๋ก๊ทธ์ธ๊ณต์
Evening Routine
์ต์ ์
๋ฐ์ดํธ:
2025-04-22 02:18:09
Lunar DawnOnly one chapter for today. I have said since the beginning if updates aren't daily I would try to give a heads up. I am doing that now for the next couple days lack of updates. Our little dog of 14 years has been having some health problems and has gotten progressively worse. We have had to make the difficult decision to send him over the rainbow bridge so I know there won't be any updates tomorrow and possibly the next day. I want to be fully focused when I write and our family needs time together right now. Thank you for understanding and I will update again very soon.
๊ด๋ จ ์ฑํฐ
Whispers of the Heartย ย ย A Hint of Color
โSit back down! I am not finished talking to you!โMy teeth rattled from the sudden impact of my butt being slammed onto the chair as Phil grabbed my arm and yanked me down. It took a few seconds for my brain to catch up to what happened but when it did, all thoughts of being diplomatic flew out the window as I jerked my arm away, shooting daggers at him. He hadnโt hurt me but the audacity would not be ignored.โWhat is your damn problem, Phil!? I was getting a bottle of water!โHe slammed his hand down on the table and pointed his finger at me. โDonโt cuss me, Aurora! You will respect me in my own house!โโNews flash! Respect is earned and right now, I am having a hard time respecting you! What is going on right now? Youโre blowing up at me and I donโt have the first idea why?โโWhy? You wanna know why? Maybe because the woman I am wanting is letting strange men bring her home!โโThat wasnโt a strange man, Phil! That was a classmate.โโThat wasnโt just a classmate, Aurora. That was O
์ต์ ์
๋ฐ์ดํธ : 2025-04-25Whispers of the Heartย ย ย Focused
โIโm being careful. If he wants to play games, I can play. I do agree, though. Iโm glad he is showing me this side of him now.โโSo, you told me how you ended up with Phil in the first place but I didnโt think until afterwards to ask you where your dad is?โ He must have saw me cringe because he quickly followed up with, โYou donโt have to answer that. I was just wondering.โโNo, itโs okay. It is bound to come up at some point so I might as well tell you everything. Then, you can decide right now if you want to run for the hills.โโAurora, I will not run.โโYeah, weโll see.โI opened up and told him everything. From not knowing who my dad was to what led to my motherโs death and the call to Phil in the first place. Owen just listened, asking a question here and there but I never saw any judgment or looks of disgust on his face.โSo, thatโs me. Ready to run now?โHe gave me a smile but this one was more subdued. The kind of smile you give to someone when you feel sorry for them.โNo, Iโm
์ต์ ์
๋ฐ์ดํธ : 2025-04-25Whispers of the Heartย ย ย Big Surprise
He grinned as he answered with a wink. โNeither am I. Donโt get me wrong. I plan to go to college but my dreams are different than theirs. I want a good steady job that allows me to have more time with my family. I want several kids and the house with the big back yard. Barbecues on the weekends. Coaching my sons teams along the way.โI couldnโt help but smile wider as he talked about it. At least it sounded like he had his plans and that they could possibly include me down the road. I wasnโt so naive to think that Owen being the first crush I had ever had that he would be my happily ever after but it does happen. At least, I would stop stressing so much about our social differences. It sounded like the life he had lived would have been very lonely if it hadnโt been for his Nonna. I felt it was her raising him that shaped how he feels about family and having one.โAurora, my parents have high expectations of me. I do my best to try to honor them but I decided last year that I could onl
์ต์ ์
๋ฐ์ดํธ : 2025-04-25Whispers of the Heartย ย ย After the Shock
โAurora! Oh my God! What are you doing here?โโWhat am I doing here? I live here! What are you doing here?โโYouโre his sonโs sister, arenโt you?โโIf you are talking about Phil and Iโm assuming you are since you are walking barefoot down the hallway and didnโt spend the night with me, then yes! I am his sonโs sister.โโOh, sorry. He mentioned his son having an older sister that also lived with him but he never really mentioned how old you were but then again, I just realized I didnโt ask. When he said his son was four, I just assumed you would be like ten!โโYou never answered my question! What are you doing sneaking through the house in the wee hours of the morning?โShe looked down and shuffled her feet, unable to look me in the eye when Phil suddenly came down the hall, wearing just his jeans.โWhat does it look like, Aurora? She spent the night with me.โ He came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her in an intimate embrace.I know I had to have a look of surprise on my face
