Chapter 55
The sun was warm against my skin, the breeze gentle as it rustled through the trees. For the first time in days, the air felt lighter.
No betrayal. No threats. Just me and Tyler.
After the chaos with Gregory and Amaya, Tyler had suggested we take a break from it all. “A picnic,” he had said last night. “Just you and me. No warriors, no politics. Just us.”
I had been hesitant at first. How could I possibly relax when my mind was still spinning with everything Gregory said?
But Tyler had insisted. And now, as we sat beneath the large oak tree in the backyard, surrounded by baskets of food and soft blankets, I realized—I needed this.
We both did.
Tyler sat across from me, leaning back on his elbows, his golden eyes watching me with an expression I couldn’t quite place. Something soft. Something undeniably tender.
“You’re staring,” I murmured, popping a piece of fruit into my mouth.
A lazy smirk tugged at his lips. “Can you blame me?”
I rolled my eyes, but my cheeks warmed slightly.
Tyler reached for a basket, pulling out a small wrapped package. I raised an eyebrow. “What’s that?”
Without a word, he handed it to me. Curious, I untied the ribbon and peeled back the cloth. My breath hot stuck in my throat.
Inside was a small bouquet of wildflowers, each petal delicate and vibrant. Flowers. For me. I blinked, staring at them, my heart unexpectedly tightening.
“You brought me flowers?” I whispered. Tyler scratched the back of his neck, suddenly looking almost shy. “Yeah… is that weird?”
I let out a small, breathy laugh. “No. It’s just… unexpected.”
No one had ever given me flowers before. Not like this. Not just because. I ran my fingers over the soft petals, my chest swelling with something warm. I looked up at him.
“Thank you.”
His eyes softened. “You deserve nice things, Aurora. And I don’t know if I’ve ever told you how happy I am that you chose me.”
My breath caught. Tyler had always been intense, demanding, possessive. But in this moment, he was just Tyler. And I was just Aurora. Forgetting the past. Forgetting the chaos. Just existing together.
We ate in comfortable silence, the occasional brush of our fingers sending small shivers down my spine.
The wind played with my hair, and for the first time in a long time, I felt at ease.
Then—Tyler spoke. And what he said changed everything.
“I love you.”
The words were so soft, so simple, yet they carried the weight of the world.
I froze. My fork paused mid-air, my heart slamming against my ribs. I slowly looked up, my eyes meeting his. He wasn’t smiling. He wasn’t teasing. He was just… looking at me.
Like he had never seen anything more important. Like I was his entire world. “What?” I breathed. Tyler exhaled, running a hand through his hair.
“I love you, Aurora.”
I smiled.
