My Enigma

Chapter Twenty - Four

Auroras pov

Sunday morning, I woke up with a mission. It was still early, the sky just starting to lighten outside my window. The house was quiet, and I tiptoed downstairs to the kitchen, determined to make things right. After the fight but not fight that I had with Mom yesterday, I couldn't stop thinking about how hurt she'd been. It wasn't enough to just say "sorry." I wanted to show her I meant it.

What better way to do that than with food?

I dug around the pantry and found the ingredients I needed-flour, sugar, milk, eggs. Pancakes and bacon seemed like a good idea; something simple, comforting, and warm. As I mixed the batter, the faint smell of sizzling bacon began to fill the kitchen. I found myself smiling as I flipped the pancakes, humming along to a song playing softly on the radio.

When I heard the soft padding of footsteps behind me, I turned to see Mom standing in the doorway, her hair slightly messy from sleep. She blinked at me, surprised as she yawned.

"Morning, Mom," I said, turning back to flip the last pancake onto the stack. "I made breakfast."

She looked at the food, then at me, her expression softening. "You didn't have to do this, Aurora."

"I wanted to," I replied, feeling a bit nervous as I plated the bacon. "I'm really sorry about the other night... for not calling you and making you worry. I shouldn't have done that."

She walked over and pulled me into a hug, holding me close. "I know you didn't mean to, honey. I just... I'm glad you're okay."

I hugged her back tightly, relief flooding through me. "I'm okay, Mom. I promise."

I got some orange juice from the fridge and set the dining table.

We sat at the table, and as we ate, I told her my plan for the day. "I was thinking," I said between pancake bites, "that we could hang out today. Just the two of us. I've planned everything. We could watch some movies this morning, then go out to that new restaurant for lunch."

Mom's eyes lit up. "The one with the rotisserie chicken you've been talking about?"

"Yep," I said, grinning. "And they have your favorite pizza. After that, I thought we could do something a little extra... like go get our nails done, maybe even our hair, and then hit the spa for a bit. What do you think?"

If you are wondering why I am just telling her everything instead of surprising her, well, my mum hates surprises-like absolutely hates them.

Levi and I tried to surprise her once, but we ended up grounded. It's safe to say we never tried again.

Her smile widened, and she reached across the table to squeeze my hand. "I think that sounds perfect. I can't remember the last time we did something like that."

Yayy!

It's Mum and Daughter Day.

********

A few hours later, we were curled up on the couch in the living room, wrapped in blankets, watching an old comedy we both loved. It felt good to just laugh with Mom, to see her relaxed and at ease. For a moment, the weight of the past few weeks seemed to lift, and it was just the two of us like it used to be.

When the movie ended, we got ready to go out. I threw on my favorite sweater and jeans while Mom wore a dress that always made her eyes shine; I don't know how else to explain it. My mum just has the prettiest amber eyes I have ever seen.

She's tall, so she doesn't usually wear heels; flats are her go-to's, and today she's wearing white sandals and has let her brunette hair flow; she mostly puts it in a ponytail, and my mum is looking so damn pretty.