Aurora and Adam left Rochelle's office hand in hand. Both were overjoyed, and they kept smiling at each other as they walked back to the studio room.
"You two are looking mischievous." Rochelle exclaimed when they returned.
"Just some mother-son bonding." Aurora answered joyously.
With their task done, Adam and his parents returned home. Logan left for the office shortly after, and Sophia kept Aurora for observation.
But Adam had all sorts of feelings overflowing. He was happy, nervous, excited, and worried. He felt energised and unable to stay still, even to play his games. He wanted to be near Aurora and wanted her to hug and kiss him again. He wanted to feel her warmth again.
Adam got up from his desk and hurried to the care room. Sophia was in a corner of the room, taking stock of the inventory.
Aurora lay in bed with her eyes closed. She was connected to two machines with monitors. One of which was beeping away at regular intervals.
"Come in," Sophia said upon noticing him.
Adam walked over to the side of the bed that Aurora was facing. He moved a chair to the bed and then laid his head down, watching his mother sleep. The boy smiled.
Aurora caressed his head. "Hi"
"You're awake?"
"Mmhm," she said, opening her eyes and smiling back at him. "Come up on the bed with me."
He nodded and climbed into the bed. The two snuggled, wrapping their arms around each other. Adam looked up at his mother with bright eyes. She caressed his cheek and kissed his nose.
"I love you, micino."
The boy bashfully hid his face against his mother's chest. They embraced each other until they fell asleep.
Adam had good dreams. They started out as bad memories of his mother but were washed away by Aurora showing up. Whenever he was crying alone in a corner, Aurora came and comforted him.
They slept into the evening and awoke when Logan returned home. Logan was taken aback by how close Aurora and Adam had gotten in such a short time, though he had his suspicions.
"You were eavesdropping on us this morning, weren't you?" He asked, setting his cutlery down.
It was less a question and more an accusation.
Adam looked at his father at the head of the table and answered ashamedly. "Yes, sir."
"Is this a habit of yours?" Logan asked with annoyance.
"Logan." Aurora reprimanded.
"You two have been acting weird since Rochelle's. I don't need to guess at what happened. Don't get your hopes up, Aurora; his parents still might not agree."
"It's okay," Aurora said, reaching for Adam's arm.
"I didn't mean to." Adam explained defensively. You guys were shouting, and I—"
"I know, piccolo." his mother soothed. "Don't worry, I'll do everything I can."
The next day, the family bustled about busily in the morning. They had to attend the birthday celebrations for the Kaufmanns' son. The celebrations were being held at a hotel on the beach, Shores of Atlantis.
Adam felt nervous about the party. Sure, some of his new friends would be there, and he was looking forward to it, but the thought of a pool or the beach frightened him a little. Aurora had said it was fine that he couldn't swim; he could still play in the shallow parts.
As before, Logan and Sophia agreed she would be closer to their destination should Aurora have an incident.
Shores of Atlantis was a huge hotel directly on the beach. With its own secluded beach, the hotel was mostly flat and spread across the shoreline. There were no other hotels nearby towering over it to ruin the skyline. While the hotel offered rooms in the only two-storey building, its main business was private villas.
The Kaufmanns owned two villas side by side that shared a swimming pool. This made it easier for the children to enjoy the birthday party in one villa while the adults had a tea party in the other.203Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9VmmlVOiOW
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Palms lined the stretch from the hotel's gate to the reception area. The parking lot was under the reception building, which was at the centre of the hotel grounds.
From the reception hall, various paths led to the villas. Adam and his parents followed one of the paths to the east. Logan led the way, while Aurora and Adam followed along side by side.
The boy stared at the red and gold wrapping of the box in his hand. His parents had picked out a present long in advance, so he had no idea what it was. While lost in thought about the gift. His mother wrapped her arms around him.
"See that villa over there? She pointed to a house on the cliff. "That is our villa."
Adam looked up at the villa, astonished. They had a villa. Did they also have their own jet?
"Your dad and I fought for that villa," she said proudly. "Now the guy that fought us rents it for most of the year."
"Don't tell me you also have a private jet." Adam asked sarcastically.
Aurora pinched his nose playfully. "No micino. We don't own the jet; we rent it."
Micino. She had called him that before.
"Why do you call me micino?"
"Because you are my little kitty!" she pinched his cheeks.
Adam shook his head free from her hold. "Then what's piccolo?"
"Son," she said, kissing his forehead.
