Aurora's Point Of View

Rousing from sleep to the warm entanglement of Arlan's inked muscles and blackberry cologne, my timid eyes meet his crepuscular jade iris's already watching me, his pupils dilated. He brushed his crushed-red lips on mine and for the first time, the action was ginger and careful. I kissed back softly to show I appreciated him being gentle, and then I rested my head on his inked, muscular shoulder. It was the first time I'd ever kissed back.

"No," He aggressively gripped my chin, "makeout with me," and his hungry mouth mashed against mine.

I followed his fervent movements, or tried to, but I wasn't experienced. I was trying to learn how this thing went, but became restless when several minutes went by. Eventually, I wasn't even kissing back and he seemed too wrapped up in his own movement to care, squeezing the lower half of my body.

My sympathetic nervous system kicked in and I weakly pushed at his shoulders and greedily breathed in air. My jaw was sore and achey and my lip quivered slightly.

"No more," I exhaled and he laughed under his breath, as if my inexperience was cute. His lips met my nose in a ginger peck.

Rough, tattooed fingers found my hair as he smoothed it over the top of my head. I relaxed just slightly, burying herself further into him. He kissed the top of my head.

"Okay. Happy birthday, gorgeous."

I jolted out of his grip. Did I hear him correctly?

"I-it's October 10th?" I quizzed, feeling disorientated.

"Yes, Dove."

It was already my birthday?! I hadn't even realized...

"You, my little Dove," His large hands met my waist as he swung me to straddle his body, making me grip the bed sheets to sturdy myself and gasp, "Are officially a legal adult," He booped my nose with a finger and laughed. I frowned.

I was a legal adult, but I was here. This wasn't how I envisioned celebrating my eighteenth birthday. Plus now that I wasn't a minor, this means Arlan was probably just going to get worse. Dread pooled in my stomach. What was going to--

"Dove? Did you hear me? Look, baby," Arlan's rough hands smoothing my bare thighs made me snap out of my thoughts as I looked up.

He's holding a box. My heart starts racing as I look to him with enlarged, mortified eyes. No!

Arlan chuckled and threw his head back.

"Aurora, I'm not proposing to you, God," He looks back to me, steel green eyes boring into me. "And if I were, I wouldn't be half-naked. Or, maybe I would be," He shrugged a tattooed shoulder. "Now, open it, gorgeous."

Hesitantly, I reach for the red velvet covered box. At the flaming color, I think of Beck's hair and briefly feel butterflies stir in my belly. I shake the thought of him away. I can't be thinking of Beck while I'm on Arlan's lap; God forbid Arlan suspects I'm even thinking of a boy, and I'm done for.

When I push the top of the box open, an expensive piece of jewerly lay elegantly in it. A silver necklace chain was pooled with an elegantly shaped silver Dove in the center.

Gingerly lifting the chain up, the small trinket Dove slightly twirled back and forth and glimmered with the incoming sunrise reflecting on it. I bit my lip. From anyone else, it would be a sweet, romantic and thoughtful gesture. However, receiving it from Arlan, my kidnapper holding me hostage, it just creeped me out. I was his little Dove trapped helplessly, and now I'd have to wear this to solidify it for him. It was embarrassing. It wasn't a sign of love, it was a display of ownership: that I was weak, and he owned me because of it. He was romanticising it and I hated it. My hand weakly started trembling, my eyes growing a little teary.

"Hey," Arlan took hold of my hand and I flinched hard and gasped.

He gave a small half-smile, taking the necklace from me.

"I know it may be a lot to take in, but I love you, Aurora. This is a $2,000 necklace, but that's nothing compared to all the riches I would spend for you in this lifetime. When we get our own house, start our own life, all my money is yours. I love you so fucking much, beautiful baby. Happy birthday," He brought his free hand to mine and squeezed my face to his as he kissed me, his tongue disgustingly lapping all over mine like a dog.

Anxiously breaking away from him, I leaped off the bed and hugged myself. Shuttering out a breath, I tried to sturdy my mind with the hurricane of thoughts parading in it.

"I-I have to get to school," I mumbled, looking to the floor.

I hear the bed shifting and soon felt the warmth and weight of his body behind me, my body stiffening. Arlan's rough fingers smoothed my bedhead off my neck and gently over my left shoulder, bringing the cold metal necklace to my collarbone. My breathing tightened as he fastened the necklace around my collarbone, my chest heaving up and down. A single tear broke from my waterline, dripping to the curve of my check, when he secured the clasp. When his hands left my body, I quickly wiped my eye and sniffed. I couldn't seem ungrateful, I wanted to keep going to college, I didn't want to anger him. Turning, I smiled a small, broken smile, the biggest one I could muster.

"I really like it," the words pained me to say through a broken voice, "Thank you."

With that, I approached him with a quick, nervous peck. It was the first kiss I'd ever initiated with him, with anyone. Arlan looked pleasantly surprised, smirking sinisterly, clearly wanting more, but I left to change before he could do anything.

