Lorax - Once-ler x Aurora - Breathless -Chapter 15

Aurora sat at the front desk more than half a month later; she was filing paperwork and answering the phone. She was astonished at just how many orders had been coming in this past week and noticed the orders had tripled since she began working here. While she was happy Once-ler’s business was doing well, she still found it difficult to find time to be with him. As time went on, she felt more of a secretary than his girlfriend, which in the work environment, was probably for the best. But she took notice that his business had become his life. He was spending more time in his office and the small visits he used to make on a daily basis were becoming less and less frequent.

Aurora smiled at one of the many daily coffee breaks they used to have; the final one was over a week ago. It was around two in the afternoon. She answered the phone where he called from his office. “Coffee, please, Miss Aurora?” he’s ask on the other line.

She’d smile and say “Sure.” She’d leave to the break room, pour him a cup and take it to his office. He’d smile as she entered the room. Walking over to his desk, she’d place it down remembering to give service with a smile.

Once-ler would give her that crooked smile before standing to his feet, scooping her into his arms, carefully leaning her back against the desk and kiss her with incredible passion. She’d want to give into the moment but as soon as it began -- his mother threw the door open – and that soon put an end to those coffee breaks. No matter how often Aurora would try to find time with him – that woman always seemed to be just a breath away and Aurora hated it.

But it wasn’t just that – it began to be that instead of Isabella being the driving wedge between them, that culprit soon was Once-ler himself. He’d grown more distant as the days went by and soon, it was rare for him to acknowledge her presence anymore.

Aurora sighed as she looked at the clock across the room and noticed that closing time was quick approaching and tomorrow, being the fourth of July, a holiday, she was determined to spend tomorrow with him whether he liked it or not. She wanted desperately to break down this wall he’d been putting up around himself and she wasn’t just going to stand by and watch him fall any deeper into it.

A few moments later, Isabella walked passed her desk, her nose turned up at the young woman as usual. Aurora just rolled her eyes. She realized how much easier Isabella was to get along with as long as she ignored her. She had noticed Isabella walk out the factory doors and knew she had gone home for the night. As soon the clock and fell on 7 o’clock, she stood from her desk and marched over to Once-ler’s office. She knocked lightly on the door.

“Come in.” was all he said. She opened the door and her eyes fell on where he sat in front of the beginnings of a blueprint, not for new machinery or expansions to his factory and its equipment – it was a city. “Oh! Hi! It’s quitting time. You can go home, you know.”

“I know, but, I was thinking – I don’t know, maybe if you weren’t busy, we could have dinner or something.”

“Oh, I just ate. I’m sorry, if I knew you wanted to, I – “

“No. It’s alright. Don’t worry about it.” Aurora said, putting her hand up and shaking her head. “Um, what’s that you’re working on there?” she continued, walking over to his desk and taking a better look at the blueprints.

“I call it -- Thneedville.” He said sitting deeper into his chair as a huge smile graced his face as he glowed at the blueprints he had finished.

Aurora furrowed her brows at his words and looked at him incredulously wondering if he was serious or it was just a joke. “Thneedville?” she questioned looking away from the blueprints and back at the tall man sitting in the bright red cushiony chair.

“Yeah, isn’t it great?!”

“Wait. You’re thinking of building a city?!” Aurora asked after the pieces fell together in her head.

“Well, just the beginnings of one. My sales aren’t as high as I plan for them but as far as I can see with these diagrams, the way my company is expanding, it’ll be no time until I have enough money to build a city where people can live and buy tons of products made entirely out of thneeds!” he said, standing to his feet and taking out a line chart and showing just how quickly it was expanding. He looked at her, an enthusiastic smile plastered on his face as Aurora remained speechless.
Aurora sighed before leaning against his desk and tried to fake a smile, but it failed.

“What’s wrong?” Once-ler asked, placing the diagram back on the easel.

“This is all just happening so fast.” She said after swallowing the lump that developed in her throat.

“I know! Isn’t it WONDERFUL!?” he said. “Wow! It’s getting late. Got a big day tomorrow. I’ll see you later. Have a fun day off!” he continued second later, walking over to the door to his office and opening it for her.

