After She Said Yes Page 11

  “I know. It’s fine,” Aurora said. We are touching hands!

  “How are you so calm about dis, Aurora?”

  Xanax. The conversation was starting to exhaust her. What, do you want me to cry or something? She was lost in her thoughts.

  Melih said, “I am just shocked you are showing no emotion.”

  Okay, I get the point, she thought.

  “I am tough.” Aurora smiled. Tougher than I look.

  He took his other hand and started rubbing her hand that he was holding. He took a deep breath and calmed down. “Aurora, I guess I am just upset vith myself for not doing anything.”

  “It’s okay, Melih. You have always been sweet to me.” She flashed him a smile, showing her dimples. “Don’t worry.” She started rubbing his knuckles. She felt that he should be the one telling her to calm down, but she was consoling him. She could see deep concern in Melih’s eyes. She wondered what he was thinking. Aurora continued, “So, will I see you Saturday night at Sara and Zara’s?”

  Melih was caught off guard and said, “At vhat?”

  He took a second to collect his thoughts, like he was in a different world. Melih looked down on his hands and immediately pulled them away. Aurora looked distraught as she was confused why Melih pulled away. Aurora didn’t know then that he had never held a woman’s hand before.

  Melih continued, “Oh yeah, I vill be there.” He collected himself and smiled at Aurora. “How about you?”

  “Yes, I will be there.” Aurora sighed. “I kind of have to go now because Dan and Tessa are together. Well, at least they like each other.”

  Melih said, “Hey! I’ll be dere. Dat should make it better for you, right?”

  “Is there any other reason you invited me here, Melih?”

  “Ahh,” Melih looked up like he was pondering a thought. “No, I just vant to see how you are.”

  “Well, I still have to drive home. It’s getting late.” Aurora wanted to make it seem like she had something more important to do.

  “No problem. I will walk you to your car,” he said without giving Aurora a chance to say no.

  They both put on their jackets and walked to her car.

  Melih put his arm around her waist. She took a deep breath in. Stay calm, Aurora. Act natural. She felt her heart fill with a feeling she had never felt as they walked to her car.

  “You know you are so sweet, Melih…. and so handsome.” Again, you should keep your thoughts to yourself.

  “Vell, you are gorgeous. So, I tink you vin,” Melih said. She rolled her eyes.

  He opened the door for her and kissed her on the forehead before she got into the car. She felt excitement. It was as if she were just on the first date she had ever been on in her life. She didn’t know that that feeling could ever exist again. He probably didn’t see it like a date, but I felt it was… Well, I hope it was. Was it?

  She heard knocking on her car window and she rolled it down as the steam of Melih’s breath turned into vapor. “Aurora, I vant to tell you that I know I cannot change vhat Gannon did to you, but I can help you through this divorce.”

  “Thank you,” Aurora said. “That means a lot…. But I think I should get going. You are probably freezing.”

  “I am.” He said as he rubbed his hands together to warm them up. He flashed a warm smile at Aurora. “Good night, Aurora.”

  “Good night,” she said.

  Chapter 18

  It was Saturday morning, and Aurora and Tessa were getting ready to go house hunting. Tessa was there merely for moral support. Since they would be going to a party that night, they thought they would just spend the whole day in Madison. Aurora wanted a coffee the size of her head that morning because she had not been able to sleep much the night before. She thought of Melih putting his hands through his hair, the way his hands touched hers, the way his lips would touch his coffee cup. She wished his lips would touch hers like that.

  Aurora and Tessa had breakfast at a quaint restaurant called the Wooden Chair, which was Aurora and Tessa’s favorite breakfast and brunch place. It was their favorite because it felt like home to both of them. Tessa had grown up on a farm and Aurora’s father always took her to a café that was similar, as a child. The place was a farm-to-table restaurant. The walls were decorated with photos from Wisconsin’s farming history. To add to the décor, there was an assortment of different colored chairs at each table. Not one chair was identical. The aroma of eggs being friend on the griddle and fresh herbs filled their noses. What filled their stomachs were the veggie eggs benedict.

