” I repeat. “She’s…”
“She’s very Elsa.”
“How do you feel?” I ask again.
She trails her hand down the side of my face, brushing her fingers across my jaw lightly. “Still supported.”
Chapter Thirty-SixRUSS
“YOU’RE REALLY ANNOYING TO SLEEPbeside, do you know that?” I say, pulling a T-shirt over my head.
Aurora looks up at me as she starfishes in the middle of my bed, her blond hair sticking in every direction. “You’ve slept beside me before.”
“I think having no room in that camp bed kept you in line. Now that you’ve got the space you’re a pain. You kicked the shit out of me at one point; I felt like a soccer ball.”
“I’m sorry,” she says sarcastically. “Would you prefer if I left when you were asleep?”
“Asleep or in the bathroom?”
“Ouch, too soon to joke,” she says playfully.
“You know what, Callaghan, I’m going to Cabo to see my friend Clay. I bet he won’t bully me.”
“Are you trying to make me jealous?” I slip my feet into my sneakers and grab my keys from my dresser. “Because it’s working.”
“I’m trying to make you fuck me.” She sits up and her hair falls over her shoulders. She really is the most beautiful woman I’ve everseen. I can’t believe she’s mine. “I’m kidding. I’m just trying to make you laugh so you’re in a good mood for today.”
Bending to kiss her good-bye, I force myself not to crawl into bed with her. “We can do that later. I need to leave before I change my mind.”
“Are you sure you don’t want me to come? I can sit in the car outside.”
“I’m sure. I want to keep you to myself for as long as I possibly can.”
“Say no more,” she says, throwing herself back against the pillows. “I’ll be right here waiting for you when you come home. Remember you can leave anytime, and if you’re too overwhelmed to drive, call me and I’ll get you an Uber.”
I never realized how important it was to have someone to share my concerns with until now. I thought being able to tell her about stuff that’s already happened was the biggest relief, but it’s experiencing it together. Knowing that she’s going to be here waiting for me, in whatever state I come back in, is a bigger comfort than her waiting outside of my parents’ house.
“What’re your plans while I’m gone?”
“I’m going to video call Emilia and Poppy, and then I was thinking of maybe seeing if my mom wants to go to Café Kiley for a coffee.”
Aurora’s mom texted her last night with the messageproud of you, sweetie, so Aurora presumes her dad made a call after she told him she was done.
“And I might hide my things in your room, so you can’t bring girls who give you lap dances up here when college restarts.”
“Wait, what?”
“I’m going to hide notes in the pillowcases. The pillowcases are suspicious all on their own; wait until you throw them down and something crinkles beneath their head.”
“You’re unhinged,” I say with a chuckle, bending to kiss her one last time. “Thank you for trying to distract me.”
“Yes.” She grins. “It was definitely a distraction…”