Adam's cheeks ran hot, then rose red. He walked faster, breaking away from Aurora and bumping into Logan.
"You two... We're in public."
"Don't be jealous, my love." Aurora said, playfully tapping his shoulder as she walked past him.
Logan wrapped his wife in a bear hug and kissed her full on the lips.
"We are in public!" Aurora exclaimed, fighting to get out of his hold.
"Public only applies to me?" He leaned closer.
Aurora kissed his lips. "Happy?"
"Enough." Logan agreed, letting her go but retaining a hold of her hand.
He put his other arm around Adam's shoulder, and the family continued to the Kaufmanns' villas.
The party was smaller than the previous one, as the Kaufmanns' had invited their closest associates and their son's friends.
Aurora had said hierarchy didn't matter at this party but warned Adam that there would still be some unwilling to engage with him.
When they arrived, there were already a few children splashing about in the pool. Adam recognised the Kaufmanns' son. He was in red swimming trunks with a pair of fluorescent green goggles on his forehead.
"Logan, Aurora, welcome. Hello again, Adam." Mrs. Kaufmann said as she approached them with open arms.
"Hello Amalie." Aurora said, embracing and kissing the older woman.
"I'm glad you made it. I was worried things had soured between us when you didn't show up to the brunch."
"I promised you we'd be here for your son's birthday."
"Come, come." Mrs. Kaufmann linked her arm with Aurora's and led them to the smaller villa.
"Adam, you can stay here with the other children." She said, waving her arm around.
She called out to her son, Richard, who swam across the pool to meet them. The boy greeted the family, then jumped back into the pool excitedly. He was older and bigger than Adam.
Before Mrs. Kaufmann escorted his parents to the other villa, Aurora hugged and kissed Adam, wishing him to have fun. Before she let go, she whispered in his ear.
"Come find me if you're not comfortable."
The boy nodded and watched his parents walk away.
After his parents left, Adam stood around awkwardly. He still had the present in his hands and had no idea what to do with it. As he considered putting it somewhere safe, Roland and Alexa approached him.
"Hey Adam," Roland called out.
Hey!" Adam's smile lit up his face.
The children, happy to be reunited, chatted enthusiastically. Roland explained the perks of having well-connected parents.
"We get to attend all kinds of birthday parties without being friends with the kids."
"Especially if it's older kids. I got ideas for my birthday party just from attending parties like this." Alexa added.
"Don't think I'll ever have a pool or beach party." Adam said shyly.
"Why not?" they inquired.
"I can't swim..."
Suddenly, the present was snatched from Adam's hands.
"Is that my present?"
Adam looked up at the older boy. His fluorescent green goggles resting on his forehead were as much of an eyesore as he was.
"Yeah," Adam answered cautiously.
Richard tossed the package to a corner near the villa, which Adam now saw had other presents haphazardly piled.
What if the present was breakable? Adam knew he wouldn't like the boy simply by watching him. Now he was determined not to get along with him at all.
"What do you mean you can't swim? You live on an island, don't you? There's literally water everywhere. Are you stupid?"
Richard was taunting him. And loudly enough for others to hear. The boy's friends in the pool laughed and joined in picking on Adam.
Adam's friends stayed quiet next to him, neither laughing nor defending him.
"An island is more than just a beach and a plot of land." Adam said coldly.
Those were Aurora's words when she showed him pictures of the islands she frequented.
Richard didn't like that Adam challenged him. He scoffed at the boy.
"Maybe you'd have learned to swim if Uncle Nicholas was your father." The boy smirked. He leaned closer to Adam, "Your mother should have stayed with him. She'd be better off, and we'd be cousins." He whispered in his ear.
Nicholas had hurt Aurora, and she hated him. Adam knew she was also afraid of him. Now that she was his mother, he wasn't going to let anything bad happen to her. He didn't need to play nice. His parents were cutting ties with the Kaufmanns.
Adam chucked the older boy back violently. As Richard lost his footing, Adam rammed him. But Richard held onto his bag and dragged him into the pool as he fell.
Despite not being able to swim, Adam's first thought was not safety; he wanted Richard to pay for insulting his mother. Adam reached for Richard's neck, but the older boy was bigger and used to the water.
He pushed Adam to the pool floor, pinning him down. Adam fought to break free, but between his bag, his wet clothes, and Richard, every movement consumed his precious air. He couldn't hold his breath longer and fought harder. Grabbing hold of Richard's head, he pressed his thumbs into his eyes.
