golden blonde¹

well, isn't this awkward

late november 2022
the next morning, elena wakes up early, but not by choice. her sister is cooking something that smells delicious, blasting taylor swift from the kitchen.

she goes through her morning routine quickly and steps out into the hall.

"your obsession with taylor swift needs to be studied," the younger fernandez whispered as she began looking through the cabinets.

her sister only laughs in response before cracking another egg into the pan.

"can you help me get avocados out of the refrigerator?" she says after a minute of just the oil sizzling on the pan.

they make breakfast together, just like old times. elena prepares their plates while jana finishes cooking some eggs. they eat at the dining table together, they catch up with one another's lives, as reunited sisters do.

she packages the bear in a little bag with tissue paper on top before heading out for the day.

"you're sure you don't need a ride?" jana glances toward her sister from the couch.

"her condo is not far from here, i can walk. see you later janita," elena says grabbing the house keys on her way out.

the walk to aurora's home is not long, elena had walked the journey many times. she knew all the shortcuts through the alleyways, knew which road would be the least busy, which one would provide the most scenery.

when she walks past the building parking lot, she sees something that makes her pause just for a second. it was just a second though because she hadn't been in barcelona for months; her eyes could have been deceiving her.

she makes her way up to where aurora lives, before knocking on the door twice.

when the older girl opens the door, her eyes shoot wide open.

it was almost comical how her posture turned from slouched to perfect.

"happy belated birthday rory!" elena exclaims excitedly.

"you're back in barcelona!?" the girl questions loudly.

"i could ask you the same question, how was germany?"

"um," aurora glances back into her house before subconsciously closing the door even more, only her face being seen.

"it was great, i visited some... places," the girl replies nervously.

elena stares unamused at the girl in front of her. "seriously rory? just some places? you have to tell me more! plus, i have a gift for you!"

the teenager pulls out the bag from behind her back, noticing the way aurora's eyes shifted curiously toward it.

hesitantly, she finally concedes. "fine, come on in. make yourself at home."

"oh, i definitely will!" elena cheerfully says as she jumps onto the couch.

elena noticed how aurora was a bit on edge, which was definitely unlike her. usually, aurora was easy going and would laugh at almost everything that came out of elena's mouth, whether it was funny or not; but this wasn't the case.

hopeful to lighten the mood, elena tries telling her what she saw in the parking lot.

"hey, wanna hear something funny?" elena asks sitting up on the couch. she sets aurora's gift onto the coffee table.

"hm?" aurora says boiling some water from the kitchen.

"i thought i saw laia's car in the driveway. you know codina right? i don't think she lives in the same building as you. then again, i haven't actually visited you in a while. are any of the girls visiting you while you're still here?" elena rambles on and on, messing with the tissue paper on top of aurora's gift.