Chapter 26: My Name is Aurora

Aurora almost fainted. For a brief moment, she lost herself, overwhelmed by her emotions, upon seeing her best friend again.

’I’m sorry, Rena. I apologize if I made you feel sad. I’m truly sorry...’ Aurora expressed her sorrow as she watched Renata hurry to the kitchen, leaving her alone in the seating area.

She felt heartache and a tsunami of emotions overwhelmed her like something inside her mind engulfed her eyes’ tear duct, making her want to shed tons of tears. She tightly clenched her hands and tried hard to calm herself.

Aurora refused to cry, fearing it would confuse Renata.

...

When Renata finally returned with a glass of water, Aurora quickly averted her gaze from her friend and pretended to check her cell phone—she feared Renata would notice her teary, damped, red eyes.

"Ehm, Young Lady, please have a drink," Renata said, placing the glass on the table before sitting across from Aurora.

When she saw Aurora finish the glass, she smiled and continued, "Even though we are closed now, I can prepare something simple for you to eat."

Aurora placed the empty glass on the table, shaking her head briefly to decline Renata’s kindness.

How could she expect Renata to cook for her now? She couldn’t bear to witness it. She probably wouldn’t be able to hold back her tears.

"N-no, thank you, sis..."

"You may call me Renata," she corrected her with a warm smile on her pale lips.

"Oh. Okay. Sis Renata..." Aurora sensed her voice fading after mentioning the name.

Renata couldn’t shake the feeling that the girl’s facial features resembled her best friend, Aurora. A deep ache filled her heart as she recalled how tragically Aurora had died at such a young age.

"Young lady, I guess you must’ve been starving. That’s why you nearly fainted. And you know what? Your appearance and reflection looked downright frightening. I would have thought you were a pretty vampiress if you hadn’t been visibly panting."

Renata stifled a laugh when she saw Aurora’s eyes widen before she coughed.

"Cough! Cough!" Aurora could not believe that Renata was making a joke at this moment. It reminded her of their past.

Renata stood up from her seat; she was about to get another glass of water for the girl, but her motion suddenly stopped when she heard the girl’s words.ƒгeewёbnovel.com

"Aurora..."

Renata was too shocked to hear the name. She turned to see the girl with a deep frown.

After staring at the young girl for some time, she finally asked, "Excuse me. What did you just say? How do you know that name? Who are you?"

Aurora didn’t reply immediately. Instead, she stood up, smiled, approached Renata, and guided her back to her seat.

"Sis Renata, thank you for the water. And I’m fine now. There’s no need to get me another glass of water."

Once Renata returned to her seat, her gaze followed Aurora, settling on her.

"I heard you said a name... Aurora. How do you know that name?" Renata repeated her question.

"Sis, I want you to call me Aurora. That’s my name..."

Renata was even more shocked. She needed a few more seconds to collect her thoughts before responding.

Gazing into the young girl’s mesmerizing blue eyes, Renata tried to ensure she hadn’t heard it wrong. She asked, "You said your name is Aurora?"

After struggling to contain her overwhelming emotions, Aurora replied calmly, "Yes, sis. My name is Aurora Spencer. Once again, I apologize if I intruded while this restaurant was closed."

Renata remained lost in her thoughts, yet her eyes never left the woman across from her. How coincidental that this girl had the same name as her best friend, Aurora Moon!

Silence!

Aurora patiently waited for her.

However...

After another minute of awkward silence, Aurora was the first to break it, noticing that Renata was still staring at her without speaking.

"Sis, I’m sorry if I’m bothering you. Thank you so much for the water. I promise I’ll come back to this restaurant when it opens," Aurora said softly, standing up from her seat and preparing to walk outside.

"Au-Aurora, it’s okay. Your face still looks pale. You can rest here for a bit." Renata clenched her hand tightly, perplexed about why she had made this offer to someone she didn’t know.

This was the first time she had seen the young girl and heard her name, yet strangely, she felt she had known her for a long time.

Renata’s curiosity gradually filled her mind. She wanted to learn more about Aurora Spencer.

After noticing Aurora sitting down again, Renata smiled and continued, "What made you choose this restaurant? Have you dined here before?"

"No, sis... I have never been to this place before. But when I passed by, I felt so hungry and planned to eat something in here. I’m surprised to see it closed."

Upon hearing her genuine response, Renata felt guilty for being suspicious of her earlier. "Ah, it’s no wonder you almost fainted outside."

"Yes, sorry for troubling you, sis..." Aurora felt terrible about lying to Renata.

However, she could not reveal her true identity. If she did, she feared that Renata might throw her out or even call the police, labeling her a crazy woman.

Aurora knew that Renata didn’t believe in anything supernatural; she didn’t even believe in ghosts.

"It’s fine, Aurora. Just wait for me here; I’ll make something for you," Renata said as she stood up.

"Sis, there’s no need. I can just..."

"Don’t worry. I’ll only prepare a simple meal for you. Besides, I’ll just heat some frozen food from my fridge. You don’t mind having frozen food, do you?"

Aurora shook her head, feeling her heart warm. She quickly replied, "Of course not, sis. Thank you..."

"Perfect! Wait here; just a few minutes will do." She grinned and walked toward the kitchen.

...

Soon after, the restaurant’s door opened, and a familiar voice called, "Rena, are you in the kitchen?"

Aurora’s heart tightened as she saw her best friend, Danny Hamilton, walking toward the kitchen.