“Excuse me, here are your cake and your drink,” the waiter said as he brought over the desserts and beverages.
“Thank you,” Aurora replied out of habit.
“Please enjoy.”
Gemma, smiling radiantly, scooped a spoonful of cake. “Aurora, perhaps you already know that Ian has been pursuing me for three years.”
Aurora shook her head. “I didn’t know.”
She had only recently transferred and really wasn’t interested in such gossip.
Most days, she hid her Bluetooth earpiece in her hair to listen to work updates from Asher.
She had neither the time nor the energy to concern herself with who in class was hooking up or breaking up.
To her, these matters were as trivial as children playing house, hardly worth mentioning.
Aurora’s honest answer only led Gemma to misunderstand that Aurora was interested in Ian and was trying to intervene, hence her denial.
“Well, it’s natural you wouldn’t know, having just arrived,” Gemma continued, “We met in our first macroeconomics class…”
Gemma quickly began to chatter away, leaving Aurora wondering how well she really knew her.
Were they well enough to discuss her romantic history with Ian?
Even if Gemma did talk about it, Aurora wasn’t interested.
She glanced at Ian, who seemed far from enjoying reminiscing about those supposedly happy times with Gemma.
Ian’s face was full of embarrassment. He was as baffled as Aurora.
Today, Gemma had suddenly approached him saying she had made up her mind. When Ian asked what she had decided, she said he had passed her test. These three years had been a trial for Ian, and now she was ready to be his girlfriend.
However, Ian showed no joy, only shock. He had indeed pursued Gemma, but that was back in their freshman year.
He had instantly been smitten by Gemma in her white dress and flowing black hair.
The innocence of the young woman was initially very appealing to the youthful man, especially since he had never been in a relationship.
Ian shyly confessed his feelings and pursued her for a full year, but Gemma changed significantly during that time.
She started wearing heavy makeup, dressing provocatively, and skipping classes. She always had her assignments done by him whenever she approached.
Ian also learned she had a boyfriend, an ordinary-looking man in his forties. She was with the man only because he gave her three thousand dollars a month.
What they had could hardly be called dating. It was more like a sponsorship.
Such arrangements were not uncommon in college, but Ian initially didn’t believe it until he saw her leaving arm-in-arm with a man nearly his father’s age.
Her innocence had been a facade, and after sophomore year, he stopped pursuing Gemma.
Others, including Gemma, continued to believe he was interested in her because of his overly nice nature.
Every time Gemma asked for his help, he never refused, leading her to misinterpret his kindness as affection.
The truth was, Ian would help anyone who asked. It was just that no one else was as brazen as Gemma.
She approached him frequently, but Ian never clarified his feelings, and they never dated.
He simply watched as she went through one “sugar daddy” after another, her dresses getting shorter and her makeup thicker.
He had given up on her long ago, so when Gemma suddenly declared she wanted to be his girlfriend today, his intention was to reject her.
While he was still in shock, Gemma left without giving him a chance to refuse. After the afternoon exam, Ian had intended to explain things to Gemma, but before he could say anything, she had dragged him here. It turned out she brought him here today to provoke Aurora, probably unaware of Aurora’s true appearance. Only Ian, who had seen Aurora’s true beauty, knew that such a beautiful girl could never like someone like him. While Gemma recounted their past, Ian could only see confusion and embarrassment in Aurora’s eyes.
“Stop it, Gemma,” Ian quickly interjected, feeling it was quite demeaning. “It’s okay. Have some cake, Ian. Do you remember how in our freshman year you knew I liked tiramisu and bought it for me every day?” Gemma looked at him tenderly, which only made Ian’s skin crawl. Provoking Gemma had been the biggest mistake of his life!
Aurora had been sitting here listening to her go on for over ten minutes, and even she, who usually grasped the main points quickly, couldn’t discern Gemma’s point. “Alright, alright, your story is touching, but did you ask me to come here just to tell me about your love story?” Aurora was growing impatient. She didn’t have time to sit around chatting.
“It’s not like that, Aurora,” Ian said hurriedly, desperate to explain, but unsure how. Should he say he never liked Gemma, or that it was all a misunderstanding? After all, he and Aurora were just classmates. Did he really need to explain so much? It all seemed rather like he was trying to cover something up.
Yesterday, after seeing Aurora’s true face, he had dreamt about her all night. In his dream, she sat daintily beside him, discussing topics throughout the evening. Indeed, the dreams of a top student were different from others.
“What’s it about? If you have something to say, just say it, I have to go soon,” Aurora said, completely losing her patience.
“Aurora, don’t be mad at what I’m about to say,” Gemma said cautiously, seemingly very considerate of Aurora’s feelings.
“Okay, I won’t be mad. Just say it,” Aurora responded, her attention already drifting. She just wanted to leave.
Gemma suddenly grabbed Ian’s hand. “Aurora, I know Ian is outstanding. He has a good temperament, and he often likes to help others.” Aurora had to admit that while others mocked her appearance, Ian had actively engaged in conversation with her to help her settle in. “So?” she prompted.
“He’s so wonderful. It’s normal that you like him. But he and I are already together. I’m his girlfriend. I’ve heard about what you’ve done for him, probably just a moment of impulse, so I won’t blame you.”
Aurora raised an eyebrow at her. But Gemma, clearly misunderstanding Aurora’s reaction, continued relentlessly, “I brought you here today to make things clear. Please give up on him. He could never like you. He has loved only me for these three years.”
What? She liked Ian? Aurora thought this was probably the funniest joke she had heard in years. Remembering what Penelope and Gemma had said in the restroom the night before, apparently, Aurora knew this was Gemma’s solution. She had intentionally brought Ian to flaunt their happiness and make Aurora give up on him.
All of this made Aurora feel utterly baffled. And now, she really wanted to laugh. What should she do?