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BUT AS LOCKED EYES WITH THE INTRUDER, MY HEART STOPPED

Author: Ray Nhedicta
last update Last Updated: 2025-10-24 01:45:53

Chapter 16

Aurelia

"Sorry about the room," I muttered, quickly gathering some of the takeout containers and shoving them into my trash can. "I've been having a rough couple of weeks."

"Don't apologize." He set the Chinese food on my desk, the only clear surface available. "Rough weeks happen. Believe me, I know."

I stood there awkwardly, not sure what to do with my hands, not sure where to look.

He was even more handsome than I remembered. Tall and lean, with blonde hair styled perfectly, sharp blue eyes that seemed warm and concerned.

He looked expensive. Everything from his designer shoes to his watch screamed money and privilege.

"You can sit," I said, gesturing vaguely at my bed since my desk chair was buried under clothes.

"Only if you sit too," he said with a warm smile. "I don't want to make you uncomfortable in your own space."

I sat on the edge of my bed, pulling my knees to my chest. He sat down too, keeping a respectful distance between us. Not too close, not invasive, ju
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  • FOUR SHADES OF DREY   WHAT IF I DON'T WANT TO DO THAT ANYMORE?

    Chapter 39Aurelia "It's nothing bad," he adds quickly, reading my expression. "Just... I'm not perfect, Ari. I have things in my past I'm not proud of. Family complications you don't know about. There are parts of my life that are messy and complicated and sometimes I don't know how to navigate them.""I don't need you to be perfect," I say. "I just need you to be honest."Something flickers in his eyes. Guilt? Conflict? It's gone before I can name it."I'm trying," he says quietly. "I'm trying to be honest. About how I feel. About what this is. I just need you to know that my life isn't simple. And getting involved with me means accepting that there are things I can't explain right away."Warning bells should be going off in my head. This sounds like the beginning of a Julian situation—secret girlfriend, hidden agenda, elaborate lies.But when I look in his eyes, all I see is genuine conflict. Real emotion. Not manipulation."Everyone has complications," I say. "I'm certainly not s

  • FOUR SHADES OF DREY   MY STOMACH DROPS. OF COURSE. THERE'S ALWAYS SOMETHING ELSE.

    CHAPTER 38AureliaHe takes a breath, looks out at the pond for a moment like he's gathering courage, then turns back to me."I haven't been completely honest with you."Oh god. Here it comes. The part where he tells me this was all a mistake. That I read too much into his kindness. That I'm just a project to him, nothing more."A while ago," he continues, "I told you that you reminded me of someone I used to know. Someone I couldn't help. That was true, but it wasn't the whole truth."I want to say something but I promised to listen, so I dig my nails into my palms and wait."The person you reminded me of was me." His grey eyes are intense, vulnerable. "Three years ago, I was exactly where you are now. Broken. Hiding. Convinced I didn't deserve to take up space in the world."I hadn't expected that."I had everything, on paper. Money, family, opportunity. But I was drowning under expectations I couldn't meet. My family wanted me to be someone I wasn't. Strong. Cold. Unfeeling. And ev

  • FOUR SHADES OF DREY   ARI, I NEED TO TELL YOU SOMETHING AND I NEED YOU TO JUST LISTEN

    Chapter 37Aurelia "Ready?" he asked.I nodded because I didn't trust my voice, he opened the passenger door for me and I slid in and tried not to think about how my heart was racing.Or how his cologne was making my head spin or how this felt different from every other time we'd been together and I didn't know what that meant but I was too nervous to ask.He drove us out of the city, the sun was setting and painting the sky in shades of orange and pink and gold.I watched him instead of the scenery because I was trying to memorize the way the light caught in his grey eyes and the way his hands looked on the steering wheel and the way his jaw tensed when he was thinking about something he wasn't saying."Where are we going?" I asked finally."Patience," he said with a smile that was almost teasing and he reached over and squeezed my knee and then left his hand there. I felt the warmth of it through the fabric of my dress and tried to remember how to breathe.We ended up at a place I

  • FOUR SHADES OF DREY   CAUGHT MY HAND AND BROUGHT IT TO HIS LIPS

    Chapter 34AureliaThe weeks that followed felt like living in a dream I didn't want to wake up from.Every morning started with Drey and every evening ended with thoughts of him and somewhere in between I was becoming someone I barely recognized but actually liked. The girl who used to hide in oversized hoodies was wearing clothes that fit and showing her arms and her collarbones and even her legs sometimes and it still made me nervous but it also made me feel powerful in a way I couldn't quite explain.Sienna noticed the change too and she cornered me one afternoon while we were supposed to be studying in the library but were really just pretending to read while we talked about everything except our assignments."So are you going to tell me about him or am I going to have to keep guessing?" she asked with a smirk that told me she already knew more than I wanted her to."Tell you about who?" I tried to sound innocent but my face was already heating up and giving me away."The myster

  • FOUR SHADES OF DREY   SOMETHING WAS SHIFTING

    Chapter 35Aurelia "Good," he said. "Because I'm not going to stop pushing you but I also want you to know that I see you and all the work you're doing and how brave you are for showing up every day even when you're terrified."His words made my throat tight and I had to look away because the sincerity in his voice was too much and I didn't know how to handle someone seeing me that clearly. "Thank you."We sat there until the sun was fully up and students started appearing on the paths around us and then Drey stood and offered me his hand.I took it and let him pull me to my feet and he didn't let go right away and I didn't pull away and we just stood there with our hands connected and the morning light making everything feel golden and possible."You're going to do great on that presentation," he said."How do you know?""Because you're Aurelia and you're stronger than you've ever given yourself credit for." He squeezed my hand once and then let go. "Now go show them what you're mad

  • FOUR SHADES OF DREY   I WANTED TO APOLOGIZE

    Chapter 34Aurelia My mouth went dry because that was so much more than I'd been planning and the thought of standing up there alone without my group members as backup made me want to throw up, but I also felt that spark again and that stubborn part of me that refused to back down from a challenge even when I was terrified."Yes," I said, even though I wasn't sure I meant it."Good." He nodded toward the weights. "Now let's see if you can push yourself physically too because today we're going heavier than usual."The workout was brutal and Drey pushed me harder than he ever had before, adding weight to exercises I'd just gotten comfortable with and reducing my rest time between sets until I was gasping and shaking and seriously questioning whether I was going to survive. Every time I thought about giving up he was there with that hard look in his eyes and that voice that was somehow both encouraging and demanding and I found myself pushing through the pain because I couldn't stand t

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