Chapter 64
[SAME DAY]
The evening air around campus felt heavier than usual.
Students moved slower. Conversations were shorter. The semester had reached that brutal stretch, works stacked, deadlines closing in, everyone mentally exhausted. Even the usually loud courtyard sounded muted.
4:37 p.m.
Leonard stepped out of the faculty block, already scrolling through messages on his phone. His expression remained unreadable, but his eyes moved fast, absorbing every line. Updates from Mexico. Timelines. Names. Movements.
He didn't slow down.
His car came into view. He reached it, still reading, one hand already moving to open the door.
Footsteps approached from behind.
Ricky noticed them first and glanced over his shoulder.
Ivy. And Oma.
Oma wasn't walking.
She was heading straight for Leonard with purpose.
Before Leonard could pull the door open fully, Oma reached him and slammed it shut.
The sound echoed sharper than expected.
Leonard's hand stilled on the handle.
Slowly, he lifted his eyes to her.
He sighed quietly, irritation flickering across his face. "You again."
Oma didn't back down.
"I need to talk to you."
Leonard leaned his weight against the car lazily. "Don't you have a boyfriend to worry about?"
Her jaw tightened. "This isn't about me."
"Then make it quick."
Oma stepped closer, her voice firm. "Do you not know how to do anything softly with Aurora?"
Leonard didn't respond.
His expression didn't change.
But he was listening.
"Must you always force everything?" she continued. "Must you always be rough? Must everything you do with her feel like a battle?"
Ricky shifted slightly beside them but stayed quiet.
Ivy folded her arms, watching.
"You literally took her to your villa yesterday," Oma went on, anger rising in her voice. "Forcefully. After class. She still hasn't told me why you took her there."
Leonard's gaze darkened slightly, but he remained silent.
"And then what did you do?" Oma continued. "You left her. Alone. She had to call someone else to pick her up. She waited. She was stressed. She was exhausted."
She shook her head.
"I tried asking her. I tried getting her to tell me what happened. She wouldn't say anything."
Her voice dropped, colder now.
"And you still think this is okay?"
Leonard stared at her. Unmoved.
"You know what, Leo?" Oma said, anger finally spilling over. "Fuck you. Fuck you, Leonard. Stop stressing out my girl. She has been through enough."
Ricky blinked slightly.
Ivy exhaled quietly.
Oma stepped even closer.
"For a second, I thought she could handle you. I thought maybe she understood your... whatever this is." She gestured vaguely toward him. "But now? I'm changing my mind."
Leonard tilted his head slightly.
Still silent.
"If you really want anything with her," Oma continued, voice steady now, "try doing it calmly. Just once. Try doing something softly."
She folded her arms.
"I'm even challenging you."
Leonard's eyes flickered - barely.
"Whatever you're doing with her forcefully... try doing it softly. And watch what happens. I bet she might actually agree with you."
A beat of silence passed.
Students walked around them, glancing briefly, sensing tension.
Oma exhaled slowly.
"Rumors are spreading everywhere about you two. I don't even care anymore. Prove them right if you want. Just... do it right."
Her voice softened just a little.
"Just don't stress her out."
She stepped back slightly, still staring at him.
"Don't."
Oma stepped back slightly, still staring at him.
"Don't."
The silence stretched between them.
Leonard didn't answer. Didn't move. Didn't even blink. He just watched her like she'd said something mildly interesting instead of practically cursing him out.
Footsteps hurried toward them.
"Guys!"
Mason jogged out from the faculty building, phone in hand, scanning around until he spotted them. "I've been calling you people. Are we going or what?"
Oma glanced back at him briefly, then looked at Leonard one last time.
Her eyes hardened again.
"Just... try it," she muttered, quieter now.
"For once."
She turned away from him.
Ricky exhaled under his breath. "Well," he murmured, scratching the back of his neck, "that was... something."
Leonard said nothing.
Ricky pulled his phone from his pocket.
"Anyway, I gotta go. We're hitting a club. Need to unwind before my brain melts from assignments." He jerked his chin toward Ivy. "You good?"
Ivy nodded, already stepping closer to him.
"More than good. I need loud music and zero responsibilities."
Ricky smirked faintly and reached for her hand, lacing their fingers together easily.
Mason reached Oma and slid his hand into hers without a word.
His thumb brushed over her knuckles gently, like he could still feel the tension in her.
"You okay?" he asked softly.
Oma nodded once. "Yeah."
But she didn't look back at Leonard again.
The four of them started walking away together, Ivy saying something under her breath that made Ricky huff quietly, Mason listening to Oma as she spoke in a low voice, the group slowly blending into the evening crowd.
Leonard watched them go.
Only when they disappeared past the corner did he finally move.
He opened the car door and slid inside.
The door shut with a muted thud.
Silence filled the space immediately.
His hands rested on the steering wheel, but he didn't start the engine.
Oma's words replayed in his head.
Leonard leaned back slightly in his seat, eyes forward, expression unreadable.
Soft.
The word felt foreign. Boring. Inefficient.
He exhaled quietly.
Then started the engine.
The car hummed to life.
