bed chem | drew starkey

CHAPTER 15

LATE NOVEMBER 2023

aurora adjusted her sunglasses as she and mia walked through the bustling terminal, pulling their carry-on bags behind them. the energy at jfk was chaotic, yet there was a familiar rhythm to it that aurora found oddly comforting.

"okay," mia sighed dramatically as they stopped near security, "this is where we part ways. my private la bubble awaits."

aurora laughed, leaning in to hug mia tightly. "you're so dramatic. it's like we won't be texting every five minutes."

"that's different," mia said, pulling back and pointing at aurora. "i won't be able to see your face or hear you whine about charleston humidity in real-time."

aurora rolled her eyes, grinning. "i give it two days before you facetime me complaining about the guy you saw in london but didn't talk to."

"okay, fair," mia admitted with a smirk. "but you better keep me updated on everything. if anything even remotely interesting happens, i want to know immediately."

aurora playfully shoved her. "it's a work trip."

mia raised an eyebrow. "sure, rory. whatever helps you sleep at night."

aurora ignored her, instead focusing on fixing the strap of her bag. "get out of here before i start crying or something."

mia feigned a gasp. "aurora martinez? crying? in public? the paparazzi would have a field day."

aurora snorted, pulling her into another quick hug. "go catch your flight, hernandez."

mia stepped back, saluting her dramatically before heading toward her gate. "see you soon, star. don't forget to be fabulous."

"always," aurora called after her, watching her friend disappear into the crowd.

aurora sighed softly, glancing down at her boarding pass. charleston was next—back to the obx cast, back to work, and, inevitably, back to drew.

with a deep breath, she adjusted her bag and headed toward her gate. the excitement for the upcoming season mingled with a sense of curiosity she couldn't quite shake. something about this trip felt different, and as much as she tried to push it aside, drew's face lingered in her mind.

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aurora stepped off the plane and adjusted her carry-on bag, the humid charleston air wrapping around her like a blanket. her sunglasses slid slightly down her nose as she scanned the crowd near the pickup area. she spotted drew leaning casually against his car, phone in hand. his baseball cap sat low, but his smile was unmistakable when he saw her.

"rory!" he called, lifting a hand to wave as she approached.

"drew," she replied with a grin, quickening her pace until she was close enough to hug him. his arms wrapped around her, warm and familiar, and she found herself melting into the embrace.

"you didn't forget me while you were off in london, did you?" he teased, pulling back slightly to look at her.

"please, as if i could," aurora quipped, though she felt a slight blush creep onto her cheeks. she looked away quickly, hoping he didn't notice.

"come on," drew said, grabbing her bag. "let's get you back to set life."

the ride to their shared cast accommodations was filled with easy conversation, catching up on what they'd missed while aurora was away. by the time they arrived, aurora felt relaxed, even though her heart still gave a little flutter when drew smiled at her.