please, could you be gentle?

introducing my literal ray of sunshine Aurora. 

basics.

name: Aurora Bulan nicknames: Aura, Ra-Ra, Princess Aurora birthday/age: June 18, 1991 | 29 years old gender/pronouns: Cis-Female / She, Her sexuality: Bisexual relationship status: Single zodiacs: Gemini ☉ ; Aquarius ☽ ; Libra 🡕 occupation: Marketing Coordinator and Talent Booker at The Octavium hobbies: Baking, Jogging, Collecting Vinyl, Horseback riding.  length of time in Kings Head Harbor: 3 years place of birth: Manayunk, Philadelphia current neighborhood: Arrow Point Piers height: 5′3 pets: Fauna - Golden Retriever

Z: smart!!!

Z: shes not a bad person

A: Some people just don't mesh well together I suppose!

Z: hey just wanted to see if you locked yourself out of anything recently

Z: and thanks for comin to the baby shower. sorry about what happened.

A: Not as of lately, though I did get an emergency clicker in case that happens again. Keep it in my back pocket.

xisaiahcruz​:​

His smile never left his face, though his brows furrowed at the comment. “What? No she doesn’t,” Zay shook his head back at Aurora. If anything, Nel looked at him the way anybody looked at their best friend. He rubbed the back of Aurora’s hand with the tips of his fingers, a small gesture of reassurance. Though, he wasn’t quite sure what he was assuring her of. 

Girlfriend. He looked at Nel briefly before gazing down at his feet. They hadn’t discussed anything of the sort. Ideally,  he would’ve answered “Yes,” by now, but Nel never made things easy. She was complex, and if he said yes it would cause confusion between both of them in private. “She’s my best friend.” It was the truth. She couldn’t get upset with that. 

“Oh. Yeah, that’s cool! We can hit it later?” he asked Nel. Zay was just about ready to go when Aurora continued. Looking between the two women, it was clear that there was something he missed. Opening his mouth, Zay realized this wasn’t his place– and settled for shuffling uncomfortably in his shoes.

@nelwalsh​

The small glass of champagne wasn’t working fast enough for Nel to block out all of the noise that was accompanying her head. She figured that her behavior towards the woman was mostly unwarranted, but if she would have just stopped touching him, then everything may have been a bit better. Her eyes directed towards Zay at Aurora’s comment. Girlfriend was a strong word. Best friend didn’t feel strong enough. One that they hadn’t navigated through, which made this situation feel even more uncomfortable and worse than prior. 

She had no excuse to be so territorial. Except seeing someone she… cared for being touched by another woman. They obviously had a connection, which made Nel feel worse about the whole endeavor. She knew she shouldn’t have shown up, but if she hadn’t would Zay have seen the way the other woman looked at him? Spoke to him? 

Maybe coming here wasn’t a good idea. Like, at all. Her attention turned towards the woman who grabbed Isaiah’s arm, her face stayed stoic and cold. Nel didn’t take the time to reach back out to the man, knowing that fighting over a man was stupid. Her words didn’t necessarily affect her as much as they embarrassed her, knowing people would probably look at them for acting this way at an event she technically wasn’t even invited to. “My deal is that you’ve been touching him the entire time we’ve been standing here, you’re literally speaking in a different language to talk about me, which isn’t making it any better, and– for the record, it’s very, very obvious that you’re flirting with him.”

Her eyes looked at Zay quickly, running her tongue over her lips as she down the glass of champagne. “No, we’re not dating, but you could also have the decency to ask if we’re fucking.” She looked at Zay, shaking her head. “Sorry.”

The first action she immediately did was stand firmly beside Zay, a jerk reaction to grip onto his forearm until Nel dropped the bomb that that very act was what was driving her insane. That they weren’t technically dating, that they were best friends, and best friends who were romping around. It was true that Zay hadn’t brought Nel up at all in the conversations they’d been having, and she was thankful for that because it felt incredibly intrusive if he was willing to share an intimate detail like that. From the way Nel spoke, Aurora had no reason to believe she was bluffing on that connection, though she was confused about the photographs and art part. 

Everything was starting to become too much. Aurora was always hands on with her friends, it was a force of habit, something that she never considered to be too over the boundary unless the person called for it, and she certainly didn’t think she was flirting with Zay, not in the slightest. 

