Queen of the Fireflies (Aurelia Chronicles Book 1)

by Rinna Ford

  As I pulled out of the parking lot, I realized that he didn’t limp when he walked away from the bus stop. That bit of information made me feel a whole lot better. He was obviously okay like Harlan said, so I decided that I was going to forget about him. At least I was going to try.

  Chapter Four

  The week crept by, since I was excited that Tessa was coming to visit that weekend. She was the closest thing I could ever have to a sister. We were so completely different, but it worked. We complimented each other and made each other better. I was shy and reserved, while Tessa was outgoing and loved being in the middle of whatever was going on. She brought me out of my shell and encouraged me to take risks and try new things, while I grounded her and made her focus on school work, which we both desperately needed. Both of us always had plenty of admirers, but Tessa was the one who tended to take advantage of it. She wasn’t afraid to use her sex appeal like I was most of the time. She was fun and smart, kind and self-confident. Everything I wanted to be. Sure, I loved being myself, but I just wanted to be more like her.

  As the week went on, I did what I told myself I would do and tried to forget the stranger. But, I felt like someone was always watching me. Whenever I went into the floral shop, walked in the park, and even when I took out the garbage. I wondered if it was him, but I knew I was just being paranoid. Why would he be watching me? Besides, I really didn’t need that kind of distraction in my life. But man, he was hot.

  At 1:00 on Friday, I left work to head home. Tessa was coming later that afternoon and I wanted to get my school work done before she arrived. But first, I needed an extra large coffee if I was ever going to finish my research project. I rounded the corner into the coffee shop when I saw the stranger sitting in a chair by the corner, causally reading a book. He looked up when he felt me staring at him and gently smiled.

  My heart skipped a beat. I honestly didn’t believe that he would ever smile at me. He was handsome when he was brooding, but he was beyond gorgeous when he smiled. I awkwardly waved at him, then got in line to order my coffee. His gaze stayed on me the entire time, which made me even more nervous. I could feel the blush run up my face and into my hairline. I stood in line facing away from him and tried to get myself under control. I didn’t want to embarass myself even more in front of him.

  After I paid, I slowly walked over and sat in the seat across from him. He put his book in his lap and waited for me to speak.

  “Hi. How are you feeling? I looked all over for you to make sure you were okay,” I said, not taking my eyes off of him.

  He grinned, “I told you I would be okay. You weren’t going fast enough to do any real damage.”

  “Well, I’m glad.” I swallowed. My name was called to pick up my coffee from the counter. I smiled and got up.

  “I’m Brogan Devant,” he stated, making me turn to look back.

  “Alya Morris,” I replied after fixing my coffee with cream and sugar. Mmmmm. So good. I looked back over to him but his brows wrinkled like he was confused. His expression made me nervous again. “Well, I really need to get going. I have a research paper that needs finishing.” I gestured to the giant coffee in my hand and smiled. “I’m pleased to finally meet you Brogan Devant, and I’m really glad you’re okay.”

  He took the hint and the corner of his mouth turned up in a half grin. Then he said, “I’ll see you again soon, Alya Morris.” Flustered and a little confused at that encounter, I slowly walked out of the coffee shop.

  I replayed his final words over and over again as I got into my jeep. What did that mean? It sounded like he wanted to get to know me, but that couldn’t be right! I hit him with my car for crying out loud! That should automatically make you not friends. I needed to talk about this with Tessa.

  Just as I was putting the finishing touches on my research paper, I heard a loud bang on the front door. “Open up!” I jumped up and ran to let Tessa in. She had her arms loaded with a large suitcase and several other bags, almost dropping them on her way in.

  “How long are you planning on staying?” I asked her, jokingly.

  Tessa dropped all of her bags in the middle of the doorway and stared at me with a serious expression. “You know it takes a lot to look this beautiful!” I chuckled and rolled my eyes at her.

