"Oi," Sophia said sternly, shooting a sharp glance at Aurora.
Aurora was visibly upset and had a few heated words for Logan, forcing Sophia to sedate her. Adam and Logan remained in the room, practising conversation skills. In the hour they spent talking, both learned more about each other and found they shared a love for BMX racing.
The boys' enthusiastic conversation was temporarily interrupted by Imran announcing breakfast. Leaving Aurora and Sophia in the care room, Adam and Logan continued talking while they ate.
After breakfast, Logan took Adam to his hobby room to show off his small but growing collection of BMX bikes. The two remained in the hobby room until mid-morning, when, after making adjustments to a pair of bikes, they took them out for a ride.
Adam had only ridden a bicycle once in his life, an experience which had ended in failure, but had left him with a love for bicycles. This further grew when he saw a BMX race on television. Despite his interest and growing zeal for the sport, his mother couldn't afford to buy him a bicycle, so he often watched races with longing.
Logan was taken aback by Adam's lack of riding experience. Their discussions on various part brands, and their effects on riding, had led him to believe Adam had considerable riding experience.
Seeing Adam struggle with the bicycle, Logan took the time to teach him how to ride. The two spent considerable time trying to get Adam to balance on the bike without falling off. Soon, Adam had the bike rolling without Logan's assistance and attempted pedaling.
Though very wobbly, Adam had managed to pedal some distance on his own. Seeing his success, the two circled the community basketball court for a few laps. Confident enough that Adam wasn't going to fall again, the two swapped bikes and rode for a while longer.
At the end of their exchange, they sat comparing the bikes performance and discussing further adjustments to improve their riding on each bike. Logan also gave Adam a few pointers for breaking and maintaining his balance.
Adam and Logan returned to the house in time for lunch. When they walked past the living room, Logan sprinted into the room in a panic.
"Aurora!"
Aurora lay propped up on the couch. Her eyes flew open when Logan shook her.
"I'm fine, just meditating."
"Sophia let you go?"
"Mmhmm."
"Great, that's a relief."
Logan gently rubbed his thumb across Aurora's forehead as he stared into her eyes.
"What?"
"I need you."
"And I'm coming. You need a shower! Hey Adam. Did you have fun?"
"Yeah," Adam answered, glancing at Logan with a smile.
Logan bent down and tried to kiss Aurora, who put her hands up in defence, pushing him away.
"Go!"
Logan laughed and made kissing sounds as he bent lower. Aurora pushed his chin with the palm of her hand, then stuck her fingers up his nose.
"Alright! Alright! I'm going." Logan said, backing away quickly.
When Adam didn't leave after Logan, Aurora inquired about his thoughts.
"What's up?"
"Are you guys really married?"
"Yes. Why?"
"...Before, he said you weren't his wife."
Aurora sighed and adjusted herself on the couch.
Legally, we're married. But we're married because of a contract, so he dislikes calling me his wife."
"We're just one big fake family."
"We're having fun like a real family, aren't we? Fake or real, it doesn't matter; we're a family right now. Let's enjoy it."
"Yeah."
"Alright, off you go."
"Huh?"
"Shower!"
"Oh, right."
Adam and his parents had a light lunch, then retired to the living room for the rest of the afternoon. There, they watched cartoons, talked, and had tea before it was time to get ready.
Dinner would be served at six o'clock, but they had to be at the location by five. Sophia also left the house in a separate car. She had agreed with Logan that it would be best for her to be closer to the dinner venue than at home if something went wrong.
Adam and his parents drove to a hotel in the mountains on the other side of the city. The hotel had a beautiful view of the city and the sea below. The sight mesmerised Adam, as he'd never been this high up before and his hometown was nowhere near the sea.
When they pulled up to the front of the hotel, a valet took the car to the park while a concierge brought them to the party location. The family stepped into a large room with other guests, where the concierge announced their arrival.
Logan escorted his family to the hosts of the party, Mr. Kaufmann and his wife. The couple was familiar with Aurora from previous gatherings but was stunned to see Adam.
"We meet at last, Adam," said Mrs. Kaufmann, stretching her hand to him.
"A pleasure to meet you, Madam," Adam answered, shaking her hand gently.
"Aurora?" A broad man to the left of them shouted.
The man made his way through the crowd, pushed Adam aside, and grabbed Aurora by the waist, pulling her body tightly against his.
ns 15.158.61.8da2