“Wait. You’re working?! But tomorrow’s the 4th of July. I thought maybe you could stop by mine and Norma’s place for a little barbeque we’re having. I’d love if you could come!” She said, hopefully standing to her feet.

Once-ler just stood silent for a moment, not really knowing what to say.

Aurora noticed the hesitation and wished now she never even asked. She just shook her head before quickly walking past him and stating blantantly, “Forget it. See you later, Mr. Once-ler.” Aurora just continued out the factory doors after grabbing her purse she left near her desk and walking back to her apartment never once looking back at him.

Once-ler watched as she left and didn’t fully understand what he’d done wrong.

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“I’ve never seen her like that. I mean, we’ve never fought before! I – I just don’t know what I did wrong... I just didn’t answer her fast enough, I guess.” Once-ler said, sitting at his mother’s dining room table and picking at the dry piece of chocolate cake in front of him with a fork.

Isabella sighed, her back leaned up against the kitchen counter, a warm cup of coffee as she looked at her son. After she watched him picking at the cake she made yesterday, she felt as if she needed to say something even if she desperately didn’t want to be involved. Perhaps if she had been nicer to him, the more he would push away his girlfriend. After a brief silence, she spoke, “You didn’t do nothing wrong, dear. You just don’t understand women like her. They’re always so dramatic about everything. Don’t worry about it.”

“She never spoke to me like that before though… I really think she was hurt… I just feel so bad…” Once-ler said sadly.
“Oh, she wasn’t hurt at all, Oncie!. She was just pushing your buttons. You can’t let it get to you. Besides, you have more important things to worry about anyhow.” Isabella smiled as she looked in the refrigerator, just happy that perhaps Oncie was the one to drive her away and she wouldn’t have to split them up after all. Just let them take this ship set sail and it’ll sink in its own time.

“I need to make it up to her somehow… Maybe I should just cancel the meeting tomorrow and go spend the day with her.”
“No!! You shouldn’t be rescheduling on your first meeting?! Do you have any idea what kind of impression that leaves!? It isn’t a good thing, Oncie.”

“I know, but she’s a heckuva more important to me than one meeting!”

“Listen to yourself, Oncie! This one meeting can determine the fate of your company!”

Isabella’s victorious smile faded as she watched Once-ler’s expression hardened on his decision struggled to find more words to say and when she thought of them, she turned around and her son was nowhere to be found. Instead, the door to her RV was left wide open.

----

Aurora slammed the front door of her apartment, kicked off her black heels and threw her purse on the small table next to the door before plopping face down onto the couch, her face buried in the soft pillow and groaned loudly hoping the pillow would muffle most of the noise. Norma stood in the kitchen prepping a few things for tomorrow’s barbeque. “So… How was work?” Norma asked, going back to stirring the macaroni salad.

After Aurora didn’t answer, she walked over to Aurora and sat next to her and pats her back.

“Hey. What’s wrong? Trouble in Paradise?” Norma asked .

Aurora lifted her hair from the pillow and wiped away the mascara that had run due to her tears. Norma flinched seeing Aurora’s tears and was now deeply regretting her ‘trouble in paradise’ statement. “Uh! He’s just… Ugh…” Aurora groaned, throwing her legs off the couch and sitting up.

“What happened?” Norma asked handing her a tissue from the box near the couch.

Aurora wiped away the make-up and sniffled softly before whispering, “I think I’m losing him, Norma…”

“What do you mean?”

“It’s just… not the same as it was when we met.”

“Did you expect it to be?” Norma inquired.

“… Maybe I wished it would be.” Aurora sighed, leaning her head back against the couch.

“You had to know at some point his company was going to be successful, right?”

“I guess…”

“…and when his company was successful, he’d be quite busy… right?” Norma said, smiling and nudging Aurora.

“Yeah…”

“Then why are you surprised?”

“Truthfully…? I don’t know…” Aurora sighed, standing to her feet with a huff. She crossed her arms against her chest and paced around before stopping and sighing, “He’s – changed, Norma…”

“Changed? How so?”

“He’s egotistical, obnoxious, brazen, and more materialistic than ever!! All he talks about it making more money, selling more thneeds, and even now, he’s considering building a city called “Thneedville!”

