Chapter 23

It had been so long since Aurora had gone to the movies due to a lack of money that it seemed like her first time. She didn't even mind the fact that Tristan didn't like the movie she had chosen to watch. She just paid attention while eating a large bucket of popcorn and drinking a cup of soda.

"Don't you like the movie?" Aurora asked, walking alongside Tristan in the mall.

"Honestly, no," he replied.

"You have no sense of humor," she frowned and took a sip from her cup.

"How can you drink so much soda?" he remarked, watching her drink her third cup.

"I haven't had coffee yet, so today I'm substituting it with soda," she explained, taking another sip.

"Let's go. We only have a few more minutes to get to the restaurant, or..." he paused as he noticed the girl was no longer by his side. "Aurora?"

He looked back and saw her looking at something in a store's window display. As he got closer, he realized she was mesmerized by a necklace that had a small, sparkling blue gem.

"It's so beautiful," she smiled, but her smile faded when she saw the price. "Ugh, not even if they sold my kidney would I have enough money to buy this necklace!"

"Come on, let's go. I don't want to lose the reservation," Tristan urged. She turned to him with a forced smile.

"Can I go to the bathroom first? The three cups of soda are taking effect," Aurora said, and he huffed.

"Hurry up, I'll wait for you in the car," he turned impatiently.

"I'm going, pushy!" she walked in the opposite direction until she found the restroom.

***

Aurora felt very uncomfortable as soon as she entered the establishment. It was a fancy restaurant, with calm music playing at a pleasant volume, tables spaced reasonably apart, and everyone was well-dressed—clearly, it was a place for the upper class.

"Good evening, Mr. Tristan, miss," a lady greeted them at the entrance. "Please, follow me to your table."

"Tristan..." Aurora held his arm, stopping him from moving away. "How could you bring me to a place like this?!"

"What do you mean?" he asked, confused.

"Just look at how I'm dressed! You could have warned me."

"Aurora, stop being silly."

"Silly?!" she spoke a bit loudly, drawing the attention of some people who were eating.

"Any problem, Mr. Tristan?" the same lady from before inquired.

"None," he turned impatiently to Aurora. "Come on."

She sighed deeply, thinking that in the end, she would have her revenge, and everything would be worth it. The lady led them to a table a bit farther from the others. They both sat facing each other, placed their orders, and finally, they were alone.

Tristan spoke casually, as if it were part of his daily routine to invite women for sex: "I was thinking that, after this, we could continue with what we started in the studio."

"I'll pass," replied Aurora.

"Are you really going to refuse a foam bath and champagne with me?" Tristan teased. It was a very tempting offer, but she put up all her defenses.

"I already said no. Let's just talk," Aurora insisted.

Tristan fell silent, analyzing her for a while. He noticed she was up to something, but didn't really care.

"Tell me about yourself," Tristan suggested.

"I don't have much to say about myself, considering you're a super detective who finds out everything about my life," Aurora responded.

"I only gather basic information. I bet you have many stories to tell, since you're always involved in some fight or trouble," Tristan said.

"What do you think of me? That I'm a troublemaker?" Aurora asked, confirming her suspicion with a slight smile. "Why don't we start with you?"

"I don't like talking about myself," Tristan replied.

"Why not?"

"I prefer people to know as little as possible about me. That's why I'm very secretive," explained Tristan.

"We won't get anywhere like this," commented Aurora. She leaned her elbows on the table and thought for a moment. "How about playing 'Never Have I Ever'?"

"That silly game for teenagers?" questioned Tristan, raising an eyebrow.

"That's the one. You know the rules, right? I say something I've never done, and if you've done it, you have to take a drink. If you haven't, you don't drink," explained Aurora.

"Ladies first," Tristan agreed, opening the whiskey bottle and filling two glasses.

"Here goes: Never have I ever shot someone," said Aurora. He didn't drink.

"What do you think of me? That I'm some kind of killer gangster?" Tristan asked.

