I stiffen without meaning to.
The Aurora is money.
A hedge-fund-and-glitter type place.
Girls in dresses that cost more than my car.
Guys with last names that sound like law firms.
This is her world, not mine.
Elena sits up, brushing hair off her shoulder.
She looks beautiful—effortlessly beautiful, the kind of beautiful New York notices when she walks in a room.
She starts typing without looking at me.
I force a casual laugh.
“I should probably, uh…head out. Let you get ready.”
She pauses mid-text.
“You sure?”
She sounds genuinely confused, like she expected me to stay.
I swallow, and my throat feels tight.
“I—I’ve got something tonight,” I lie.
“Something?” she asks softly.
“Yeah,” I make up, pulling on my shirt.
“Family stuff. Gym stuff. Just…stuff.”
She nods slowly, like she’s trying to read me. My heart is starting to thud too hard.
Because truth is?
I want to go with her.
I want to sit beside her.
Maybe hold her hand under the table, and pretend for one night that I belong in her world.
But I don’t.
I’m her little secret.
Her trainer.
Her younger guy.
Her something fun.
I’m not someone she introduces to her friends at a fancy bar.
