Scarred

Six

"Turn around." Oscar spoke into the phone.

She did and surprise registered in her head as she saw him standing afar. It was the first time Aurelia had seen him outside of his array of suits. He sported a pair of dark sunglasses, dressed casually in a basic cashmere sweater and khaki pants. The familiar flutter in her chest returned. She pressed her phone against her ear as she kept her gaze on him.

"What are you doing here?" She asked with a hint of smile.

"Come here." He raised a brow at her, wanting to be near to her after days of not seeing each other. His schedule had kept him busy and despite his insistence to go over late in the night, Aurelia rejected him. She didn't want to get too attached without figuring out exactly what was happening between them.

She hesitated, seeing he wasn't alone. His friends were standing around behind him and although they were all dressed casually for a Sunday, a tiny part of her still felt intimidated. Nervous. Like she didn't belong.

It was no secret she was vastly different to Oscar regardless of age, appearance or social status. She wore a white fitted crop top, paired with high-waisted checkered skirt that made her resemble even more like an adolescent schoolgirl. She feared the comparison and how she would stand out like a sore thumb if she stood next to him and his friends. If people didn't know, they might even take her as a little sister or teenage daughter of the group seeing as her petite height had always been what people assumed of her age. She cringed at that thought.

Oscar sensed her reluctance and headed towards her instead to ease her mind. He'd tell her she had nothing to worry about; that she was already a household name between his circle of five. His friends were more than curious to meet her for real and he wanted nothing other than to show her off.

"Hi." He grinned, pushing his sunglasses up above his head.

God, was he cute. She had such an urge to grab him and kiss him, before recalling she was sitting with a bunch of preschoolers in a children's home.

She calmed herself, smiling back at him. "Hey yourself."

Oscar glanced at the kids who were staring at him in awe, possibly due to his large frame and presence. He smiled at them too, greeting them hello. Then he took Aurelia's small hand in his, kissing her knuckles.

"May I steal you for a moment?" He asked charmingly.

There wasn't any way she could say no. She stood up, cursing herself for wearing her sneakers. She had no height booster today and the 1'4" difference between them was nearly laughable. She barely reached his chest and had to really tip her head back in order to face him.

He intertwined their hands together, taking her aside. He was glad she was wearing the mask he gifted her. It did take a bit of courage for her to put on something that screamed Louis Vuitton on her face. When she went to school with it, she lied and told her friends it was a knock-off.

He smiled down at her, brushing a few stray strands of hair away from her face. "How's your day, beautiful?" His thumb stroked the back of her hand in an intimate gesture.

"Yeah." She muttered breathily, still a little taken aback that he was once again standing right in front of her. "Great."

He lifted up a hand, moving to tuck her hair behind her ear. He went for the straps of the mask, but Aurelia circled his wrist instantly with panic in her eyes.

"Relax." He smiled assuringly. "Can't kiss you with it on, can I?"

Her cheeks warmed. Was he really going to kiss her in public, in front of so many people?