"More or less. I just remembered you have a weapons room in your house," Aurora replied.

"When you're in the business, you gain enemies. The guns are a way to protect myself, just like my secrecy about my personal life. If they know I have a weakness, they'll use it against me," explained Tristan.

"And what makes you weak?" Aurora inquired. She was almost certain he wouldn't answer, but it didn't hurt to try.

"Nothing. I don't have a weakness, that's why I'm always on top," Tristan replied. Even though he showed no emotion in that statement, she felt it was a lie. He had a weakness, and he made others believe he was untouchable.

"Now it's your turn," said Aurora.

"Never have I ever been so drunk that I forgot what I had done," Tristan stated. She rolled her eyes and drank the whiskey.

"Never have I ever had sex in a public place," teased Aurora.

"Neither do I. Wanna give it a try?" Tristan joked. She chuckled softly as she declined.

They spent a few hours inside the restaurant, savoring the delicious food and discussing random things, including some stories from Aurora's childhood. However, Tristan never mentioned anything about his own childhood. He was a living secret.

Even with some inappropriate touches or remarks, she enjoyed talking to him that way. Tristan had also enjoyed it, even though it wasn't his usual behavior.

As they were leaving the restaurant, they noticed that the sun had already set, and the night was filled with silver stars.

"How about my place?" Tristan suggested, still hoping to have her one more time. But he was completely mistaken.

"I've fulfilled my part of the deal. I'm going home to rest," Aurora replied.

"Why deny it? Aurora, there's a strong attraction between us," Tristan said, pulling her waist and trying to kiss her, but she evaded.

"No, Tristan. That attraction only comes from you," Aurora affirmed, removing his hands from her body. "You've always used girls to satisfy yourself, and the next day they became useless to you. Why am I different?"

"Because I still desire you, and repeating it won't hurt," Tristan replied.

"Tristan, I have to confess that I really enjoyed that night, but I was just one more on your infinite list, and you were just a distraction for me," Aurora revealed.

"A distraction?" Tristan questioned.

"I used you to forget another guy who hurt me, and now I have no interest in you anymore," she noticed the tense expressions forming on his face. "What's wrong? Did you think I'd come crawling back to you? Forgive me, but I won't humiliate myself for someone who isn't worth it."

Without waiting for a response, she turned around and walked away from him.

For years, he had used girls to satisfy himself. Many of them had humiliated themselves in various ways just to have him one more time, and what had he done? He rejected them, belittled them, and pretended not to know them.

Now the tables had turned. He wanted her, but she rejected him. This day would go down in history and be remembered as "the day Tristan Callahan got dumped!"

***

Aurora tried to fix her slightly smudged makeup using the elevator mirror in her building. It was early in the morning, and she was heading to Starbucks to have her delicious coffee.

The elevator doors opened, and she stepped out, greeting the old lady at the reception as she did every morning.

"Miss Aurora!" the old lady called her.

"What's up? Is something wrong?" Aurora stopped in front of the counter.

"I was asked to deliver this to you," the old lady placed a velvet box on the counter.

"For me? Are you sure? Is old age affecting your memory?" Aurora joked.

"You respect me!" the old lady laughed.

With a bit of apprehension, Aurora opened the box, and her heart raced. It was the necklace with the blue gem.

After Aurora headed towards the mall's restroom, Tristan didn't go to his car as he said he would. Instead, he continued looking at the necklace that had caught the young woman's interest.

"Excuse me..." a store employee got the man's attention. "Are you interested in any jewelry?"

"The necklace with the blue gem," Tristan replied.

"Excellent choice. Besides being very beautiful, it's exclusive. There's no other like it; it's unique. That's why the price is a bit steep," the employee explained.

"I'll take it," Tristan said, reaching for his wallet and handing the woman his card.

He had decided to gift her the jewelry because, just like the attendant had said, that necklace was exclusive, and Tristan thought the same thing about Aurora. She was different from other women; she was unique.