“Thneedville?” Norma asked furrowing her brows.

“Yes! It’s just so crazy now! I just -- I just can’t take it!” Aurora growled, sitting back on the couch and putting her face in her hands.

“Maybe I shouldn’t be the one to ask this – but… If it’s really that bad, why are you still with him?” Norma asked.

“…I love him, Norma. I can’t imagine my life without him! I mean, yes, he may be turning into an egotistical maniac, but I still can’t forget that guy! The one who always sang cute songs, played his guitar, knit, made pancakes, and danced around like an idiot” Aurora replied with a laugh looking at the ceiling and reminiscing about those days that were only months ago but it felt like years. “How could someone change so quickly?! What happened to my Once-ler, Norma?” Aurora continued, fresh tears threatened to spill from her cheeks as Norma wrapped her arms around Aurora’s trembling shoulders.

“What’s changed other than his company?”

“His mother showed up.” Aurora answered with distain.

“Aurora. This is your man. You need fight to keep him if you want to continue your relationship with this guy. You can’t let his mother get in the way of that. Put your foot down.” Norma said, pushing her friend back from the embrace and looking in her eyes like a sergeant prepping a soldier for war.

“I’m done fighting, Norma. I need to know he still cares. It’s not like it was. Those little cute things he’d do even while at work. It felt like we were love-struck teenagers. He’d spin me around in my chair when I’d least expect it, he’d ask me to bring him coffee and when I did, he’d just shut the door behind me to kiss me instead… Not anymore… Those days are gone. I just can’t keep going on like this. I can’t be the person always going to him. I need him to know he still loves me and is willing to give up just a little bit of power to keep me…”

Norma didn’t answer. How could she? What if Once-ler never came around to his senses? Instead, Norma just sat back and pat her friend on the shoulder. “So, how about some popcorn to turn that frown upside down?” Norma asked, nudging the redhead.

“…Sure.” Aurora said with a smile as she sat back up.

“There’s the smile! Now, hang on, I’ll be just a minute!” Norma said walking back into the kitchen. Aurora sighed, leaning back against the couch and sighed when her eyes fell on her painting leaning against the wall. During the trip she took for college – she found painting. It wasn’t a career opportunity – it was her and Norma visiting the sights. Looking at a museum. The beauty in art which she loved and did in her spare time throughout her life since childhood was not a serious one at first. Her parents would never support the notion of an artist for a daughter – heck, they wanted her to be able to buy food to eat. But the more she looked around the art gallery, the more she fell in love. So, against her better judgment, she took a weekend seminar, and to everyone’s surprise including her own – she had a natural affinity for the arts most likely stemming from the drawings she loved to do as a child.

Aurora’s use of color and shape came natural to her. It was at this point she was certain she wanted to paint. When she arrived back home, she was on her way to share her newfound love with Once-ler – but after meeting his family, she thought it best to stay away from it. Her eyes glazed the picture she painted. It was of him. Going entirely from memory of the face of the man she fell in love with and his irresistible and incredible long legs and thin frame, it came pretty natural to her. She drew him how she loved him most. She painted him standing, smiling, the guitar hanging loosely from the strap around his left shoulder, his blue hat, striped dark and light grey striped pants, a white long sleeve shirt and black vest, surrounded by the beauty of the truffula forest she loved so dearly. The painting itself was beautifully done. The brush strokes were soft and fluid and the colors were on point.

(Artist Note: The picture I did is a close up of Aurora's Painting. I started with a full body shot and it didn't look right. I just wanted his face and some texture.)

She smiled, touching the dried paint and smiled as she her fingers grazed his 2 dimensional face. She sighed when a modern version of the painting overlapped in her mind. His obnoxious red, two necked guitar and green jacket with thneed gloves and blue glasses surrounded by bald truffula trees appeared in her mind and she shook her head until the image faded from her mind. She looked back at the painting she had done of the man she fell in love with and asked in a whisper, “Why happened to you…?”

“Popcorn’s ready!” Norma screamed from the living room and Aurora left, glancing one more time at the painting before turning off the light and shutting the door.

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