CHAPTER 31

“Your friend is much younger than I am. She’s a little sister just like you.” I smirked at him and raised an eyebrow.

“Why? How old are you?”

“You little peasant, I’m 25.” He was only 25 years old? He appeared to be in his thirties to me. Well, his face and body looked like he was still in his twenties but his attitude screamed like he was already sixty years old. So there was a seven-years gap, huh?

“Iris is already eighteen.”

“She’s young; we have a seven-year gap.”

“Mom and dad has ten.” He didn’t respond and simply stared at me. He took my backpack after I arranged my things.

Pierre left before us. He never stated where he was going, and hence I had no idea where he was.

Iris was outside, waiting for us. Her two arms were crossed, and she appeared to be bored as she waited for us.

“I’ve arranged my belongings,” I stated, despite that she didn’t ask. I was not sure if she was upset because she had been waiting for so long or for some other reason.

“Come here.” She took my arm and began walking. As was the case previously, Seven was just behind, following us.

We spent the entire break chit-chatting; there was never a moment when Iris did not swear, as her professor had previously soaped her up. Her lecturer even included details about her personal life only because Iris was unable to answer that one question. I understood her rage; I, too, wanted to swear Mrs. Dela Cuesta for humiliating me earlier.

I was not sure what it was about some of our professors that made them think so highly of themselves simply because they were the ones who were teaching us. It was their job to educate and understand us. I didn’t even make a fuss in front of the class; I knew Iris was the same way.

“Ris, I’m sorry, but I’m not going with you today. Seven and I are going somewhere.” Seven had told me earlier that we would be going to the grocery store to buy my supplies for the house. Iris and I had a lot of stocks, but Seven told me that most of our food at home could make me feel weaker.

“You’re not going home tonight?” she asked, fixing her hair. Before turning to face Seven, who had been waiting for me in his black Lamborghini, I shook my head. Iris and his car were right next to one other, and because they were both Lamborghinis, it attracted a lot of attention.

“That’s fine with me. I’ll go first because Pierre asked me to do something, and the deadline is tomorrow.” I stood there watching her went to her car. Pierre? Oh, I almost forgot. She was the secretary of the student council, because of her position, she was responsible for a lot of things.

It was only then that I was able to get into Seven’s Lamborghini after Iris’ car drove away. Seven’s DVD was in front of me, and a song that I was not familiar with was playing.

“Let’s get going; I told Iris we won’t take so long.” I buckled up my seat belt and rested my back on the shotgun’s backrest. He cautiously started the engine and drove in complete silence.

We just traveled along a familiar road. Fortunately, there were numerous grocery stores in the area that were well stocked.

“We’ve arrived.” Seven opened the door for me. The entire ride had been so calm, I was on the verge of falling asleep earlier.

The grocery store was huge, and at first glance, it appeared to be a restaurant. It looked like a house with a lot of groceries inside, and I believed it was constructed of narra tree. As soon as we walked through the door, I was greeted by beautiful yet weird music. Here, unlike the other grocery store where Iris and I shopped, there was no music playing that was currently popular. It was a soothing piece of music that was frequently played at coffee shops.

Seven took a shopping cart from the side and began browsing. I simply followed him because he had the list in his hand. He had the appearance of a father who was out shopping for his family. I laughed at the thought, but I didn’t say anything.

He might punch me if I told him he resembled a parent.

“Look at the ones I’m buying, Aurie. So if there’s a time that you’re not with me, you’re already familiar with the ones you’re gonna buy and won’t have to call me,” he stated flatly. I looked at the cart; The majority of them would make your bones stronger, while the others, I had no idea what they were called.

“It’s too much, Sev; two months will pass and I’m sure I still haven’t eaten them all,” I joked. Our cart was nearly full but it seemed like we were not finished yet.

“It’s not much if you’re always eating. You’re as thin as a sheet of paper, Aurie. It’s far from your body before you left our house. I’m not saying you don’t look good; you just appear thinner right now.” I sighed and ceased protesting. He was right; I had dropped a significant amount of weight since I left home. It was not because Iris wasn’t feeding me well; it was just mom’s house had things that Iris and I didn’t have.