์ต์ ์
๋ฐ์ดํธ : 2025-04-26Whispers of the Heartย ย ย That Elephant is Smaller Today
As I opened my door again, I could already smell coffee brewing. When I entered the kitchen, Phil was getting up to rinse his plate and cup. Sherry wasnโt anywhere to be seen so I knew she had left, probably to go to her own house for a shower and change of clothes before school.โYouโve already ate?โ I asked him, already knowing the answer.โYeah, I just fried a couple pieces of bologna with a couple scrambled eggs and toast. Iโm gonna head in early since I left early yesterday.โโOkay, I will pack your lunch pail. Itโll just take a minute.โโNo need. I am going to get lunch out with the guys today.โโOh, okay. What about this afternoon? Me wanting to stay after class for the Yearbook Committee?โโYeah, go ahead and stay. I will take my usual early day today since I am making up this morning for yesterday. Do you need me to pick you up?โโNo, Iโm catching a ride. All four of us involved with the history project due Friday are going to meet at the diner to work out all the details befo
์ต์ ์
๋ฐ์ดํธ : 2025-04-26Whispers of the Heartย ย ย His Reaction
While getting dressed, Nate mentioned being thirsty so I had him sitting down at the kitchen table drinking some orange juice before he brushed his teeth. I walked back down the hallway to the bathroom while he was sitting there swinging his little legs. I wanted to get my teeth brushed and check my appearance again before leaving the house.I brushed, flossed and swished mouthwash before dabbing my mouth with the bath towel I had draped over the shower rod. I was feeling that I could be getting closer to my first kiss and I wanted to make sure I was ready for that and the only thing I could think of that could ever ruin a first kiss, especially if it were from Owen would be if I had questionable breath when I received it. I had already thought to throw a pack of minty chewing gum in my bag last night, you know, just in case.As I stood looking in the mirror one last time, I undid the first button but still wasnโt satisfied. Undoing the second button looked better but when I took that
์ต์ ์
๋ฐ์ดํธ : 2025-04-26Whispers of the Heartย ย ย This Chemistry
I helped Nate get his teeth brushed. I was happy for the distraction from what I would rather be doing, which was the wickedly inappropriate images that were running through my head after what Owen had just whispered to me. If just words could affect me so profoundly, I had to keep my brain on high alert or just as he promised, he would have me come completely undone.If he was serious about us dating, and it seemed that he was, then he needed to know how important it was to me to really know and trust him before I allowed myself to cross any blurred lines that I could not step back from. After everything I had seen, witnessed and experienced my mother go through, the last thing I wanted was to give myself to someone that I was not in love with and could not completely trust with my heart.Maybe it was the fact that I was so desperate to not be like her. Maybe it was my thoughts of how important that part of myself was. Maybe it was my perverse way of thinking that was the only part of
์ต์ ์
๋ฐ์ดํธ : 2025-04-27Whispers of the Heartย ย ย His Thoughtfulness
Ever being the gentleman, Owen took my backpack along with Nateโs and carried them out to his vehicle while I locked up the house and made sure all of the lights were off. I hoped by the time Nate got to school and had lots of brand new, fun and exciting things happen that he would forget to even mention that Owen was giving us a ride this morning but I had nothing to hide so if it were mentioned, I would just deal with it later.It wasnโt like Phil had forbid me from seeing Owen or like we had planned this and I hid it from Phil. Despite his accusations and derogatory statements last night, I wasnโt doing anything wrong and I shouldnโt even have to worry about whether or not something as simple as a ride to school would be a source of animosity and contention.After walking room to room, I was satisfied that everything was in order. I grabbed Nate by the hand and we walked out onto the front porch as I locked the front door and pulled it closed behind me. Owen was standing with the pa
์ต์ ์
๋ฐ์ดํธ : 2025-04-27
์ต์ ์ฑํฐ
Whispers of the Heartย ย ย Sleeping in a Strange Place
