𝐓𝐀𝐍𝐓𝐀𝐋𝐈𝐙𝐄𝐃 | 𝟏𝟖+

sixty-five; relief

A U R O R A

"You will remember when this is blown over, and everything's all by the way. When I grow older, I will be there at your side to remind you, how I still love you."

. . .

"Aurora," Riccardo hums. We're still laying on the couch, my head on his chest and his hand on my back.

"Yeah?"

"Carla noticed something today," he sighs, making me tilt my head up. "What?"

"The way you behave and carry yourself. You're timid," he says and sits up a bit, causing me to do the same.

Our eyes lock.

"I don't know what you're talking about," I frown, feeling my heartbeat pick up. He sighs and sits up, cupping my cheek.

"Is there something you want to tell me?" he asks. My breathing gets ragged. "You know already," I bring out.

"I never wanted to talk to you about it, I wanted you to be the one to bring it up since it's not my place to do so," he whispers. I glance away and get up from the couch, closing my eyes for a brief second and seeing Jack appear in front of me.

I feel his hand skim over my body, hear his heavy breathing, and something hard pressed against my hip.

"You know," I whisper, feeling the tears stinging my eyes. He lets out a sigh. "I do," he says with a pained voice.

My face scrunches up in disgust and I feel bile rising in my throat. No. My hands start shaking when the memories come flooding back.

I shudder and feel the tears rolling down my face.

"I never wanted to force you to talk about it, baby. But Carla told me about how damaged you looked today and I just want to know you're okay," I hear him say and see him approach me. But he makes sure not to touch me.

"H-he touched me," I whisper, feeling a tear dangling onto an eyelash, waiting to drop. It gets hard for me to swallow.

"I was heartbroken, and it was right after Carla found out. And then a man went ahead and slapped me," I chuckle, though without humor.

"A man was assaulting a woman," I breathe, "a-and I took it upon myself to go and rescue her. I mean, I had the slap coming, right? I put myself in that position."

"Aurora, that's not true," Riccardo says, his voice stern. I shake my head.

"No, it is true. I'm a horrible human being." I don't mean to smile, but I do. It's sad, really.

"I seduced you while knowing you had a girlfriend, one you could've had a family with. I destroyed something beautiful."

"Baby, I'm more to blame for that than you are. I was the one who decided to give in, I was the one who held the responsibility in his hands, knowing he was committed to someone and yet deciding to sleep with someone else," he tells me.

"No! I'm a mean person, Riccardo! I deserve everything bad that happens to me! I'm an awful person. I'm even victimizing myself, see? I deserve to be taken advantage of. Being slapped. Being treated like a doll!" I cry, falling onto the ground.

Riccardo goes to kneel in front of me, wanting to touch me but not doing it. Am I damaged goods to him, now? Am I not worth touching, anymore?

"It's my fault for what happened to me, don't you see? I didn't push Jack away, I could have said no. But I didn't. Because I'm a coward and deserve to be treated like dirt. I'm... I'm..."