  “So, today is the last day we may spend like this, huh, Aurora?”

  “I hope not!” Aurora said as she smeared some jelly on her toast.

  “Well, I feel like it is…”

  “It is not like I am leaving the country, Tessa. I am moving about forty minutes from you.”

  “I know, but I am just worried we will not see each other or talk much, like you did when you were with Gannon,” Tessa said as she looked down at her coffee cup that was nearly empty.

  “I know. You have mentioned it before,” Aurora said. She pulled money out of her purse to pay for the breakfast. “You don’t have to worry, Tessa. Things will not be like last time.”

  --

  They arrived at the realtor’s office near downtown. The outside of the office was a cream-colored house with brown shutters and a front porch overlooking the busy one-way street. Aurora and Tessa walked inside and sat on the waiting chairs. Aurora found a stack of magazines on an end table for them to look at, ones like Good Housekeeping, and even her magazine. They read through them as they waited, though Tessa would occasionally look at her phone and read something on the screen and smile or giggle.

  “Is Dan up this early?” Aurora said.

  “How do you know th…”

  “Tessa, I know you too well. You are my best friend, remember?”

  “Yes. He is awake,” Tessa said while her cheeks turned red.

  Tessa again looked at a text on her phone and smiled. Aw. I am so happy that a good guy finally is making her smile, Aurora thought.

  Aurora started to get severe anxiety from remembering she would be living on her own. However, she was happy for the new start and second chance at life after Gannon.

  The realtor, Stacey, came in and shook both Tessa and Aurora’s hands. Stacey was a blonde with long legs that she was always hiding with her pants suits. She was good at her job, which is what Aurora admired her for. Aurora really appreciated and admired hard work. They all went into the office and Stacey pulled up some listings on her computer, where she showed some places that Aurora may be interested in. Tessa was still on her phone, messaging Dan, while Stacey and Aurora conversed. Aurora saw Tessa keep smiling at her phone. Her smiles made Aurora smile.

  Aurora said to Stacey, “I prefer something downtown that is close to work. I prefer that it is a house, too.”

  Stacey said, “What is your price range?”

  “A thousand per month, but I prefer to pay in cash and not have a lease. You can pull some strings, right?” Aurora said with a smile. Stacey rolled her eyes at Aurora.

  “Well,” Stacey said, “I guess I can, but why cash?”

  “Well, at least until my divorce is finalized. That is what my lawyer advised, so I don’t need to change my address with the court.”

  “Ah, noted.” Stacey looked back at her computer and clicked some houses to show Aurora. It showed an array of houses in her price range.

  “I like that one!” Aurora said while pointing at the screen.

  “But it is not very modern,” Stacey said.

  “So!” Aurora said. “It is right on the lake.”

  “Well,” Stacey said, “if that is what you want.”

  It was a beautiful two-bedroom English style home that had to be almost two hundred years old. The bathroom and kitchen tiles were white with dark hints of blue, and it looked like it had recently been remodeled. The walls were matte white. Aurora figured the
wooden floors would creek when she walked on it, but she wanted a place with history. It reminded her of the home her great grandparents had lived in after immigrating to the United States from Pomerania. She could almost smell her great grandma’s apple strudel, fresh out of the oven.

  “All right. I have the keys to this place. We can go see it now if you like. Are there any other ones you might be interested in?”

  “No. I think this is going to be the one,” Aurora said.

  --

  They pulled up to the home. The porch was not perfectly flat. If you were to put a marble on the porch, it would certainty roll off, but Aurora didn’t mind. It had a small back yard overlooking the lake. I could host parties back there, if I wanted to…. Ha! Don’t kid with yourself, Aurora. That will probably never happen, you anti-social butterfly! Though she was introverted, she thought she might start to change that and be more spontaneous.

  They walked inside and took a look around. Aurora saw that there was a beautiful room overlooking the lake upstairs, and she imagined herself having a desk right in front of that window, where she could work and write, with a beautiful view in front of her. The kitchen was below the office room, with the same view as well.

