Aura kept her eyes on her notebook, though she hadn't written a single word in minutes.
The classroom buzzed with low conversations, chairs shifting, pages turning, but everything sounded distant to her, like she was hearing it through water.
Her fingers tightened slightly around her pen as she forced herself to remain calm.
Across the room, Ethan noticed.
She hadn't looked at him once.
Not when he walked in.
Not when he took his seat.
Not even when their eyes almost met.
Something was wrong.
" Hey, about what you wanted to talk about...
" No need." She replied brushing it off. " Won't want to disturb his highness."
She said a bit bitter and then going back to silence. Silence that echoed.
Ethan was a bit stunned, she was back to distance and treating him formally?
Francis leaned back in his chair beside her, stretching lazily. "You're unusually quiet today," he said, glancing sideways at her.
"Did someone steal your personality?"
Aura gave a faint smile. "Maybe I left it at home."
"That's impossible. You carry elegance like a weapon."
She chuckled softly. "You sound ridiculous."
"Yet you laughed."
"I'm being polite."
"You're being suspicious."
She looked at him then, properly, and her expression softened. "You're still thinking about Avery?" She said more like a question of concern to shift her attention from her own internal turmoil.
Francis sighed. "Am I that obvious?"
"You checked your phone again."
He flipped it face down immediately. "I wasn't."
"You were." She said chuckling at his childishness.
"I hate that you're right."
Aura leaned back slightly. "She was emotional. You were emotional. That usually leads to misunderstandings."
"I walked out If I had stayed there for one more second I wasn't sure if I'd breakdown first before I could even explain."
"You'll talk again."
Francis gave a small, tired smile. "You always sound so certain."
"I'm not. I just prefer hope." She said with a sigh.
The entire conversation was whispered for privacy.
Ethan watched the interaction from his seat. Something about it unsettled him. Aura was smiling, talking normally, yet there was distance in her movements when she interacted with him.
' I mean she was fine A while ago, what changed.' he thought upset.
A restraint. A carefulness.
And she still hadn't looked at him.
Not once.
He stood.
Francis noticed first. "You're moving already?"
"I need to ask Aura something," Ethan said calmly.
Aura stiffened almost imperceptibly.
Francis leaned back. "Oh? Should I leave?"
"No." Aura replied Francis. She didn't want to face him alone. Not yet, she was afraid of his answer.
"I'm not leaving." Francis replied wondering why there was tension between them.
Aura spoke quickly. "It's fine. What is it?"
Ethan stopped beside her desk. Up close, he noticed it more clearly. Her eyes were calm, but not warm. Her posture composed, but guarded.
"You left when you saw me earlier," he said.
"Yes." She replied without facing him.
"Without saying anything?"
"I had something to do."
"You avoided me." Ethan said with a bit grievance.
She met his eyes briefly, then looked away. "You're imagining things."
Francis blinked. "Okay… I feel like I walked into something."
Aura forced a small smile. "You didn't."
Ethan studied her silently. She wasn't lying, but she wasn't telling the truth either.
He stepped back. "Forget it."
"Thank you," she replied politely.
The politeness hurt more than rejection.
He returned to his seat, but his thoughts refused to settle.
Did she see something? Or… Was this about Francis?
He glanced at them again.
They were talking quietly.
Close.
Comfortable.
His chest tightened slightly.
After school, Francis stretched dramatically. "I'm keeping my promise. Let's go to the bar."
Aura looked at him. "You still want to go?"
"Of course. I said I'd take you out. Also, I need a drink before I overthink myself into insanity."
"You shouldn't drink when emotional."
"You shouldn't lecture when emotional either." She hesitated. She didn't want to go home. She didn't want to think. She didn't want silence. Her dad was away. The silence without anyone familiar might break her.
"Alright," she said softly.
Francis grinned. "Good. We'll go somewhere decent."
"Please define decent." Francis said with a smirk.
"Not loud. Not crowded. Not embarrassing."
"I know a place."
Avery overheard, and so did Ethan.
