Chapter 69 Apology
Getting to the restaurant, Jack was surprised to see Aurora. He already expected to see her again in the next few days.
Aurora didn’t have her best face on because of the fight she had with Arthur. She couldn’t help but think about it.
“Hey, Aurora.” Jack greeted her as she walked towards him.
“Hi, Jack. Good morning.” She answered, forcing on an affable smile.
“Good morning. How are you today? I wasn’t expecting you here today. Didn’t you get my message?” Jack asked, reaching for his phone in his pocket.
The smile on Aurora’s faded faded off, and she shook her head. “I did see it, I just…” She took a pause and swallowed hard.
Jack noticed this and became extremely curious. “Let’s talk in my office.” He offered her his hand and she held onto it as they walked out of the waiting area to his office.
After settling down in his office, he continued the conversation with her.
“Tell me, Aurora. What’s wrong?” He asked worriedly, while Aurora lowered her head.
“It’s Arthur.” She answered, and Jack clenched his jaws upon hearing this.
“What did he do this time?”
“He asked for a leave from work without telling me about it! That is so selfish of him.” Aurora answered angrily. The anger on Jack’s face washed off as he heard her complain.
“Oh… that’s why you decided to show up regardless?” He further asked, and she nodded.
“Listen, Aurora. I know it was a selfish act, and there is no excuse for that. But I want you to know that he wanted to do it because of you. He thought you’d love to spend more time with the boys after their birthday, and he’d also want to take you out. He wanted you to be there, that’s all.”
“Then he should have told me about it first. It's my work and it is important.”
“I am aware of that, Aurora. I totally understand you. But don’t hate him for that, okay? He was just trying to be a nice guy. Even though he isn’t the best of men, he is trying to do everything to impress you.
“He came to me to tell me about it, maybe because he didn’t want to put that burden on you, so that you wouldn’t seem unserious to me. Look at the positive side of it. If you think it’s selfish, fine. It is. But he was just trying to be nice.
“I saw that a lot during the party.”
After hearing these words, Aurora’s burning rage gradually died down, and she let out a loud sigh.
“We had a fight this morning about it. I was so mad at him.” She muttered.
“I know. If there was no fight, you wouldn’t be here today, on your leave. Just understand him, okay? And trust me, Aurora, he is possessive of you.” Jack added, causing Aurora to chuckle.
“What?!”
“Yes. The looks he gave me when I first arrived and we got talking, even down to when he came to ask for my help about the leave. I think he cares about you.” Jack added.
“You think so?”
“And if I’m wrong, I warned him already. I told him that once he hurts you again, I’ll come at him strong and hard and snatch you away from him forever. He wouldn’t dare hurt you anymore if he’s truly serious about you.”
Aurora laughed softly and nodded. “I hope he’s serious too. I don’t think my heart can take any more heartbreaks, and that is why I’m so scared to trust him again. What if it’s all ephemeral?”
“Well, I guess you’ll just have to trust your guts. That being said, let me know any time he hurts you. I’ll be here to show him hell!”
Aurora giggled and nodded in response.
Deep down she hoped that was never going to happen.
“I should get back to work now. I don’t want the other employees to think I’m your favorite. I just got here and it would seem unfair.
“Oh, you are late. They know you are my favorite already, and I think they are cool with it.” Jack answered with a grin.
Aurora shook her head and made her way out of the office. And like magic, her heart felt lighter than when she first arrived.
‘Maybe I am going too hard on him. What if he gets tired and loses interest? I hope I’m doing the right thing. I don’t want to lose him again.’
The night drew closer faster than expected to Aurora because she hardly stepped out of the kitchen, and she didn’t have the luxury of time to check outside the windows.
“Aurora, it’s 7 p.m. already. You should let Danny take over. You’ve been here since morning.” One of her coworkers said to her as she stirred the boiling soup.
“Isn’t that why we are here? To work?” She asked with a smile, turning to look at her. She wiped her forehead with the back of her hand to get rid of the sweat droplets on it.
“I mean, Danny is the chef for tonight. You should let him work too. You deserve some rest.”
“Oh…” Aurora looked back and saw Danny putting on his apron. She nodded and lifted the pot of soup from the gas before stepping away.
“Welcome, Danny,” She greeted him with a friendly smile, and Danny responded with the same energy.
“Thank you, Aurora. You’ve done a great job. I’ll take it from here.” He answered.
Aurora nodded as she washed her hands with soap and water, ready to close for the day in a few hours’ time.
While she was doing this, one of the waiters rushed into the kitchen with a large grin on her face.
“Aurora, you need to see this!” She yelled in excitement, catching Aurora unaware.
“What? What’s going on?” She asked in confusion.
“Just come with me. You’ll be wowed!” In enthusiasm, she grabbed Aurora’s hand and pulled her out of the kitchen to the waiting area.
Getting to the waiting area, she noticed everyone, including the customers were all looking in one direction. Curiously, she looked in the same direction, and what she saw made her jaw drop to the floor.
She saw her boys standing in front of the transparent walls of the restaurant. In their hands were red letter balloons which read “I am sorry, Aurora.”
Her eyes widened as she moved closer to them. They all dressed in the same blue suit outfit and bow ties, staring and smiling at Aurora as she approached.
“What the hell?!” She muttered as she felt the rush of emotions in her veins. The boys looked so cute and organized that it pushed her to tears.
“Oh my goodness.” She covered her mouth with her hand as the restaurant door opened and Arthur walked in with a large rose bouquet in his hands.
He wore the same blue suit outfit as the boys and his hair was styled like theirs. He approached Aurora with a soft smile and a touch of guilt and regret.
“Arthur…” She called softly as tears rolled down her eyes. She looked past him at the kids again and saw they were still standing outside, holding the letter balloons proudly.
“I am sorry, Aurora. I’m sorry that we had a fight this morning because of my selfishness, and I promise it will never happen again.” Arthur apologized from the bottom of his heart.
He totally ignored those that stared and made videos of what was happening. All he wanted was for Aurora to forgive him.
“He’s sorry!” One of the waitresses yelled, and Aurora looked back to see that even Jack was outside, watching the scene. He gave her a reassuring nod and smiled.
Aurora turned to look at Arthur again and nodded. She took the large rose bouquet from him and sniffed them happily.
“I have forgiven you.” She said to him and without further ado, Arthur went in to hug her. Aurora’s gaze fell on the kids outside, who were all jumpy and excited.
“Can you tell them to come in now?” She asked as they disengaged from the hug. Arthur looked back and waved at the boys to come in.
In haste, they ran into the restaurant with the balloons in their hands and embraced their party.
“Wow!” Those that watched cheered happily for them.
“We don’t see this everyday. I hope this happens often.” One of the couples in the waiting area said aloud.
“Well, that means there will be lots of arguments!” Another man answered and everyone broke into laughter like a family.