Chapter 12

Finally, the weekend had arrived. Typically, it was a delight for the Navarro sisters, as it meant a break from work and college. They could spend the entire day at home doing absolutely nothing. However, on that Saturday, Adelaide was rummaging through her wardrobe in search of a decent outfit for her date with Griffin. Sometimes, she would experience anxiety attacks and consider canceling everything, coming up with the feeble excuse of being sick. But Aurora managed to convince her to give up that idea.

Speaking of the younger sister, Aurora was sprawled on the living room couch, savoring her last moments of relaxation. From eleven o'clock onwards, she would be trapped with Tristan, with no idea of when she would be set free.

"He's here!" Adelaide exclaimed anxiously, as she looked out the window and spotted the doctor's car parked across the street.

"Good luck on your date," Aurora said, attentive to the television, before popping a handful of popcorn into her mouth.

"Thank you." Adelaide grabbed her purse and keys from the couch next to her sister. "The emergency numbers are stuck to the refrigerator door, and I left money on the kitchen counter for you to order pizza later."

She hadn't told Adelaide about her "non-date" with Tristan and intended to keep it a secret. Adelaide had no sympathy for Callahan since the night they met, when he treated Genevieve in an inhumane manner. To make matters worse, on that same night, he ran over Aurora.

"I'll be back before midnight," Adelaide said.

"Use protection!" Aurora said a little louder. Adelaide blushed intensely and left the apartment.

Now alone, Aurora stretched and glanced at the clock by her side. It was 9:00 PM. She got up and headed towards her own room. She knew that when Adelaide returned home, she would come to her room to check if she was asleep, so she needed to come up with a plan.

Upon entering the room, she started arranging the pillows on the bed and then threw the blanket over them, attempting to make it look like a person lying down.

"So much effort to go out with that jerk," she thought aloud, rolling her eyes and leaving the room.

She couldn't use the excuse of going out with friends or staying over at a friend's house. Adelaide knew that she literally had no friends at college and hadn't managed to build a good rapport with anyone at Emotion. She would immediately realize that her sister was lying.

Aurora returned to the couch and indulged in the popcorn in her hands while watching a random movie. She stayed there for hours, until she looked at the clock and saw that it was already 10:30 PM. She turned off the television, went to the kitchen, and left the empty popcorn container on the sink. Then she returned to her room, grabbed a towel, and entered the bathroom. After undressing completely, she stepped under the shower and turned on the warm water.

She was lost in thought, mentally preparing herself for what lay ahead. She also tried to guess where Tristan would take her, but quickly gave up. He had always been unpredictable.

After turning off the shower, she wrapped herself in a white towel and left the bathroom, returning to her room. She froze in place, startled by the sudden sight of the businessman with his back turned to her, looking at the decorative objects and framed photos on the dresser. He was dressed casually, wearing a T-shirt, jeans, and sneakers.

"Tristan Callahan! What are you doing here?" she exclaimed, crossing her arms and paling.

"We have a 'non-date' tonight, remember?" he replied without looking at her.

"And is it possible to forget?" Aurora replied softly. "But it's not yet eleven o'clock."

Tristan agreed. "You're right, it's eleven-fifteen."

She quickly glanced at the clock on the bedside table and saw that he was telling the truth. She had been so distracted in the shower that she lost track of time.

"How long have you been here?" Aurora asked.

"I arrived exactly at eleven. I'm very punctual when it comes to things that interest me." He finally turned around, looking at the girl who was only wearing a towel. His eyes attentively observed that sight, and suddenly he bit his lower lip. It was inevitable to have impure thoughts.

Aurora tried to change the subject when she noticed his gaze and cautious approach. "How did you get in here? Oh, I know. You flirted with the old lady again."

“That wasn't necessary. I have a spare key to the apartment." He put his hand in his pants pocket and took out a key.

"Argh! Give that back, you pervert!" Aurora exclaimed. She tried to grab the object from his hand, but it was a failed attempt. He put it back in his pocket.

"Go change your clothes, or if you want to continue like this, I don't see a problem." Tristan teased, smiling maliciously.

