Selcouth • J. Hale ✓

BONUS CHAPTER (i.)

Aurora and Charlie!

Aurora awoke with a groan of annoyance leaving her lips, she rolled over to check the time and felt her annoyance rise when she realized that it was only five meaning she only got three hours of sleep.

Reaching for her ringing phone, she sat upright as she answered it without even looking at the caller ID. "Hello?"

"I'm sorry." Aurora's entire body went rigid at the familiar voice. Her heart ached at the memories that followed behind and she almost hung up when he called out to her, "Don't hang up, please."

Aurora sighed and all tiredness left her. "What do you want Charlie?"

"Just listen to me, okay?" He said and Aurora hummed. "I'm sorry for how things ended between us, I was grieving, and I shouldn't have shut you out like I had. I turned to someone else when in reality I wanted you, I just wasn't thinking and that doesn't excuse what I said."

"Charlie, why are you telling me this now?" Aurora frowned. "You're with Sue now an-"

"No, I'm not." Charlie cut her off. "I know people assumed that she and I would get together but she's my best friend's wife and I'm in love with you."

Aurora felt her lungs constrict at the declaration, the three words hadn't left their lips, but she knew that she was falling for Charlie. When they were friends still, before dating, Aurora was completely smitten with the man and couldn't believe why anyone would leave him, but she also understood that Rene wanted more than what Forks could offer her, no matter how much it hurt Charlie.

"Charlie." Aurora pleaded softly.

"I have to say it Aurora." He told her honestly. "I know you don't want to hear this, but I have been spending time with Sue and she's the one who told me that I have to confess this." He told her and he was right, Aurora didn't want to hear about Sue at all, no matter how sweet the woman was. "Aurora Clark, I'm in love with you and I want you in my life."

Aurora felt a tear fall down her cheek and she wiped the traitorous tear away. "Charlie, how can I trust that you're not just going to up and leave again?"

Charlie knew that winning back Aurora wasn't going to be easy. Hell befriending the damn woman was a challenge in itself, but he did it. Charlie knew that Aurora wasn't fond of promises, the woman despised them because sometimes they had to be broken and broken hope hurt like a bitch.

He knew that.

"Aurora, I will spend every day of my life making it up to you." He told her truthfully.

"What?" She asked with wide eyes.

Charlie shook his head, "Where are you?"

"In the break room, why?" She asked with a frown on her lips.

"Okay, one second." He told her before the phone call was over.

Aurora stared at her phone in confusion and slight anticipation. Her heart was racing as she stood to her feet and stretched out her limbs, she was catching a late shift at the hospital, not that it was needed since nothing ever happened to the people of Forks, but it allowed her to clear her mind.

She would be lying if she said that Charlie hadn't crossed her mind at least once a day. She hated that Charlie Swan had built himself a home in her heart and then left like he had. She knew that he didn't mean what he said, but he hadn't attempted to reach out to her either. Now, here he was, months later and doing what she was waiting for him to do.

Apologize.

A sudden knock on the door cause Aurora to jump, her heart was still racing as she walked over to the break room door and opened it.