REBIRTH : Chasing The Limelight-Chapter 38: Just friends

Adrian did not like crowded or noisy places. But when Relanie asked him to take her out, he did not refuse.

She had just won the Aurelia Prodigy Crown. The youngest in history. The entire country was still talking about her, even the news channels replayed her speech again and again.

When she asked him to go out with her, he had wanted to say no without any hesitation. But then, he thought that she had just received the crown. It would not hurt to take her out for once. So he agreed.

Relanie chose the restaurant herself. She was still glowing from the win. Even as they entered the building, she held onto his arm naturally, as she always did in public. She had done that since they were young. At first he used to pull away. But now he rarely reacted to it.

The restaurant was quiet and elegant, not many people were inside. Adrian did not look at anyone directly as he walked in. He never liked looking at faces. He only saw their shapes and movements.

They passed a table by the window.

For a brief second, he caught a glimpse of a familiar side profile. A strand of hair. The curve of a jaw. He frowned slightly but kept walking.

He chose the seat directly behind that table and sat down. Relanie sat opposite him. From where he sat, he could see the back of the woman’s head at the table behind Relanie.

The hair.

Without much glare or thinking, he already knew who it was.

Elara.

What is she doing here?

He felt something sharp flare in his chest. Like heat mixed with irritation. Her colleagues would still be at Voice right now, training as if their lives depended on it. That was what they were supposed to do. That was what sponsorship meant. Effort. Discipline. Focus.

And yet she was here, sitting in a luxury restaurant with a man. Adrian let out a quiet snort.

Relanie looked up from her food in confusion, thinking she had done something wrong.

"Uh?"

He did not reply.

She continued eating, though she could feel that the air around him had changed. It wasn’t very noticeable, but she knew him well. The temperature always dropped when his mood darkened.

Trying to ease the tension, she smiled gently. "What did you think of Lost Love? Uh?." she asked but he still remained silent.

Relanie frowned slightly and looked down at her food. If only he knew that the song was about him.

After a while, she looked up again and almost shivered. There was a dangerous expression on his face. His jaw was tight and his eyes were cold.

Then she realized he was not looking at her, but staring behind her. Relanie turned slightly to see what had caught his attention. There was nothing unusual at first glance. Just a young lady sitting across from a man.

Then she recognized the man. Of course.

Tonio Adrelo.

She could not see the woman’s face clearly, only the back of her hair. It looked familiar, but she did not think much of it. Anywhere Tonio went, there was always a girl beside him. That was common knowledge.

She turned back to Adrian. His expression had not changed.

"That’s Tonio," she said casually.

He did not respond. It was as if he had not heard her.

Inside Adrian, his frustration grew darker. This woman is very ungrateful, he thought. Did she think sponsorship was easy? Did she think she could do whatever she wanted after being supported? Training hours were strict. Isn’t she supposed to be training hard to get promoted.

He suddenly had the urge to stand up, walk over, and strangle both of them to death.

Shameless.

Relanie watched him carefully. To others, he looked the same as always. Cold and distant. But she noticed every small shift in him. She had stayed by his side for years. She believed she understood him better than anyone.

Behind them, chairs scraped softly against the floor. Tonio and the woman had stood up.

Relanie cleared her throat, thinking Adrian would finally look away from whatever had caught his attention. Even if he pretended not to care, he always listened to her.

But he did not move, not even a bit.

Relanie did not know what to do. She sat quietly, staring at the man in front of her who would not even spare her a glance. Sometimes she wondered if her thoughts were foolish. She was the only woman who stayed close to him. The only one he tolerated for long periods. He had protected her before. He had come to watch her receive the award. He had agreed to come to this restaurant with her. Even if he always acted cold, she could not help but think that maybe he liked her too. Maybe he simply did not know how to say it.

"Adrian," she called softly, but no response came from him. She turned again toward the exit, and this time the woman’s face came into view as she shifted slightly.

Relanie’s expression changed instantly. Elara.

What was she doing here?

Then she remembered that Tonio was the one with her. It must be a date.

Elara and Tonio walked out of the restaurant one after the other.

Relanie turned back to Adrian to say something, but she stopped when she saw him.

He was still staring toward the door. Not blinking. As if in a daze.

"Can you believe it? Elara Veyne, as cool as she always is. I didn’t think she would have a boyfriend." Relanie said with a small laugh.

The words had barely left her mouth when the air around the table turned even colder.

Adrian’s eyes darkened. Without warning, he pulled out his wallet, took a card, and slammed it onto the table. The sharp sound cut through the quiet restaurant.

Relanie flinched.

He stood up immediately. Not looking at her or saying a word, he walked away. Straight out of the restaurant.

Relanie sat there in shock. Her fingers tightened around her fork. Though only a few people were inside and no one openly stared, she felt as if all eyes were on her.

Embarrassment and pain burned in her chest. She had just won the highest youth honor in Aurelia.

And yet at that moment, sitting alone at a table with an untouched plate of expensive food and a card lying between them, she felt smaller than ever.

She slowly lowered her gaze...

–

If Elara is being honest, the lunch did not go the way she planned, but it did not fall apart either. She had told Tonio clearly that she could not date him. She kept her voice very low because Adrian and Relanie were sitting behind her. She did not want them to hear anything. She did not even know why she cared if they hear or not.

She explained that it was not because she disliked him. It was only because she had no space in her life for romance right now. She already had too many things to handle. A boyfriend was not something she needed.

She tried to say it gently. She did not want to hurt him but she also believed Tonio was not the type to hold onto feelings for long. He seemed like someone who moved on quickly.

But when she finished speaking, he did not laugh or joke like before. He did not argue either. He just went quiet. Elara noticed his eyes drop a little, and that made her feel a bit uneasy. Under the table, her fingers started tapping lightly on her knee. At the same time, she felt a strong, piercing gaze on her back. She was not sure if she was imagining things, but it felt very real, like someone was staring right through her.

Tonio’s silence made everything worse. He should say something—anything. Elara opened her mouth to tell him that if there was nothing more to say, she would leave first. Before she could speak, he finally raised his head.

"No chance at all?" he asked.

His voice was quiet, not playful like before.

The gaze on her back felt even stronger.

Elara cleared her throat and kept her face calm. "Yes. Sorry, I’m leaving," she said.

Suddenly, Tonio reached out his hand. "Wait."

She raised her eyebrows at him.

He hesitated for a few seconds—Then he asked if they could at least be close friends.

Elara sighed quietly and thought for a moment. She told herself she could get through this. It was better than dragging things out.

"Just friends?" she asked.

He nodded quickly.

After a short pause, she nodded too.

His eyes brightened right away. "Really?"

She did not answer directly. She only said, "I’ll get going," and stood up.

He smiled and stood up immediately as well. "Let’s get going then."

That was how Elara survived the restaurant.

Tonio offered to drive her back, but she refused. She told him clearly that it was not necessary. But he still waited until she got into a cab. Only after the taxi drove away did he finally leave.

When Elara returned to Voice, the last training session was already happening but she did not join them. She went straight to her room.

When she entered, she walked into the bathroom and turned on the tap. She rinsed her face with the cold water and slowly looked up at the mirror.

Adrian’s face flashed into her mind again.

She stared at her reflection and wondered what she had done to make him hate her so much. From the first time they met, his words were never kind. Even when she went to his house, he did not treat her gently.

Another image suddenly came to Elara’s mind, and her body stiffened. Her hand moved toward her lips without thinking, but she stopped halfway. She quickly lowered her hand, turned the tap on again, and splashed more cold water on her face, as if that could wash the memory away.

When she finally lifted her head, her expression was calm again.

At least on the outside...