Aurora

Glowing

Aurora

"Malinda! You're back!"

Aurora jumped into the arms of Malinda the moment she opened the door. Malinda set her bags down and hugged her back.

"Oh my child. So good to see you. Everything still good?"

Aurora pulled back a bit from the hug. "Yes, no problems. How was your trip?"

Malinda sighed while straightening her back. "Good. Sad part is uncle passed."

Aurora picked up her bags and began walking with Malinda.

She pouted. "Matteo told me. I am so sorry to hear that."

"It's okay. Where is that grumpy man anyway?" she scanned around the area.

Aurora giggled. "He is in his office. He has been there all morning."

They approached Malinda's secluded section of the house and Aurora dropped the bags onto the floor. Malinda took out the keys, opened the door and the two entered the room.

"Nothing has changed, I see. Well apart from you." Malinda said.

Aurora followed her, dropping her bags onto the carpeted floor. She looked at Malinda with confusion.

"What do you mean?" she asked her.

Malinda smiled at her cheekily. There was a glint in her eyes when she studied Aurora from head to toe, making Aurora squirm.

"You are, what do the Americans call it, "glowing"?"

"Glowing?"

Malinda gave her a nod. "You look better, healthier. Even happier since last time seeing you."

That was ironic. The part where Malinda said that she looked healthier when in fact she was the complete opposite. She didn't have it in her heart to make her understand that she was everything but healthy, so she bit her tongue.

"Because of certain man?" she said mischievously.

Aurora blushed as she avoided the playful gaze of Malinda. Malinda laughed at the way she shied away from the mention of him, hitting the nail on the head.

"I'm right?"

Aurora shook her head. "N-no. I have no idea what you're talking about." she replied in a hurry.

Malinda made a sound clearly indicating that she did not believe anything she said. "No need for lie. I know when young girl like you is in love. I was young once."

"Malinda, I am not in love."

"Denial is not the only river in Egypt." Malinda said firmly.

Aurora sighed as she plopped down onto the couch, closing her eyes. First it was his sister that insisted that she had a crush on him and now it's Malinda. It must have been quite obvious because deep down they are anything but wrong, still she won't admit it.

"How did you know?" she asked her softly, avoiding her gaze on her.

Malinda opened her mouth to say something but was interrupted by another deeper voice.

"Welcome back, Malinda." Matteo said.

Both Malinda and Aurora snapped their gazes to the man who stood proudly at the entrance of the room. Malinda smiled widely and went to go hug Matteo, who hugged her back with his left arm. She was so small compared to him, but Aurora could be even smaller.

She watched as his eyes momentarily slipped up to hers, catching her breath in her throat. His dark eyes drank in her stiff posture on the sofa before they moved back to the older woman in front of him. What Malinda said to her just before he had arrived was still fresh in her head and it felt like she had been caught red handed, yet he had hopefully not heard anything.