“Do you have any idea how insane that sounds to ask something like that so bluntly?” Aurora asked. “I spoke to him privately because my gut was right, at least for me something is definitely off with you, and I have no business butting into that, so I’m gonna take my leave.” Aurora said, she pat Zay on the shoulder and shrugged. “If I don’t hear from you, I guess I’ll know why?” She peered over at Nel and simply stood her ground. The woman didn’t intimidate her and if this was her first impression then so be it. She sighed then, giving Zay a gentle wave. “Yeah I’m gonna go. 

xisaiahcruz​:​

Isaiah stood between the women, beaming that they were engaging in conversation. Tone and body language were not things he understood; the subtle pull on his wrist from Aurora shocked him and the soft touch of Nel’s hand had him melting like butter. “Hm? Siya ay napakatamis at mabait,” he replied, shaking his head. How was she not seeing it? 

“Yeah, of course!” he beamed. The appetizers looked fancy, as if they used some sort of fancy salt instead of regular salt. “Nel’s a vegetarian though, so I gotta find something that she can eat,” Zay explained, intercepting the plate. So far, it didn’t look like there was much, but some type of salad had to be somewhere. Most fancy parties had some type of salad. 

Looking back at Aurora, Zay laughed softly. There was no back-up plan to being a locksmith, so he was grateful for people’s mistakes. “It was either locksmith or plumber, but some of those pipes…they use a lot of math,” he informed both women. Slipping his free hand around Nel’s waist, he grinned. “Photobooth, with both of you? How’s that sound?”

@nelwalsh​

Her eyes narrowed. The fact that Aurora felt the need to speak behind her back only made the situation worse. The gesture made her skin crawl, her breath leaving her lungs in a bit a fury, but subtly enough that she wouldn’t make a scene at a baby shower, of all places. As Nel progressively made moves on her dominance, she noticed that the other woman didn’t let up. It felt like a girl code that she couldn’t break– her trust in Isaiah was too much to break, but she felt that there had to be something else that she didn’t know. 

“I don’t know if I’m too hungry, but you go ahead,” Her vision settled on the man’s lips as she gave her own tight-lipped smile, letting her fingers play at the base of his neck. There seemed to be a bit of her that was coming out that she really hadn’t seen before. It became catty, and she didn’t like it… but at the same time, she felt this necessary need to at least be informed of people who felt that they could just touch him like that.

The jealousy that raged through her only made her words quicker, and her brain think less, unfortunately. “Speaking of photos, I mean, being a locksmith is practically a side-job at this point with the money he makes as a photographer,” Her vision went back between them. “You should show her some of your work sometime, babe.” Nel smiled at Aurora, shaking her head slightly, “He’s got a natural eye for art.”

The art thing was new, though she wouldn’t have put it passed Zay to have hobbies such as that. There was something about the way Nel was describing it though that was making it even more territorial than before? She was sweet and nice? Aurora was a little weary of that fact. Was there something she was missing or did Zay just happen to have tunnel vision? Judging by the way he was smiling ear to ear and taking careful precautions when it came to Nel’s dietary restrictions, she figured it was the latter. “Tinitingnan ka niya na para kang isang piraso ng karne.” Aurora spoke softly over to the man. If that was their connection then Aurora couldn’t judge nor would she have if that wasn’t the case either.

 But something about it left her feeling unsettled, especially with the way Nel spoke, it was very abundantly clear that Nel was trying to prove something, whatever it was. Only when she called Zay ‘babe’ did she nod and chuckle. “Zay? Is this your girlfriend?” She questioned, “You never said you were off the market, you dog.” She coaxed.

As the man suggested getting into the photobooth with both women, Aurora politely declined, not wanting to subject herself to Nel’s glares any further. “No, I think I’m only comfortable if it’s just us at the moment.” She was never one to back down when someone was treating her unfairly, so she looped her arm around Zay’s and made a statement that was crystal clear to Nel, “I don’t know if this is the type of thing you’re used to, but I came here with Zay as a friend and you’ve been talking down to me the minute you laid eyes on me, so whatever your deal is, you may as well get it out in the open before you tear through your palms or his neck.” 

xisaiahcruz​:​

Isaiah stood between the women with a smile on his face, pleased that his friends were meeting. There was no reason for either of them to have come up in casual conversation with the other simply because the conversation never led there. “A few weeks, I think,” he looked down at Aurora and nodded. “Met her on one of my days off, gave her my business card because…,” he shrugged, “people lock themselves out of places all the time.” Common practice. 

