Hope; Taywhora

3

"Rory, Rory, Rory, Rory, Rory." Tayce is chanting for Aurora as she makes the trek across the work room, her hands already reaching out and clutching the air until they're holding onto Aurora herself.

"Tayce, Tayce, Tayce." Aurora mimics, putting on a strange welsh accent that is slowly drifting into scouse territory. Tayce laughs and clings her hands around Aurora's middle, pulling her away from the table.

"Will you come get the people's lunch orders with me, I'm slaving away here, practically dying I am!" She complains, pouting for effect. Aurora laughs at her moodiness.

"Oh, go on then." Aurora reluctantly agrees, sighing heavily and Tayce lets go to do a mini sort of jig. Aurora bats at her to stop and Tayce laughs before her face turns stone cold. She jumps dramatically into some sort of superhero pose and then yells.

"Hooray! Let's go!" Tayce screeches, dragging Aurora by the arm down the corridor and out to the lift.

Tayce bounces back and forth on her heels and mutters a small 'do, do, do' under her breath as they wait for the lift to rise. She keeps a firm grip on Aurora's hand like she'll run away if she lets go.

The doors open and they're on the move again and Tayce hurriedly presses the ground floor button over and over until Aurora is afraid it won't start moving. It does.

They walk down to the café, the same one Tayce always speaks well of, and Tayce rattles off seven or eight different orders from memory. Aurora has to say she's impressed.

Her stomach does backflips when Tayce doesn't bother asking what Aurora wants and orders her regular meal on auto pilot, there's something strangely domestic about that and she feels even warmer when Tayce squeezes her hand and gives her that smile.

They stand by the counter as they wait for the barista, Cheryl, to fix up everyone's orders. Aurora does feel a bit bad for the poor girl because working this shift what seems to be alone has just caused her a lot of stress.

The trays slam down onto the counter and it brings Aurora back to earth, Tayce reaches forward and takes a tray, "Thanks, Chez."

"You know it's no issue, hun!" Cheryl smiles, taking a laboured breath and pushing up her styled, bouncy, hair. She smiles at Aurora giving a mini wave and then she heads back to the register.

"What'd you get then?" Aurora asks, balancing her own tray against her chest as they walk out the, thankfully, open door.

"Can't go wrong with some good, old beans on toast!" She tells Aurora, and she should've seen that answer coming because the amount of times she's seen Tayce eating them is ridiculous, that and pot noodle sandwiches which she's been trying to convince Aurora to try for at least three days now.

"Of course, how could I forgot such exotic cuisine." She replies, nodding to affirm her statement. Tayce scoffs.

"Oh yeah, go on, Miss Exotic, with... what is it you've got there?" She peers around Aurora to see the buttered ham sandwich and a packet of crisps, no less than ready salted, "A ham sandwich? And you're judging me!"

"Fuck off, you absolute hound!" Aurora shakes her head, grinning ear to ear, her natural curls swaying wildly as more jump grows in her step.

Tayce grins and she runs ahead, and only god knows how she's doing that with a tray in her hands.

"Tayce!" Aurora moans, trying the risk of jogging but stopping mid decision and speed walking instead. Tayce slows down so she can catch up and then she smiles warmly at Aurora.

"You know, Rory, all this time we spend together and I know nothing about you." Tayce frowns, leaning forward to open the office door with one hand, "Other than you eat nothing but plain ass food."

Aurora leans her back against it once it's open and pushes backwards to let Tayce through. Tayce smiles and they continue walking, "Comedy gold." She rolls her eyes, "What do you wanna know?"

Aurora shrugs and her eyes flicker anywhere but Tayce, she looks for the girls who's meals she has and slowly serves them to each one, with Tayce trailing behind her like a puppy, "I don't know! Interesting stuff."

Aurora snorts, "'Fraid I haven't got much of that." Which wasn't a complete lie, sure she'd had her fair share of raunchy nights out but that was where the list ended, it's not like she's out doing crack ever other night.

"Oh come on, there has to be something!" Tayce elbows her as she manoeuvres around to hand Asttina her bits, who gives a silent question of interest to Tayce who shrugs innocently.

"Well, there was this one thing..." Aurora admits, finally coming to a stop at her own desk. Tayce pulls up a chair beside her and moves close enough for their shoulders and thighs to rub against one another.

"Oh, 'ere we go. Prep yourselves people!" Tayce shifts herself so she's leaning her head on Aurora's shoulder. Aurora opens her crisps.

"Shut up!" Aurora smiles, shoving her away and off her seat so fiercely Tayce almost hits the floor. She clicks her tongue against the roof of her mouth and shakes her head, "Cheeky cow."

"Anyways, as I was saying before you interrupted." Aurora turns head head, flicking her hair over her shoulder. She makes an exaggerated crunch with her crisps and clears her throat.

"I once smashed a bottle over a guy's head." She shrugs, taking another handful of crisps from her bag and munching contently. Tayce gapes at her.

"You what?"

"You heard. He was hitting on Ellie, I was drunk, so I gave him a wallop, s'all." Tayce keeps staring, "Don't give me that look!"

"I'm not giving a look!"

"Yeah, you're giving me the 'Aurora, you've don't something stupid' look!"

"The what?"

"You know what- Oh never mind, you've cocked it up now!" Aurora groans, facing away from Tayce to angrily finish off her crisp packet. Tayce is wildly cackling behind her and she can't keep a straight face.

"You're a right menace, Dennis the Menace, you are!" Tayce accuses, patting Aurora's lower back as she gets up.

"Me? What about you!" Aurora protests, throwing the empty wrapper down in outrage. Tayce starts walking away waving her hands.

"Yeah, yeah, girl, whatever!" She pulls a silly winky face, with her tongue poking out and her head wiggling and then she gets distracted in starting up a conversation with Asttina.

Aurora snorts and turns back around, "So..." Is Ellie's only greeting and Aurora knows her and Lawrence are both poking their noses in for a bit of gossip.

"So?" She asks, acting as nonchalant as she can without spilling her freshly opened sprite can.

"I'm sorry? What do you mean, so?" Ellie asks, all three of them know what Ellie's original question meant and all three of them know Aurora's ignoring it.

"Yeah, Miss Lady Killer, 'fess up all those secrets." Lawrence encourages, doing a sexy wiggle up and down, purring like a tiger would. Aurora sips deeply from her drink and leans back.

"I don't know, I mean, she doesn't seem interested like that. We're all matey so it's like platonic, isn't it?"

"Well, I don't know babes, has she tried givin' you a snog yet?" Lawrence asks, Ellie snorts.

"Forward as always, Lawrence." Ellie replies, patting Lawrence on the arm. Lawrence makes finger guns in Ellie's direction and Aurora has to appreciate them for trying to brighten her mood and sort out her endless pining, even if it doesn't work.