Owen stayed close watching Nate, in case he took a tumble, ready to catch him if he needed to. I busied myself settling in for the night, hanging the clothes I had brought with us in the closet. As soon as I had it all put away, Owen said he was gonna go take a shower and for me to text him once I had Nate asleep.Nate had definitely exhausted some of his pent up energy on his makeshift trampoline. He climbed off of the bed once I announced that it was bath time and followed me in, stripping his clothes along the way. He was as equally excited about the size of the tub, exclaiming that he could really swim in it.I turned on the water, adjusting the temperature. The tub was so tall that Nate could not climb over the side by himself, although he tried a couple times. It might have been manageable with clothes on but that would have defeated the purpose of the bath to begin with so I had to lift him up and over and into the water.I pulled the vanity chair over. It was the perfect heigh
Whispers of the Heartย ย ย Settling In
I couldnโt help the giggle that escaped before I tried my best to keep a straight face.โNo, you donโt need to jump on the bed. Why do you want to jump on the bed?โHe looked at me like it should have been obvious. โRory, thatโs a good jumping bed!โโAnd exactly how do you know that?โOnce again, this time with an eye roll. โIโm a kid! I can just tell!โโStill! We are guests here, Little Man! We canโt just go jumping on other peoplesโ beds.โI ignored the pout, purposefully turning away from him as I walked toward the two doors that were closed. I opened the first one to reveal a small walk-in closet. I say small but it was still almost the size of my former bedroom at Philโs house. There was space on both the left and right sides to hang clothes. The one on the left had double hanging space while the one on the right was designed for longer garments. Each had dozens of empty hangers just waiting to be used.The back wall had floor to ceiling shelves of various heights for storage of
Whispers of the Heartย ย ย Our Accommodations
I shook the thoughts from my head concerning the epiphany I had just had regarding my deceased mother and my previously assumed routine trips to the community pool. Just another fragment of my innocence lost as I transition to adulthood and another reminder of my shattered youth. I would have to keep the lid tightly closed on that box or I might end up needing therapy before I can even graduate high school. I probably do anyhow but who can afford it. At the end of the walkway, Owen moved around us and opened the door ahead. We entered into a larger hallway that dripped a refined sense of elegance and sophistication. The floors and walls were all of a highly polished black walnut, including the intricate carved crown molding along the trim of the floor and ceiling. Each piece of art or decoration was there with purpose, as a statement of extravagance and prodigality.โThis is what is called the East Wing. This is where my bedroom and a couple of the guest bedrooms are. My parents have
Whispers of the Heartย ย ย Family Bonds and Childhood Memories
โOwen, how do you not get lost in a house this big?โโI guess I have just gotten used to it but I know, itโs a bit much. This is the biggest estate in the community. It belonged to my dadโs parents so this is actually where my dad grew up. After my grandparents passed away, he didnโt want to sell it so we just moved here. He has already asked me if I will keep it in the family and not sell it. I promised him that I wouldnโt. So, I guess I will be raising my family here one day, too.โI suddenly felt like a gold digger, having had thoughts just moments ago about it now being my dream to live in Urban Crest. I tried to shake those thoughts, that connection out of my head. Owen living here and my dreams to better myself were two totally different things. Werenโt they? Why did I always associate something good with it somehow not being something that I deserved? I wanted to love Owen for himself and not for what he owned or how much money was in his bank account. I knew I wasnโt that kind
Whispers of the Heartย ย ย Urban Crest
The moment the gates opened and Owen drove us through, I felt like I had crossed over into another dimension. The paving on the road was immaculate, not a pothole in sight. The grass seemed brighter, lusher. Owen clicked the button to roll the windows down so that we could see better instead of attempting to look through the dark tint.Even the air smelled better here, though I had to be imagining that. But it seemed crisper, cleaner with maybe just a hint of sweetness to it that I had never experienced before. The landscaping was impeccable, not a blade of grass out of place or uneven and every flower properly mulched.Owen pulled forward to an intersection and turned right. He was rolling along without tapping the gas, just letting Nate and I both take in the scenery around us.โThe road just makes one big long rectangle perimeter with just two entrance gates.โ He explained as we inched along. He pointed to the first road that we came to on the right. โEach little side road has just
