Aurelia stood there with a bitter smile.When she returned home,her nose began bleeding again.She wiped it carelessly,then opened the beautifully packaged cake on the table,but when she took a bite,it tasted like wax.
A new message appeared on her phone,and Aurelia glanced at it instinctively.It was from 10086:“Happy Birthday.”
She let out a bitter laugh,put the cake away,and wandered aimlessly down the street until she found herself at the restaurant she used to visit with Santino.
Before everything fell apart,this had been his favorite place.The first time he did well on his exams and earned a reward,Aurelia had brought him here,and from then on,Santino carried a quiet fondness for it.
On every important occasion,he would bring her along,and over time,the restaurant became their little secret.But now,that secret had been broken by someone else.
Almost without thinking,she pushed the door open and immediately saw Santino and Astrid sitting close together at a table.
Her sudden appearance felt like an intrusion,as if she had stepped into the intimacy of a young couple,out of place like an unwanted third wheel.
She instinctively wanted to hide her tired appearance and slip away,but Astrid looked up and called out to her with bright almond-shaped eyes.“Aurelia,what a coincidence,come eat with us.”
Aurelia waved her hand to refuse,but out of the corner of her eye,she noticed Santino’s face growing darker.
His voice was cold,yet there was no room for refusal.“Since you’re here,why not sit with us?”
Aurelia was stunned into silence.The boy who had once been thin and quiet had unknowingly grown into a man whose presence weighed heavily in every movement.She gathered herself,pulled a chair over,and sat down.
Astrid handed her the menu,and as Aurelia looked at it,every dish on the page felt familiar,each one tied to memories she had once shared with Santino.
She passed it back with a faint smile.“You two order,I don’t really know this place.”
Her words made Santino’s brows knit tighter,his cold expression sinking even more,but Astrid,unaware,spoke lightly.“Then let Santino order.He’s eaten here for ten years,he knows which dishes are good!”
Santino took the menu,though his eyes never left Aurelia,and he listed a few dishes,each one heavy with oil and spice.