Chapter Four
745 Words
A Name She Couldn't Ignore
Aurora stared at the photograph lying on the desk.
Lorenzo De Luca.
Even in the picture, he looked annoyingly confident.
She glanced back at her grandfather.
"Why do you have a file on him?"
King Alexander leaned back in his chair.
For a moment, he didn't answer.
That alone made Aurora uneasy.
Her grandfather wasn't the type to stay silent unless something serious was involved.
"I asked a question."
"I heard you."
"Then answer it."
A small smile tugged at the corner of the king's mouth.
"You've become impatient."
Aurora crossed her arms.
"And you've become mysterious."
The smile disappeared.
"The De Luca family has been attracting attention lately."
Aurora frowned.
"What kind of attention?"
"The dangerous kind."
That wasn't an answer.
And they both knew it.
She looked down at the file again.
"Does Lorenzo know?"
"No."
"Should he?"
The king's expression hardened.
"He will soon enough."
The room fell silent.
Aurora hated vague conversations.
Especially when they involved someone she knew.
Not that Lorenzo mattered.
At least, that's what she told herself.
They had met once.
One ridiculous conversation under a tree.
That was all.
So why did she feel uneasy?
Back at Blackthorn University, life returned to normal.
Or at least it tried to.
Aurora spent the next few days attending classes, studying with Lily, and doing her best not to think about Lorenzo.
Unfortunately, fate seemed determined to make that impossible.
It started on Thursday morning.
Aurora was carrying a stack of books across campus when someone stepped directly into her path.
She stopped abruptly.
The books slipped from her hands.
Several fell to the ground.
"Seriously?"
A familiar voice answered.
"You're welcome."
Aurora looked up.
Of course.
Lorenzo.
She immediately regretted asking fate for peace.
He crouched down and picked up one of the books.
"You should pay attention when you walk."
Aurora laughed.
"That's rich coming from the man who was standing in the middle of the path."
His lips twitched.
Not quite a smile.
But close.
Close enough to annoy her.
She reached for the book.
Their hands brushed.
For some reason, neither moved immediately.
The moment lasted only a second.
Maybe less.
But it felt strangely awkward.
Aurora quickly took the book.
"Thanks."
"You're welcome."
Neither of them moved.
The silence stretched.
Around them, students pretended not to stare.
Failed miserably.
Everyone knew Lorenzo De Luca.
Everyone noticed when he spent more than ten seconds talking to someone.
Especially a girl.
Aurora shifted her weight.
"Was there a reason you stopped me?"
Lorenzo looked almost surprised.
"As a matter of fact, yes."
That got her attention.
"What?"
He hesitated.
Actually I hesitated.
It was the last thing she expected from him.
Then he said,
"Have lunch with me."
Aurora blinked.
Once.
Twice.
Surely she'd heard him wrong.
"Excuse me?"
"Lunch."
"I know what lunch is."
"Good."
Aurora stared at him.
Was he serious?
Judging by his expression, apparently yes.
"Why?"
Lorenzo looked genuinely confused.
"Why what?"
"Why do you want to have lunch with me?"
The question seemed to catch him off guard.
As though nobody had ever asked before.
Which, now that she thought about it, was probably true.
Most people likely jumped at the chance.
Aurora wasn't most people.
Finally, he shrugged.
"I thought it would be interesting."
She narrowed her eyes.
"Interesting?"
"You're different."
Aurora didn't know whether that was a compliment or an insult.
Before she could decide, Lily appeared from nowhere.
Literally nowhere.
One second she wasn't there.
The next she was standing beside Aurora with the biggest grin imaginable.
"Oh, this is happening."
Aurora groaned.
"No."
"Oh yes."
Lily turned to Lorenzo.
"She'll be there."
Aurora looked horrified.
"I did not say that."
"You were going to."
"I absolutely was not."
Lorenzo folded his arms.
For the first time, amusement was visible in his eyes.
He looked at Aurora.
Waiting.
For some reason, that made her nervous.
Which annoyed her.
A lot.
Finally, she sighed.
"Fine."
Lily practically celebrated.
"It's just lunch."
Lorenzo nodded.
"Just lunch."
Yet something about the way he said it made Aurora suspect it wasn't going to be that simple.
And judging by the smile on Lily's face, her friend thought the same thing.
As Lorenzo walked away, Aurora watched him disappear into the crowd.
Then she shook her head.
This was a mistake.
She could feel it.
The problem was...
A small part of her was looking forward to it anyway.
- Writer