  Tessa was stunning even in baggy sweats with no makeup and bed head. She was shorter than me at 5’3” and had curves that made most guys drool. Her dark cocoa complexion, black pixie cut hairdo, and sexy, raspy voice were just too much for most men.

  I helped her take her luggage into my bedroom. “Seriously,” I grunted and dropped one particularly heavy bag onto the bed. “What the hell did you bring?”

  “Well, we didn’t decide what we were going to do this weekend, so I brought a little bit of everything. There’s also some of your stuff from the apartment that I thought you might want for the rest of the summer,” Tessa replied. Then she looked at me with a worried expression. “There’s also something from Jesse in there.” She held her hands up in surrender when I glared at her like the traitor she was. How could she bring something from him that with no doubt, was meant to win me back?

  “How did he get you to agree to bring it?” I asked, trying to give her the benefit of the doubt.

  “I know, right?” she answered plopping down on the bed. “Imagine the balls on that guy! He wasn’t even nervous either. He just knocked on the door, asked if I was going to see you any time soon, and when I said it was none of his business, he handed me this.” Tessa put a long, flat, rectangular box in my hand. “I slammed the door in his face after I took it. I mean, it looks like jewelry. Who wouldn’t want jewelry?”

  I gently examined the box. It really did look like a jewelry box. I wouldn’t put it past him to buy me something expensive to try and get back into my life. I may be a little vain, but I would rather find unique things at a thrift shop than something expensive. He really didn’t get me at all.

  I slowly opened it. There was a note folded on the top, with the most beautiful charm bracelet I had ever seen underneath it. I set the box down and unfolded the note.

  Baby,

  I’m sorry that you saw that. Just know that I miss you and that I care about you. Please give me another chance.

  We’re so great together.

  Jesse

  He didn’t apologize for cheating, only that I caught him doing it. Fucking unbelievable. I laughed as she handed the note to Tessa and then looked at the bracelet. Oh, he was really playing hardball with his gift. On the bracelet were a dozen or so different charms, all relating to something that reminded me of him and the great parts of our relationship.

  One charm was a little crab that reminded me of when we went to the beach. It pinched him on his toe when he got too close. Another charm looked like a whale. He took me to the Georgia Aquarium on a date once, and my favorite thing to see there was the giant tank with the whale sharks. He held me in his lap as I watched them swim for hours. Each charm had a special memory, and I began to hate him more and more with each one. Prick.

  I slammed the jewelry box closed and handed it back to Tessa. “Please give it back to him. I don’t want it.” Once Tessa put it back in her suitcase, I left the room and went into the kitchen. I promised myself I wouldn’t cry over him anymore and dammit, I meant it.

  “What do you want to do for dinner?” I asked as Tessa followed behind me. “I can call mom at the shop and ask her to pick up some Chinese food.” My friend knew not to ask if I was alright. Of course I wasn’t alright. I had already filled her in on everything Jesse had told me the day I caught him, and then came to find out later that that wasn’t the half of it. Tessa had told me the things she had learned about Jesse’s activities when we were together. She couldn’t believe that she didn’t know about all the other girls, especially since she and Jesse went to a lot of the same parties and gatherings.

  “Sure,” Tessa replied and gave me a small smile. I knew she wanted to go out, but would be just as happy staying
in if that’s what I felt like doing. I called my mom and gave her our order.

  Around 7:45 Mom walked in the front door, arms loaded with bags of delicious-smelling Chinese food.

  “Mama Rose!” Tessa exclaimed as she jumped off of the couch to give her a hug and take the food from her. Tessa loved my mom as much as she did her own. Tessa and I were both raised by single mothers who did everything they could for their children. It didn’t hurt that my mom also spoiled Tessa whenever she came to visit. My mom wasn’t always so loving toward Tessa. She didn’t like her at first, actually, but quickly warmed up to her. Everyone always does.

  “My other daughter!” she hugged Tessa back. “I’m so glad you’re here! Maybe you can get this one out of her funk.” Mom gestured over to me still sitting on the couch. I thought I was doing alright, but I guess I was wrong.

