Chapter IX (part 3) - Aurora
1062 Words
They always come back to each other.
Can words really hurt that much?
It doesn't make sense—we're just friends.
I have no claim on him, and he never promised me anything.
I keep repeating those lines to myself as I try to ignore the jealousy twisting in my stomach and the hostile heat rising through my body.
«That's how they are.»
The voice is low, almost inaudible.
It takes me a second to realize it's Sole speaking.
«You'd better know now, before you get hurt.»
Her eyes meet mine, and there's something held back in her gaze—an enveloping shadow, a sadness I recognize all too well.
Just like all the others.
Even Sole.
She was in love with the same golden-eyed boy.
And she ended up just another one in the crowd.
My throat tightens, and nausea slams into me like a punch.
I see Tania reach out to touch her arm; her lips pull into a pained grimace, as if she wants to say something but can't find the words.
Sole drops her eyes to her plate again and says nothing.
«Hey, anyway...» Matteo cuts in. «When Tom dumps you—»
«Don't be an asshole,» Tristan snaps.
«Oh, come on!» Matteo shoots back, wearing that smug, i***t expression.
«He always picks the prettiest girls and dumps them after two weeks. We all know that's how it goes. And with her, it'd actually be a waste.»
His words shouldn't hurt.
And yet the knot in my stomach says otherwise.
So does the pressure building in my skull, and the hollow place my heart seems to have fallen into.
Tom and I are just friends.
Actually, to be honest, I'm not even sure it counts as friendship.
I didn't even know who Ada was—or that she skipped the cafeteria to eat in this absurd place for the privileged, full of people who have never once had to sweat for anything, wrapped in the comfort of a life handed to them at birth.
«Aurora, don't listen to him,» Tania says. «I'm sure that—»
But I'm not listening anymore.
I smile and nod—at least until her lips stop moving.
Matteo says something, Tristan follows him, but all I feel is suffocating heat and a desperate need to get out of this damn room.
They keep talking while, in my head, I list every reason why I should feel like a complete i***t.
Ada.
His friends.
This stupid elite hideout...
Then the epiphany hits.
Yeah—because besides the fact that his mother died and he wants to become a heart surgeon... I know nothing about him.
I told him everything about myself.
About Sofia, my scholarship, dance, my parents, the future I dream of and the one I fear.
I handed him whole pieces of me as if it were the easiest thing in the world.
And him?
He's never told me anything real.
Just hints, surface-level things.
Every time the questions get deeper, more personal, he dodges—he flips the spotlight back on me with another question, a smile, a joke.
And I, like a fool drunk on feelings, hang on every word and pretend not to notice.
I don't even know his last name.
«Alright,» I say suddenly, shooting to my feet when the tension becomes too much.
I glance at my watch—just to avoid looking completely stupid—but the movement is so fast it can't be natural.
«Sorry, but class is about to start. I should go, I don't want to be late...»
The chair screeches as I push it back.
«It was nice meeting you guys.»
I raise my hand in a half-wave; they wave back without much interest.
Then, louder—so the whole room hears me:
«Bye.»
I don't wait for a response.
I shove the chair under the table too quickly and hurry toward the exit.
I don't even know where I'm going, but anywhere is better than staying here.
When I cross the threshold and step into the hallway, I'm relieved not to see Tom.
I know I have no right to be angry with him.
But I don't trust myself—or my reactions.
He's just a friend, I repeat like a mantra.
The sooner I accept it, the better.
Footsteps echo behind me.
Too close.
Instinctively, I speed up, palms sweaty against my pants.
«Aurora, wait!»
My heart leaps into my throat... and immediately drops.
A part of me is stupidly disappointed to hear that voice.
«You're going the wrong way!»
Strange.
I exhale softly and turn, trying to smooth the discomfort off my face.
«Tristan.» I give him a polite smile. «I didn't hear you.»
«Sorry.» He catches his breath for a couple of seconds.
«I followed you because I saw you heading the wrong way. This way leads to the Pharmacy district.»
God, why does this university have to be so annoyingly huge?
Down here I have no point of reference, and I feel like I'm back at the beginning, when every corridor looked exactly like the next: an endless maze.
«Oh,» I murmur without thinking. Then I glance at my watch. «I have five minutes to get to the chemistry classroom. Can you tell me how to get there?»
«Come with me, I'll walk you.»
I sigh.
I feel like a child who needs someone to hold her hand to cross the street.
And yet I can't say no: I have absolutely no idea where I am.
We walk a few meters in silence.
His hands are in his pockets, but every now and then he glances sideways at me.
«I'm a hopeless case,» I say, just to fill the silence that's starting to suffocate me.
«What do you mean?»
«I'm terrible with directions, as you may have noticed.»
He laughs—a low sound that echoes through the empty corridor. «Your reputation precedes you.»
I stare at him, confused.
«Tom talks about it all the time,» he says, a small smile tugging at his lips. «I thought it was just an excuse to spend more time with him... but when I saw you confidently walking toward the opposite side of campus, I realized you were serious.»
I raise an eyebrow, pouting. «I'm not the flirtatious type who plays games like that.»
«Because you don't need to.»
- Writer
