The Wizard Prince's Secret Soulmate

Chapter 8

Aurora had been feeling off for a little while now, but whenever she was around Matteo, everything just felt… right, somehow. She couldn’t even describe what was bothering her specifically, but there were just things that were happening around her, that she couldn’t explain. But at the same time, she couldn’t put a finger on what exactly was wrong, which made her feel even more anxious.

Lost in her thoughts, she didn’t realize that someone was calling her, until his voice finally broke through her thoughts.

“Aurora, are you alright?”

“Good morning, Lorenzo! Sorry, I was a little distracted,” she admitted and put down the glass she had been polishing for the last few minutes.

“Don’t worry, sunshine,” her favourite regular answered, smiling brightly at her, “I have nowhere else to be and your coffee is definitely worth waiting for.”

Aurora laughed and turned to make his usual espresso, her movements graceful and controlled.

“So, what’s new?” he asked her as she put his coffee down in front of him and went back to polishing her wineglasses.

“Not much. I went to see the frozen blossoms today, it was beautiful,” she told him, remembering her walk with Matteo.

“Oh, yes, I heard the sirens. They are beautiful, especially if you’re early enough and the sun hasn’t melted all of it into a puddle. Did you go by yourself?”

“No, I was with… a friend.” Aurora didn’t know why she hesitated, but she was unsure what their relationship was right now. Were they friends? Friends usually didn’t sleep with each other, and they certainly didn’t go on romantic morning walks together. But they also didn’t know each other well enough to actually call this a friendship. Did she even want a friendship?

After he dropped her off this morning and she had to get ready for work, she felt like walking through thick fog, unable to see where her next step was going to bring her, but somehow, she knew that she could trust her feet to lead her to the place she needed to be. She shook her head, trying to get back to the present.

If Lorenzo noticed her confusion, he was kind enough not to mention it, but just continued sipping his coffee quietly.

There were many regulars, who came almost daily to the café to drink coffee, sit outside and play cards or just passed by to say hello, but Lorenzo was by far her favourite. He started coming to the café infrequently for a coffee and a chat, but after a few weeks, it had soon turned into a daily activity, one that she enjoyed just as much as he did.

Lorenzo seemed to be in his early sixties, but his grey eyes would sometimes cloud over and reveal that he had seen a lot in his life, more than many others. But he was always friendly and kind, without ever overstepping any boundaries. On some days, when she was feeling a little down, he would listen to her rant about whatever it was that bothered her, treating her more like a granddaughter instead of just the waitress of the local bar.

He didn’t talk much about himself though, and Aurora didn’t ask. As he was always alone, and she never saw him outside of her work with anyone either, she assumed that his wife had either passed or that he wasn’t married. She didn’t ask him any questions either, he would tell her if he wanted her to know. Maybe it was just too painful, and she didn’t want to open up any old wounds.

“Want to tell me about that… friend… of yours?” The way he said ‘friend’ made it very clear, that he knew there was more to it than she wanted to admit.

“There’s not much to tell. I actually met him in Milan, when I went to visit Dario…”

“You still haven’t talked to him?” Aurora frowned when Lorenzo reminded her about him.

“No, I haven’t. He was a jerk, I don’t feel like talking to him right now. He does text me all the time though, telling me how sorry he is, but at the same time, he also likes to ask if I changed my mind about him, which means he is actually not sorry at all.” Aurora managed to get all of this wordvomit out in one single breath, and Lorenzo laughed at her obvious annoyance. She had been so excited to go to Milan and visit her friend, having it turn out like that clearly upset her.

“Anyway, Matteo was at the bar I went to after fighting with Dario, and we kind of hit it off…” she omitted what happened afterwards, but remembering it made her blush a little.

“Yesterday, he just walked in here while I was working and at first I thought he was a creepy stalker or something, but turns out, he lives here as well! Can you believe that?”

“Yeah, life can be weird like that sometimes…” Lorenzo mumbled. “So, who is this Matteo? What’s his last name? Where does he live?”

Aurora had to laugh at how protective Lorenzo had become all of a sudden.

“Come on, Lorenzo, we met at a bar and went on a walk, we didn’t get married. I know that he studies in Milan, and he basically lives there. I also know that his family is from Dorf Tirol and before you ask, no, I don’t know who his father is, but if I do see him again, I will make sure to ask him to bring his family tree and a certification that he is deloused, vaccinated and microchipped, ok?”

Lorenzo was grumbling, but she could see the faintest smile and knew that he was just trying very hard to appear grumpy.

“It’s important to know who you’re with, Aurora. It’s to keep you safe, you know?”

Her demeanour immediately changed at that. She knew the old man cared about her for some reason, and he only wanted what was best for her.

“Don’t worry, Lorenzo. I really do appreciate the sentiment, but I am not completely helpless, you know?”

“I know that, sunshine,” he smiled at her. “Just promise me to be safe, and I’ll promise you to be quiet, ok?”

“Alright, I promise to be as safe as I can be, Lorenzo.” Aurora was happy that someone cared about her. Since her nonna’s death, Lorenzo had become very protective of her, as if he had trusted the old woman with her safety before, and decided to take her place now that she was gone. Which, truthfully, Aurora appreciated very much. She liked having someone around, who genuinely wanted to see her happy and safe, even if it wasn’t a blood relative.

They chatted some more, but when the lunch rush started and it got too busy for her to have a proper conversation, Lorenzo paid and left. Aurora didn’t have much time for anything other than the tables she had to take care of, and between taking orders, preparing drinks, serving food and cleaning up, there was barely a moment she had to take a breath, much less think about Matteo, but as soon as it quieted down a little bit, and Lorenzo wasn’t there anymore to take her mind off of it, she found herself wondering, what was going on between them, and what she would like to happen. Somehow, she wished he had never walked into her café, but a tiny part of her was hoping that there could be something more, something she never had before, but she read about it and saw it in movies. Aurora had to laugh at herself. The romance she was looking for, probably didn’t exist, and it would be foolish of her to expect finding it in a one night stand. She should just enjoy the present, have some fun and try to not be the 25year old who got lost in teenage girl fantasies.