  Before she thought about it anymore, she looked at Stacey after touring the house. “So, how much for this place again?”

  Stacey had a peculiar look on her face and said, “Well, it is slightly out of your price range.” Aurora gestured her to proceed with telling her the price. “Also, I called the owner on our way here. He said it is twelve hundred a month and he will pay for the utilities because you are paying in cash. He doesn’t normally do this for me, but he owed me a favor. I also explained your situation about the divorce and he was understanding.” Aurora hoped she wouldn’t have to repay Stacey back for her doing this favor, as well, but she didn’t care at that point. She loved the house.

  Aurora said, “Great! I will take it then.”

  “Perfect. I will email you the paperwork to fill out and then you can move in as soon as you like,” Stacey said.

  Aurora looked around and realized she regretted she would have to buy furniture. “Stacey?”

  “Yes, Aurora?”

  “I also need your help with something else,” Aurora said.

  “Of course you would,” Stacey mumbled under her breath. She was unenthused with Aurora’s needs, as if she didn’t have a choice besides to help her on her Saturday off of work. Stacey probably didn’t want to lose the chance at a spread in Aurora’s magazine.

  “I’m sorry. What did you say?” Aurora said.

  “Oh. I said your hair looks nice.”

  Aurora and Tessa both rolled their eyes at one another.

  “Stacey, one more thing. I need you to tell me somewhere I can rent furniture. I don’t want to buy anything.”

  Stacey said, “No problem. I can contact the company that works for me. You know the company that I use to stage houses for your magazine?”

  “No, I don’t really remember. Sorry,” Aurora said. “Do they owe you favors too?” Aurora tried to joke and laughed an awkwardly as she looked at Tessa. Tessa looked bored and un-amused. Like Aurora, Tessa was not good at hiding the way she felt. Stacey didn’t reciprocate a laugh either. Tough crowd. She didn’t seem too amused because she was already taking time out of her Saturday to help out Aurora. Stacey’s Saturdays are probably for brunch dates with her girlfriends and shopping.

  --

  Aurora and Tessa spent the rest of the afternoon in museums, eating lunch, and enjoying girl time. They laughed until they cried. It reminded them of their times in college when they would come to The Union to drink coffee and study in the spring. It was bittersweet because they knew that it would be one of the last times they would be able to hang out like that for a while.

  As they were walking to Aurora’s car to go to Zara and Sara’s, Aurora wanted to tell her about something in advance.

  “Tessa, there is one thing I want to tell you before we go to Zara and Sara’s to help prepare for the party.”

  “Okay? What is it?”

  “Well, no one knows about Melih and me liking each other,” Aurora said.

  Tessa raised one of her eyebrows, “Oh… really?”

  “Nope.”

  “Well. Someone does,” Tessa said.

  “What? Who!”

  “Well, I told Dan… I didn’t know it was a secret… I’m sorry.”

  “Wait!” Aurora said. “Now that I think of it, Melih never said he liked me, but his actions speak otherwise.”

  “Aurora, you are just overanalyzing the situation,” Tessa said.

  “Well, that is what I do.”

  “I know. So, just don’t worry and have a good time tonight, okay?” Tessa said.

  “Okay,” Aurora said. “I mean, Melih and I are not in a relationship, so you are right. I am overanalyzing.”

  Tessa smiled as she said, “I know. I am always right.” They both laugh.

  “Well. It’s okay. As long as no one else knows about him and me, I am fine with that,” Aurora said. “It is just… You know how they already stopped hanging out with Gannon because they decided to take my side.”

  “Yeah.”

  “Well, that is why I don’t want them to know about Melih yet because if something bad happens between us, then they will have to choose sides again and it is going to be extremely awkward. I don’t want them to have to choose between me or Melih.”

