Chapter 8 - The space between us

Aurora prepared a light snack in the kitchen while the house finally settled into silence. She washed the dishes, folded some laundry, and picked up the scattered toys. Her body felt exhausted, but her mind kept racing. The image of Leandro holding her son, the care in his voice... it lingered more than she wanted to admit.

Around two in the afternoon, she heard soft footsteps and turned to see Davi entering the living room, his eyes heavy with sleep and his face crumpled from the nap.

"Hey, sweetheart," she said, walking over to him.

"Where's the uncle?"

"Uncle?"

"The one who brought us."

"Oh... Leandro. He had to go back to work."

Davi's shoulders slumped, disappointed.

"Is he coming back?"

Aurora frowned, surprised by the question.

"Coming back? You want him to?"

"Yeah."

She crouched down to his level.

"Why, baby?"

"So he can stay here with us."

Her heart clenched.

"What do you mean?"

"To play with me."

"But mommy plays with you..."

"But you're a girl."

She let out a quiet laugh and glanced around the room, feeling a heaviness in her chest.

"I see... Want a snack?"

"It'll hurt..." he mumbled, touching his throat.

"Eat slowly. You need to get stronger."

"Then when I'm better, uncle will play with me, right?"

"He will. I'll tell him."

As she prepared a tray with warm tea, toast, and a bit of soft spread, Aurora tried to ignore the swirl of thoughts inside. It was sweet seeing her son grow attached to someone, but it was scary too. She knew how much Davi longed for a special someone. And she couldn't allow expectations to bloom for nothing.

The snack went smoothly. She helped him eat slowly and later lay down with him in the living room to watch cartoons. They laughed together, colored with crayons, and even built a racetrack on the rug. Aurora did everything she could to make the afternoon light and comforting.

Meanwhile, Leandro stared at his phone screen for the tenth time in half an hour. He even opened Aurora's contact but didn't have the courage to call. Frustrated, he tossed the phone onto the desk and ran a hand through his hair.

His phone rang a while later. He grabbed it quickly, only to sigh when he saw Henrique's name.

"What is it?"

"Someone's grumpy today."

"Go do your job, Henrique."

"Send me Aurora's number."

"Why?"

"To ask about the kid."

Leandro hesitated.

"No flirting, okay?"

Henrique raised a brow, smirking.

"Ohh… so it's like that?"

"Nothing like that. She works with me. I don't want you messing around and hurting her."

"Alright, alright. I promise to behave."

"Fine. I'll send it."

"Great. One more thing."

"What?"

"The kid's dad? Didn't see a ring on her hand. She never mentioned anyone."

"I don't know. There was no sign of a man at her place."

"You took her home?" Henrique teased.

"I did, idiot. Don't you have work to do?"

"Sure. I'll call her now. Send me the number. Bye."

Leandro sent it. A few minutes later, Aurora's phone rang. She answered without recognizing the number.

"Hello?"

"Aurora? Hi, it's Henrique. Everything okay?"

"Oh, hi! Yeah... as okay as it can be."

"I can imagine. Just wanted to check on the little guy."

"He's better. Lying down watching cartoons. He ate a little."

"That's good. Tell him Henrique sent a big hug."

"Will do. He'll love that."

"Eliza sends her love too. We were chatting and she asked if you needed anything."

Aurora smiled.

"Tell her thank you so much."

"Anything you need, just call or text, alright?"

"I will. Thanks, Henrique."

She hung up with a small smile. It wasn't Leandro calling… but still, it felt good knowing someone cared. Even if a part of her was still scared of getting too close.

As the sun began to set, Aurora lay next to Davi and held him close, trying to quiet the thoughts that crept in.

When night fell, the house went quiet again. Aurora gave Davi a bath, careful not to wet his head too much, then rubbed a soft cream on his back and arms. The fever was gone, which was a relief. She made dinner, and they ate in the living room while watching a movie. After cleaning the kitchen, she had to prepare for the next day.

She picked up her phone and called Amanda.

"Hi Amanda? Good evening. How are you?"

"Hi Aurora! I'm good. And you two?"

"So... Davi had a fever today. We went to the clinic. It's a throat infection. He's medicated, but still weak."

"Poor thing... But he'll be better soon, you'll see."

"God willing. I wanted to ask if you could come early tomorrow. Leandro was super understanding, but I need to be at work early so things don't pile up."

"Of course, no problem. What time do you need me?"

"Could you be here by seven?"

"Absolutely. Let me know if you need anything else."

"Thank you so much, Amanda. You're an angel."

"Give Davi a kiss for me. I'll bring some new storybooks tomorrow."

"He'll love that. Good night, Amanda."

"Good night, dear."

Aurora ended the call with a deep sigh. She went back to the living room, played a little more with Davi, then announced bedtime.

"Can I sleep in your bed tonight?" he asked with a raspy voice.

"Of course, baby."

She settled them both in bed. Davi fell asleep quickly, clinging to her arm. Aurora watched his peaceful face for a few moments. Her body was drained, but her thoughts refused to rest.

The next morning, Aurora arrived at the company and was greeted by Laura at the reception.

"Good morning, Aurora. How are you?"

"Morning. I'm good, and you?"

"I'm good too. You didn't come back after lunch yesterday. Everything okay?"

"My son wasn't well. I stayed with him."

"Really? I didn't know you had a son. How is he?"

"He's better now. It was a throat infection, but thank God he didn't have a fever this morning."

"That's good to hear."

Aurora went to her desk and turned on her computer. She was reviewing her schedule when Leandro arrived, the usual leather folder in his left hand. He wore a light blue shirt and dark slacks.

"Good morning, Aurora," he said with a soft smile, voice calm and composed.

She looked up, a little surprised to see him so early, and returned the smile.

"Good morning, Mr. Leandro."

"Can you come with me? I need to go over some updates."

She quickly grabbed her notebook and followed him. He opened the door for her and closed it behind them gently. The room was quiet, softly lit by sunlight coming through the blinds.

"So... how's Davi today?" he asked, sitting at the head of the table. His tone was less formal now.

"A little better, thank God. He slept through the night. The fever gave him a break."

"Glad to hear that," he said sincerely, then shifted to business. "Alright… the Flor Dourada project finished phase two yesterday afternoon. We've got the concrete photos, and the topography team will start garden layout markings by Friday."

"Got it. I'll add that to the weekly report."

"Great. About the new project—" he slid a folder toward her "—these are the documents sent in yesterday. Still pending approval, but I want you to review everything carefully and jot down anything we need to discuss. It's a big one. Will need full attention."

"Ah, yes, I saw that in the schedule," she said, glancing at the client's name.

"Yeah," he smiled lightly. "I updated your agenda yesterday before leaving. Everything's there: document review, Flor Dourada's schedule update, and the legal meeting at three."

"Perfect. I'll handle it."

Leandro looked at her for a second, that way he had of seeing more than just the surface. But he quickly returned to his usual tone.

"Anything with Davi, you let me know. Leave early, adjust your schedule, whatever's needed. Don't worry."

Aurora nodded, moved by his kindness.

"Thank you, Mr. Leandro."

"Leandro, please."

She smiled, more relaxed.

"Thank you, Leandro."

He stood up and opened the door for her to leave. As they walked back, the workday began to take shape — with spreadsheets, meetings, and decisions. And somewhere in the middle of it all, there was a quiet kind of care. One that most wouldn't notice… but Aurora did.