Chapter 29

Xavier drove his car attentively, while Aurora observed the companies, shops, and residences through the window, all while the rain fell softly. The journey was silent, which bothered the girl.

"Thanks again for picking me up," Aurora said.

"Why are you thanking me again?" he glanced at her from the corner of his eye.

"Oh, nothing. I just thought it was very quiet," Aurora continued, looking out at the landscape. "How did you meet Tristan?"

"His father, Mr. Callahan, gave a lecture announcing Tristan's presidency," Xavier replied.

"And how did you become friends?" she asked curiously. Tristan had a big problem with intolerance, which made it strange that Xavier had easily gained his friendship and trust.

"Not to brag, but I'm one of the top employees at Callahan's," Aurora made a bored face because it was clear he was bragging. "So, since I hold an important position, I had to be by Tristan's side to inform him about everything related to the company. I also helped him navigate around New York, and that brought us closer."

"What do you mean you helped him navigate here?" Aurora inquired.

"The city has changed a lot in a decade, so I was his guide for a while," he quickly glanced at her and noticed she wasn't understanding anything. "Didn't you know that Tristan lived in Canada during his childhood and came back to New York earlier this year?"

"He never told me," Aurora's voice sounded a bit sad. "Did Griffin also live in Canada?"

"That story is complicated..." he interrupted himself, realizing he was talking too much about confidential matters. "Enough questions, shorty!"

Aurora didn't insist, but she thought about the fact that Tristan knew almost everything about her, while she knew absolutely nothing about him. It wasn't for lack of trying, but he was very reserved, a mystery that not even the world's best detective could unravel.

After being dropped off in front of the building, she waved to Xavier and went up to her floor with the gift bags in hand. Soon, she entered her apartment, exhausted from the day she had.

"Long day?" Adelaide asked, sitting on the sofa, closing the book she was reading, and taking off her reading glasses.

"You have no idea!" Aurora placed the gift bags on the coffee table and lay down on the sofa, resting her head on her sister's legs. "The mall was packed; it felt like the end of the world!"

"The restaurant was too," Adelaide said. "Did you go to the mall with your friend?"

"Friend?"

"Yes, Seraphina. You two have been so close lately; I thought you'd do everything together."

"Hm..." Aurora felt a tightness in her chest. She hated lying to Adelaide, felt a great weight on her conscience and a bitter taste in her mouth, but she had no choice. She didn't want to break the agreement with Tristan, and her sister would never accept it. "She was busy, so I had to go alone."

"I see," Adelaide nodded.

Aurora knew that the truth hurt more than lies, so she repeated this pattern, turning them into sweet lies. She got up and collected the gift bags.

"Well, I'll put these bags away and rest. Are you staying here?" she asked, looking at Adelaide.

"Yes, I'll keep reading a little more. Good night," Adelaide replied, smiling sweetly.

"Good night," Aurora said, heading towards her room.

After taking a hot and relaxing shower, Aurora lay on her bed, reflecting on the events of the year. For a moment, she thought about Tristan and how she felt when she was near him, despite resisting her brain's warnings to be stronger and more resistant. Her body yearned for his touch, and she allowed herself to fall into his sweet lies.

As she prepared to sleep, Aurora looked out the window and was enchanted by the rain falling outside. She grabbed her camera to capture that magical moment but ended up feeling sleepy. Before closing her eyes, she took a photo and decided to develop it the next day.

Almost falling asleep, Aurora saw the bedroom door open and was surprised to see Tristan entering.

"But what..." she asked, surprised.

"I gave money to the old lady at the reception," Tristan explained, closing the door behind him.

"Stop bribing that poor old lady!" Aurora said, irritated.

"I didn't bribe her; I just made an exchange. Money for the key," he replied.

Aurora was indignant at how easily Tristan manipulated people, but her concern about Adelaide's presence in the apartment outweighed her indignation.

"And my sister? Did she see you coming in?" she asked worriedly.

"No, she's sleeping on the couch," he said, approaching cautiously. "Are you tired?"

"Not so much, why?" she asked innocently, not understanding what he wanted.

