"So your flight is scheduled for two days from now, are you prepared, darling?"

Aurora looked up from way Rosa was mincing and smiled at her dad. Several days had passed since the whole party fiasco slash her confession and the entire town had been set ablaze, she'd turned into a hot topic and now she couldn't go anywhere without being swarmed by reporters. Her father had suggested travelling out of the country and laying low for a while and she bought into the idea. Besides, this was her chance to finally get away.


"Sort of, I don't really know" She chuckled grimly, passing the bell peppers towards the older woman, "I don't feel that different but I do know I'll miss home."

Harry smiled warmly at her, bobbing his head in understanding. Rosa nudged her gently, winking in a playful gesture,

"You should travel out, I think it's about time you got away from the house. No offence, Mr. Rochester."


Her father raised his hands in the air, "None taken."

She chuckled softly, smiling at both of them. Her eyes flickered towards the doorway and the grin on her face slowly fell,


"And mom?" She quietly causing the laughter on their faces to dissolve into something grimer.

Harry shrugged weakly, "She's still refusing to come home," He answered with a tired sigh.

Her mother had moved out of their house the next day after her big confession and she'd refused to come home since then. She was also adamant on never speaking to Aurora again and repeatedly ignored her calls and texts.

For the first time in her life, Aurora had no idea what to do.

"Leave her be, she'll come to it." Was the reply Ryan gave to her when she complained about the dilemma she was currently facing. It was hard but that was what she decided on doing.

The truth was that she beared no hard grudge against her mother. Miriam must've felt that the choices she was implementing was for Aurora's good but she wasn't a child anymore and was grown enough to make her own decisions. Her mother needed to realize that as well.

"I guess we can't force her to reason otherwise," She answered with a soft laugh but nobody found it funny so she stopped. Her eyes flickered towards her father who had a pensive look.

Although, he had constantly assured her that he didn't blame her, Aurora still wondered if he hated her for causing a rift in their marriage.

"Aurora, dear," Rosa called softly, breaking her train of thoughts, "Could you put on the stove, I'm almost done chopping the vegetables."

Aurora blinked away the gloominess and nodded, "Sure thing." As she moved towards the cooker, her father excused himself the moment his ringtone blasted through the speakers of his phone.



Later in the day, Aurora decided to drive down to the Downton club and when she got in, the smell of alcohol mixed with sweat instantly hit her nostrils and she wrinkled her nose in distaste. The bar was empty, that was a first, and the tables were cleared off to the side, she wondered if they were renovating when her eyes caught the ladder and toolbox on the ground. That would make sense seeing as the entire place was devoid of people.

However, it didn't come as a surprise when she saw Ryan inside the boxing ring, throwing brutal punches at his opponents. The sound of their grunts and growls echoing in the silent space,

When he sighted her, his jabbing came to a cessation and he raised a hand in greeting, smiling brightly. Her eyes widened when she noticed movement beside him and she tried to warn him but it was too late, his opponent had delivered a strong blow to the side of his face, knocking him down.

"Oh my god," She gasped, slapping her palms against her mouth and rushing towards the ring, "Are you okay?" She queried, pushing her head past the ropes.

Ryan groaned on the floor, his face was beneath her and the spot he was clutching had begun blooming red.

She winced,throwing a dirty look at his opponent who was actually Theo, "You're going to need an ice patch for that."

"I know something that can make me feel much better," He murmured, still lying on the ground and blinking up at her.

Aurora cocked her head to the side in genuine confusion, "What's that?"

He grinned brightly, dropping his hand and puckering his lips, "One kiss from a bonnie lass will take all my pains away."

Aurora chuckled,rolling her eyes and stepped away from the ring, "You're crazy."

Ryan quickly sat up, his dark eyes twinkling with mirth, "Only for you, flower."

Someone made a gagging noise and their eyes flickered towards the newcomer who had her arms wrapped around Theo's waist.

"You two are disgusting," Sandy shuddered, snuggling into Theo's naked chest.

Ryan gave her a look as he too slipped from the boxing ring and came to stand beside her, "Not as corny as you two, can you believe them," He directed the last part to her, jabbing his thumb in their direction, "They've actually been planning a wedding underneath my nose."

Her eyes went wide and she looked towards them, especially at Sandy who'd gone red in the face.

"We were going to tell you!" Sandy countered protectively while Theo just laughed along.

They meandered towards them, the big man's arm now resting around his girlfriend's shoulders,

"It came as a surprise to us too, brother," Theo said softly, his blue eyes shining with joy, "And of course, you're invited to the wedding. Who else is going to be my best man," Him and Ryan shared a warm laugh and he paused, smiling orbs falling on her, "You should also bring your flower along with you."

Aurora was evidently gobsmacked, she wasn't even able to utter an intelligible response back and he seemed to enjoy it because he winked before walking past them, whistling a loud and joyous time that Sandy laughed along too.

She slowly turned to face Ryan, her mouth still parted in awe, "He wants me at his wedding?"

Ryan shrugged, laughing softly, "I guess he's warming up to you."

Aurora huffed out a disbelieving laugh, shaking her head from side to side.

"Enough about Theo," Ryan murmured, wrapping his arms around her waist and tugging her close, "Tell me, how did you flight booking go?"

Aurora inhaled softly, even with the sweat he still smelled unbelievably good and she wished she could take him on the floor right there and then.

She took the opportunity to snuggle closer, drawing circles on his muscular chest, "Well, I'm booked to leave in two days so that forty-eight hours to spend with me."

Ryan hummed thoughtfully, curling a strand o her fiery hair around his finger, "We better make use of the time left then."

She made a surprised sound when his hand crawled down to grab her ass, squeezing gently. Aurora nodded wordlessly, consumed by the feel of him.

"I should tell you," He hummed, pressing his nose into the side of her neck, "I've decided to go for my master's, I graduated with a decent score and after asking some questions, the professors gave me the go ahead."

Aurora moaned softly when his tongue lapped at her skin, his hand still caressing her backside. She struggled to process's what he said and then nodded in agreement to his words,

"T-That's a good idea."

He hummed again, licking his way up to her throat and sucking on the flesh. Aurora tipped her head backwards to give him better access, the heat between her legs pooling and causing her thighs to rub against each other.

"I also thought of opening a boxing class for young adults and teens. Theo was onboard with the idea as well," He muttered, his fingers leaving her buttocks and dipping into her skirt, finding her sex, "What do you think?"

Aurora swallowed a cry when he shifted her panties to the side, parting her lips and running a finger down the length of her moist flesh,

"Th-That's good."

Ryan suddenly pulled back, retracting his hand from her center and raising the glistening finger. She watched with flushed cheeks as he lifted the finger to his mouth, licking her juices clean with his eyes shut.

Aurora's mouth popped open and another zing of heat shot downwards, causing her to clench her legs together. When Ryan opened his eyes, they were dark with arousal and desire.

"I was going to wait until I treated you to a proper meal like a gentleman but now, I don't think I'm gonna have the patience," He rumbled lowly, eyes flashing hungrily.

Before she could blink, he had swept her off her feet and thrown her over his shoulder. Aurora squealed, clutching his shirt for support and was instantly quietened when he slapped a heavy palm against her ass,

"Don't scream yet, flower," He said with a devious chuckle, marching towards a closed door at the end of the hall, "You're going to be doing a lot of that soon."