"Good evening Mr. Knight, your usual table?"
It was almost 7PM when they arrived at the restaurant. Aurora had been introduced to Xavier's driver and head of security, Jackson, who was a very intimidating man. He drove them to a fancy restaurant a couple of blocks from the hotel. Apparently it was one that Xavier frequented often.
From the exterior to the interior, it seemed like a fancy Italian restaurant. The atmosphere of the restaurant was very calming, with soft music playing in the background to set the mood and light chatter amongst the guests.
The waitress led the two to their seats towards a more private and secluded area in the corner of the restaurant.
"You waiter will be with you shortly," she said, setting down two menus on the table.
Being the gentleman that he was, or maybe he just wanted to impress her, Xavier pulled the chair out for Aurora to sit. A soft blush made its way onto her face as she softly thanked him.
Aurora placed her purse behind her and grabbed the menu, flipping through it. She inwardly groaned when she saw that there were no images. Call her a child, but she always preferred to see what she was eating before ordering it. The fancy names of each dish and confusing descriptions did not help at all.
Xavier watched Aurora with amusement as her eyebrows were scrunched in confusion. "Don't know what to order?"
Aurora gave him a sheepish smile, bringing the menu away from her face. "Recommend me something?"
"I usually get the grilled steak with a side of potatoes and mushroom," Answered Xavier smoothly. "Their Spaghetti aglio e olio is really delicious as well."
"How'd you know I was craving spaghetti?" Aurora gave Xavier a big grin. She then attempted to pronounce the name of the dish, but ended up failing terribly. "I butchered that didn't I?"
Xavier let out a small chuckle just before a waiter approached them with two glasses and a bottle of expensive looking red wine. He set a small basket of bread in the middle along with butter. Xavier helped Aurora order, saving her from the embarrassment of pronouncing the name wrong again.
"Do you eat here often?" Asked Aurora as soon as the waiter left with their orders. "They seem to know your order."
Xavier let out a small chuckle. It still amused him to see that Aurora didn't realize the influence he had in the world. Although he had only been to the restaurant a few times, the staff had already memorized what he usually ordered, which included the red wine.
Xavier grabbed his glass and took a sip of wine. "Only when I come down here to check up on the hotel. I'm guessing it's your first time here."
"Hm, I wonder what gave that away," teased Aurora with a bit of playfulness laced in her voice. "I don't usually come to fancy restaurants like this unless someone invites me. But I do feel a bit underdressed honestly. "
Although the last part was said softly, Xavier still caught what she had said.
"You look beautiful," said Xavier, quickly dismissing her statement. His compliment had caused Aurora's cheeks to heat up again. "What do you usually eat then?"
He felt the desire to learn more about Aurora.
"I usually eat at home," explained Aurora. "Either takeout or my mom's cooking."
"Do you live with your parents?"
Aurora shook her head. "I live by myself, but my parents live in the suburbs an hour away. They know I'll probably burn the house down if I cook so my mom will occasionally fill my fridge up with dishes."
Xavier looked at her with surprise. She didn't seem like the type who would be terrible at cooking. She was probably exaggerating.
"I know, I'm literally a child trapped in a 26 year old body," added Aurora when Xavier's face held a look of bewilderment. "The kitchen and I just don't really get along."
"No, it's not that," Xavier denied quickly. "I just- you just don't really seem like the type who can't cook."
"Oh believe me, I'm literally a walking fire hazard." Aurora let out an unladylike snort, to which she quickly covered her mouth, her eyes wide in shock. Why she covered her mouth, she didn't know.
Xavier was amused and let out a small chuckle.
"Stop laughing at me," mumbled Aurora, pouting. She quickly covered her face with her hands in embarrassment.
"Don't be shy, it was cute," Xavier reached over and gently pried her hands away from her face.
Their eyes met, both refusing to look away. After a couple seconds, Aurora was the first to break his gaze and looked down at her plate. She couldn't help but feel attracted to the man sitting in front of her. There was just something about him that made her feel drawn to him.
It was odd to see a gentle Xavier and she seemed to notice that he was the complete opposite while working.
Xavier couldn't help but to remember the conversation he had accidentally heard earlier. "You seem very close to your brother."
Aurora quickly snapped out of her trance and brought her gaze up to meet his gaze. She grabbed a slice of bread and ripped a piece off. "We are pretty close. He's always there for me even though he doesn't live in LA anymore."
"Where does he live now?"
"Boston,"Aurora took a couple seconds to chew. "He's a hockey player."
Xavier froze, the gears in his head turning.
"Your brother doesn't happen to play for the Boston Bruins does he?" He asked as he came into realization..
"He does, actually."
"No fucking way, your brother is Connor Young?"
Aurora was genuinely surprised as she nodded. Xavier didn't seem like the type who would be a fan of hockey.
"Are you fanboying over my brother right now?" Asked Aurora teasingly. "I didn't peg you as a hockey fan."
