Chapter 84: Reunion
At the airport, when Francis and Aurora spotted each other across the crowd, time seemed to stand still. She was still so beautiful, still loved wearing white clothes, just with a bit more elegance that came with age. Seeing her in front of him, overlapping with the image in his memory, Francis suddenly felt a lump in his throat. The corners of Aurora's mouth curved up slightly. Although Francis looked much more mature in his clothes and his features were more defined than in his teenage years, she recognized him at a glance. The way he looked at her was very complicated, just as she had expected—he definitely hadn't gotten over her.
That photo was taken at this moment. Actually, many people at the airport were secretly watching them. Good-looking men and women with outstanding presence always attract more attention wherever they go.
Aurora raised her hand to touch her scarf and smiled politely as she greeted him, "Francis, long time no see."
Francis's eyebrows twitched, and he was pulled back from his memories by her voice. Hearing it in person, her voice was even more pleasant than on the phone, her tone familiar and warm, as if they had never argued, just old lovers who hadn't seen each other in years. He nodded with a somewhat stiff smile, "Yeah, long time no see, Aurora." Then he looked around, "Where's Tina? Didn't she come with you?"
Aurora dragged her small suitcase over to him, brushed her long hair, and said, "She knocked over a man's coffee on her way out and kept insisting on compensating him. She was worried you'd wait too long, so she specifically asked me to come out first to let you know."
Insisting on compensating him? Francis instantly understood what she meant. Tina had her eye on that man, and maybe knocking over the coffee was intentional, too. He smiled and said, "She really is something. In your opinion, what's the man like?"
Aurora smiled behind her hand and thought for a moment, "Tall and well-built, stands very straight, very short hair, sharp eyes, doesn't look like a businessman, probably has a military background." She said this because her family had been in the military for generations, and she'd seen many soldiers growing up.
Francis knew Aurora well and trusted her judgment, so he frowned. The person Tina had her eye on wasn't a good match, but it was too early to say anything now—maybe the guy wasn't even interested in Tina. He changed the subject, "Now that you're back, did your contact come to pick you up?"
Aurora shook her head, "No, I haven't kept in touch with relatives and friends back home for many years, and I don't want to bother them. But I booked a car, it should be here soon."
Francis felt relieved. If no one was picking her up, he would have to take her out of courtesy. But he really wasn't prepared to reunite with her. Her sudden return had disturbed his peace of mind. Actually, in the first two years after Aurora went abroad, he had hoped she would come back and explain that those hurtful actions and words were all for good reasons. As long as she explained, he would believe her and could forgive her. But seven years had passed, and his feelings for her were no longer that pure. The love he once had had turned into resentment. He was no longer the young man who would love a woman wholeheartedly and do everything in his power to treat her well.
"Francis!" Tina ran over from a distance, waving at him as soon as she saw him. She didn't slow down as she rushed over, which scared Aurora into quickly stepping aside.
Francis opened his arms and caught Tina with her momentum. His tone was affectionate, "You're all grown up and still love doing this. You kept reminding me not to be late picking you up, and then you turn around and forget all about me when you see a handsome guy. How are you going to explain that?"
Tina blinked innocently, tilted her head to look at Aurora beside her, and said, "Aurora, I asked you to help me make up an excuse to fool Francis. Why did you tell him the truth?"
Aurora said helplessly, "Francis is so smart, how could I fool him?"
"Fine." Tina pouted, "But you're my brother, you should go easy on me anyway. Besides, I didn't make you wait that long, and I sent Aurora to keep you company!"
Francis glared at her and asked, "So who is this man?"
Tina let out a wail and pouted, "I don't know either! I pestered him for so long, and he completely ignored me. He wouldn't even let me pay for dry cleaning. He avoided me like I had some contagious disease. I'm so mad! I'm beautiful and smart, why would he reject me?"
Francis patted her on the head and said with a smile, "Forget about that guy who doesn't know what's good for him. If you want to date, Mom and Dad will immediately set you up with dozens of eligible young men."
Tina shook her head quickly, "I don't want that! I won't like anyone unless I choose them myself. I want to find someone on my own." Aurora smiled behind her hand.
The group walked toward the parking lot together. Tina suddenly turned and asked, "Aurora, are you coming with us?"
Francis answered first, "No, she called a car."
"Yes." Aurora nodded with a polite smile. Just as she finished speaking, her phone rang—it was the driver she had booked. Aurora answered and listened for a few moments, then her brows furrowed. Finally, she said, "Don't worry, go to the hospital first to get treated. Don't worry, I won't file a complaint against you."
Tina asked curiously, "Aurora, who got hurt?"
Aurora looked at Francis with a troubled expression, "The driver I booked got into a car accident and can't make it. He said it would take about half an hour to send another car."
Tina said with concern, "That's really unlucky. Aurora, you finally came back for a visit." She looked at Francis, her eyes asking him what to do.
Francis hesitated for a moment before asking, "Which hotel did you book? Maybe I can drop you off on the way."
Aurora told him the hotel name, then said considerately, "I hope this won't mess up your plans. Actually, my schedule isn't urgent, I don't mind waiting a bit longer."
Francis said, "It's fine, no problem." After all, they'd known each other for years. Although he didn't want to get back together with her, he couldn't just ignore her when she was in trouble.
Aurora lowered her head slightly and tucked her hair behind her ear, showing a reserved smile, "Thank you, Francis."
When getting in the car, Aurora instinctively started to walk toward the passenger seat, but seeing Tina beside her, she pulled back and sat in the back row with her. Along the way, Francis rarely spoke. It was mostly Tina talking about interesting things that happened at school. Actually, Tina wanted to ask Francis about his new girlfriend, but considering Aurora was there, she held back.
After arriving at the hotel, Francis opened the door for them to get out. Aurora gently touched Francis's hand as she said, "I heard the coffee at this hotel is pretty good. Want to go have a cup?"