𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐓𝐄𝐀𝐂𝐇𝐄𝐑'𝐒 𝐑𝐄𝐆𝐑𝐄𝐓 | 𝐖𝐋𝐖 |

prologue 02 | there's poverty in lies

"𝐈𝐧 𝐯𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐈 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐠𝐠𝐥𝐞𝐝. 𝐈𝐭 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐝𝐨. 𝐌𝐲 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐛𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐝." — 𝐉𝐚𝐧𝐞 𝐀𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐧

• • •

Still basking in the aftermath of her high(s), Aurora laid there on the couch exhausted and satisfied with Valerie by her side. The brunette, after the several hours she had exerted her all her energy on satisfying Aurora, was basically out cold.

With a small smile playing on her lips, Aurora marvelled at the enchantment sleep bestowed upon the brunette, watching as though the fireplace died down, it's gentle flicker of amber hues still managed to cast a soft glow over the brunette's skin, further emphasising each of her beauty marks, dips and curves of her body. Truly, it was a sight Aurora could never bore of.

Aurora's gaze lingered back to Valerie's lips as she remembered the taste of her not so long ago. Subconsciously, her fingers traced over the outline of her lips, then passed straight down to the end of her chin, to her collarbone and down the middle of her chest where her fingers met the hem of the blanket draped over their near-naked bodies. With a gentle tug, she ensured the blanket was pressed snug into Valerie, providing her extra warmth in place of the dying embers of the fireplace not too far away from them.

Just as she was to join Valerie in her slumber, she heard her phone ring, breaking her train of thought and ultimately, the silence of the night.

The room held its breath as she reluctantly answered with a sigh after noting who rung her at such an ungodly hour. 

"What now, Elijah?" She muttered, her voice barely above a strained whisper, as if it were a fragile secret she hoped to conceal with the night silence. 

"Did I wake you?" Elijah's voice, a mixture of familiarity and regret, echoed through the other side of the phone. He sounded much clearer than usual, as if he had laid off the liquor for sake of the phone call.

Aurora clenched her jaw, her patience wearing thin. "What do you want?"

"You weren't answering my texts, so I thought to call you." The man responded, his tone altering between softness and defensiveness. 

At the sound of Aurora's voice, Valerie stirred beside her, the movement causing the blonde to freeze and hold her breath. She couldn't let Valerie know that Elijah was still trying to contact her. So accordingly, she stepped away from the warmth of the fireplace and blanket and dipped into the shadows of her office walls.

"Elijah, you can't just—" Aurora fought to keep her voice steady, her words laced with a determination that belied the vulnerability she tucked beneath her stomach.

"—I know, I just wanted to get my thanks across and I didn't think it was best done over text."

Elijah attempted to reason, his words a soft melody of warmth and longing. Aurora, however, remained resolute as ever. "Yes, well, my assistance wasn't out of kindness, now was it?" 

"But you still did." He said, hoping it would awake something in Aurora.

Aurora's grip tightened on the phone, her knuckles turning white as she fought to quell the rising tide of frustration Elijah had caused her; currently and in the past. "Practically out of force, but whatever you say then."

"Look, I also wanted to apologise for that night. I really didn't mean to—"

"—Don't... Just, don't." Aurora replied, her tone authoritative and low.