Avery stood up and left, while Ethan quietly sent a message, remaining calm on the surface but burning inside.
Meanwhile later...
The car stopped before a building that looked more like a private gallery than a bar. Tall glass panels reflected the evening lights, gold-lined architecture glowing softly against dark marble. The entrance was guarded, discreet, elegant.
Aura looked up. "This is… not casual."
Francis smirked. "It's called The Gilded Nocturne."
She raised an eyebrow. "That name alone sounds expensive."
"It is."
"You didn't warn me."
"You would've refused." He said with a shrug.
"You're right." She sighed.
They stepped inside.
The interior whispered luxury. A pianist played softly in the corner, the music calm, refined. Conversations were quiet, controlled.
Aura exhaled slowly. "This is beautiful."
"I knew you'd like it."
They sat in a private booth.
"What are we drinking?" Francis asked.
"Something light."
"That's not how this works."
"It is for me." He ordered anyway. He said ordering anyway.
They began with simple conversation.
School.
Classes.
People.
Then silence settled.
Francis lifted his glass. "To misunderstandings."
Aura lifted hers. "To clarity."
They drank.
Minutes passed.
Then another round.
Francis leaned back. "She looked at me like I betrayed her."
Aura spoke gently. "Maybe she felt hurt."
"I didn't do anything."
"That doesn't mean she didn't feel something." She added.
He rubbed his forehead. "I hate this."
Aura nodded slowly. "Me too."
He looked at her. "You too?"
She hesitated. "I… saw something today."
He frowned. "What?"
"It hurt." She took another sip. "Just something unexpected."
Francis leaned forward. "You can tell me."
"I know."
"You don't trust me?"
"I do."
"Then?"
She shook her head lightly. "Not tonight."
He sighed.
They drank again.
Their voices softened.
Their words loosened.
Francis laughed suddenly. "You're really comforting. You look calm all the time. I forget you're human."
"I am."
"You're also pretty."
She blinked. "You're drunk."
"Not yet."
She smiled faintly.
Ethan arrived later.
He hadn't planned to. He only asked for the location.
But he couldn't stop thinking about her.
When he stepped inside, his eyes scanned automatically.
Then he saw them.
Talking quietly.
Her expression softer than earlier.
His chest tightened.
He sat at a distance, unseen.
Watching.
Francis leaned closer. "You're warm."
"You're drunk."
"Not yet."
"You are."
He laughed.
Aura supported him slightly as he shifted.
Ethan's fingers tightened around his glass.
Was he wrong?
Had he misunderstood everything?
An hour later, Francis was clearly drunk.
"I'm fine," he insisted.
"You are not," Aura replied.
"I'm perfectly stable."
He nearly tipped sideways.
She caught him.
Ethan stood.
"I'll handle this."
They both looked up.
Aura froze slightly.
Francis blinked. "Prince slash Best friend. Hi." He said waving.
"You're drunk."
"I'm dignified. A Duke, a good catch." He said with a slight slur towards the end.
"You're going home."
Ethan called the driver.
Francis protested weakly.
Aura helped him up.
He leaned heavily.
"You're… great," he murmured to her.
She smiled sadly. At least he thought that.
The driver took Francis.
Aura remained.
She swayed slightly.
Ethan stepped closer. "You're not driving."
"I'm fine. I didn't drive." She replied
He guided her gently.
The car stopped.
She frowned. "This isn't my house."
"You're at the palace."
She blinked slowly.
He led her inside.
To a private lounge.
Servants brought warm sobering soup.
She sat quietly.
"Are you dating Stephanie?"
He froze.
Silence.
She laughed softly. "I saw you."
His chest tightened.
"You saw…"
"Everything." She said looking at him with an eye glazed over with tears.
Her voice trembled. From the fear that what she saw was real.
"It hurt," she whispered.
He wanted to explain.
But he couldn't.
Not yet.
Not now.
"I understand," she said softly.
She stood.
He didn't stop her.
She walked away.
And he realized…
He was close to losing something he hadn't even held close yet.