Chapter 32 The lady in the blue dress
The day was finally here. The day everyone in Arthur’s House anticipated, including Arthur himself.
He couldn’t wait to see the surprise on Aurora’s face when he gifts her the dress he got for her.
He refused to say a word about it, and Aurora had to sort out her dress as she never expected anything of such.
The preparations began in the house. Though Aurora drafted the plans, Arthur insisted that she didn’t do any lifting or decorations.
All she had to do was supervise and instruct.
While she was in the living room, Theo took care of the boys in their room, getting them dressed smartly in their cute neatly-tailored suits.
Arthur walked out of the room and headed to the living room to see that the decorations were almost done. His living room looked so beautiful, different and spacious.
But this wasn’t the source of his excitement. He needed Aurora to try on her dress as soon as possible. He couldn’t wait anymore.
“Aurora!” He called from on top of the stairs, raising his head. Aurora looked up at the direction she heard her name, and when she saw Arthur, a wide grin flashed up her face.
He waved at her, telling her to come and she nodded, heading to the stairs. After she got up, he offered her his hand, causing her to crease her brows.
“What’s… happening?” She asked in confusion and curiosity, giving him her hand regardless.
“I need you to close your eyes.” He said to her, making her even more curious.
“What?” She asked with a chuckle.
“Just do it, okay?” He responded, and she slowly nodded. She closed her eyes, her heart beating very fast as she began to think about what was going on.
‘What is he doing?’ She wondered.
Arthur moved behind her and covered her eyes with his hands, making sure she wasn’t looking.
“Now, let’s walk.” He said to her as they slowly began to head towards his room.
He kept stealing glances of Aurora and smiling as they walked.
“Are we not there yet? I’m dying of curiosity.” Aurora mumbled as they walked.
“Aren’t you the patient woman I know anymore? I’ll tell you when we are there, okay?” Arthur answered, and Aurora kept quiet.
Finally, they got into his room and he walked her to the front of his bed, where her blue silky dress lay.
He moved his hands off her eyes and stood next to her. “Open your eyes.” He uttered, folding his hands behind him.
Aurora opened her eyes and her gaze instantly fell on the blue dress on the bed. Her eyes sparkled in excitement as she moved closer to touch the dress.
“Oh my God, Mr. Arthur! You got this for me?!” She asked with different emotions running through her. It felt unbelievable, shocking and exciting at the same time.
She ran her fingers through it, admiring and loving it at the same time.
“Do you like it?” Arthur asked, and she raised her head to look at him.
“I love it! It’s blue! My favorite color.” She replied, moving away from the bed slowly.
“What’s wrong?” He asked worriedly.
“But I got a new dress for the party tonight.” She uttered, making Arthur scoff.
“It doesn’t matter. I want to see you in this one. Wear this, okay? It’s going to look beautiful on your skin.” Arthur replied.
Aurora stared into his eyes as he talked. She wanted to ask him the question that has been hunting her for weeks so badly, but she wasn’t sure if it was the right time.
“Hey, is there something on your mind?” He asked, and she shook her head, letting out a smile.
“Nothing. Thank you so much, Mr. Arthur. I really appreciate your kind gestures.” She answered, and he shook his head.
“It’s nothing. We should get dressed now. It’s almost time.” He uttered, taking a quick look at his wrist watch.
The party commenced, and Arthur house was full of so many people of great wealth and caliber. Several cars parked in his compound and they even extended outside.
Though Arthur was a famous man, he wasn’t expecting such a wild and huge turn up.
Luckily for him, Aurora made extra plans for more people. She knew they were to expect more people.
Some people hung out together in fours and some in threes. They talked about things like businesses, politics, and the economy.
Several people had their own clique of friends. Arthur seemed to blend in well, talking to his business partners, Derick and even Carter.
But Aurora was busy at a corner, making sure nothing went wrong. Theo promised to keep an eye on the boys, so she wasn’t worried about them.
At some point, she began to wish she had just a flashy lifestyle so she could engage in conversations with such great people. But that wasn’t her.
She was just a simple woman, in love with a man she wasn’t sure felt the same way for her.