Without warning, Tristan wrapped his arms around her, pressing their bodies together, and kissed her passionately. Aurora didn't resist and responded to the kiss with the same urgency, succumbing to the taste of the forbidden.

He led her to the desk, and together, in a mix of urgency and desire, they accidentally knocked over some objects, but neither of them cared. His hands slid down her body until they reached the hem of her shirt. Aurora gasped as he helped her take it off, leaving her only in her underwear.

"I like the pajamas..." Tristan smiled mischievously, kissing her shoulder while his hands slid down the straps of her bra. "But I prefer you without it."

The tension and desire in the room were palpable, but Aurora felt a mixture of emotions. Tristan's presence there, though exciting, reminded her that it was forbidden and that her sister was in the living room, just a few steps away. However, the heat of the moment and the passion they felt for each other spoke louder, defying any common sense.

The two of them were about to dive into a forbidden encounter, defying the risk of being discovered.

Tristan didn't take long to remove the rest of the clothing that covered them, and Aurora used her shy hands to help him undress. Surrendered to each other, the man nestled between the girl's legs and penetrated her slowly. She dug her nails into his broad shoulders, opening her mouth with that wonderful sensation that only he could provide, but controlled her moans not to wake her sister.

"T-Tristan..." He looked at her, as she bit her lips with her eyes closed and her cheeks flushed. He smiled, feeling the beats of her sweet heart along with his own, which was faster than usual, and he wasn't sure why.

"I missed your body," he said, starting to move inside her, then kissed her, muffling the uncontrolled moans that escaped her mouth.

"Me too..." she confessed in a faint voice during the kiss, wrapping her arms around his neck. In truth, that longing was not just for her body; it was for him entirely.

Feeling Tristan's kisses and hands caressing her skin was marvelous. Her body writhed with pleasure, her legs trembled as she felt him moving back and forth.

Suddenly, Tristan made Aurora wrap her legs around his waist and carried her in his arms to the single bed. He laid her down on the sheets, positioned himself over her sweaty body, placed his hand on the headboard of the bed, and thrust his hips against hers non-stop, hearing the pleasurable sound of her name being said in moans, while he looked at the pleasure on the girl's face.

"Beautiful..." Increasing his movements, feeling that he would reach climax.

In a few minutes, they both came undone in each other's arms, their mouths locked together to stifle the screams of pleasure. They rested their sweaty foreheads against each other as they tried to catch their breath.

Tristan separated from her and fell on his back. The young woman's chest rose and fell, her sighs the only sounds in the room. She closed her eyes and allowed herself to remember the events of just now. And a small smile escaped her.

"Tristan..." she called with a faltering voice, but he didn't respond. "Tristan?"

She looked to the side and widened her smile when she saw the man sleeping, exhausted from sex and having worked all day. Watching him with the desire to kiss him, Aurora restrained herself. She was content with the no-strings-attached sex, which brought her no worries or headaches. However, even with maturity, she was still that girl who wanted love.

Falling in love with Tristan Callahan was like advancing towards suffering and pain because she knew he would never reciprocate and would distance himself if she showed the slightest sign of what she felt.

Beginning to feel sad with her thoughts, she got up from the bed carefully not to wake him, put on the clothes she had worn before, and squatted on the floor, picking up the objects that had fallen from the desk. Only then did she see her camera amidst those things. A sad expression formed on her face when she picked up the object and realized it was broken. To others, it might be insignificant, but it was important to her. She remembered how she had saved up to buy it in high school and all the sacrifices she had made to save the money. She imagined that it would be expensive to repair, and she didn't want to spend the little she had left from the shopping spree, nor borrow from Adelaide, who set aside a certain amount every month for apartment expenses and meals. She would have to go through the end of that year without her camera.

Aurora took a deep breath, trying to push away the worries, but the weight of reality hit her hard. At that moment, she felt vulnerable and lost amidst the consequences of her choices.

***

Some time later...

Aurora continued meeting Tristan during the last few months, and luckily, they managed to keep it a secret. However, a secret that wouldn't last forever.

On Christmas Eve afternoon, the snow stopped falling, but in compensation, the streets and sidewalks were covered with ice. In the park of the humble neighborhood, neighbors were decorating the trees, benches, and flower pots for the big day. In the rarely passing streets, the neighbors ran back and forth with bags of decorations or ingredients to prepare the grand Christmas dinner. Seeing that, a certain young woman got hungry just imagining the foods that would be served at the dinner.

