Chapter 8

• Aurora's POV
• A gasp rattles my body as I emerge from the dream and open my eyes. I make a blind swipe to get the sheets around me, but then I notice that my blanket has fallen off the bed.
• A cold gust of wind blows inside, and I stop. I remember closing the window the night before. I even locked it.
• But now it's wide open, busted down as though someone pushed it open when I was sleeping. It's still a little dark outside, and the open air makes me feel bare....
• Until I realize that I really am bare right now.
• I look down at my body and I realize that I'm completely naked, from my head down to my toes. The silk pajamas that I wore from the night before are now strewn on the floor, discarded. Even my socks have been taken off.
• My heart starts to beat fast. What does this mean?
• "What happened?" I ask Vega. "Did something happen last night? Did somebody come in?"
• She comes into attention, but I can already feel her confusion before she even says, "I don't know. I didn't feel anything wrong. I did feel your dream. I felt what you experienced in it. But other than that, there was nothing at all."
• I start to get nervous... But maybe it doesn't really mean anything? It was just a wet dream, a fantasy and nothing more than that. Hell, I don't even know the man in that dream and nothing happened between us. Maybe I just took off my clothes in my sleep and opened the window or something.
• Either way, I just get up. I want to shake it all off and just forget it, so I get dressed and head out into the kitchen to get something to eat. But before I can see what's available, I hear the thud of something hard against the stairs. Soon enough, Mom and Margot's voice comes through.
• "You need to hurry up, your suitcase is too heavy," Mom is saying. "Go easy on the carpet too, please. I just vacuumed and I would hate to have that chafed again."
• I walk to the stairs. "What's going on?"
• "Hey, Rory," Margot says, smirking already.
• They're both lugging around very big suitcases down the stairs. I don't feel the desire to help them, and it seems that they don't need it either. Once in front of the door, Mom says, "We're going to Mason's lakehouse for a quick trip. We wanted to wake you up to tell you to pack, but it seemed that you were sleeping soundly."
• "You should go and pack now, though," Margot says, and I can't tell if she's being genuine or not.
• But it doesn't matter. Spending time being that close to my mate and his girlfriend would drive me nuts. "I don't really want to go. I think I would rather just stay home. Is dad coming too?"
• "He would be driving there after work, yes," Mom says.
• I freeze. So all of them are going to spend some time away from the home, and I would be left alone. I mean, they did invite me, but do I really want to be out there while Margot prances around with Mason in her arm, parading him for everyone to see?
• The thought of seeing them together brings fresh pangs of pain in my chest. I might just cry or scream when I see them together.
• "Well, I hope all of you have a good time there," I just say.
• "Are you sure you're going to be fine here on your own?" Margot asks, which takes me by surprise. There's a hint of slyness in her eyes, but I don't think she's in the know. She's always had this knack of dangling every good thing she does or gets over my head to make me jealous. Only this time, it's working pretty well. "We might stay there awhile, you know. I heard they have their own private spa. I was thinking Mason and I could go to the beach and get some alone time too. Maybe you can tag along, Rory."
• "It's really alright, Margot," I say. "I'm sure I just want to stay."
• "He has some very handsome friends, you know." She pats me on the cheek as though I'm a little kid. "Who knows, you might meet someone there. And then we can go on group dates. I think Mason would also love that for you."
• Is she just being cruel? Because it's working like a goddamn charm.
• She shrugs. "Well, have it your way, then. Let's go and put these in Mason's car, Mom."
• "Where is he?" I ask before I can stop myself.
• "He's in the backyard helping me fix my car," Margot says. "He's really good with that. I figured I would let him look rather than get fleeced by a mechanic."
• "That's smart," I mutter.
• Fuck. Why did I have to ask that? I shouldn't even care by now.
• With that, they both exit the house and go around to the garage to put their suitcases in the car. I can still hear them arguing over the compartments, mostly Margot telling Mom to make space for her. It's the same old thing, so I just head back inside the house and wait for them to go.
• I sit on the table alone, taking some pancakes. Maybe I can just stuff my face until they come home. I listen to them constantly arguing still, but then the sound is joined by a quick ping of the doorbell and a thud on the front steps.
• I wait for something more, but that seems to be it. Maybe someone just delivered something. Or maybe it's just my imagination.
• Sighing, I just make my way to the door and open it. No one is there, but there is a lone box sitting on the front steps.
• My heart starts to beat fast. It's not a normal brown package box. There is no label attached to it either. It's an intricate velvet box, light as air and glorious under the sun as I pick it up.
• But as soon as I turn it around, I immediately know who it came from.
• The man who keeps stalking me.