Forever Glamorous

Chapter 7

AURA FOUND HERSELF STEPPING outside after eating her breakfast. The sun shone down on her, and she relished the hot embrace. The ruckus inside made it to her ears, but she tried not to mind it.

Her mother was still tiptoeing around her, poking her with a stick with her words every now and then. Her father tried to live as if what happened between them was a fantasy they invented. Her grandmother was the only one who treated her normally. So when all four of them were combined, tensions rose, suffocating her. She needed to get some air before she passed out.

If she couldn't escape them, then she'd lock herself inside the bedroom and play with makeup until she couldn't take it anymore.

Thus far she had taken a deep dive into fantasy makeup and had created a series of nature inspired looks. All because, after everything, she felt like her only way of truly breathing was when she was outside in the presence of nature.

Her photo album was littered with pictures of her being a fairy, a deer, and an elf. She wasn't sure when she'd post them out into the world, but she was excited to start showcasing her abilities soon enough. Maybe when she no longer felt like she was struggling for air around her family.

She sat down at the front steps, resting her head on her knees. She stared at the sun rays on the wooden porch, entranced by how the worn down chippings were highlighted by the golden light.

"God, you need to go out more."

Aura jumped as Tyson laughed. She pouted as he sat down beside her.

"There's a hangout at the shore tonight. You wanna come?" he asked. Aura's heart beat faster as he stared deep into her eyes. She found herself nodding. He smiled and wringed his fingers together. It was as if neither knew what to say afterwards.

After a while, Aura asked if she needed to dress specifically for it. Tyson laughed it off and told her to wear something comfortable and her bathing suit if she wanted to get into the ocean. She was satisfied with his answer, and he left right after, promising to come pick her up to walk to the beach together.

Aura told her parents and Grandma Ruby about Tyson inviting her to go to the beach, which they took nicely. Her mother said to invite Tyson over for dinner one day. Grandma Ruby winked at her when her mother started making subtle insinuations about the two. Aura flushed and shot it down faster than anyone could say her name.

"Oh, Aura, come on, you can't deny you haven't thought about it," her mother said, raising an eyebrow at the end of her sentence.

Aura wanted to refute her mother's statement, even express disgust at the mere thought. But even she couldn't kid herself. Just by looking into his eyes made her want to forget he didn't have any connections, and that was surely saying something. She wished he was one of those with the connections she yearned, someone who could get her past the beach club doors and into the eyes of multiple opportunities.

Could Tyson even give her opportunities?

Her mother hummed, tapping a slender finger over her chin as she sauntered around Aura. "You're not fighting it."

"And you're being annoying," she replied. "Besides, Tyson was only my kindergarten best friend. I haven't seen him in years. I'd have to get to know him all over again. And it doesn't seem like he's my type."

Grandma Ruby crossed her arms in front of her chest, smirk plastered on her face clear as day. Her entire pose screamed: I don't buy it!

Aura decided to stop giving them material to bother her with, and turned to head to her room. Her father gave her a look that said more than her mother and grandmother combined could ever say.

"Oh my goodness, guys, he's just Tyson. We are going to the beach with other people. Please, this is a friend type of thing, not a dating type of thing."

Her father grinned, shrugging. His lack of words infuriated her more than anything. She stomped her foot with a groan.

"Stop it," she whined. She whirled her head to the side as a tiny headache brewed. "He is my friend. Nothing more, nothing less. In fact, I say 'friend' loosely."

Her father sat back on the couch, extending his arm over the backrest, looking over at his wife with a knowing look. Her mother bit down on her lip, a small flush adorning her cheeks.

"You know, Aura, I realized Eliza was the one for me at a beach hangout," he said.

Blood drained from her face as she groaned. The family laughed at her expense. She wished the earlier tension would come back instead of having to deal with the constant teasing.

"I looked at her and knew she was going to be my wife," he continued, staring over at her mother. "Best thing that ever happened to me."

She was about to retort. There was no way she was going to be realizing feelings for someone she was getting to know all over again. She remembered Tyson as a toddler, she had yet to meet Tyson as a man.

"Isaac also asked me out at the beach," Grandma Ruby added with a small smile. "Everytime I see the ocean, it reminds me of him."

Aura groaned again. "Okay, that's wonderful and all, but that's not going to happen with me. So I'd like it if y'all stop teasing when I barely even know the guy."

They held their arms up in surrender. She sighed and mumbled a thank you before going to her room. Faint chuckles reached her ears as she closed the door behind her.

She sat in the middle of the room, on the floor, head in her hands, trying in vain to get rid of the thoughts of being with Tyson. He was a great guy from what she could see. Handsome, pleasant, and kind. What more could anyone want?

But she knew she couldn't bring herself to view him as more than a friend. There was history between them. And, more importantly, a lot of distance. She was there for the summer, but her home was on the other side of the country. It wouldn't be fair for either of them.

There's not even a need to even think about this!

She ran her fingers through her hair, desperately pulling at the root. Her mind was going places, and they weren't pretty ones. She needed to be rooted into reality before she got blown away.

Her parents and grandparents might have found their love on the beach, but that didn't mean she was going to as well. She had found countless guys at the beach back home. None she stayed with.

Well, there was that one guy she caught scrolling through engagement rings. Aura ran faster than she had ever done in her whole life. Someone might have thought she was being chased by the biggest evil.

In her defense, they had gone out a few times. Nothing too crazy. She was so confused as to how that man felt that there was truly something going on.

And anyway, that wouldn't be happening with Tyson. He was her childhood best friend. Someone that she forgot existed through the years and was now reacquainted. That didn't mean anything.

Besides, she was hoping to find an actual summer fling with someone with more...heavy pockets.

The thought excited her. Most of the summer was still at her fingertips, she had lots of time to figure out a way to enjoy her vacation as close to her tastes as possible. For the time being, she would let life do whatever it wanted with her, and so far, that was hanging out at the beach with Tyson Smith.