It was difficult to describe what Nel was to him. It was so easy to call her a friend, but it didn’t cover the depth of their relationship. He could speak about Nel for hours, but a baby shower wasn’t the time nor place. “Nel is super important to me,” he smiled at her. “She’s my ride-or-die and on top of that, she’s my favorite waitress,” a genuine chuckle came out of him, thinking about how often she was late from clocking out. “Aurora works at the Octavium, doing…” he patted her hand as he tried to recall what it was called. “Something with events? I don’t know the name of it. Maybe she can help you get in to see some of those singers you like?”

@nelwalsh​

If looks could kill, Nel’s eyes would have most likely burned through the hand that sat on Zay’s forearm. It wasn’t anything malicious, she could tell, but she wondered why the jealousy had to come into her throat so intrusively. “I mean, Zay and I have been friends for years, so I’m not sure that we’re in the same boat at all.” Nel smiled, a humorless laugh cycling through her lips as she turned her head away from the situation. If she didn’t get out of this, she may have to say something that no one wanted to hear. 

Nel is super important to me. The words struck a chord, making her heart flutter a little bit. At least it wasn’t the other way around. She knew that Zay most likely kept random people at his side, considering this girl who looked like she was getting closer than Nel would have liked. “I don’t need anyone’s help to do anything, but I’m sure she’s great at her job.” She smiled gently at the man, knowing his intention wasn’t to harm her– really, she knew that all Zay could do was speak nicely of her and their relationship. 

Standing a bit closer to the man, she placed her hand on his shoulder, moving her thumb up towards his neck a bit as she tried her best to claim territory that she could have sworn was hers a few days ago. “How often do people lock themselves out of their cars?” Her eyes searched between the two people, wondering if a hand would display along her back if she got closer. She should at least try to be nice. “Is that a common inconvenience most people have?” 

@aurorabulan​​

Though Aurora may have extended a pleasantry with Nel, it was very clear that she’d either caught her on an off day or the energy that was emanating off of her was incredibly...off-putting. Maybe first impressions just wasn’t her forte’ or maybe she was mentally crushing her hands with her eyes. It was a curious glance, one that Aurora took with a grain of salt. There was condescension in her tone, as if the years she’d known Zay was superior to the weeks that she’d her friendship with the man. “Ganito ba siya palagi?” Aurora questioned to Zay in their native tongue, other furthering Nel’s point that they weren’t on the same boat. “I guess we’re not,” Aurora said, though the light didn’t reach her eyes. 

She was used to smiling even when she felt like it wasn’t warranted. Nel’s dominance in moving forward, her thumb gently cascading at Zay’s neck, Aurora laughed softly as she simply let her hand slip down to his wrist, pointing over to a savory station for food. “Wanna grab a bite? I know you said you didn’t have much today,” She offered, before her eyes glanced over to Nel. Was she punishing her for getting locked out of her car? Or was she just a really bad listener? 

“Zay did just say it’s pretty common.” Aurora began, “If it didn’t, I guess you’d be out of business wouldn’t you?” She teased the man, laughing along with him as she handed him a plate, offering Nel one after as a buffer, though Aurora couldn’t help but feel like the woman wanted to tear her apart. Whatever type of friendship this was, Aurora felt some intensity that she certainly hoped they wouldn’t be around for the rest of the evening. “Hey Zay, you promised on the photobooth, after you chow down let’s head over?” 

xisaiahcruz​:​

Zay looked around the place, it was definitely fancy. He didn’t think Alli or Sanem would mind that he was in jeans, but he knew this was the only time he’d ever step foot in this place. “It’s definitely a lot nicer than that place we went to a few weeks ago,” he teased, looking down at her fondly. Aurora was sweet, especially since she agreed to come someplace where she didn’t know either host. Enthusiastically, at that. “They’re two of my best friends,” Zay told her. “You know how people talk about chosen family? They’re…they’re pretty much that for me.” He looked around for either woman, but instead spotted someone equally as important to him. 

“Come on,” Zay grabbed Aurora’s hand, taking the longest strides he could. “You gotta meet my…,” friend? Girlfriend? “Nel.” He didn’t believe she was here! And she looked nice. Really nice. Did she put on makeup? “I didn’t think you wanted to come,” he said to her. Giving a gentle tug to Aurora’s hand, he said, “I don’t know if you two know each other, but Nel, this is Aurora.”

