Chapter Five
764 Words
Just Lunch
Aurora was already regretting her decision.
Not because she didn't want to have lunch with Lorenzo.
Because Lily wouldn't stop talking about it.
The entire morning.
Every single class.
Every break.
Every opportunity.
"So what are you wearing?"
Aurora looked up from her notebook.
"It's lunch, Lily."
"Exactly."
"People wear clothes to lunch."
Lily stared at her.
"You know what I mean."
Aurora laughed.
"I'm wearing whatever I already have on."
"That's tragic."
"It's practical."
Lily groaned dramatically.
"You're impossible."
Aurora smiled and returned to her notes.
Unfortunately, concentrating proved difficult.
Not because of Lily.
Because a small part of her kept wondering why Lorenzo had asked her to lunch in the first place.
Curiosity?
Boredom?
A joke?
She honestly had no idea.
And that bothered her more than she wanted to admit.
At exactly one o'clock, Aurora arrived at the campus café.
The place was crowded as usual.
Students filled nearly every table.
The smell of coffee and freshly baked pastries lingered in the air.
For a moment, she wondered if Lorenzo had forgotten.
Then she spotted him.
Of course he was impossible to miss.
He sat near the window, scrolling through his phone.
Several students were openly staring at him.
Some things never changed.
As Aurora approached, Lorenzo looked up.
For a brief second, surprise crossed his face.
Then it disappeared.
"You came."
Aurora pulled out a chair.
"You sound surprised."
"A little."
She sat down.
"Why?"
He shrugged.
"I wasn't sure you'd say yes."
Aurora laughed.
"You literally watched me say yes."
"That doesn't mean you couldn't change your mind."
Fair point.
A waiter appeared moments later.
After ordering, silence settled between them.
Not uncomfortable.
Just... unexpected.
Aurora studied him carefully.
Without the crowd around him, Lorenzo seemed different.
Less intimidating.
More normal.
At least slightly.
"You stare a lot."
Aurora nearly choked.
"I wasn't staring."
"You were."
"I was observing."
"That's a nicer way of saying it."
She rolled her eyes.
"And you're annoying."
To her surprise, Lorenzo smiled.
Actually smiled.
The expression transformed his face completely.
For the first time, he looked his age.
Not like some future billionaire carrying the weight of the world.
Just a university student.
Aurora hated how much she noticed that.
Their food arrived.
The conversation became easier after that.
To Aurora's surprise, Lorenzo wasn't nearly as arrogant as his reputation suggested.
Confident?
Absolutely.
Arrogant?
Not always.
He listened when she spoke.
He asked questions.
Real questions.
Not the kind people asked simply to be polite.
"So," he said, leaning back slightly.
"What are you studying?"
"Business."
His eyebrows rose.
"Really?"
Aurora narrowed her eyes.
"What does that mean?"
"It means I didn't expect that answer."
"Why?"
"You don't seem interested in money."
Aurora laughed.
"That's because I'm not."
"Then why business?"
For a moment, she considered telling him the truth.
That one day she would inherit responsibilities she wasn't sure she wanted.
That understanding of business was expected of her.
Instead, she simply smiled.
"I like having options."
Lorenzo nodded.
As though he understood more than she had said.
Nearly an hour passed before either of them noticed.
Outside, students crossed the courtyard.
Inside, the café buzzed with conversation.
Yet somehow, time had disappeared.
Aurora couldn't remember the last time she'd enjoyed talking to someone this much.
That realization caught her off guard.
Apparently, it caught Lorenzo off guard too.
Because he seemed reluctant to leave.
Neither mentioned it.
Finally, Aurora glanced at her watch.
"Oh no."
"What?"
"I'm late."
Lorenzo checked the time.
"Late for what?"
"My next class."
She quickly gathered her things.
Lorenzo stood as well.
"I'll walk you."
Aurora laughed.
"It's across campus, not across the country."
"Still."
She shook her head.
"You're stubborn."
"So I've been told."
Together, they stepped outside.
The afternoon sun warmed the campus.
For a few moments, neither spoke.
The silence felt comfortable.
Easy.
And somehow, that made it more dangerous.
Because Aurora was starting to enjoy his company.
Far more than she should.
When they reached her classroom building, she stopped.
"This is me."
Lorenzo nodded.
For a second, neither moved.
Then Aurora smiled.
"Thanks for lunch."
"Anytime."
The words came out so naturally that both of them seemed surprised.
Aurora laughed.
Then she turned and headed inside.
As she disappeared through the doors, Lorenzo remained where he was.
Watching.
A strange feeling settled in his chest.
One he couldn't quite explain.
Meanwhile, Aurora leaned against the wall inside the building and exhaled slowly.
One lunch.
That was all it had been.
So why did it feel like something had changed?
- Writer
