SKYLINE HEARTS

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

It was finally the day of Ace's graduation.

As always, we were gathered at the penthouse, helping Ace prepare in any way possible. I was on hair and makeup duty, Skylar on outfit duty, Wolf helped with the speech, Harry helped with packing, and Chris called in the moving trucks.

Ace would leave for Sweden right after graduation.

So, I had less than twenty-four hours to make my choice.

"Are you okay?" Ace's soft and gentle tone pulled me out of my thoughts. My gaze shifted to his reflection in the mirror while styling his hair. At the moment, it was just us in one of the rooms.

"Huh? Of course. Why wouldn't I be?" My voice matched his softness as I brushed his concerns off. He didn't have to know what was going through my head. Ace had more important matters- getting through this day with minimum problems.

"Aurora...." I knew that tone. He used it whenever he thought I was hiding something, and he was right. I sighed, finally relenting reluctantly.

"It's nothing, really," I began. "I'm just thinking how you'd leave for Sweden, and it'll only be the five of us. Still coming to terms with it, alright?"

I watched his lips tug into a small smile. "Is that all?"

I stayed silent and we both knew it wasn't all.

"You're worried about the choice, aren't you?"

I sighed. He hit the nail in the coffin. I couldn't deny that I was worried about it. With every passing hour, my anxiety rose slightly. I hope I don't get a panic attack by the end of the day.

"I don't want to break your hearts."

"Aurora, come here," He used that same tone and pulled me by my wrist. He let me partially sit on top of the vanity table. Ace looked up at me with the softest expression he could muster.

"Listen to me carefully, okay?" I nodded, waiting for him to continue. He shut his eyes and inhaled deeply. A moment of silence fell over us as he tried to figure out the right sequence of words. Ace knew what he wanted to say but struggled to execute his thoughts correctly.

His gaze met mine.

"You never have to worry about breaking hearts, understood?" He firmly said. Deep down, I knew that. Ace and his friends reassured me nothing would change, they would remain friends, and so would the six of us. But fear held me back from taking that leap.

Fear of uncertainty? Change? The unknown?

It was hard to say.

"I'm not going to sugarcoat right now. Hearts will be broken, Aurora, whether you like it or not. You will upset two of us with your choice-" He noticed my frown and the hesitation to go through with it. Part of me never wanted to go through it, to see the hurt expressions on their faces, while the other part whispered to take that leap.

Ace tightened his grip on my wrists, but not enough to hurt me. He stared into my brown orbs and I felt he was looking into my soul.

"But it's okay," Ace reassured me with a soft smile that almost melted my heart. But at the same time, my heart ached. "Don't be a people pleaser right now, Aurora. You can't make everyone happy no matter what choice you make. What matters is your happiness. You will break hearts anyway, just don't break yours in the process."

I could feel the tears prickle in my eyes.

"Why do you have to be so calm, Ace?" I asked, unable to tear my gaze off him. "What if I didn't choose you? That would break your heart!"