@nelwalsh​

The invitation sat on her counter for a few days. It sat there, getting peanut butter on it, underneath all of her bills. She didn’t really want to come, but hearing the enthusiasm from Zay about his friends baby shower had really struck a chord in her heart that made her want to do something nice. A fancy baby shower where she had to wear a dress to fit in made her feel… wrong. This definitely wasn’t her crowd, and from the small appetizers that were being passed around, no one got the vegetarian memo, either. 

Her hair had been pulled into a low bun, pieces forming around her face. A dress wouldn’t do, but a delicate bright, white, lacy top with a pair of slacks that had most likely been only for job interviews seemed to suffice. She looked like she fit in. 

As she caught someone in the corner of her eye, she smirked at the man who had been making her smile quite a lot recently. Her eyes catching sight at the woman in his grip; she hadn’t formally met Sanem before, but knew what she looked like– she had met Alli briefly, but… Aurora was new. “Nice to meet you, Aurora,” She licked her lips slightly, eyes dodging around Zay a bit as she found herself noticing an emotion that she hadn’t completely thought of before. Her mind raced a bit, but settled on light conversation. “I don’t– uh, how long have you two known each other? I don’t recall your name being mentioned before.”

@aurorabulan​

Aurora could only laugh at Zay’s explanation at how he’d come to know the mother’s-to-be and though it seemed unorthodox, she did find it terribly sweet. With the way he spoke about them, she knew it was geunine, though with Zay he didn’t really have room to lie about anything really. “Sounds like you fell into each other when you really needed each other huh,” Aurora asked, as she eyed a pigs in a blanket platter circling around. Unfortunately for her she didn’t get her shot at the pastry goodness, instead Zay had his hand over her, dragging her about to meet his what? 

Soon enough she found herself giving a courteous smile between the brunette who looked as if she was vivisecting her with her eyes. It was a look she’d seen plenty while in the city, she likened it to territorial. Zay had said something along the lines of my Nel, but the inflection was a little off. What was Nel to Zay? A friend? Something more? She’d never come up in conversation but there was never any reason for her to come up. Still, Aurora beamed as she extended her hand to the woman. “It’s only been a few weeks, Zay saved my life opening my car for me when I locked myself out. He’s not mentioned you either though. Are we in the same boat?” 

She noted that Nel had made no move to shake her hand, so slowly she retracted the hand shake and rested her hand on Zay’s forearm. Was this weird? The air kind of felt tense and while Aurora could handle that for work she wasn’t great at it for personal issues. “Anyway, it’s nice to meet you?” 

“Honestly, this is one of the nicer bars I’ve ever stepped foot in. I don’t feel like I dressed appropriately though.” Aurora remarked. She flattened out a satin slip dress that she’d dug out from her closet before she had Nadia press and iron it for her. She didn’t expect to dress so fancily, it was in fact kind of a spur of a moment deal. She and Zay had been texting casually ever since the car incident and if she were to be completely frank about the situation she enjoyed hearing from him from time to time. Her schedule was finally taking a small pause as the holiday season was fast approaching, but of the places she could have found herself being in? It certainly wasn’t a baby shower. She didn’t know either of the expecting mothers to be, but her accompanying invitee seemed to be very close to the two women. “How do you know them again? You kind of talk about them like you talk about Andrea or Cherry.” Aurora said, recalling the names of his siblings. Zay asking Aurora to be there with him was definitely not off kilter, they were just friends going to an event as friends, completely harmless. 

Once the words had been spoken, he felt spent. As though every sleepless hour was now closing in on him, making him unsteady on his feet. It only got more real the more people he uttered those words to. He had been trying his best to hide behind every shadowed outlier, like a roach escaping the light, but it was catching up to him all the same.

He shook his head at Aurora’s words, his sentiments mirrored exactly. On paper, though, he supposed he could understand. If they pushed the post-partum narrative and leaned heavily on the kind of company Ravi kept without understanding the souls that loved Stella just as much as he did, then they’d see felonies and questionable life choices, friends as babysitters, a home he couldn’t technically afford.

It all stacked up against him like jenga blocks. Each one more precarious than the last. He wondered when it would all finally topple.

“I don’t know what’s going to happen,” he said honestly, tiredly. “The court doesn’t care about details, they only care about facts. And right now, the facts are that one of my best friends has a record, I live in a house I shouldn’t technically be able to afford, and I rely on friends rather than steady daycare. They can afford the kind of lawyer I can’t, so I just… I don’t know.”

