My Enigma

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Auroras POV

By morning, Luke had texted again.

Luke: Can we talk?

I stared at the screen for a full minute before turning it off and shoving the phone into my pocket. Not today.

Not anymore.

It still stung a little seeing his name light up my screen. But the sting wasn't sharp, not like before. It was dull now. Blunt. Like pressing against an old bruise, one I'd finally stopped picking at.

The truth was, I didn't want to talk. Because I'd done that already. I'd opened myself up, offered him every chance to show me he cared. I had stretched myself thin, handing him pieces of me, hoping he would hold them gently. But he didn't.

And now that I'd stopped showing up for him, now that I wasn't hanging on to his every silence, now that I was matching his energy, suddenly he wanted to talk?

No.

I wasn't a backup plan.

I wasn't someone you reached for out of convenience or boredom.

I was Aurora Willow. I had blood in my bones and grief in my chest.

I walked into school with my head held a little higher than usual, hoodie sleeves tugging over my palms and AirPods. It was cloudy, the kind of heavy grey that threatened rain, but I felt light. Steady.

My usual group was already there when I walked into the common area.

Hanna and Gabe were locked in some forehead-touching moment that made my soul want to melt from how cute that was. Aaaww, I was totally rooting for these two.

Connor sat on the bench with one leg up, hoodie over his head, furiously typing on his phone with an expression that said someone on Reddit was about to be obliterated. I felt sorry for whoever it was. Connor spent most of his time on Reddit; he even tried getting me to join, but it was never really for me.

I slid into the seat beside him.

He looked up instantly.

His face softened. "Hey."

"Hey," I replied, pulling one AirPod out. "Did you survive sushi night?"

He groaned. "Barely. They sat me in the middle. I got to witness Gabe feed Hanna with his chopsticks while making eye contact like I wasn't even there."

I snorted. "Sounds traumatic."

"Still recovering."

I grinned and leaned back. It was nice, and it felt like things were falling into place again without me forcing them. Connor had been my friend since we were kids. Backyard sprinklers. Handwritten notes were passed on crumpled paper. He'd always been there.

But I'd let that slip, hadn't I?

I'd been so wrapped up in Luke that I didn't even notice I'd started leaving people behind. The ones who actually stayed. The ones who didn't make me beg for space in their lives.

In my defence, though, I thought distance would make him lose feelings for me and see me as nothing more than his childhood friend and one of his best friends. I really hope it was working because I simply could not take breaking his heart again and making things mega awkward.

Luke walked in moments later like clockwork.

I felt his presence before I even saw him, like a shift in the air.

He didn't join us right away. He just stood near the vending machines, phone in hand, eyes flicking toward me every few seconds. And I ignored him.

Completely.