Carlo's office was plunged into a heavy silence after the secretary withdrew with instructions on the charity gala invitation. As he observed the envelope on his desk, he wondered who would be the right companion for this event. Adrien and he used to attend together, but circumstances had changed drastically.
With a sigh, he opened the envelope and carefully read the information. He remembered how Adrien used to personally deliver these invitations, inviting himself without giving him a choice. Now, however, Adrien's indifference made that habit seem insignificant.
Determined to move forward, he picked up his cell phone and dialed a number. The warm voice on the other end of the line greeted him, and Carlo proceeded to invite that person as his companion for the gala.
"Hi, would you like to accompany me to the charity gala this Saturday? It would be great to have you there," Carlo expressed sincerely as he awaited the answer. After confirming the other person's availability, he thanked them and hung up.
As he put the cell phone aside, the weight of his conflicting emotions returned. On the one hand, rationality told him that it was okay to move on and find a new companion for the event. After all, it was what he had wanted for a long time. However, part of him deeply hated the distance with Adrien, even though he tried to suppress those feelings.
He leaned back in his leather chair, closing his eyes briefly as he tried to calm the storm of thoughts in his mind. He knew that the night of the gala would be a test for him, facing the reality of his situation with Adrien and the new direction their lives were taking.
While Carlo contemplated the invitation and reflected on his decision to invite someone else to the gala, his mind was flooded with conflicting memories and emotions. The feeling of distance with Adrien was overwhelming, but he also felt a kind of liberation in making a decision for himself, without depending on Adrien's constant presence.
The charity gala represented more than just a social event. It was a reflection of how things had changed between him and Adrien, and how they were adapting to this new dynamic. Although his mind told him it was okay to move on and find new companions for these events, his heart still struggled with the idea of losing Adrien completely.
The headache that ailed him was both physical and emotional. He closed his eyes tightly, trying to block out those thoughts that seemed to torment him. Although he tried to be rational and logical, the truth was that there was a part of him that desperately wanted things to go back to the way they were before, when Adrien was a constant and significant presence in his life.
He decided it was time to let go of those thoughts and focus on the present reality. The invitation was on the table, and although it was hard for him to accept, he understood that life went on, and he had to move on too.
With determination, he took the invitation and began to make the necessary arrangements for the gala. Although there was still a knot in his stomach and a weight on his heart, he forced himself to remain composed and face the situation with integrity. Life went on, and he had to move forward too, even if it meant leaving behind the memories and emotions shared with Adrien.
...----------------...
Paola's voice, warm and friendly, startled him as she approached from behind and spoke to him. Carlo turned to find her wide smile as she took a step closer to him, still wearing her nurse's uniform.
"Hi! What are you doing here?" Carlo felt instantly tense, his gaze quickly scanning around, worried that Adrien might appear at any moment and react negatively to Paola's presence.
Paola, however, seemed oblivious to the tense atmosphere surrounding Carlo.
"I sent you a couple of messages to see each other, but it seems you didn't see them, so I decided to come directly," Paola explained, bringing up the reason for her presence there. Carlo, checking his cell phone, confirmed that he had unread messages from Paola. It had been a hectic day and he hadn't had time to reply to anyone.
"I'm so sorry, I've had a really complicated day," Carlo apologized, his mind still divided between the conversation with Paola and the constant alert for Adrien's possible appearance.
Before he could add anything else, Adrien's voice was heard nearby. Carlo automatically tensed, his heart beating faster, preparing for any reaction that might come.
"Oh, Carlo," Cedric's irritating voice made him force a smile, "we meet again." Cedric approached him as if they were lifelong friends. "Is this your girlfriend? She's very pretty."
Cedric's intervention, always opportunistic, added an extra layer of discomfort to the situation. Carlo tried to maintain a forced smile at Cedric's question about Paola. The tension was palpable, and Adrien's presence nearby wasn't helping at all.
Adrien, without saying another word, took Cedric by the arm and walked away, leaving an awkward silence in his wake. Carlo watched them go, Adrien's smile etched in his memory and provoking a mixture of conflicting emotions in his chest.
"Are you okay?" Paola's voice, soft and concerned, snapped him out of his reverie. Carlo was slightly startled, unconsciously withdrawing his hand when she touched it.
"Yeah, I'm fine," Carlo replied, trying to hide the inner turmoil he was experiencing. He opened the back door of the car to put away his briefcase. "Let's go, get in."
Carlo got into the car, hoping that the ride with Paola by his side might bring some calm to his mind, agitated by recent events.
...----------------...
Carlo drove to the mall that Paola had previously indicated. During the ride, she explained that she didn't have any suitable clothes for such events, so she planned to buy something new, but needed his help to choose the right clothes that would look good on her.
Once at the mall, they both got out of the car and entered the bustling place. Despite the crowd, they could still walk comfortably among the shops and passersby.
"Adrien used to come here often, he's a shopping fanatic, although he doesn't really enjoy being in places like this," Carlo commented as they rode the escalator up to the second floor. "He prefers to buy online and avoid all these people."
"I guess that person is too arrogant and prefers to stay away from us mortals," Paola said, looking the other way, noting Carlo's tendency to mention the person who tried to assault her the first day he saw her.
"It's not that, he just doesn't like contact with others in open spaces; he prefers meetings in enclosed places with few people," Carlo explained as they headed towards the clothing store.
"Really? Because he seems to be having a great time." Paola's words made Carlo stop dead in his tracks. The nurse was looking north and Carlo followed her gaze, encountering a scene he would never have imagined, at least not without him.
From his position, he could see Adrien in a plaza near the mall, enjoying a relaxing moment. He had taken off his blazer and rolled up his shirt sleeves to his elbows, giving him a more casual and relaxed look. Even his hair was slightly tousled, probably from the wind as he drove with the windows down. And although Carlo wouldn't readily admit it, he looked really good.
In his mind, fragments of past conversations resurfaced:
"Can we get some ice cream there?"
"No. Didn't you say you hated these places?"
"But if I'm with you, it's like being alone together. People don't bother me and I can hold your hand freely."
"Well, I don't like them, let's go."
The memory of Adrien's momentarily disappointed face passed through his thoughts, bringing with it that conversation. Now, Adrien had someone to enjoy ice cream with in that place, he had someone to walk hand-in-hand with in public, he had someone. But...
"That's not me," Carlo muttered to himself. Paola looked at him in confusion, but he didn't say anything else. He simply looked down and turned around, walking in the opposite direction. The girl gave Adrien a quick glance and frowned before following Carlo, taking his arm with a smile that tried to hide how unpleasant Adrien Gautier was to her.
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