  “That’s the plan!” Tessa said with a smile. Mom and Tessa put the food down in the kitchen and we all loaded up our plates. The three of us took our plates into the living room and picked a movie on Netflix. We pigged out, watched horrible movies, and laughed a lot. It was a perfect night with my two favorite people.

  Later on as Tessa and I laid down to go to sleep, I decided to tell her about Brogan. I told her how I hit him with the jeep and how I’ve seen him twice since then.

  “It was strange how nice he was this afternoon,” I told her. “The first two times I saw him, he couldn’t get away from me fast enough. Today it seemed like he didn’t want me to leave. He even told me that he would see me again soon.” I looked at Tessa, hoping she had an answer for me, because I was stumped.

  “Is he hot?” Tessa smiled.

  “Soooo hot,” I moaned. “He’s the most gorgeous guy I’ve ever seen. And tall-I mean really tall- and strong… I’m in over my head with this one. What do you think he meant?”

  “Well,” Tessa said, “it sounds like he plans on seeing you again.” I rolled my eyes at the obviousness of her statement.

  “I guessed that, but why? He should hate me. I hit him with my car!”

  “My advice, don’t overthink it. I know you just got badly burned by that douche bag, but not all guys are like that. He may just be new in town and is looking for friendly people, or he may want to get in your pants.” Tessa chuckled. “But you’ll never know what he’s after until he lets you know. It sounds like he got over being run over and wants to get to know you. Just go with it.”

  “Okay, okay,” I sighed. “I won’t overthink it.” Rolling over, I closed my eyes. It took a long time for me to fall asleep that night, because I couldn’t stop thinking about a pair of sapphire blue eyes and a wolfish grin.

  Chapter Five

  One of the best things about living on the east coast is how easy it is to get to the beach. I could go from my mom’s house to having my toes in the sand in less than 30 minutes. Tessa and I decided that the beach was where we would spend our Saturday. We woke up late that morning and loaded the jeep with a cooler and a couple of towels. We planned on spending most of the day there soaking up the sun before heading out to River Street for the night.

  It was an absolutely beautiful day of just spending time with my best friend. And the best part was, I didn’t think about Jesse once. But I did think about Brogan. Since our last meeting at the coffee shop, he was pretty much all I could think about. Man, I was so out of my league.

  On the way home from the beach, Tessa and I picked up dinner, then went home to take showers and get ready. I was planning on wearing dressy shorts with an off the shoulder top and a pair of wedges, but Tessa had another idea. She pulled out a gorgeous strapless red dress, with a skirt that flared out at the waist, from her suitcase.

  “What do you think?” she asked. I started to protest, but she stopped me by saying, “I found this on sale and it’s in your size. Call it an early birthday present.” She gave me a big smile because she knew I couldn’t say no to a sale. She also knew I was a sucker for anything red.

  I gently took it from her, like I would wrinkle it just by touching it, and held it up to my body. Trying it on, it felt like it was made for me and I honestly loved it. Walking to my closet, I found a pair of heels that would hold up on the cobblestone street and we finished getting ready.

  We took an Uber to River Street and, after finding a place to stop, stepped out onto sidewalk. I always had fun whenever I was with Tessa. She can always liven up a party without even trying and loved being the center of attention, yet she never left me behind. She flirted with a few guys, but nothing like she normally did. She knew that this night was about us having fun, not picking up guys. Tessa thought I was still heartbroken over Jesse, but it wasn’t him that I couldn’t stop thinking about. He cheated on me and that stung, but I really didn’t want him back. I wanted someone else.

  I looked up and down the street of bars for Brogan, hoping he would just magically appear, but around 3 am I decided to give up. Our ride had just pulled up to take us home. As I started to get into the car, I felt someone watching me again. I stood in the open car door and looked around, but didn’t see anyone looking in my direction. Finally, I got in and rested my head back on the seat. I really needed to stop thinking about him. He wasn’t watching me, I was just being paranoid. Besides, he didn’t want me like I wanted him. He couldn’t.

