Chapter 34

Aurora almost fell off the plastic chair, overcome by a fit of laughter. Her face was red, and she couldn't stop giggling, to the point where her belly hurt. Kai's mood was the opposite; he got up from the table in anger, and you could almost see the smoke coming out of his head.

"Kai, you're too old to wet your pants," Thomas joked, laughing along with the situation.

"It was this crazy girl who spilled her drink on me!" Kai pointed at Aurora.

"I'm sorry..." Aurora stopped laughing for a few seconds, but soon burst into laughter again, seeing the mess on the chef's pants.

"Soon you won't be the only one with a pee stain on your pants," Thomas commented, watching the girl gradually regain control.

"That's a drink!" Kai exclaimed, frustrated. "Damn it!"

"Watch your language, Kai!" scolded Aurora, just as he always did with her.

"My mouth is mine!"

Aurora was astonished by his audacity.

"My mouth is mine? Okay! I'll start responding like that from now on whenever you scold me for my foul language!" Aurora retorted, while Thomas just observed their ridiculous argument.

"What's going on?" Adelaide returned to the table, not understanding anything that was happening until her eyes went to the stain on Kai's pants. She blushed violently and covered her face with her hands. "Kai!!!"

"It's a drink! Argh! I'll get something to clean this!" And so, the guy walked away with heavy steps, his hands covering the stain so that no one would see it and he wouldn't embarrass himself even more.

Adelaide removed her hands from her face, which was still red due to the embarrassing incident. Then, she sat back in her seat at the table, trying to change the subject.

"The temperature is dropping," the girl hugged her arms. "Aurora, aren't you cold?"

"A little," she was being modest. Her arms and legs were freezing.

"I warned you to bring a jacket. Do you want to borrow mine?"

"No need, Sister. I'll be fine," she smiled at her, but her gaze automatically shifted to the area behind Adelaide. Amid the families strolling leisurely, there was a doctor looking around, restless, until his eyes fixed on the table where they were sitting with Thomas. "Griffin?"

"What about him?" Adelaide visibly nervous just hearing his name.

"The heart thief doctor is coming this way!" Thomas, somewhat desperate, ran his hand through his hair and adjusted his posture.

Adelaide opened her mouth several times, but no sound came out. It all happened so quickly; the thought that Griffin was present made her thoughts confused, and suddenly, she felt a hand on her shoulder.

"Hi, Adelaide," Griffin said calmly. The young woman turned her face to look at him.

"Griffin..." she stood up awkwardly, not knowing what to do or say.

"Can we talk about that night?"

"What night?" Thomas interrupted, thinking mischievous thoughts. "And here I was thinking that Adelaide was as innocent as the Virgin Mary!"

"Thomas!!!" exclaimed Adelaide, dying of embarrassment.

"You didn't answer my calls or respond to my messages. I was worried," Griffin spoke seriously, but there was a hint of sadness and doubt in his eyes. "I just want an explanation for why you ran away and an answer to my feelings."

"I-I..." she sighed, ready to tell the truth. "On the night of the award ceremony, some unexpected things happened at my work, forcing me to work late. I couldn't go with you to the ceremony, but I didn't want to let you down, and I really wanted to be with you, so I left work to meet you," she lowered her gaze, ashamed of her actions. "When we were dancing, Klaus rushed me away because my boss was almost finding out about my irresponsible act."

Adelaide continued to look at the ground, thinking that Griffin was hurt because she hadn't told him the truth earlier. Her heart skipped a beat when the doctor's hand touched her chin, making her look at him.

"I'm glad you did that for me," Griffin smiled softly. "But... what about my feelings? Will they be reciprocated?"

Adelaide lowered her gaze again; she didn't have the strength to keep looking into his eyes and didn't want to see the sadness in his face when he heard the answer.

"I'm sorry," she said softly but audibly. Griffin tensed up instantly. Thomas and Aurora watched the scene with heavy hearts due to the rejection. "It's not that I don't like you. In fact, I like you very much, really..."

"So what's the problem?" He remained calm even though he didn't understand. "Why won't you give me a chance?"

"Why?!" Thomas whined. Undoubtedly, Thomas was the most indignant among them. Aurora remained silent, knowing how Adelaide was suffering from this indecision and not wanting to influence her in her choice. "You like each other, so be together, it's that simple!"

It wasn't that simple. Feelings are complicated and very peculiar. Some are impossible to explain; only those who feel them know what it's like.

"Is there someone else?" It was the only reasonable conclusion he could think of, mentally begging it not to be true, but Adelaide, still with her head down, used the last of her strength to nod slowly in confirmation. She liked two men, and one of them didn't see her the same way, but she wouldn't feel right being with Griffin knowing that her heart also belonged to the other person, and she would never use him to try to forget Kai. "Adelaide..."

She lifted her head, facing reality, she needed to confront Griffin, but it didn't last even 3 seconds, and she was surprised by his lips being pressed against hers. She closed her eyes, unable to resist his charm, but felt his lips quickly pull away. She opened her eyes, confused by that sudden action, saw Griffin's eyes filled with confusion, and she tried to understand what was going on in his mind at that moment.

Out of nowhere, Griffin turned his back on her and quickly walked in a random direction, not thinking about where he was going, he just wanted to be far away from the girl who confused his thoughts the most.