  --

  Zara and Sara’s house had a very classic Russian set up. It looked like a sitting room of Russian royalty. Aurora envisioned their sitting room was out of a scene from Leo Tolstoy’s book Anna Karenina. The curtains were made of white and gold silk and a chandelier hung from the ceiling in the living room. Aurora always assumed Zara and Sara came from rich families in Russia, but she never asked. They are probably descendants of royalty.

  Since only a few people were going to be there, it was more of a casual get-together than a party. After setting everything up and helping with making party food, Aurora and Tessa changed and got ready. They both put on a pair of dark jeans and black three-quarter sleeved shirts. Tessa curled her long hair and Aurora just combed hers. Aurora was never really into doing her hair. She would usually just wash it, comb it, and then let it air dry. Aurora put her hair behind ears and put on a pair of diamond-studded earrings. As she looked in the mirror, she smiled at the reflection she saw. Gannon had once convinced Aurora she was distorted and ugly. But when she looked in the mirror, she thought she was beautiful for the first time in what felt like forever to her.

  Tessa was sitting in the living room with Zara and Sara while Aurora went to the kitchen to get some snacks. As Aurora was in the kitchen, she saw Dan and Melih walk in. As soon as she saw Melih, she dropped her plate of pita chips, though she felt like she dropped her pride. The first thing Dan saw was Tessa sitting on the couch and walked to her without noticing the mess Aurora made. Good one, Aurora! Aurora thought to herself while grunting and mumbling things under her breath.

  She saw two feet in loafers in front of her. It’s him. It’s him. It’s him. She didn’t want to look up.

  “Hey, Rora, let me help you vith dat.” Melih moved the bangs from her face and put them behind her right ear. She was craving that touch. Melih then started helping her clean up, as if he had never touched her. They reached for the same chip and his hand touched hers so softly, as if he were dragging a feather along her skin. They both looked into each other’s eyes and time stopped for a moment.

  Zara came into the kitchen and saw the two kneeling on the floor. “Hey, is everything okay, guys?”

  Aurora and Melih both said in sync, “Everything is fine.”

  “Okay,” Zara said, “but it doesn’t look like it. Do you need help?”

  Aurora said, “No, thank you. Melih is helping me. I dropped my chips. You know I’m clumsy.” Melih smiled at Aurora. Luckily Zara couldn’t see how Melih was looking at Aurora and could only see the b
ack of his head.

  “Ve vill be in da living room in a second, Zara,” Melih said.

  Zara walked to the living room.

  Aurora was biting her lips as she stared at him with an illustrious look, as if he were making her weak. How can I ignore those beautiful chocolate eyes and-olive toned skin? Or how can I stop staring at his soft lips? Aurora bit her lower lip.

  It was too cold of a night for any of them to want to go out. They decided to stay inside reminiscing on the good old days from college and the new days with their new friend, Tessa. Zara and Sara served Russian tea and sweetened it with cherries. Melih gloated about how much better Turkish tea was in comparison.

  Reminiscing reminded Aurora of their days in college, and the only thing missing was Gannon. Aurora missed the way Gannon had been in college. She wished for a second that it could have worked out because the last thing she wanted was him to be the monster he was. Is there anything I could have done to change the way he was or prevented his anger? Aurora came to terms that she could not change the past, to rewrite the present or the future. All that thinking about Gannon made her overwhelmed. She started to feel herself sweat and could feel her heart beat fast. Everyone could tell she was upset about something because they all knew that Aurora was horrible at hiding her emotions. Also, her face was extremely pale.

  “I’ll be right back,” Aurora said as she stood up and straightened out her shirt.

  “Hey, I-I-I gotta take a phone call,” Melih said soon after Aurora stood up. “My family is calling from Turkey.”

  Aurora hung her head as she walked down the hall.

  Melih went to the room that Aurora was in. He sat next to her as she lay on the bed in Zara’s room. It reminded her of the room of a sultan. Silk pillows surrounded her as she buried her face in one of them. She yelled into one of the pillows to muffle her screaming. “Why can’t you just get him out of your head, Aurora! He is not in control of you anymore.”

  She felt someone sit next to her. Aurora turned around and sat up, pushing him away.