It occurred to him again, that he was walloping her with this. Aurora who had been there, probably would have always been there, the very same whom he’d left without a word. She was too good. Too good for him, too good for this town, just… too good.

And then she spoke and what little fractured pieces remained of his heart shattered. “Aurora–” He shook his head, brows furrowing. Had he made her feel like that? The thought felt like raking himself over hot coals and he made to reach for her before he stopped himself. “It’s worth everything,” he said, voice nearly a whisper. “Just because… things happened the way they did, doesn’t mean I–” Jesus, this felt like another one of those wrong-time moments. He was in a spiral, in such a precarious position with Stella and her future. He didn’t want to react out of emotional exhaustion even as he knew in his bones he meant every word. “I never stopped caring. I’ll never stop caring.” Or wanting.

When Ravi had said her name again, all she could do was look at him, heart drumming against her chest from how familiar and safe it sounded coming from his voice, his inflections. One that visited her in her dreams the first couple of weeks when things had gone radio silent. All the pep talks she’d received from Nadia swiftly went out the window, the juxtaposition from Lily that rang in her ears to let the past be the past had been thrown down somewhere Aurora didn’t want to reach, not anymore. 

She wondered if he could read her thoughts, and if he could she wondered or more so hoped he’d say something to assuage all of the unpleasant feelings she’d been tasked to endure for the very first time. It would have been easier to steer away from Ravi if he’d had less than admirable intentions. She could have cursed his name months ago, just boiled down to a bad match, but the thing was, that just wasn’t the case. 

What made everything hurt worse now was how well things had been going, how she didn’t have an inkling of a warning of just how south things were going to go, but the world Ravi had been thrust into? Her sympathy was vast, it poured out of her and all she could do was offer a silent comfort until she’d foolishly opened her mouth to say that she was still available to him because how couldn’t she be? He was so worn down, much more tired than the standard that she’d seen when he was pulling open to closings at Mike’s. 

She realized then the vision of him in front of her was getting glassy. Was it tears? She took in a breath and nodded, just trying to nip the conversation down because this still wasn’t the time or place to have it. She thought she’d wanted all of the answers but now that he’d said what he did, she wasn’t sure she could handle it at this moment. Another server popped up behind Ravi, she thought she’d recognized them, or at least it seemed they had recognized her at the very least. The plastic bag with her lunch was clutched in her hand in an instant, Ravi’s words that he still cared echoing. Every fiber in her being wanted to ask him, how could that be true? Instead, she gave him a tearful smile, “I hope it all works out soon.” 

“I didn’t know what you liked!” he exclaimed, though there was a bright smile on his face. Conversation was easy and Zay felt like he had known her his whole life. Whether that was from their native roots or from her open personality, it was still to be determined. “No, no I love iced tea,” he assured her, “I really won’t say no to most foods.” Zay brushed a loose strand of hair behind his ear, casting a downward gaze. “Aurora,” he spoke softly. “So, uh, I guess while we’re here we should get to know each other, right? I have a studio apartment, no pets unfortunately. I workout and I drink my coffee with whole milk; people think it’s weird,” he shrugged. “I’m happy to be here though, tonight. I’m glad I was able to help you out and that you had my card on hand,” he admitted. 

“Good, I would have left if you’d said anything poorly about iced tea,” Aurora bluffed, though with the drinks sent in, she perused through the menu and listened as he spoke. Getting to meet new people was something that came secondhand to Aurora, she’d been told she knew how to command and light up a room. In her experience it was rare for her to leave with a bad taste in her mouth, though a flash of someone who hadn’t even given her the chance to do that, instead just removing himself without another word, she supposed that was a glimpse wasn’t it? She wouldn’t diclose that over a simple dinner though, especially not when Zay was sharing information about himself. “Is this reverse 20 questions?” She laughed softly. “I leave in a townhome with my roommate, I do have a dog, her name is Fauna and she’s a golden retriever. I prefer oat milk myself with my coffee, working out and I don’t really mix, but I do like walks. You are kind of weird for whole milk, it’s almost 2022, is that going to be sustainable?” 

She glanced up as her name was spoken, and realised that she had inadvertently spoken to someone she knew and not realised it. “Oh wow, Aurora hi.” she realised how rude she’d sounded and completely forgot what she had previously asked as she hastened to apologise. “I’m so sorry, I didn’t recognise you there for a second, how are you?” she asked, before returning her attention to the colours. “I thought that too, but apparently no, these are swatches from my assistant in New York and …I swear, she’s sent me the same colour three times over.”

