Chapter 3.3

Aurora and Alec were back home from their first term at university.

Aurora hadn’t realized just how much she’d missed home until they came around the bend of the road and she felt her eyes grow a little misty at the sight of those brown brick walls.

She felt a little silly to admit it even to herself, but she had missed her home and her mother terribly.

She excitedly told her mother about her time away. Though she was careful to omit one detail – she didn’t tell her mother about her boyfriend Derek that she had met at university.

Esmerelda had strongly disapproved when Alec had told her he wanted to write novels as a career, and she had pushed him to direct his interest in writing towards what she considered a proper career – as a journalist. So Aurora was reluctant to discuss Derek with her mother seeing as he aspired to be a science fiction writer! She dreaded the thought of bringing him home as her partner to meet her family – but perhaps she was getting ahead of herself. It was entirely possible that their romance might end as quickly as it had begun. Derek might talk about them being together after university, but that didn’t mean anything. There was certainly no point in telling her mother about Derek until Aurora herself knew how serious their relationship really was.

Before long their time at home was over, and Aurora and Alec were packed and ready to return for their second term at University.

There were a number of new students starting their first term when Aurora and Alec arrived back on campus.

Alec went to the meet and greet and got talking to a couple of girls who had just arrived at university.

He fell easily into conversation with a girl called Ann Conners.

She was interesting and quirky, and he liked her immediately.

But Alec hadn’t forgotten his girlfriend-who-wasn’t-his-girlfriend Asala.

They said hello a little awkwardly as the met in the dormitory for the first time since his return.

“I missed you,” he said honestly.

But as he went to embrace her, she pushed him away.

“Don’t be so clingy Alec,” Asala said irritably.

“I’m sorry Asala, but I care about you, so why can’t I show it? And I know you like me too!”

“Yes I like hanging out and spending time with you Alec, but I’ve told you before – I don’t want to be your girlfriend!” Asala replied coldly.

Fortunately Aurora’s reunion with Derek went rather better than Alec’s had with Asala.

Derek was a bit of a bad boy –  not afraid to flout the rules. It was one of the things that had attracted Aurora to him in her first place.

She decided to show Derek that he wasn’t the only one who could be a bit of a rebel.

So she decided to organize a protest on campus. She promoted it as much as possible beforehand, hoping for a big turnout.

Fortunately it wasn’t long before crowds of people began to arrive.

Aurora’s first protest was a big success.

A few weeks into the term, Ann Conners invited Alec to a beach themed party at the bowling alley.

Ann wasn’t shy about letting Alec know that she fancied him. After being constantly rejected by Asala, Alec welcomed her advances.

They had a great night bowling and hanging out together.

They stayed out until the early hours of the morning, and finally, not long before dawn, Alec went back to Ann’s dorm.

He’d had an amazing time with Ann, but it did make him pretty tired and grouchy at his lecture the next day!

Alec knew he still had feelings for Asala, and so despite having such an amazing night with Ann, he decided to steer clear of both girls as much as possible for the rest of his time at university – worrying about his love life was distracting him too much from his studies!

Alec and Aurora were both studying very hard in preparation for their final exams.

Finally the big day came, and they both put everything they learnt to the test at the exams.

Afterwards the twins and Derek went out to the bowling alley to celebrate.

The day they were due to receive their results, Derek had a surprise for Aurora. The night before he told her to put on something nice and be ready to leave at the crack of dawn.

Very early in the morning to took her to the lake.

They had a romantic picnic while the watched the sun come up over the lake.

When they received their results, Aurora hastened to read hers with her heart in her throat.

But of course she passed with top marks!

Derek unfortunately did not, he hadn’t studied very hard and still hadn’t met the requirement to finish his Fine Arts degree.

As he held Aurora close, Derek told her that he wasn’t going to stay at university to finish his degree.

“I’m going to leave university with you and move to Twinbrook, so that we can be together,” he told her.

Alec also passed with flying colors. And now that he was no longer studying he had to face his girl troubles head on.

He went to Asala first, and told her he still had feelings for her.

At first she seemed sympathetic, and told him that she wanted to keep seeing him romantically, but then at the first suggestion of them actually being in a committed relationship, she grew angry with him.

“Why do you have to complicate everything Alec!” she said irritably.

“Because I want to be with someone who wants the same thing that I do,” Alec replied a little sadly, “So that’s why we can’t see each other anymore.”

“I guess this is it then,” she replied.

Alec didn’t waste any time. He rushed to find Ann and see if she wanted to be with him – which she did!

The last day of term saw Aurora, Alec and Ann all dressed in their graduation robes, ready for the big ceremony.

It was a very important day for the young graduates.

Esmerelda and Tristan both came to the ceremony.

Esmerelda was very proud of her son and daughter.

Aurora knew it was time for her mother to meet Derek, and she took the opportunity to introduce them properly.

She also wanted to introduce Derek to her uncle. After all Tristan was to be the head of the family’s criminal empire and Aurora was his protege so to speak.

Alec said goodbye to Ann after the ceremony, and promised her that they would be seeing each other again very soon.

Aurora could scarcely believe that this stage of her life was now behind her. She couldn’t wait to return home and take her place in the family business – with Derek by her side.