"I'm so excited for the dinner," Aurora commented, handing the fairy lights to Alex, who immediately started wrapping them around a tree.

"I feel the same. The owner of the corner bakery said she would contribute," they both sighed at the thought of the delicious foods. They looked at each other and laughed at themselves.

"Do you guys only think about food?" Klaus asked, helping Alex with the fairy lights. "The dinner is not the most important thing about Christmas."

"You're right, we also have to think about dessert," Aurora laughed even more, and Klaus rolled his eyes.

"I already warned you that you guys need to be fitness, like me."

"Klaus, we're at the end of the year, and it's this time when I can eat until I burst because of Christmas and New Year's. So dream on that I'll go on a diet!"

"Fine, but when you gain weight, don't come crying on my shoulder!" he warned with a serious face.

Alex's phone started beeping in his pants pocket. He picked up the device and read the message with tense expressions, which drew the attention of the two who were arguing earlier.

"Sorry, but I need to go and take care of some business," Alexander said, putting away the phone.

"Did something serious happen?" Aurora asked, curious.

"No, it's just work stuff. I'll be back before evening," he smiled minimally and waved to his friends before heading in a direction.

"Looks like it's just you and me..." Aurora said to Klaus, referring to the square decoration, but when she looked in his direction, she saw him sneaking away. "Selfish!! Where do you think you're going?"

"Sorry, but I have more important things to do," Klaus replied, leaning against the tree they were decorating.

"Give me an example," she put her hands on her hips.

"Following that Greek god," he referred to Alex. "He's hiding something, and I want to be the first to know what it is."

Aurora agreed with Klaus. Alex was acting strange, and she didn't chase after answers because she didn't want to intrude in his affairs, but Klaus could do that for her.

"Fine, but come back soon. I don't want to arrange everything alone."

***

Xavier stepped out of the car, sporting a huge smile, happy to celebrate that special date with his parents and his older sister, especially at his favorite restaurant.

Xavier's family entered the splendid establishment, crowded with couples and families formally eating typical American food. It seemed like there was no available table, but the family wasn't worried because they had already made a reservation.

The receptionist approached them with a broad smile. Xavier, in turn, stared at that woman with a feeling that he had seen her somewhere before.

"Good evening," the woman greeted them politely. That night, Adelaide took on that role due to her colleague being sick. "Under whose name is the reservation?"

"Under mine," Seraphina stepped forward. "My name is Seraphina."

"Seraphina?" Adelaide furrowed her brow slightly, thinking about the possibility of her being Aurora's friend. "Do you work with my sister at Emotion?"

"Indeed, I work at the agency, but who is your sister?"

"Aurora Navarro."

Xavier widened his eyes, remembering the lie that facilitated Aurora and Tristan's meetings. He felt the need to prevent Adelaide from discovering the truth; otherwise, he would be the one to take the blame, and he didn't want to face his friend's anger.

"Seraphina and Aurora are very close friends!" Xavier intervened in the conversation, forcing a smile.

"Friends?" Seraphina repeated with an ironic tone. "Work colleagues would be a better term to use."

"No need to be formal. I know they are friends and that they always have sleepovers," Adelaide added.

"Exactly!" Xavier agreed, pushing his sister and parents to end that conversation once and for all. "Let's go to our table quickly..."

"Wait, brother!" Seraphina freed herself from her brother, who entered a state of panic. "Miss, you must be confusing me with someone else. Your sister and I only talk at the agency about work matters, nothing more and nothing less."

Adelaide was incredulous. She never thought Aurora would lie like that and couldn't imagine why she would do it.

Many ideas crossed her mind, from the most innocent to the most sinister, and she stopped when she saw inconsistency in her own thoughts. However, she continued to wonder where Aurora was going or with whom she was meeting every time she lied.

Adelaide no longer recognized her own sister. The confusing thoughts tormented her, and she knew she needed to confront Aurora about the lies and secrets. But how to deal with the discovery that her own sister was hiding things from her?