“No need to apologize, really!” Aurora said with a soft laugh. How long had it been since she’d crossed paths with Pippa? Probably a few months at the very least, the collective industry they’d chosen to be in could be rewarding when the job was done right, but often it could be taxing. From the looks of it, Pippa was still doing very well, even well enough to be looking at swatches for a day that Aurora thought every woman dreamed of. “Settling as well as I can.” She said with a smile. “End of the quarter means chaos but I’m trying my best.” Her eyes peered down once more, to a quick eye, Aurora would have made the same assumption, but she said, “What speaks to you?” 

A meal sounded wonderful, and a fair repayment. He nodded and agreed to meet her in fifteen minutes, already craving the taste of terribly cooked chicken wings and fries. The ride wasn’t too long, only fifteen minutes and most of that time was spent trying to find a parking spot. “Booth, booth,” he mumbled to himself, making sure to tell the hostess that he actually did have a preference for where he sat. 

Ordering two waters, Zay found himself smiling when she showed up. He didn’t think she was the type to stand people up, especially since she was the one who decided on going out, but one could never be sure. “I only got two waters so far,” he informed her. “You didn’t lock your keys in your car again, right?” he teased. 

Being ripped from the warmth of her car was only a fleeting feeling once she made it through the doors of the eatery that Zay had agreed to meet her at. It didn’t take long for Aurora to spot the locksmith and she slid into the other side of the booth, she glanced at the waters just as she rubbed her hands together for more warmth. “Two waters? What are you a fish?” She teased. She’d gotten the greasiest yet crispy fries from the place, and if she was going to be honest they certainly had the best mozzarella sticks in town. 

When the waitress was back, Aurora beamed as she asked for two raspberry iced teas. “Oh, wait unless you don’t like raspberry or iced tea?” She paused for a moment looking over at the man. “It’s the perfect drink after a long day.” 

LOCATION: Anywhere public tbh  STATUS: open | @kingsheadstarters

She had been perusing emails from the wedding planner that she had been avoiding for the past week or so since she had realised she needed to take a trip back to Rhode Island. It wasn’t exactly her idea of fun, but her fiancé had insisted on seeing the town she had grown up in. She frowned down at one in particular, before turning to the nearest person to her and turned the phone screen to show them three shades of ivory that looked too similar to her to tell. “Uh, excuse me do these look the same to you? I’ve been staring too long, they literally look the same to me.” 

Taking a break away from the office space at The Octavium, Aurora was glad to answer emails and try to figure out who to get in for the holiday bonanza out in the open. Though the air in Rhode Island was significantly colder than she remembered New York’s to be, she was content in her oversized sweater and fingerless gloves as she typed away only to hear the blonde’s question. Brown eyes glanced over to see someone familiar, they’d only met a handful of times in some industry parties but it was still a shock to see her all the same. “Pippa?” She questioned curiously. “Uh, this isn’t a trick question like the gold dress versus blue dress debate right?” She peered at the selection, squinting even. “The middle one looks more gold.” 

“No, I don’t think so. What is that?” Certainly it was going to be chaotic and completely unnecessary as it seemed like many of the food inventions were. It didn’t mean they were destined to be good, but he was sure plenty of them had to be awful. Elijah glanced up at the barista, and offered a friendly smile. “Just a black coffee.” It was the only thing that kept him going all day long. He had taken to drinking it when he was seventeen and hardly ever looked back. Besides, it was the only thing the kitchen was allowed to drink back when he worked in a restaurant for a while. Eli went for his wallet, tucked in his back pocket, handing his card over to the barista.

She crinkled her nose a bit as she looked up once she recalled the monstrosity that was the luther burger. “Essentially it’s two glazed donuts right, and you just put what you would usually put in between a hamburger bun, but between these two donuts.” Aurora studied Eli’s face wondering if the horror would spread just as fast as it did when she’d told anyone else of his phenomenon. “Yeah, it’s just as artery inducing as you think it would be.” She laughed softly. Watching him hand over his card, she walked over to the pick up station, once he rejoined her she smiled again. “Thanks for that coverage, I’ll get you next time if we cross paths.” She said. “But black coffee though, what are you, 50?” 

