Chapter 5: Flirting

The following day, Orion sat through his classes, barely paying attention. His mind kept wandering back to Freya, to the way she had looked at him with those piercing eyes. He had never felt so exposed, so vulnerable. And yet, there was a strange comfort in knowing that someone had seen him for who he truly was, even if just for a moment.

After his last class, Orion walked through the courtyard, lost in thought. He didn’t notice Freya until she was standing right in front of him. She was leaning casually against a tree, her arms crossed, a slight smirk on her lips.

“You seem distracted, Orion,” she said, her voice teasing but not unkind.

Orion blinked, momentarily caught off guard. “Freya… what are you doing here?”

She shrugged. “Just thought I’d say hi. You looked like you could use some company.”

He hesitated, unsure of how to respond. Freya’s presence was both unsettling and intriguing, and he wasn’t sure he was ready to deal with whatever she might bring into his life. But before he could say anything, Freya continued.

“I know we didn’t get to talk much at the party,” she said, her tone shifting to something more serious. “But I felt like… well, like there’s something more to you than what you show. Am I wrong?”

Orion looked away, the familiar walls he had built around himself starting to rise. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Freya sighed, but there was no frustration in it, only understanding. “Look, I’m not here to pry. I just… I see you, Orion. I see the mask you wear. And I think maybe you’re tired of wearing it.”

Her words hit him harder than he expected. No one had ever spoken to him like that, with such directness and insight. It was as if she had reached into the deepest part of him and pulled out the truth he had been trying to bury for years.

Freya noticed his silence and stepped closer, her gaze softening. “You don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to. But if you ever need someone to listen, I’m here.”

Orion finally met her eyes, and for the first time, he didn’t feel the need to look away. There was something in her gaze that made him feel safe, like he didn’t have to hide anymore.

“Why do you care?” he asked quietly.

Freya smiled, a genuine smile that reached her eyes. “Because I’ve been where you are, Orion. And I know how hard it is to feel like you’re alone, even when you’re surrounded by people.”

Her words hung in the air between them, heavy with meaning. Orion didn’t know what to say. “So,” Freya said, breaking the silence, “what do you say we go grab a coffee? No pressure, just two people hanging out.”

Orion hesitated, the old part of him screaming to retreat, to go back to the safety of his solitude. But there was another part of him, the part that Freya had awakened, that wanted to take the risk, to see where this might lead.

Finally, he nodded. “Yeah, okay. Let’s go.”

Freya’s smile widened, and she led the way out of the courtyard. As they walked side by side, Orion couldn’t help but feel that this was the beginning of something new, something that might finally bring color back into his world of gray.

When they reached the café, the warm scent of coffee and the soft hum of conversation wrapped around them like a comforting blanket. They ordered their drinks and found a cozy corner where they could sit. For a moment, neither of them spoke, both sipping their drinks in silence, but it was a comfortable silence.

As the minutes passed, Orion began to relax, the tension in his shoulders easing. Freya, noticing his change in demeanor, decided to lighten the mood with a joke. “You know,” she said, leaning in with a conspiratorial smile, “I heard they’re planning to rename this place ‘The Depresso Café’ because the coffee is so strong it’ll make you cry.”

Orion blinked, caught off guard by the absurdity of it, and then, to his own surprise, he started laughing. It wasn’t just a small chuckle, but a deep, hearty laugh that he couldn’t seem to stop. Freya joined in, her laughter mixing with his, and for a moment, the world seemed to brighten.

When Orion finally managed to catch his breath, Freya was watching him with a soft, affectionate smile. “You look good when you smile, Orion,” she said, her voice gentle.

Orion felt a warmth spread through him at her words. He realized it had been so long since he had laughed like that, since he had felt this alive. For the first time in what seemed like forever, he felt a spark of happiness, a flicker of something that had been missing from his life for far too long.

He looked at Freya, gratitude welling up inside him, and though he didn’t say it out loud, he thanked her in his heart. She had brought a bit of light into his darkness, and for that, he was more grateful than he could express.

He was about to say something, something that he wasn’t sure he could even put into words, when Freya’s phone rang, cutting through the moment like a knife. She glanced at the screen and frowned slightly before answering. “Hey, Mom,” she said, her voice immediately shifting to a more casual tone.

Orion watched as she talked, his earlier happiness beginning to slip away. The sound of her voice, the reminder that she had a life outside of this moment, outside of him, brought the weight of reality crashing back down on him.

When Freya finally ended the call, she turned back to him with an apologetic smile. But before she could say anything, Orion stood up abruptly. “I… I just remembered I have something I need to take care of,” he said, his voice hurried, his eyes avoiding hers.

Freya blinked, surprised by the sudden change in his demeanor. “Oh… okay,” she said, a note of confusion in her voice. “Is everything alright?”

“Yeah,” Orion lied, already stepping away. “I’m fine. I’ll see you around.”

Before Freya could respond, he was gone, slipping out of the café and back into the solitude that had always been his refuge. As he walked away, he tried to convince himself that it was better this way, that he needed to stay away from Freya if he wanted to protect whatever happiness she had brought him.

But deep down, he knew that he was running away from something he desperately needed—a connection, a chance at something more. And as he left her behind, he couldn’t shake the feeling that he was making a mistake, one that he might never be able to undo.

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