Wheel You Marry Me?

CHAPTER 7.

"Mum, what are you doing here?" Ryan asked as Eleanor stormed toward us.

"I came looking for you. I was worried," she said in that clipped, overly dramatic voice of hers.

"I told you, I can take care of myself!" Ryan snapped, his face tightening with frustration.

I shifted uncomfortably. This was clearly turning into a mother-son standoff, and I really didn't want to be in the middle of it.

"I should go," I murmured, backing away.

But Eleanor stepped in front of me with a forced grin. "Not so fast, dear."

I stopped and turned to face her. "What do you want, Eleanor?"

Her eyes narrowed. "I don't know what you were talking about with my son, but I don't want you around him anymore."

I blinked. "Excuse me?"

"Mum, why are you always so rude?" Ryan barked, clearly fed up.

She ignored him and stared me down like I was a threat.

I took a deep breath and forced a smile. "Alright. Don't worry about it."

And then I turned and left, ignoring the tension burning behind me like the aftermath of a storm.

Back home, the lights were off. Everyone was asleep. I climbed into bed and threw the blanket over my head, trying not to overthink Eleanor's icy tone or Ryan's bruised hands. But their voices still echoed in my head.

My alarm went off at 7 a.m. sharp.

Groaning, I dragged myself out of bed and into the bathroom. After showering, I threw on a denim dress, laced up my sneakers, tied my curls into a high ponytail, and finished the look with maroon lipstick.

In the kitchen, I found my mum sipping coffee and reading a book.

"Morning, sweetie," she said with a surprising softness.

"Good morning, Mum," I replied, grabbing milk from the fridge.

"I love your dress," she added.

I glanced down and smiled. "Thanks. I'm glad you like it."

As I poured myself a bowl of cereal, I kept sneaking looks at her. Reading? I hadn't seen her read anything besides prescription labels in years.

Maybe something really was changing.

When I got to the coffee shop, Skylar greeted me at the door. "Good morning, Aurora. What happened yesterday? You left in a rush."

"Morning. Scott said something... hurtful."

Her eyes darkened. "Ugh, I'm so sorry. Don't listen to him. He's a miserable troll."

I gave her a small nod, but the truth was, Scott's words had stuck with me more than I wanted to admit.

The shop was packed. With Kim calling in sick, I was juggling everything solo.

"Girl, you need a break," Skylar said, gently nudging me. "I'll take over for a bit."

"I'm fine, really—"

"Nope! Go before you collapse. Doctor's orders."

"Fine," I muttered, tossing my apron on a hook. I usually spent my breaks at Mrs. Stevenson's house, a sweet old lady who lived a few blocks away.

When I got there, she was sitting on the porch, squinting into the sunlight.

"Hello, Mrs. Stevenson," I said, gently taking her hand.

"Oh! It's you, Aurora. How are you, sweetheart?" she asked with her signature warm smile.

"I'm good. I came to help with your trash and feed the cat."

She patted my hand. "My grandson already took care of that."

Her grandson?

"I didn't know you had one," I said, surprised.

"Oh, yes. He's coming to take me with him today. I'm moving, dear."

"Really?" I asked. "That's great! Somewhere nicer, I hope."

She nodded. "Much. He's got space for me and Pumpkin too."

"I'm happy for you."

"I could use some water, sweetie," she added, her voice raspy.

I walked inside, heading to the kitchen. Boxes were stacked along the walls—she hadn't been exaggerating.

As I turned around with the glass, I almost dropped it.

Ryan.

He stood in the hallway, just as stunned as I was.

"What are you doing here?" he asked, blinking.

"I... I came to help Mrs. Stevenson. I didn't know—"

"Ryan, this is Aurora," Mrs. Stevenson interrupted from outside. "The girl I told you about."

I looked at him, completely thrown. What did she tell him about me?

We helped load her things into the moving van. When everything was packed, he turned to me.

"Thank you for taking care of my grandma," he said quietly.

"I-It's okay. She's amazing."

He gave a sad smile. "She's my mum's mother. I didn't even know about her until last month. Just another secret in the Tyler household."

My heart softened. "I'm really sorry. But I'm glad you found her. She clearly loves you."

"She talks about you a lot," he added.

That threw me.

"She does?"

He nodded, then offered me a real, genuine smile. "You're kind, Aurora."

Then he climbed into the moving van, and I stood there watching them drive off, still stunned.

Back at the shop, I found Skylar and Douglas talking at the counter. They were laughing about something, faces lit up like sunshine.

"Ooh! You're back," Skylar said cheerfully.

"Yeah," I said, glancing at Douglas.

"Hey, Aurora," he greeted, surprising me. He knows my name?

"Hey," I replied, smiling slightly.

I grabbed my bag, my shift was done anyway and started walking out the door when Scott came barrelling in and bumped into me on purpose.

"Watch where you're going, Fatty!" he spat.

I froze.

Something inside me snapped.

"You're the one who bumped into me!" I shouted, my voice louder than I'd ever used with him.

He turned, shocked.

I stepped toward him, holding my ground. "And my name is A.U.R.O.R.A. That's Aurora."

He glared at me, his face flushed. "I hate you!"

"Why?" I challenged. "What did I ever do to you that makes you hate me so much?"

His nostrils flared, and then he shouted, "You're trying to steal my best friend! All he does is talk about you every single freaking day!"

He stormed out, slamming the door behind him.

I stood frozen, stunned. Skylar rushed over.

"Whoa! Aurora, are you okay?"

"I think so," I said slowly, still trying to process everything.

"Girl, you just stood up to Scott. That's a whole power move."

"Yeah," I said, and for the first time, I felt it too.