Richard opened his mouth in a scream, losing his store of air as he fought to get away from Adam. He grabbed Adam's hands, pulling them from his head. The action resulted in Adam scraping the sides of his face. As Richard tried to swim away, Adam grabbed hold of him.
Both boys finally surfaced, coughing and spitting. Adam still held onto Richard as his only lifeline in the water. Seeing Richard in trouble, his friends rushed to his aid, prying Adam away.
They successfully got Adam off of Richard and left him fighting to stay afloat. Hands grabbed hold of Adam.
"Kick your legs like you're on a swing!" Alexa shouted.
It took a minute before Adam realised he was being saved. He did as Alexa said and found that his friends were helping him stay afloat.
The trio dawdled to the shallow part of the pool. When Adam's feet touched the ground, his mind settled, and he realised Richard was crying.
The ruction drew the mothers' attention. Aurora and Amalie both rushed to the pool to check on their sons.
Adam climbed from the pool; his wet clothes and bag weighed him down, making it difficult to move. He dropped his bag and began taking off his clothes. The boy sniffled. His nose, throat, and eyes burned from the chlorine water.
"Adam!" Aurora ran towards him.
His mother grabbed his shoulders and looked him over frantically. "Are you hurt? Are you okay?"
He nodded at her, afraid to talk for fear of worsening the pain in his head.
"What happened?" she asked.
Adam saw the fright in her eyes as she tried to piece together what had happened. When he sniffled again, Aurora reached for his bag. But noticing it was also wet, she asked Roland to retrieve a dry towel.
"What happened?" She asked again softly as she brushed drops of water from his face and pushed his wet hair back.
"He said you should have stayed with Nicholas; then he'd be my father and I'd know how to swim."
Aurora's eyes bulged in shock, but she didn't say anything. She took the towel from Roland and dried Adam up, then wrapped him in it.
"Let's get you some dry clothes."
"Aurora!" Mrs. Kaufmann called angrily.
She stormed over to them with her son. "Adam's not going anywhere until he apologises to Richard."
"I see no reason for my son to apologise for defending his mother." Aurora said calmly as she pulled Adam closer to her.
"All I did was talk to him about swimming, and then he pushed me in the water. He kept attacking me before my friends got him off me." The boy said woefully.
"Is that so? Adam isn't one to fight without reason."
"Are you saying Richard is a liar?" Mrs. Kaufmann demanded.
"You'd have to ask him what he meant by saying my son and I would be better off if Nicholas was my husband and Adam's father."
Amalie turned to her son shocked. "Did you?"
"I didn't. I just said it would be nice if we were cousins."
"You're lying." Adam coughed. "You called me stupid for not knowing how to swim. You said I would know how to swim if Nicholas was my father, and mom would be better off as his wife."
Adam turned to Aurora "Mom, he didn't even care about the present; he just tossed it in the corner over there like it was garbage."
"It's my present; I can do what I want with it."
"Richard, you know that Aurora is one of my closest friends. Why would you—"
"If she marries Uncle Nicholas, then she'd be family, and you wouldn't be worried about losing her friendship."
Adam sneezed hard, the force shaking his balance.
"Micino, let's get you out of these wet clothes." Aurora said, picking up his wet bag.
"Aurora—"
"Amalie, we can talk later. I need to get Adam dry."
Aurora walked Adam away from the pool, leaving him near the villa gate then she left to find Logan for the car keys. While Adam waited on his mother, his friends approached.
"You were amazing." Roland stretched out a closed fist.
Adam bumped his fist, laughing.
"I wouldn't have been able to do that if I were in your shoes." Roland went on.
"You were like a wild animal, Adam. The way you flew at him... Do you fight often?" Alexa asked excitedly.
"Not really. He insulted Mom: I couldn't let that go."
"I'd be too worried about what would happen after to swing at him like that." Roland said, shaking his head.
"Met too." Alexa agreed. "What about your stuff in your bag?"
Adam and his friends dug through his wet bag. His clothes and towel were wet, as were his game and phone. While the phone still worked, his game didn't. The device came on with sound, but the screen only displayed lines, and there was water on the display.
"Guess you'll have to get a new one." Roland commented.
"They don't make them anymore." Said Adam sadly.
"There's almost nothing money can't buy. You can probably find a used one or a collector's one out there." Alexa offered.
The boy nodded sadly as they repacked his things into his bag. When Aurora returned, Adam bid his friends a temporary goodbye as they made their way to the parking lot.
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