“Hey girl.” Carter uttered, walking towards Aurora.
“Carter! Are you having fun?” She asked. He heaved a sigh and took a sip from the glass of wine in his hand.
“I don’t think so. I’m not used to having so many people around. What about you? How are you?” He asked, folding his arms and looking at her.
“Well, I am doing great.” She answered, grinning widely.
“Are you sure? That smile looks so fake.” Carter uttered, causing Aurora’s smile to instantly disappear.
“I don’t know, Carter. He hasn’t even looked at me once since his friends and partners got here. They’ve been talking and laughing. He got me this dress, and I thought…”
“He got you this dress?!” Carter asked in awe, and she nodded, looking at him.
“Why?”
“Oh God, it looks so pretty on you! Wow! Who would have thought he had such great taste. Trust me baby girl, this man wants you!” He answered.
Aurora smiled softly, hiding her face shyly.
“I don’t know, Carter. I’m not sure. Maybe he just doesn’t want me to look all wretched tonight. He wouldn’t want me to embarrass him. Moreover, we haven’t really talked about it.”
“Talk about what?”
“Our kiss. He acted like nothing happened after that.”
“You guys kissed? What? What else haven’t you told me?! What other signs do you need before you know this man is in love with you?! Arthur wouldn’t just kiss anyone!”
“He did kiss Danielle though.” Aurora answered.
“In front of you! Yes. And then got rid of her almost immediately. C’mon, girl. The signs are evident enough.” Carter uttered, taking another sip from his glass cup.
“I think I need a glass of wine too.” She uttered, waving at a wine steward.
“Trust me, I’m so glad to be here. There are so many beautiful women! You’re so blessed, Arthur!” Josh, a business partner to Arthur said.
“C’mon, Josh. Why do you always talk about women? There are other things to talk about.” Derick answered, shaking his head in disgust.
“Oh please, because you are gay doesn’t mean we are prohibited from talking about women, okay?” Josh responded, grinning widely.
“Hey, listen Arthur. I can get you a girl tonight. I promise. Just give me the go-ahead. I can see them lustfully staring at you already.” Josh added, looking around as his eyes confirmed the girls that stared at Arthur.
“Thank you, Josh, but I’m not interested.” Arthur answered, sipping his wine.
“C’mon! I can…” He stopped talking and his eyes widened slowly as he stared at something.
“What is it this time?” Derick asked tiredly, shaking his head again. He was so done with Josh’s obsession with women.
He was their age mate and he still wasn’t thinking about settling down.
“Who is that Angel over there?!” Josh asked in awe, while Arthur just ignored him. He had been saying the same thing since the beginning of the party.
“Derick look! The lady in the blue dress.”
Arthur’s face instantly lit up when he heard the color blue. He looked up and saw the woman Josh was talking about was Aurora.
He frowned and clenched his jaw as he saw her having a chat with another man. She kept laughing and smiling like she was having so much fun.
“I bet she’s taken. She’s so pretty to be single.”
“I know her, and she’s single. You can talk to her.” Derick uttered, making Arthur shoot him a deadly look. Derick broke into laughter and looked away, pretending not to see him.
“Really? I should walk up to her then. I bet that man is trying to take her out too.” Josh answered, adjusting his suit.
Just as he was about to leave, Arthur grabbed his arms tightly, stopping him.
“Don’t you dare go near her.” He muttered within gritted teeth.
“What? Ouch… you’re hurting me asshole!” Josh snatched his arm away from him, rubbing it slightly to soothe his pain.
“Why did you stop me? Are you thinking of talking to her too? You Shogbo have told me instead of trying to break my arm.” Josh muttered, as they all stared at Aurora, who didn’t seem to notice them at all.
‘Who the fk is that man making her laugh and giggle anyway?’ Arthur thought to himself, looking at him in disgust.
After a while, he couldn’t take it anymore. It didn’t look like the young man was going to leave Aurora anytime soon.
He stormed towards them, and then, Aurora finally noticed him.
“Mr. Arthur.” She called with a smile, but Arthur didn’t reciprocate it. He kept glaring at the young man.
“Can you please excuse us?” He asked, holding her hand in his as he pulled her away from him.