He pulled out of the parking lot smoothly, merging into the road without another thought, at least, that's what it looked like.
★
Aurora swallowed the painkiller with a sip of water, then leaned back against the headboard.
The duvet was pulled up to her waist, her laptop resting on her thighs, the glow of the screen reflecting faintly in her tired eyes.
A half-typed assignment stared back at her, the cursor blinking patiently as if waiting for her brain to catch up.
Her temples still throbbed, but not as badly as before. Manageable. Quiet. Dull.
She exhaled slowly and resumed typing.
A soft knock sounded on the door before it opened.
Gemma stepped in gently. "Hey, baby."
Aurora glanced up briefly. "Hi."
Gemma crossed the room and sat beside her on the bed, her hand automatically finding Aurora's. She rubbed it softly, her eyes scanning her daughter's face.
"Nanny Mira told me you threw up yesterday," she said quietly. "What happened? Are you okay, my love?"
Aurora shrugged faintly, eyes returning to the laptop. "Nothing. Just felt a little under the weather."
Gemma frowned slightly, studying her.
"You still look pale."
"I'm fine, Mom."
A pause.
Gemma brushed a strand of hair away from Aurora's face. "Do you want me to get you anything? Ice cream maybe? You love ice cream. I could order your favorite flavor. Or soup. Something light."
Aurora shook her head. "No... it's okay. I just want to finish this and rest again."
"You're sure?"
"Yeah."
Gemma hesitated. "Do you want me to stay with you?"
Aurora finally looked at her. "Mom, I'm fine. Okay?"
Gemma gave a small smile, though worry still lingered in her eyes. "Okay then. But if you need anything, call me. I'll be downstairs... probably in the kitchen."
Aurora nodded once.
Gemma leaned forward and kissed her forehead softly. "Rest when you're done, alright?"
"Mm."
Gemma stood, adjusted the duvet slightly over her, then walked toward the door. She paused once, glanced back at her daughter, then left quietly.
The door clicked shut.
Aurora stared at the screen again.
The cursor blinked.
She resumed typing.
★
[COLLETTE AND CHARLOTTE'S PLACE]
The TV volume dropped under another burst of laughter. Giggling and sounds of lips meeting lips.
Charlotte was half lying across Perry, her legs tangled with his, her fingers playing with the collar of his shirt while he kissed the side of her mouth, missing the actual movie completely. An action movie actually.
Explosions lit up the screen. Nobody cared.
Colette walked in just in time to see
Charlotte giggling into his shoulder.
She stopped.
Expression flat.
Annoyed.
She didn't say anything. Just turned and walked straight to the kitchen.
The fridge opened. Cold light spilling over her face.
She grabbed an apple. Shut it. Took a bite.
Crunch.
She leaned against the counter, chewing slowly, eyes drifting back to the living room through the open space.
They were worse now.
Charlotte whispered something in Perry's ear. He smirked. She smacked his chest lightly. He pulled her closer again.
Colette rolled her eyes.
"Disgusting," she muttered under her breath.
Another bite.
Her gaze stayed on them, but her thoughts drifted somewhere else.
Why was their life so... easy?
Charlotte liked someone. Charlotte got him.
Simple.
Meanwhile...
Her jaw tightened slightly.
Aurora.
Just the thought of her name made something twist inside her chest.
It had been weeks. And somehow the stupid crush had only gotten worse. Not better. Worse.
She'd tried ignoring it.
Tried distracting herself.
Tried telling herself Aurora wasn't even into girls.
None of it worked.
Because every time she opened her phone...
There she was.
Aurora leaning against her car.
Aurora walking across campus.
Aurora with those cold eyes and that careless attitude like the world bored her.
Colette exhaled slowly.
She finished the apple. Tossed the core in the bin.
Her fingers itched.
Should she text her?
The thought came suddenly. Reckless.Stupid.
She frowned.
"Text her how?" she muttered.
She didn't have Aurora's number.
She didn't talk to Oma.
Didn't talk to Ivy.
Definitely not Roseanne.
Not Kiara too.
And Aurora herself?
They barely spoke. Ever.
Colette leaned her hip against the counter, folding her arms, thinking.
Maybe she could....
The TV suddenly went silent.
She looked up.
Perry had grabbed the remote and turned it off.
Charlotte blinked. "Why'd you-"
He didn't answer. Just looked at her.
Charlotte's smile slowly shifted.
Oh.
Colette's eyes narrowed.
Perry leaned forward, murmuring something low. Charlotte laughed quietly, pushing his shoulder.
"You're terrible," she whispered.
He didn't look apologetic.
Colette made a face. "Of course," she muttered, already turning away. "Animals."
She walked toward the hallway just as Charlotte got on Perry's laps and showering him with kisses.
Colette didn't look back.
"Lock the door," she called dryly as she disappeared toward her room.
A second later, she heard Charlotte's muffled laugh.
Colette shut her door.
Silence.
She leaned back against it.
Then slowly... she picked up her phone.
Aurora's picture filled the screen again.
Her thumb hovered.
"How am I supposed to get your number..." she murmured quietly.
TBC...