Whispers of the Heartย ย ย On Our Way to Urban Crest
Owen texted me at seven forty-seven to let me know that practice was over and he was heading back to pick us up. After Barb and I had talked with things settled as to where I was going and what our plan was for the next few days, I had hugged her again and even walked into the kitchen and made John surrender and give me a hug, too. He just responded with his normal grunt but he did have a twinkle in his eye and squeezed me back during the hug. I had kept myself busy making sure everything was prepped for the next day. Now, I let Barb know that Owen was on his way. Nate handed me his tablet as I stretched out my hand for it. I turned it off and laid it on the table.โAre we not going home, Rory?โ He asked me with a tilt of his head.โNot tonight, buddy. Your daddy is still not feeling good so we need to let him rest.โโBut whoโs gonna take care of Daddy while he is sick?โโI made sure he was okay before I left.โ The lie tasted so bitter on my tongue. โHe just needs to get a good night
Whispers of the Heartย ย ย Barb's Offer
โAs much as I have appreciated our talk, Kyle, I need to get to work.โโYeah, I need to get out of here, too. Stop by and check on my sister before I head home for the night.โโI take it the two of you are really close.โโYeah. She helped Mom raise me so sheโs been like my second mom. Sheโs eight years older than me.โโSo you completely understand the relationship I have with Nate, then?โโProbably more than anyone else around here could, actually. Her and Mom made sacrifices for me all the time so as soon as I was old enough, I made sure they were looked after and taken care of. I still do.โโYouโre a good guy, Kyle.โโShut that down right now. Youโll ruin my reputation.โ He answered with a grin. โI have to stay the bad boy to get all the honey.โโUgh, forget I ever said anything.โโThatโs more like it. Here. Cash me out and Iโll get out of your hair.โI took his money and rang up his tab, giving back his change. He left a good tip for Darcy and left with a nod. It had been like this
Whispers of the Heartย ย ย An Unexpected Ally
Even after I asked, he looked out the window as he took a drink of his own soda. He sat there watching the traffic like he didnโt have a care in the world but I could see the turmoil behind his eyes. He had questions and he wanted answers but wasnโt sure how to ask.Finally, he sighed as he looked over at me. โYou know, my sisterโs old man gets in a mood from time to time. Nicest guy you will ever meet unless heโs in one. Then, he turns into this totally different person. Never would have ever believed it, even if she told me until I saw it with my own two eyes. I guess thatโs one of the reasons she hid it from us for so long. The drink is what does it. Itโs poison to him. One drink and he changes into this monster, this stranger that is out here walking among us like a normal, every day guy.โโWhat are you saying, Kyle?โโI think you know what Iโm saying, Aurora. I just hope it ainโt pretty boy there thatโs causing that look you had when you walked in tonight. I know that look cause
Whispers of the Heartย ย ย Practice is Not Optional
Barb and Darcy gave me a couple minutes to compose myself, just to make sure I was okay to come out. Outwardly, unless specifically looking, you couldnโt even really tell that I had been in any sort of altercation at all. Mentally, I didnโt even have an answer as to my state of mind or stability at this point. I was numb and maybe more than a little in denial, if I were to completely be honest about it.When I came out, I avoided eye contact with the booth my boyfriend and classmates were sitting at until I had first checked on Nate again. He was coloring on a placemat, happy as he could be. Our food was in the pass, waiting so I took his burger and fries to him first with a promise that I was just a couple tables away if he needed me. He dove in to the burger with gusto, completely in his element here in the diner.I doubled back and grabbed the plates for Owen and myself and took them to the table, sitting his down in front of him before sliding in beside him and centering mine in f