“Liability is like the law, right?” he asked. “Cause if so, yeah. I don’t wanna get in trouble and I don’t wanna upset anyone,” Zay explained as he shrugged at her next question. “A little bit, but it’s hard to work with a scarf on. I didn’t think I’d be going out again, but this little crewneck and hat are alright. Especially for a job like this. Easy job.” With a soft grin, Zay watched as Aurora hopped into her car. He didn’t know much about cars, but from what he felt, the heat was definitely working.

Despite the circumstance, the conversation was still nice. She had remained patient while he worked and didn’t yell at him. He appreciated not being yelled at. “Pamilya ay nakakatawa,” he chuckled, thinking of his own. “Uh, a total of zero dollars and zero cents. It’s on the house for my friends,” Zay explained. He didn’t like charging people at all, but he especially didn’t enjoy charging his friends. “You can keep it if you want,” he offered. “Just to have somethin’ in case this happens again.” If it happened once, it was bound to happen again. Looking around at the parking lot lights, he wondered… “Did you have anywhere to be? If you’re still cold we can pick up some hot chocolate, call it even.”

Considering Aurora and Zay had only been in contact once or twice since she’d spotted him outside of the train station, it was hard for her to accept the 100% friends discount, especially since they’d just only begun being friends in a general sense. “There has to be something!” Aurora began to protest, but hearing Tagalog fall from his lips she was sure his Filipino sense was the same as hers. They helped one another no matter what the task might have been, in this case, Zay coming to her aide for this mini fiasco being on the house wasn’t too far-fetched, but as he mentioned hot chocolate, her stomach grumbled. When was the last time she’d eaten? 

“You know that does sound good, but I hear they do decent half off apps at this place downtown. Down for a meal? That’s my way to repay, no take backs.” She said simply with a grin. She certainly wasn’t going to go to Mike’s at this time of night but a chain restaurant, that she could get behind. “You know where that is right?” She asked him, before simply dropping the address via text. “I’ll meet you there yeah? Grab a booth if you get there first!” She said simply before she waved to him and set off for the next destination. 

  At the row of compliments Nadia pressed her lips together and scrunched her nose for a moment, her cheeks heating up but only for a few seconds. Then she tilted her head to the side. Yes, Aurora did say that a lot. Maybe not lately but they had both been busy so perhaps take out and a mind-numbing show they could laugh and gasp at would be a perfect night for them and when her room mate pulled out the bottle of wine it got even better. Finishing grading by tomorrow wasn’t necessary anyway. It would have been nice but it could absolutely wait til the day after that. She was way ahead of deadline as it was. ❛ Hmm, extra nachos? ❜ Nadia suggested before the other woman made the call.   ❛ No idea, I can barely keep track of what day it is but we should definitely stream it, ❜ she grinned softly, sending Aurora a kiss through the air as she handed a glass of rose over.     Nadia’s week hadn’t really bee particularly interesting, per se. Just work, working out, painting, grading… So she was more than happy to hear about anything fun, or less fun but still more intruiging than what had been her own week, that had happened to Aurora. So, she propped her chin up in the palm of her hand as the other brunette began speaking, showing her she was more than willing to listen. ❛ Does this maybe have anything to do with a particular man – who works at Mike’s? ❜

With their usual order with an extra side of nachos swiftly on the way, Aurora planted herself on their living room couch and spoke into what was probably the fanciest item in their home. The voice detection remote that she could simply say the show, the app, or whatever it else she was looking for that would just appear on the smart tv. There was certainly a perk to being a great event coordinator for The Octavium, she was generally gifted some pretty swanky things. Placing her wine on a coaster on their coffee table, Aurora scrolled until she found the re-run from a few episodes they’d missed. “Nadia, we’re behind by like six episodes, it’s a binge night.” She exclaimed in delight. 

Just as the title screen for 90 Day Fiancé came on, Aurora could feel her shoulders slump just as Nadia questioned the very reason why her innocent trip to Mike’s had turned asunder. Was it a particular man? “The manager,” Aurora said as her lips drew a thin line. She sighed as she leaned over to grab her wine again, staring off to the center of the coffee table. Nadia had been a pivotal shoulder for her to cry on when things had ended so abruptly with Ravi, especially as it was the first time it simply hurt to let go. “I’ve played all these scenarios in my mind on what it would be like to see him again after all this time. That everything happened for a reason, and we were just meant to be star-crossed and I could get over it, but...” Aurora paused for a moment. “I think I still care about his happiness, I just don’t think it’s on par with caring about it more than my own.” That was a thoughtful way to think of it. “But I still care.”