"Get out of my room." Aurora ordered, frustrated.

He turned around, giving up for now, but stopped when he heard her call him. "Wait a moment. Can I know where we're going?"

"We're going to Marquee." Tristan replied.

"Marquee... What?" Aurora asked, raising an eyebrow. She had never heard that name before.

"Marquee. Haven't you heard of it? There's a first time for everything."

***

Aurora and Tristan entered the famous nightclub, one of the most frequented in the city. Many rich and famous people could enter and indulge in spending all their money on drinks, drugs, gambling tables, and wandering prostitutes.

The girl felt inferior, and besides, Tristan would always stop to talk to someone. He had been going to that place for a long time and had made many friends.

Aurora crossed her arms impatiently as she saw Tristan talking to a guy and a prostitute. She didn't want to stay behind him all the time, waiting for attention, so she decided to slip away unnoticed by the trio.

As she walked, some people looked at her strangely, but she ignored them and went to the bar. She sat on one of the high stools and waited for the bartender to serve her. When it was finally her turn, he was surprised to see her in those surroundings for the first time.

"May I help you?" he asked, holding a notepad.

"I'd like a beer." Aurora requested.

He raised an eyebrow and asked, "Under whose name should I put the bill?"

"Tristan Callahan." Aurora replied.

The bartender walked away suspiciously. Many times, people, especially women, would put their expenses on the tab of someone they didn't know, so he suspected that could be the case now. Besides, he hadn't seen her come in with Tristan.

Minutes later, he returned to the girl with a bottle and a glass in hand. He poured some of the drink, and she downed it all at once, leaving the bartender impressed.

"More, please." Aurora requested.

After two more glasses, she felt more lively and went to the dance floor to expend all the energy she had.

Meanwhile, Tristan searched for her, going to almost every corner of the nightclub, but couldn't find her. He sat on a high bar stool, convinced that Aurora had left.

A prostitute spotted the heir at the bar, alone, and took the opportunity to approach, confident that she would succeed that night.

"Hello, Mr. Tristan," she said, raising her gaze to meet Tristan's face. He merely grunted in response. "Would you like my company tonight?" she asked, sitting on his lap in an attempt to seduce him. Tristan's plan was to end the night with another girl, a certain "feisty" one, but since she had left and he was bored, why not?

"Alright then. Let's go," Tristan replied, watching the woman smile openly as she got up and held his hand.

But before they could leave, the bartender called out to him: "Wait! Mr. Tristan!" he caught Tristan's attention. "I'm sorry to interrupt, but a woman came here a few minutes ago and said to put everything she ordered on your tab."

"What woman?" Tristan asked, curious.

The man pointed towards the dance floor. In a matter of seconds, Tristan spotted Aurora in the middle of the crowd, moving to the lively music.

"Come on, Tristan!" the prostitute pleaded in a sultry manner.

"You're dismissed," he replied, not taking his eyes off Aurora. The woman opened her mouth several times to protest, but no sound came out. She had to accept defeat and moved away in search of another suitor.

Tristan turned his attention back to the bartender and asked, "What did she order?"

"This beer," the bartender replied.

Tristan nodded and chuckled softly, noticing that the satisfyingly sized glass was now empty, knowing that Aurora had a weakness for drinks.

He spent a few minutes at the bar, drinking and observing the girl dance energetically in the distance. He couldn't tear his eyes away from her, as her movements intoxicated him.

During his business trips, he had had some flings when he had free time, but what intrigued him the most was that his mind insisted on thinking about that girl. Thoughts of her filled his mind. Since then, he was more than willing to conquer her, even if she liked someone else. He was determined to have her at least once.

Aurora was distracted, her guard down, until she felt a presence approaching from behind. Firm hands wrapped around her waist, and a voice whispered in her ear, "You're driving me crazy."

Her whole body shivered.

"Here we can rent private rooms. I've reserved one for the two of us."

"You wasted your time and money," Aurora replied, removing Tristan's hands from her waist and staring at him with a serious expression.

"The night is young," Tristan retorted. "We have a night together, and maybe I can make you change your mind."

