Aurora

Chapter 3 | Bobby

"You could just come with me." I put my shoes on and stand up, checking if they're comfortable enough for me to do whatever it is Archer has planned. "I don't think I could face that demon alone."

"If I join you, he might make the divorce more difficult."

There's nothing that's going to change Sophias mind in this. I need her to be present with me. I need her to be that moral support even if she doesn't say anything. "What if you're there in secret?"

She laughs. "You think that Archer wouldn't know if I was there in secret?" I know she's right, but I still try to keep up the hopeful puppy eyes and still convince her to go. But she's more committed to staying at the apartment than I am to get her to come with me.

We spent the first two hours discovering our massive apartment. With bedrooms on either side, a separate dining room, separate kitchen, and the living room had floor-to-ceiling windows that looked over the beautiful river. And the best thing was that there was even space for an office room. With computer included.

The bedrooms were the exact same size and had windows to look over the city, so deciding who slept where wasn't that difficult.

I asked Sophia for some time by myself and I used it to organize my closet. The way Archer spoke gave me chills, and I had this feeling that maybe this was going to be more difficult than I anticipated in the beginning.

-

I use a hair pin to put away the last strand of hair in the bun that Sophia helped me put in. She narrows her eyes at my move.

"I'm nervous." I admit. Sophia smiles sympathetically and stands up. She walks towards me and then pulls me in for a hug. The soft fabric of her oversized hoodie wraps around me and I'm instantly regretting not saying no to Archer and staying home to wear hoodies just like this one.

"You'll be fine, babe." Sophia whispers in my ear. I know I will be, but I don't know what 'fine' is going to look like at the end of this.

Is it going to be with Jared? Is Jared not going to want me back? I wish I had the answers so I knew what goal I was working towards. Right now, it's the divorce. But what's going to happen after?

"Archer told me to meet him in the hotel lobby at 7, so I should get down," I whisper. I pull back from the hug and take a deep breath in in an attempt to refresh and get going. "I'll see you later?"

Sophia smiles. "You got this. You'll get everything you need." I repeat her affirmations in my head until I believe them.

I finally make my way out of the apartment and then down to the lobby. It's fairly busy at the desk and I send the girl behind it a polite smile. She nods and then goes back to her job. After the treatment she's received earlier today, I'm not surprised.

Archer isn't here yet, so I find a place to sit and wait for him. Minutes go by, and it feels like forever. I don't want to check my phone in case he does show up.

Suddenly something hits my head and I can feel the pins tightening in place. "Ouch." I reach for my bun to see if it's still okay and look up at the girl who's Birkin Bag just slammed into the back of my head.

"Shit, I am so sorry." Her strong southern accent throws me off. The apologetic look on her face immediately washes away all of the annoyance that I had in me. "I wasn't looking, can I buy you a drink someday to make it up to you?"

And she's direct. A quality I can appreciate in a person. But I don't know if she's hitting on me or if she's just talking about a friendly outing.

"It's fine," I assure her. "My best friend and I are new in town so a friend who knows the area is always welcome." I immediately shut down any possibility. She takes the seat in front of me and takes a deep breath.

"I know this town better than my own back pocket." She laughs. "You and your friend are always welcome to text me any time to hang out. I'm Faye."

"Bobby," I introduce myself. She holds her hand out for me to shake and I take it graciously.

She pulls the bag onto her lap and takes a deep breath in. "So what do you know about Chicago?"

"I know nothing, we just arrived here today." I want to spill all of my beans to her, but the longer I'm here the more I realize that an accidental marriage might not be the greatest way to start a friendship. Plus, if this divorce goes smoothly, I don't have to tell her at all. She might never have to meet Archer at all.

Then she gets up. "I should go." Before I can respond, she's already left. I furrow my eyebrows together, looking into the direction she just left in.

"Evangeline." It's him. His voice sounds dark and my name sounds like a warning sound coming from his lips. I turn to face him, and I immediately regret sitting down. He towers over me, his brown eyes piercing right into mine.

"It's Bobby." I remind him again, just like I did yesterday. He doesn't respond to it, instead he reaches out his hand to help me get up. I take it and stand up. He lets go of my hand. I follow him out.

When we walk out of the hotel, his driver opens a door. The two of us still haven't exchanged a single proper word. If I knew what to say, I would've said it. Never have I actually felt at loss for words until now. I feel so inferior whenever I'm next to him, like he's judging my every move.

And maybe he is judging me. Maybe he's judging how long it took for me to come here and divorce him. Maybe he's judging me for showing up here unannounced and disturb his career life by demanding him to go through a divorce on a random workday.

"I'm sorry if this is awkward and I'm sorry to just show up here-" I start in an attempt to start the conversation.

"Don't be sorry for wanting that divorce." I haven't even told him my intentions but he knows. Great, another reason for him to judge me. I fiddle my hands together in my lap, hiding them under my purse.

"You look nice though," he compliments me. I look up and catch him looking at me. He notices I caught him and smiles. There's a tiny dimple in his left cheek. Then he breaks eye contact.

Oh this man is going to give me a whiplash, I can already sense it coming.