Adelaide remained motionless, still looking in the direction Griffin had gone for several seconds. Then she sat down in the chair, absent-minded, not knowing how to react.

***

Hours passed, and the previously cheerful atmosphere among them had changed. Adelaide was very distracted, occasionally searching for Griffin with her eyes, but she hadn't seen him since the awkward and confusing incident. Kai couldn't understand what was happening with his friend, Thomas and Aurora remained quiet; it wasn't a good time to bring up that subject again.

The excitement had gone down the drain, but as if by magic, when they realized there were only a few minutes left until midnight, they became anxious and in higher spirits.

That old cliché that never lost its charm: the crowd present started the countdown, while in the minds of each person, their best and worst moments of the year lingered, along with their wishes and accomplishments...

At the end of the countdown, everyone shouted in unison, "Happy New Year!" and they could see the magnificent New York sky illuminated by fireworks.

"Happy New Year!" Aurora hugged Adelaide and Kai, and they both responded with a big smile to that affection.

"Peace, love, joy, and lots of sex to everyone!" the other three laughed at Thomas's words.

Family members embraced, couples kissed, friends raised their glasses in a toast, and children marveled at the fireworks in the sky. Aurora stepped away from her friends to photograph those unique scenes. She was pleased that the photos turned out to be of incredible quality; she loved her new camera, but she still believed that an image is beautiful because of its content, not just the quality.

Although not present, Tristan disturbed the young woman in her thoughts. She couldn't ignore it. She thought of him when she looked at her camera, which was also her work tool and always carried with her when she went out; she thought of him when she looked at her blue stone necklace, which she wore every day. In other words, he was on her mind all the time. It had been days since they last saw each other. She missed him, but she was too proud to call. She thought maybe he was at home; that was the most logical assumption since he didn't celebrate New Year's or any other holidays.

Putting those thoughts aside for a moment, Aurora continued walking, looking for her friends. When a light, chilly breeze passed by her, she hugged her own arms, feeling shivers. She regretted not listening to Adelaide about bringing a coat. The feeling of her bones freezing was the price she paid for being so foolish. She was breathing through her mouth, and her lips gradually became dry.

Suddenly, she felt something on her back, something soft, warm, and comforting. It was a coat that looked more like a dress when put on the girl. Even with her nose a little stuffy, she could smell the fragrance spread in the fabric. That smell was unmistakable, seemed to be engraved in her mind, and it haunted her.

"What possessed you to go out in this cold wearing these clothes?" she turned around, facing the serious face of the man in front of her. She was happy to see him, but didn't show it.

"The temperature was still positive when I left home," Aurora explained. "I couldn't guess it would drop."

"We're in winter; the cold is obvious. You just didn't think it through." Okay, she agreed she wasn't very smart, but she would never surrender in front of him.

"New York is so bipolar! It's warm in the morning and cold at night; other days, it's the opposite."

Tristan observed her silently, and she tried to ignore the discomfort of being scrutinized by those dark eyes.

"You're so proud that you can't admit you were wrong?"

"I already said I couldn't guess! I don't have a crystal ball!" she exclaimed. Even she was hating her own pride, but admit defeat to him? Never.

"You're getting feisty," Tristan said with a small, mischievous smile. "I like that."

"You don't miss a thing, do you?" she smiled playfully.

"Neither does your friend, Klaus. He was hitting on me a moment ago."

She burst into laughter. "That's good, isn't it? Your charm attracts women, gays, bisexuals... among others. There are plenty of options these days."

"Did you just say I have charm?" Tristan's smile grew wider. "Was that a pick-up line, Miss Aurora?"

She didn't even try to deny it. She looked at his smile; it was rare coming from him. It was a wide smile with white teeth, but not an innocent one; it had a mischievous air that could drive any woman insane.

Aurora remembered the conversation she had with Thomas. She thought about the dilemma of doing something crazy on the last day of the year. Well, in that case, it was already January 1st, but that small detail wouldn't stop her from being rebellious.

"Aurora... How about we leave from here?"

***

Adelaide took her phone out of her bag after hearing the notification sound.

"Is it her?" Kai referred to Aurora, worried. They had been walking around the park for a long time, looking for her.

"Yes," Adelaide says after reading the message. "She said she met some friends here at the park and went to a party with them."

"She's lying," he deduced the obvious, huffing afterward. "We need to pay more attention; we can't be careless."

"I still think she might be with Klaus!" she insisted again on that idea, making Kai roll his eyes.

"Did I hear my name?" They both looked to the side, seeing the model approach with a drink in his hand. "Whenever you're talking about me, call me! I love hearing about wonderful things."

"Klaus, did you see Aurora after the fireworks?" Adelaide questioned, and he nodded, taking a sip of his drink.

"Was she with someone?" Kai asked, and they looked at Klaus, anxious for his answer.

"Yes. She was with some friends; I think they're from work."

Kai and Adelaide exchanged looks, shocked, believing that lie. Klaus felt the weight on his shoulders. He had just received a message from Aurora asking him to tell that version to them.

Klaus was starting to think that Aurora was going too far with those lies, but he couldn't stop her; she was already in love with a man who would never reciprocate or accept her love.