"Hey!" Hadley excitedly squealed as I set my bag and water bottle down at our usual outdoor lunch table. "I've been waiting for you! What took so long?"

"Sorry," I gave a sincere, apologetic smile. "I had to go over some notes with my Spanish professor, I've got a quiz coming up."

"Oh, ew," Hadley said, making me giggle, as I opened up a ketchup packet for my fries.

"Oh hey, sweet necklace." Hadley leaned over to me with wide, impressed eyes. "Daaamn...that shit looks expensive, A."

I suddenly felt uncomfortable, remembering it was on my neck. Trying to brush it off, I sheepishly shrug. "Thanks... it's actually my birthday today."

"What?!" Hadley's face exploded into the biggest grin. "No way! Happy birthday A! How old are you?"

"I'm eighteen."

"What?" She laughs, brow furrowed with confusion. "Eighten? The incoming freshman turn nineteen."

My face went red. Why did I say that?! Aren't college freshman at least nineteen...? Why didn't I stop and think?! I should play it off as a joke. I open my mouth but she beats me to it.

"You must just be really young for your grade. Or," She gasped. "You're totally one of those smart kids that got accepted into college early!"

Biting my lip with a nervous laugh, I shrug my arms up.

"...You...caught me!" I hesitantly and awkwardly play along, giggling.

"I knew it! I knew it! You are just too smart for this world Aurora Mulven! So who gave you that sweet gift?"

"Oh...I have a boyfriend," The words feel awkward and wrong to say.

"Well, yeah, I coulda figured that much," She narrowed her eyes at me, as her eyes flickered to the hickies on my neck, chuckling.

Tensing up, I insecurely touch my neck, completing forgetting about those. I cupped the palm of my hand around them to hide them.

"Don't worry about it, my brother used to have those all the time," She giggled.

What? Sweet Beck had hickies?

Now the image of Beck with hickies was in my head. Hickies hurt, why would Beck want them?

Maybe Beck gave gentle hickies, was there such a thing? I'd wanna find out with-

"So how long have you guys been together? And what is that, some kind of bird?" Hadley lifts the dove to examine it, her head turning in all different directions trying to figure it out.

"Uh, we've been dating for a little while. And I think it's like...a dove," I mumble the last word.

Her lip suddenly jutted out in a pout as she gave me big puppy eyes.

"Awwww, that's super cuuutee!!! Is that an inside pet name or something?"

"Kinda," I forced a 'happy' smile. "Yeah, it's nice. I really like it. We, uh, we live together, too."

She gave me a sincere smile.

"Well that's amazing, A. You're really lucky to have someone."

Seeing a blur of red past Hadley, I squint and just make out Beck's hair in the distance, my heart speeding up. I quickly look back to Hadley so it's not noticeable I was staring at her twin. When Beck turns and notices us, he leaves his friend's and makes his way over. I suddenly feel nervous and try to smooth my hair and sweep my slightly grown bangs out of my eyes.

"Hey, guys," His warm smile and honey-dripped soothing voice has me shaking a little, yet it was so comforting to hear. I'm mustering the courage to say a simple hi when Hadley squeals.

"It's Aurora's birthday!" Hadley claps.

"Oh, no way! Happy birthday! You know, I was just gonna eat this red velvet cupcake," He turns his hand holding the dessert back and forth while eyeing it, " but now, I think I'll give it to you,"He grins, handing me the decadent red confection. When our hands brush, my stomach flutters wildly. He slides off his bag and sits next to Hadley as I take a small bite.

"Thanks, Beck. That's really sweet. I love red velvet."

"Yeah, isn't it,"— Hadley cuts her chipper tone short by making an ugghhcck sound, looking past me. "It's her, a-fucking-gain."

Beck squints and looks past me before sighing lowly and shaking his head, looking down and scratching his hair.

"Uh, what? Who?" I ask quietly. It must be the same girl as yesterday at the restaurant.

"No one," Beck starts-

"It's his ex-girlfriend, Sage," Hadley bites, bitterly, her eyes in two angry slits as she stared behind me.

"Oh," I awkwardly say with sympathy, yet feeling...jealous? Even though they were exes, they got to date at one point and Beck had romantic feelings for her before. He'd probably never feel that way about me.

"She just...ghosted me over the summer and never explained why. So now it's hella weird to see her around campus, cause, like I said...I don't know what I did," He picked at the wood on the table.

"Maybe she's a lesbian," Hadley counters.

"Yeah, you'd like that, wouldn't you," Beck narrows his eyes at his sister, making Hadley and I giggle.

"Nah, she's not my type. I don't date bitch."

Beck exasperatedly sighed and shook his head.

"I...it's fine, honestly," he scratched his hair and looked up to me, opened his hands in a slight shrug and dropping them. "I've moved on, I don't feel anything for her anymore. I was hurt for a while but it's whatever. You don't have to be volatile when you see her. I mean, what am I gonna do? She goes here, that's life. I can't stop living mine, and I don't intend to." He looked to Hadley.

"Well, that's very big of you Beck," She commended.

I smiled at both the twin's maturity in handling the situation.

