Chapter 14: In Which She Made A Move on Him

Aurora instantly recognized some of the faces. They were Theo's friends who attended yesterday's wedding.

The second they saw her, their eyes lit up with anticipation and excitement.

"Aurora! Thank God." A small woman stepped forward. Though a different color, her dress was still a little too tight. Aurora recognized her - Jeff's wife.

"Sophia? What are you doing here?"

"To get a reading, of course! I didn't want Jeff to know so I waited."

A man overheard their conversation and came up behind Sophia. He was Phillip Ensor, the grandson of the famous energy multi-billionaire Harvey Ensor.

"Me too, Aurora. Your advice really worked! It's the first time I received a compliment from Grandpa. I need another reading ASAP!"

Aurora smiled at the man about her age, in a silver leather jacket and tight rubber pants. "Sure, Phil. Hang on. I'll get to you."

Sophia looked over her shoulder with a scowl, "Don't worry, Phillip. You'll get your turn."

Aurora strode to the front, blurting out hellos and nice-to-see-yous but not stopping, until she reached the start of the line.

There are fifteen of them in total.

"Wow," Aurora breathed in astonishment. This is good business. Madame Zoya will be ecstatic.

But it will be a busy evening, Aurora gave a conflicted smile.


******

Eligible bachelor and billionaire investor, Sam Wilke wanted to know if he'll meet his high school sweetheart again.

Staring at his round face and kind eyes, Aurora said, "She might have passed you by, but you didn't notice."

Sam shot forward in his seat. "Godd*mm! I should pay more attention to the people around me. You're right, Aurora. She could be one of them!"


******


Francine Gold is the head of her family business that owns popular alcohol brands like the Goldilocks, Bonnie Runner and Starknesses. She wanted to know when her true love will appear.

Aurora scanned the tarot cards and mumbled to herself, then muttered. "You might not like the advice, but it says here: your true love depends on you."

Hands flew to the heiress's mouth as her shocked eyes grew misty. "I don't know why it took me so long to accept his proposal. I get it, Aurora. As long as I'm happy when I'm with him, nothing else matters."


******


"The signs are on him," Aurora muttered.

Sophia looked confused. "On him? Oh God. It's true then! There is another woman." Immediately, those round eyes reddened.

"Did you check for the signs?" Aurora leaned closer and whispered.

Sophia sobbed. "I did. I checked his clothes, bag, wallet and phone. But there's nothin! No perfume or lipstick. Even his credit card records are clean."

"What I meant was 'on him'."

The tearing wife halted and blinked a few times. "You mean his body?"

Aurora nodded.

"There's nothing!" She sniffed. Abruptly, she quieted down and furrowed her brows. "He does look a bit gaunt lately. And he hasn't been eating much." Sophia flung a surprised look at Aurora. "Oh my God! He’s sick? It must be that stupid stock market. Silly me! Why did I think that he has a mistress?"

And that was the last of them all.

Aurora glanced at the clock. It's eleven-thirty. Gosh, she had been at it for more than five hours. Time to pack and go home.

It was almost midnight when Aurora finally stepped through the black curtain. Theo was leaning against his car and reading something off his phone. He appeared to be waiting for someone. Aurora waited until he looked up and caught a glimpse of her. A big smile spread across his striking mouth.

Theo moved towards her and she walked up to him. Upon getting a closer look at her, she looked exhausted but cheerful.

"Someone’s in good spirits today."

“I am.” Aurora rolled her chin to one side and smiled widely.

Theo mimicked her. “What’s the good news?”

“I love my job.”

Theo laughed and turned around. She followed him and they walked to his car.

“I mean it,” Aurora placed her hand on his arm. “I used to do it just for the pay. But now, I’m in love with it.”

Theo opened the door to the passenger’s seat, then propped his elbow on the edge of the car roof and looked straight into Aurora’s eyes. “Now, I’m jealous of your job. You’ve got to stop making me jealous, babe.”

Aurora met Theo’s strong gaze and admired its mysterious charm. Her eyes lowered to his lips. Girl, stop gawking at the man! She flinched at the voice in her mind and pretended to be interested in his collar.

“That’s a nice suit,” she blurted and then winced in embarrassment.

Theo chuckled as he replied, “Zia made it.”

Aurora inhaled deeply to steady her racing heart and mustered a confident smile. “I love her work. I really do.”

He stepped aside for her to slide in. “We can go get some clothes from her again, if you like.”

Once Theo got in at the other side, the door slammed shut and the engine started with a smooth, deep roar.

“You did it, didn’t you?”

Theo turned the wheel and the car glided out of the parking space into the road.

"There was a long queue outside Madame Zoya's shop today and they were all your friends," Aurora continued with a meaningful glare.

Theo kept his gaze on the road.

"Theo…" Aurora urged with a weary frown.

"Aurora." He stared ahead.

She leaned closer with a warning glare and repeated his name. He swallowed hard. Her seductive voice tickled the sensitive spot below his ear.

"Alright. I kind of did it," he conceded.

"Kind of?" Aurora fell back into her seat.

"They asked me for your contact information, so I gave them the address."

Aurora smiled appreciatively. "Thank you."

The car stopped at the traffic lights. Theo turned to her with a mischievous glint in his handsome eyes and a matching grin.

"Do I get a kiss?"

Aurora went still. Her eyes darted to his mouth and she stared at his full lower lip. She wants those sexy cushions to cover her mouth and feel them on her lips. Her throat went dry at the thought. Her lips parted slightly. She leaned closer.

Then, she stopped, blinked twice and retreated back to her seat.

It was meant to be a joke, but she took it seriously. Theo chuckled silently, feeling pleased with her response. He turned back to the road with a contented smile. Say something, a*shole, he scolded silently. Don't make her more embarrassed than she already is.

Then, he felt her soft lips on his left cheek.

It lasted for a fraction of second and he was in a daze for the remaining second. When he turned around again, she was back in her seat, her cheeks the color of her hair, and he stared at her like a deer caught in the headlights.

Aurora couldn’t look back. She didn’t know what overcame her. It was like her body acted on its own.

Theo gripped the wheel tightly to stop himself from taking her lips.

"Green, Theo." She cleared her throat.

At that, an impatient honk spurted from outside. Theo flashed a satisfied smirk at the road and drove on.

The car moved past a stretch of shophouses and Aurora cleared her throat again to break the awkward silence between them.

“That was a thank you.” She sounded like a lawyer giving a closing speech.

Theo widened his smile. “I see.”

“It meant nothing.”

“Of course.”

Aurora hit his thick, solid arm as a giggle escaped her lips. “I’m serious!”

Theo glanced at her then back at the road. “So am I.” Then, he added, “I’m serious about you.”

She looked down at his large hand covering hers. After a careful inhale, she turned her hand so that their palms kissed, and slipped her fingers through his.

They exchanged a quick delightful glance, then Theo laced their fingers tightly together.

“We’re having lunch together, tomorrow. Zia wants to get to know you better.”