𝐓𝐀𝐍𝐓𝐀𝐋𝐈𝐙𝐄𝐃 | 𝟏𝟖+

sixteen; comfort

A U R O R A

"Tore my shirt to stop you bleedin'. But nothing ever stops you leavin'. Quiet when I'm coming home, and I'm on my own."

. . .

On Friday, I go to Riccardo's office. Dad drops me off and I go upstairs, grateful that I don't run into the man I had a... rendez-vous with.

When I enter Riccardo's office, I notice that the mood is... off.

I frown at this but greet him nonetheless. "Hey," he smiles and gets up from his chair. I put my bag down and take my usual seat.

"Is everything okay?" I ask him once I've observed him. He's wearing a frown and he looks disappointed.

He shakes his head. "I lost a case," he tells me. "Brace yourself for the disappointment that'll follow once you lose one, it's not fun," he chuckles. I frown.

"Hey, don't be too hard on yourself. If you were to always win a case, something would've been fishy," I tell him, to cheer him up.

And my heart warms once I see a smile appear on his beautiful face.

I want to hug him and tell him that it's alright, that he doesn't need to worry about anything and that one lost case isn't going to ruin his reputation.

"I guess so," he smiles, which I return. "Don't worry about it. You have tons of other people to defend," I reassure him. He nods.

"Yes, but I wasn't able to help this person. But I guess I'll have to get over it," he says and puts a pile of paper on his desk.

"And I have the dinner this evening to cheer me up," he says. I look up in surprise.

"You're joining us?" I ask. He nods. "Yes, I hope you don't mind?"

I rapidly shake my head, delighted that I'll get to see more of him. "That's great," I smile.

He asks me how studying has been going, and he tests me by asking some questions, which I all answer correctly.

At the end of our session, he looks at me. "How have you been feeling, lately?" he asks.

"Good," I answer. "The effects of the drug have been wearing out and I'm starting to feel more like myself," I tell him honestly. He nods.

"That's very good to hear. I know from experience that the days after aren't as fun," he chuckles. I shake my head.

I've noticed that he doesn't call me baby girl anymore. Or any other endearing term. And it stings somewhere.

Maybe I shouldn't have taken that drug. Because it did give me his touch, but it drove him further away from me.

I feel like our conversations are just dry. He has distanced himself to me, being only polite and that's fucking it.

I want more. I want his smile constantly, his touch, his scent. Cute conversations between the two of us.

But the reason why it can't happen is just now conveniently calling him.

Carla's smiling face appears on the screen of his phone, and I feel my stomach drop.

"Well, I should leave," I say and get up, taking my bag. "Thank you for your time, and I'll see you tonight," I smile and walk out of his office, taking the stairs this time instead of the elevator.

I need to just clear my mind, although I know that I'm not going to succeed in doing so. I'm going out to dinner tonight with Riccardo, I need to look good.