𝘚𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘵 𝘝𝘪𝘤𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺

𝘛𝘦𝘯

Oh... I'm in Granit's bedroom. How the hell did I get in here? Before the mystery's answered, Aurora feels a weight shift on the bed. "Morning, gorgeous." Oh my God. Did Granit and I sleep together last night? The panic and confusion must be all over Aurora's face, because Granit lets out a gentle chuckle. "Do you not remember us passing out on the balcony last night?" He asked. Memories return to her in blurry pieces. Coming home, opening a bottle of champagne. Them almost kissing.

The grin on his face tells her he's remembering the exact same thing. "Yeah. We did that. And I haven't stopped thinking about it." He said. "You're pretty cute when you sleep, you know." Aurora stared at him. "Oh God. Did I try to cuddle you?" She asked. "Well... kind of? But I'm just guilty." Granit said. "What happened?" Aurora asked. "You're um... your head was on my chest. It was nice." Granit replied. "I don't normally do that." Aurora said.

"I know. Neither do I. But, I liked it." Granit said. "I figured you wouldn't want to sleep outside all night though. So I carried you to bed." He said. "Wow. I'm liking this princess treatment." Aurora said. "Well, you are basically Snow White. You just have an evil uncle instead of a stepmother." Granit said. "Does that make you Prince Charming?" Aurora asked with a smirk. "Obviously." Granit said.

"So you didn't..." Aurora asked. Heat floods her cheeks at the thought of Granit crawling into bed beside her, holding her close. "No. No, I-I mean, you were asleep. I didn't want to be presumptuous. This might be my room, but I told you this bed is all yours while we're doing this..." Granit said. "Marriage?" Aurora said. "Right. Marriage." Granit's eyes go soft as he gazes down on her, perched at the edge of the bed.

He fidgets with the sheets, looking uncharacteristically nervous. Almost shy. "I know we tried to draw a line between what's real and what's just for show. Us in private, versus us in public, but we kind of crossed that line yesterday." He said. "I would say that I'm sorry for making things confusing. But the truth is, I'm not. I loved everything that happened last night." Aurora's heart cartwheels in her chest, memories flooding her brain.

"If you regret it... I understand. And I won't cross that line again. I still don't really know what the rules are here. Do you regret last night, Ro? Be honest with me." Granit said. "I don't have any regrets, Granit. Look, I know our situation is..." Aurora said. "Unconventional?" Granit asked. "To say the least. But we're adults. You're sexy. I'm sexy." Aurora said. "You think I'm sexy?" Granit asked. "Please. You know you are." Aurora said.

"Well, you're my fucking dream girl. And for two people who barely know each other, our physical chemistry is out of this world." Granit said. Subtly, Granit's face has moved closer and closer to Aurora's, until suddenly there's just an inch of space between them. His eyes dip to her lips, lust flaring in his eyes. "For all intents and purposes... I'm your wife. Right?" Aurora said. "And I'm your husband." Granit said.

The words "I'm your husband" in Granit's gruff accent makes Aurora's stomach somersault. "So what you're saying is let's do what husbands and wives do?" Granit said. "The newlywed kind. Not the old, bitter, sleep-on-the-couch kind." Aurora said. "But I do sleep on the couch." Granit said. "And maybe if you play your cards right you'll move to the bed." Aurora said. Granit stands up from the bed and ushers her to do the same.

"Alright, Ro. Enough laying around in bed. I've got a fun day planned for us." He said. "You're off work. I'm off work. We've both been working our asses off, we deserve a day of fun." "So like... a day of adventure?" Aurora asked. "You're on the right track." Granit said. "I'm officially intrigued. What is it?" Aurora asked. "The carnival." Granit said. "The carnival's in town? I love the carnival." Aurora said. "Oh, yeah?" Granit said. "Especially the Ferris wheel. There's something so romantic about it." Aurora said.