"Not even if we had a thousand nights together could you make me change my mind," Aurora replied coldly. "Now, step away. I want to dance alone, far away from you."

As she turned to walk away from him, Aurora bumped into the back of a stranger, realizing the limited space due to the crowded dance floor. She turned back to Tristan and felt a strange coldness in her stomach due to the proximity of their faces, realizing that she was trapped there.

"Are you really going to refuse a dance with me?" Tristan asked, and she sighed hesitantly. "Forget what you know about me, at least for today. Let's just have fun."

They locked eyes for a few seconds until she rolled her eyes and decided to enjoy the night.

"It'll be just one song," Aurora said.

They started to dance. Aurora was not as excited as before and grew increasingly irritated by the seemingly never-ending song. Tristan took advantage of the limited space, always trying to get closer to her in an attempt to seduce her.

She let out a humorless laugh and said, "Frankly, you don't give up easily, do you?"

Tristan stared intensely at Aurora. "You're too beautiful for me to give up easily," he said. The boy's gaze on her lips made her nervous. He took the initiative and moved even closer to her face. Aurora stood frozen, unable to think of anything, as if she had lost all her ability to reason.

The song came to an end, and soon another melody began to play, awakening the girl from her trance.

"The song is over!" exclaimed Aurora, pushing Tristan's body away and leaving, making her way through the people in front of her.

After escaping the crowd, she could barely take two steps before her wrist was grabbed by Tristan.

"Persistent pervert!" she thought.

"Let's go, Aurora," Tristan said, leading her in a direction.

"Wait, where are you taking me?" she asked, without receiving an answer. "Argh. If you take me to that private room, I swear I'll kill you!"

Tristan let go of her wrist when they stood in front of a door. He opened it, revealing a staircase, which piqued the girl's curiosity.

"Come, you'll like it," he invited, extending his hand to her, but she ignored the gesture and walked past him. "Proud," Tristan muttered, closing the door.

Overwhelmed by anxiety, she began to climb the stairs quickly, while he ascended slowly. At the top of the staircase, there was a door. Without hesitation, Aurora opened it. Her eyes sparkled as she entered the rooftop terrace. She was amazed by the abundant number of stars in the sky. Tristan watched her, radiant, in silence.

"Why did you bring me here?" Aurora asked, looking at him.

"Don't you like it?" Tristan replied.

"It's not that."

"Did you think I would take you somewhere more inappropriate?" he asserted more than asked. "Don't worry, I'm saving that for later."

He walked past her and went to the edge of the building, sitting with his feet hanging over the terrace. Aurora approached hesitantly, feeling the breeze on her face. She stopped, swallowed hard as she looked at the distance between her and the street below. The building was only two stories high, but Aurora was still afraid.

"Are you afraid of heights?" Tristan asked, noticing her insecurity.

"I-I'm not!" Aurora replied, crossing her arms tightly. "I'm not afraid of anything!"

"Sure, sure," Tristan nodded. "Then why don't you sit next to me?"

"Because I hate being near you, in fact, I hate anything related to you," Aurora retorted.

"Fine. You pretend you don't want me, and I'll pretend I believe it," he shrugged, while she thought about how convinced he was.

To prove her courage, she decided to sit on the edge of the building, a little away from Tristan. She trembled as she put her feet out onto the terrace. She swung them and began to admire the beautiful view, trying to distract herself from the uneasy feeling, which soon subsided.

Tristan observed her while she was lost in her thoughts. "What are you thinking about?" he asked.

"My parents," sighed Aurora, and he kept his gaze on her face, somewhat sad. "You always say I'm a bit crazy and temperamental. I inherited that from my mother. My father was calmer, responsible, and kind, just like Adelaide. They could be very different, but they had a good relationship."

For the first time, Tristan didn't know what to say or how to behave with a girl, so he remained silent.

She sighed deeply and decided to end the heavy atmosphere, as she hated it more than Callahan himself.

"Argh...I want a drink!" She stood up, leaving the man somewhat confused by her sudden change in mood. "Are you staying here?"

He then stood up and followed her to the first floor.