"Before my dad's company relocated to LA, we lived in Boston. They're my dad's favorite team and I guess the rest of us just went along with it," Xavier explained, still surprised. Throughout the years, he had watched Connor come up rising as one of the best players in the NHL, but the news never mentioned him having a sister. "You two don't really look alike- well, now that I'm looking at you, there are some similarities."
"He looks more like my dad, while I look like my mom," acknowledged Aurora. "You can barely tell he's actually half Taiwanese."
"No wonder," Xavier nodded as it began to make sense. "I don't think the media has ever mentioned him having a sister."
"I like my life to be private, so he tries not to mention me," explained Aurora. "But now that I'm starting to get my name out there, I think people will start putting two and two together."
Xavier nodded. "The media can be overwhelming sometimes."
"Yeah I really don't know how you do it," Aurora admired his strength to deal with the media everyday.
"I guess I just learned to tune them out," shrugged Xavier.
Growing up with his face plastered all over the media alongside his older siblings and parents made Xavier accustomed and immune to the media. He was glad his parents decided to keep his younger siblings away from all the attention until they were older.
"My younger brother, Elijah, is a huge fan of Connor," Added Xavier, wanting to change the subject. He knew that the media painted his image as a cold and ruthless business man. He never gave it much thought since he believed that if people were scared of him, they would stay away.
"Well, Connor's coming back home soon so maybe I can arrange a meeting," suggested Aurora.
"He'd really like that."
At that moment, the waiter came back with their orders. Dinner was filled with light conversation as the two learned more about one another. Aurora was enjoying herself, especially the food. Xavier's suggestion had been exactly what she was craving. He even caught her doing a small dance in her seat as she enjoyed the spaghetti, causing him to smile.
Like they said, the way to a girl's heart is through her stomach with good food.
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"You know I could've paid," muttered Xavier as he gave her an unamused look.
Aurora let out a loud laugh at his crestfallen expression. It was almost 8 when they finished dinner and Xavier suggested to walk down to the pier. Aurora immediately agreed since she was enjoying Xavier's company and wanted to spend more time getting to know him. She was also stuffed and wanted to go on a little walk.
But of course, there was always room for dessert.
Now the two walked side by side down the pier, holding ice cream cones in their hands. Aurora had opted for a cookies and cream ice cream cone while Xavier chose chocolate.
"Yes, but you paid for dinner Xavier," grinned Aurora, causing Xavier to grumble something under his breath about how he paid because he was the one who invited her to dinner.
They continued to walk down the pier, as a comfortable silence fell between them. The only sounds heard were the waves and the soft click-clacking Aurora's heels made against the pier's floor boards. Couples and families walked besides them chattering amongst themselves.
Spotting a bench, Aurora steered Xavier towards it and took a seat. Xavier sat next to her as they looked out into the ocean, silently finishing their cones.
He was the first to break the silence. "What are you thinking so hard about?"
Xavier turned to look at the girl besides him who seemed to be lost in her thoughts. The light from the shops that lined the pier shined on her figure, making her look like an angel.
"Just remembering the last time I came here," replied Aurora, brushing her skirt in case she dropped any crumbs.
"On a date?" Asked Xavier, his figure unknowingly tensing up at the thought of her coming there with a guy. Although he wouldn't be surprised since Santa Monica Pier was known to be a popular place for couples to go on dates.
Aurora shook her head.
"The only time I came here was in college with my best friend," started Aurora, reminiscing that time. "We were both stressed from finals and came here for a quick breather."
"I'm sorry I didn't mean to pry," apologized Xavier, thinking that this was a sore topic for her.
Aurora let out small chuckle, shaking her head. "No need to be sorry Xavier. It was a nice memory. We just sat here and talked about our futures."
"What year were you guys in?"
"I think we were in our last year," answered Aurora, brushing her hair from her face. The wind was starting to pick up. "It was kind of terrifying thinking about what would happen with our futures after college. It was here where we promised to try to remain best friends even after we go off on our separate ways."
"You two still friends?"
"Of course. She's still my best friend," Aurora's face broke out into a smile as she turned to look at Xavier. He had a soft gaze on his face as he stared right back at her. Slightly embarrassed for getting caught staring, he turned to look at the dark ocean.
"The future is always filled with unknowns," began Xavier. "But, I think I already knew that this would be the path I would walk on. My whole life was me preparing to take over the company for my dad. "
"Are you not happy that this was your path?"
"Of course I'm happy," sighed Xavier. And he was happy despite the small feeling of loneliness tugging on his heart."I just wish I could've done more things for myself."
"So why don't you start doing things for yourself?" Asked Aurora, gazing at the man next to her.
"It's not that easy," muttered Xavier.
"Close your eyes and make a wish," Aurora suddenly ordered, causing Xavier's eyes to widen with surprise. He raised his eyebrow, silently questioning her. "When we came here during our last year, we made wishes for our futures."
"Did they come true?" Asked Xavier.
Aurora nodded with a determined look on her face. "Now, close your eyes."
With her eyes on him, Xavier closed his eyes.
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