Seven lined up and paid for everything he purchased; all I needed to do was wait for him. To be honest, I felt completely worthless; he didn’t even speak to me or ask for assistance. I should have stayed at home instead.

I should have sleep.

“Where would you like to eat?” he asked as he carried several eco-bags. As was the case previously, he also refused to let me lift even one of the bags.

I wanted to shout and tell him that I was not a cripple. I could even slap him hard.

“Anywhere. We should eat more quickly; it’s nearly night.”

“There’s a restaurant nearby; let’s eat there and buy your friend some food as well.” I watched him load two bags into his black Lamborghini. Good thing the store had a delivery man that could deliver the goods at our house, so we didn’t have a hard time storing all the bags in the small compartment. After he set it down, we both got into the car and drove away.

The trip was quick, only three minutes far from the grocery store.

“Woah,” I said in awe when I saw the restaurant. The tables were located outside, and there were only a handful of people inside. The surrounding area was densely packed with pendant lights; they served as the primary source of light for the space.

Why hadn’t I noticed this earlier? It was so close to the grocery shop.

Seven held the door open for me as I descended. As I went, I grinned and looked at the surroundings, which included a fountain in the center and an abundance of flowers. I could confidently tell that this was an ideal location for couples, teenagers, and families.

I’d bring Iris and Pierre here if they had time.

“Who’s with you?” I nearly jumped in fear when I heard a voice behind me. I was so familiar with that voice that I could never go wrong.

“Pierre? What are you doing here?” I asked as I returned his gaze. He was dressed casually in a black hoodie, gray baggy jeans, and, of course, spectacles.

“This is my auntie’s restaurant, Alistair’s mother. She informed me they had a new dish, so I came here to taste it. Who’s with you?”

So, there was a possibility that Iris had already come here? Oh, how I wish I could get her here before I die. That would be our first and last date in this lifetime.

“I’m with Seven. We went straight to the grocery store when the bell rang, so I haven’t changed yet. We’re both hungry, soo...we came straight here.”

“Have you found a table yet, Aurie?”

I turned back and saw Seven had arrived. He came to a halt when he saw Pierre in front of me; their eyes locked for a brief second.

Wow, were they inlove?

“Oh, he’s already here. This is Seven, remember him? Should we dine together?” I grabbed both of their arms and dragged them to the nearest vacant table.

Seven was next to me, while Pierre was sitting in front of us. Pierre was very endearing tonight; he resembled a webtoon character.

“What do you two want to eat? Order one for me, Sev.” Seven examined the menu. Pierre made no attempt to peruse the menu, as if he had already learned everything on it.

I kept an eye on his face until he shifted his focus to me. I smiled at him as I raised my chin.

“What?” he mouthed.

“You look handsome,” I remarked quietly. He lifted one eyebrow and leaned back against the chair’s backrest.

Our eyes was then diverted when Seven placed the menu on the table. We were greeted by a waitress who took his orders. Pierre also ordered one for him. My prediction was right; even if he didn’t look, he would recognize the foods on the menu.

When the waitress left, our table fell into stillness. They appeared to have no intention of conversing until someone initiated the conversation. What if Iris were here? They were all the same.

“Uh, you’re familiar with one another, aren’t you? Pierre, this is Seven, a close family friend of mine. Seven, this is Pierre, my uh...”

My what? A friend? We had sex. Wasn’t that what lovers do, after all? That, on the other hand, was never brought up. I didn’t bother to open it for him, and he didn’t bother to open it for me.

“Her boyfriend.”

I was taken aback when I heard Pierre utter something like that. He was looking at Seven with a smug expression on his face, as if he was pleased with what he said.

We didn’t talk about it, so how could he claim to be my boyfriend if we never talked about it? Why was he the only one who knew what was going on? I was starting to feel a little out of date.

“You are?” Seven asked, as if he was verifying what Pierre just said. When he looked at me and gave me a ‘Really, Aurora Elyse?’ look, I bit my lip. What the hell?