  We rode home in silence, both of us too tired and too drunk to really keep up with a conversation. Not long after we got home, we both passed out, me still in my dress, half unzipped and Tessa in her underwear and tank top.

  The next morning, my mom woke us up by opening the blinds in my room that conveniently faced east. “Wake up, ladies! Tessa has to leave before 3:00 and I know you want to go window shopping downtown before then.” She was way too cheery and I wanted to hit her with a pillow.

  “Five more minutes,” I grumbled.

  She sighed and rolled her eyes. “It’s already 9:00! Get up lazy girls!” With that, Mom turned on her heels and left the room.

  Tessa let out a groan. “I love your mom, but right now I hate her too.” I made a sound of agreement, but then rolled out of bed and crawled to the bathroom.

  I kinda hated Tessa at that moment also. She was the one flirting with guys to get us drinks all night. And I mean, All. Night. Long. She was trying to keep my mind off of what she thought was Jesse, but still.

  We both took showers, got dressed, and were in the jeep an hour later. The giant sunglasses that I wore the day I caught the douchebag cheating made another appearance, and Tessa had on a pair just like them. Mom thought we looked hilarious.

  We found my favorite coffee shop near Broughton Street, and bought ourselves giant coffees and something to nibble on. Our stomachs were still too queasy to eat much. Mom met us at the coffee shop instead of driving with us because she had to be at work at 1:00, but she loved coming to Broughton Street as much as I did. There wasn’t a lot we could afford there, but we loved to look.

  “What’s the plan, girls?” she asked us. Tessa and I looked at each other before looking back at her.

  “The usual,” I replied. The three of us walked up and down the street, occasionally going into a store to look at something that had caught our eye. At around 12:30, Mom said her goodbyes to Tessa.

  “I’m so glad you came,” my mom told her. “I couldn’t have asked for a more amazing friend for my Alya. She’s so lucky to have you.” My eyes started welling up with unshed tears because my mom was right. Tessa was the most incredible friend I could ever have. With a small smile, Mom turned around and headed to her car.

  We decided that we were finally hungry so we found a little deli. We both ordered our food and sat down on the patio outside. For summertime in the south, the heat and humidity weren’t too bad at that moment so we took advantage of it. When my name was called to pick up our food, I got up and walked to the counter. Before I could make it back to our table, I turned around and ran into what seemed like a brick wall, making our food fall to the ground.

  I looked up with
a panicked expression and saw that the brick wall was Brogan. “Oh my goodness! I’m so sorry for running into you! Again!” I cried out.

  He chuckled then bent over to pick up the sandwiches that were still wrapped up tight. “We have to stop meeting like this,” he joked.

  “I know, I’m a mess!” I was so embarrassed.

  He shook his head and continued to smile at me as if I was the most amusing person he had ever met. His name was called to pick up his order and he walked over to the counter. When he turned around, he still had Tessa and my sandwiches in one hand and his in the other.

  “Where are you sitting?” he asked me. “I want to make sure you get there safely without running into anyone else.”

  Oh, he had jokes. I smiled up at him, the awkwardness fading away, and led him outside to where Tessa was sitting with our drinks. Tessa’s eyes got huge and a smile slowly broke out on her face as she took him in.

  “Tessa, this is Brogan.” I told her, letting her know who he was before she started flirting. “Brogan, this my best friend and roommate at college, Tessa.” He pulled up a chair to our table and looked over at her for the first time. Up to that moment, his eyes had been on me.

  “Nice to meet you, Tessa,” he said as he reached across the table to shake her hand.

  “You too,” she replied. He looked down to open his sandwich. “HOT,” Tessa mouthed to me and I chuckled, he definitely was.

  “So Alya told me all about the incident with her jeep and running into you at the coffee shop. I didn’t believe her when she told me how hot you were, but I do now.” Tessa plainly said, causing me to choke on my sandwich.