"Almost as big of a BITCH as she is," Hadley whistled and shook her head, snickering before shoving a forkful of salad into her mouth.

Beck rolled his eyes as I shook my head with a dry laugh.

"Honestly, I don't even care...like I said," He leaned in slightly towards me and I stiffened, "Oh hey, I like your necklace," He said, examining it. "That's dope."

"Her boyfriend gave it to her!" Hadley chirped before I could say anything.

I wanted to cry. Why would Hadley say that?!

"Oh..yeah?" Beck gave me a small smile. "That true? You have a boyfriend?"

Lie to him, Aurora! Lie, lie, lie!

I can't. Arlan's the reason I'm here, the reason I'm in college.

I opened my mouth yet slightly moved my jaw, words not coming out. I didn't want Beck to think I was taken, I wanted him to think I was single. I wanted to be with him.

"I do, yeah," I confirmed awkwardly, fiddling gently with the necklace.

"How'd you guys meet?" Beck smiled genuinely.

"Uh...in high school."

Well, it wasn't a lie, per say.

"Aw, high school sweethearts," Beck cooed.

Hardly.

"Well, I've gotta head to class. But I'll see you guys around. Hey, Aurora, you should definitely come over sometime. We'd love to have you over."

My heart soared with joy as I waved him goodbye. Beck invited me over to his house!

Hadley snorted a laugh, shaking her head in disbelief.

"Can you believe he actually made a joke I'd date her? As if. I'd never settle that low."

"Who was your first girl crush?" I curiously ask.

"Well, I saw Jade on Victorious...and the rest was history," Hadley shrugged. "Anyways, screw Beck. You and I should totally have one of those 'girls nights ' that girls do."

"Girls night?"

"Yeah, like, doing nails and watching movies and getting fat and shit."

"Sounds good to me," I snickered, grinning at her.

"Perfect, girls night it is," She grinned toothily.

"Oh, hey, do you need a napkin?" I asked.

A little perplexed, Hadley shrugged. "Uh, that's random. Sure."

I take out one of the napkins I'd grabbed from the cafe. Then, I quickly fish around for a pen in my backpack. Hadley looked even more confused at me.

When I found one, I quickly scribed on the napkin and tossed it to her.

Right when she was about to clean her hands, she squinted at the napkin.

"Okay," She laughed. "Yesterday you wrote H on a napkin you gave me, for Hadley, and today..."

"E," I giggled. "For even though Beck asked me to come over, I totally wanna do a girl's night with just you."

Hadley doubled over in giggles as her nose crinkled. "Okay, these are so cute, and I'm sensing a trend that you do this every time we have lunch so... I'm gonna keep this one too, it's a cute memory," She said putting it into her bag.

She took my hands softly in hers and smiled with warmth and care at me. She squeezed my hands gently.

"Happy birthday, Aurora."

When Arlan rolled up perfectly on time, my spirits dimmed smelling the familiar cigarette smell of his car. His dark and gothic presence made me feel uneasy as we locked eyes through the window. I wish I could be spending my birthday with Hadley, and instead I was going 'home' to a nightmare.

Home. I didn't even have a real home anymore. I'm eighteen and officially out of the foster care system. I guess I had no choice but to live with Arlan now.

Opening the car door, his presence disgusted me. His heavily inked body, leather jacket and unruly black curls were nothing like Beck's sweet and friendly lion face. He kissed me intensely, and I just hoped Hadley had left for her study group by now and didn't see. Arlan rest his forhead on mine, grinning.

"I've missed you so much, baby girl. Birthday girl," He laughed under his breath as it fanned on my face, his hand trailing up my jeans and cupping the inside of my thigh, making me flinch. His ring-covered fingers of his other hand found the little dove on my necklace and played with it slightly. "And you're still wearing this. Good girl," he murmured, kissing my jaw gently three times.

"What's in the bag?" I squirmed and questioned, softly nudging him off me. There was a long, zipped up bag in the backseat.

Looking behind him, his face spread into a grin.

"Oh," he grabbed it and brought it to his lap. "Just a little surprise I picked up for you." he smirked. i swallowed dryly.

Unzipping it, a baby blue satin floor-length slip dress was revealed, with a sweetheart necklace accented in what looks like diamonds.

"A Valentino custom made."

My jaw fell open so low it almost unhinged.

"F-for...for me?" I breathed. I couldn't even begin imagine how much this cost!

"For your birthday dinner, tonight." He took my hand in his and kissed it purposefully, looking in my eyes the whole time. I shivered. When his full, velvet lips left my skin, he rubbed my hand with his thumb.

"We're going out together, for the first time, tonight. I trust you, Aurora."

I breathed out a dry laugh, feeling an incredulous amount of disbelief about all this craziness.

"W-wha..."

"We're going to dinner, just the two of us. A private dinner in the Hills in a custom Valentino dress. Not many girl's get to do that on their eighteen birthday, Aurora," His face inched into a Cheshire smirk as he thought so big of himself for setting this up.

Not many girls are kidnapped on their eighteenth birthday, Arlan.