Even I had no idea that Pierre was my lover, which was embarrassing. What should I say? Not that he needed to know about my love life, but he had the right to know because he was my doctor, a family friend, a brother, and someone who was always there for my mother and me, so he should know. Even though I was not close to him, he was like a member of my family to me.

“Yeah.” Pierre turned away from Seven and fixed his gaze on me instead. I raised my brow.

“Right, Aurora Elyse?” He, like me, lifted his brows, as if he were confronting me in some way.

Aurora Elyse? This was the first time he called me that. Of fact, he only found out about it when Seven brought it up earlier in class. Even Iris was unaware that I had a second name that comes after Aurora. My national ID card just had the name Aurora Jenkins on it; there was no mention of a second name. Even my mum only referred to me as such once every three years.

“U-Uh, yes...” I responded, a little bit nervous. Even though I was skeptical, I still agreed. I didn’t want to cause Pierre any embarrassment by refusing. If it was just the two of us, we could talk about it.

“How old are you?”

“I’m twenty years old.”

My eyes widened in shock. I knew he celebrated birthday last month, but I thought he was just nineteen. He didn’t appear to be twenty years old at all.

“You’re still in senior high school, aren’t you? Aurie is 18 years old, which is a little late for senior high school. If we hadn’t had any problems with her before, she should be enrolled in college right now. You’re three years late for a senior high student. Why is that?”

I kicked Seven’s foot under the table when I didn’t like what he asked, but he didn’t seem to notice or care about what I was doing. He didn’t even look at me.

What if it was personal? Stupid Seven.

“I took a three-year break for personal reasons.”

Seven did not look at me until I booted him beneath the table once again. He was going to say something when his phone rang; he made no further attempt to speak with Pierre.

“Excuse me, I’ll just answer this call.” Sev pulled his face near to mine and murmured something before standing up.

“This is your mother; please don’t approach me while we are speaking; she may overhear your voice and become suspicious.” He then left Pierre and me alone. I immediately felt homesickness. I long to hear the sound of my mother’s voice. I missed my mother so much.

“You don’t look good. What did he say?” I raised my eyes in response to Pierre’s voice. His brow creased, as if he desired to know what Seven had whispered to me.

“Nothing. Anyway, boyfriend, huh?” I faked a smile to stave off further questions.

“What? We slept and kissed; I expressed my liking for you and you expressed your liking for me; thus, we are simply in a relationship.” I wanted to stone him with a tissue because he admitted it blatantly. What if someone overheard it? He didn’t even attempt to lower his voice.

“Iris once told me that people typically have sex with someone they don’t even care about or like, or with a complete stranger. They call it a one-night stand, right? Or a fuck buddy?”

He raised an eyebrow at me, as if expressing dissatisfaction with what I said. What was the issue? I was being completely serious.

“Iris told you that?”

“Yeah, I was intrigued.” I asked Iris after Pierre and I did it. I didn’t tell her that we did it, though. I said that I was only curious, and she asked no further questions.

“You should have just asked me; I can show and tell,” he added, smiling. I rolled my eyes and kicked his foot lightly beneath the table.

“Whatever, Mr. Cardinal. She also told me that if both parties like each other but are unable or unwilling to commit, they can remain friends even if they truly love each other.”

“Are you saying that you’re not yet prepared to commit?” he asked, crossing his arms and raising an eyebrow at me. When I saw his expression, I stifled a smile. Really, Pierre? He looked like a child.

“I never said that,” I joked. I heard him sigh, as if he was relieved to hear that.

“Why are you laughing? No one is joking here,” he remarked with a frown.

“You’re cute.”

“Shut up; I am not a child.”

“Oh, yes. I recall you’re already twenty, right? Geez, that’s too old. I wouldn’t be surprised if you already had a grandchild,” I teased.

“I don’t have one, but I can give you one,” he added with a smile. My cheeks grew warm as I realized what he meant.

A son? I couldn’t even carry a watermelon.