Chapter 1- Happy Smiles
--Rafael POV--
Growing up, I haven’t always been a happy person. Like every other person that shared this planet with me, I went through my ups and downs, but right now, at the very least, I can comfortably say that I am content.
I didn’t want much out of life. I just had a dream of becoming a fashion designer, and once I got my degree, I couldn’t wait to return home to Valencia where I planned to open my own boutique and live a comfortable life.
That’s all I wanted; It wasn’t supposed to be complicated.
But she came out of nowhere and made me lose all sense of sanity.
The daughter of one of the richest, most influential people in the world, Lilliana Romano.
She was my undoing. Introducing me to a whole new world, and holding my hand through every moment as if assuring me that everything was real. She, who could so easily be mistaken as an Angel, somehow caught my eye as I caught hers.
“Rafael!”
With the barista calling my name, I moved to get my morning coffee from her hands, nodding at her in thanks as she smiled brightly at me, and it was only when I left the cafe and went to take a sip of my coffee that I noticed the phone number scribbled on the cup.
Pretending that I didn’t see it, I carried on with my day.
Walking down a few more streets, I paused in front of the golden gates of the main entrance of the campus, flashing my student ID to the security guard before he stepped aside to let me pass.
And as I walked down the smooth pathway with trees lining either side of the road, I noticed how energetic everyone else was, seeming to still be in the summer spirit. Once classes properly start, their smiles were sure to wash away with the rain this country was famous for bringing.
It was the first day back to University so it was livelier than usual; With new students asking the older ones for directions, people ran around the open fields of the campus, wearing varsity jackets as they played ball while other, more studious students, lay sitting under the shade of the large trees with books in hand, all of them revelling in the last splinters of sunlight England would be giving us.
Despite not being very interested in the history of this old country, I still found myself admiring the roots of this university. Having been founded in the mid 1800s, most of the buildings were of a gothic Victorian architecture style mixed with some baroque. It was a private campus centred on acres of land enclosed in golden, security protected fences that no one without a permit could access, and that stemmed from the fact that it was a University for the elite of society.
People of the high class attended this university for the main reason of making connections, so the business building was the biggest one, standing at the centre in its large glory, filled with children of politics, and other rich businesses.
But a handful of lucky people were picked for scholarships every year. I was one of them. And with this being the only University giving me a full scholarship, I didn’t hesitate in accepting the offer as I packed my bags and left my home country, Valencia, to study here for 4 years.
I’d endured through 3 years already, and with today marking the first day of my 4th and final year, I was excited to get my diploma and return home to my mother.
“Rafael!”
For the second time today, an excited voice called out my name as a lean arm fell over my shoulder, a laugh to the voice which answered my question of who it was.
I wasn’t much of a people-person, preferring to keep to myself, and in this University, people didn’t go out of their way to approach you unless it benefitted them, but unlike them who were looking for connections, I didn’t care about it much, so I never went out of my way to make friends. And yet somehow, this man became my one and only friend, Maxim Leroy.
He came from France, being the son of the CEO of some sort of technological company, and unlike me, he was extroverted with more friends than I knew people. He’s doing a degree in engineering, being a year older than me since he’s doing a masters this year.
We met by chance three years ago on the Open day of this University, me having been lost, we ended up sticking to each other, not knowing that we’d bump into each other again in the new academic year. We’ve been friends since then.
“Why the frown?” He asked.
“I’m not frowning, this is just my face,” I explained as we continued to walk.
He was usually a few inches shorter than me, but the boots he wore today put him on the same level as me. He had dark auburn hair reaching past his shoulders which he refused to cut shorter, saying that long hair was the trend nowadays, and brown eyes with neat eyebrows which he believed should be mandatory for every man to have.
“You’re a handsome man, Rafael, but you’d be so much more popular if you would just smile a little more. You look like you hate life,” And he’s also got a habit of going out of his way to try and make me more extroverted, a sorry attempt, really.
“I don’t fake my smiles, and I couldn’t care less about popularity. As for my life, I think I’ll start enjoying it when I go back home to Spain.” I explained once again, something that’s become normal for us.
“Of course, whatever you say. But, you know, if you tried making a few friends other than me, maybe you would really start to enjoy your university life. It can be so fun.” He chuckled as we came to a pause in front of the Art & Design building which loomed over us with its large size, built with limestone bricks with the interior being mostly marble. To put it simply, I spent more time in this pretty building than I did in my own dorm.
“Sounds like a hassle.” I shrugged nonchalantly as he sighed, flabbergasted, but yet unsurprised.
He stood in front of me with his hands tucked into the pockets of his trousers, an amused smile playing at his lips as his eyes sparkled with that same entertained spark, making me feel like an immature child that was about to get scolded.
“What?” I eventually asked after a few elongated seconds of silence, taking a peak of the time on my watch to make sure I wasn’t running late to the lecture that I’d be starting my day with today. I needed to get a good spot where I was certain that I wouldn’t get distracted, and today’s lecture was going to be a joint one with a different course so it would only mean more people.
“Have lunch with me today.”
“I can’t. It’s the first day back so I’ve got prep to do, it’s my last year and I plan on getting a 1st when I graduate, especially since I’m not planning on doing a masters like you.”
“Don’t be such a stick in the mud. It’s my last year too, but saving an hour to have lunch with my friends isn’t going to take anything away from me.”
“You never know.”
“Rafael-”
“-I gotta go, I’ll see you around though, Max. Have lunch with your other friends, you know that group of people that are like your siblings.” I reminded as he huffed, and chuckling, I waved him goodbye as I stepped into the building.
I didn’t need friends; Even if I made any, we’d fall out of contact eventually since I’d be going home to Valencia and busy myself in making my fashion designing dreams come true, and I’m sure they’d be busy with their own lives too.
It was all a hassle, one that I planned to steer clear of.
Entering the large lecture hall, there were a handful of people already seated as they waited for the lecturer to come in, some of them I recognised from my course, others I didn’t.
Going to sit down on the edge of the middle aisle, I pulled my laptop out of my bag as I got everything ready and set up, and once that was done, I sat back on my seat with my headphones on, reading through my schedule for the week.
I’ll have to go grocery shopping today, and it wouldn’t hurt to drop by the market at some point this week to check out some clothing materials, and I might even buy some for the upcoming project if I can get a good bargain...
My thoughts came to a halt as more people began to pile into the room, most of the seats quickly filling up, but the few empty ones that were left scattered around the room let me know that not everyone was in attendance.
Eventually, the professor came in, and as he struggled to set his laptop up to connect to the large screen behind him, he spoke about what he did during his holiday, and even picked on some unsuspecting students to tell him about theirs, and just as I was growing frustrated, he finally succeeded in completing the connection, getting ready to take the register.
Speaking the names out in alphabetical order, I turned the volume of my music down to reply for when my name would be called out.
“Rafael.”
“Here.” I answered as his eyes scanned over the room until they fell on me, and recognising me from the previous years where he lectured me in fashion designing, a familiar smile crept onto his face as he nodded before ticking my name down.
“Alright, um... Lilliana.”
No response.
“Lilliana Romano?” He called out again, her full name this time, but I already knew she wouldn’t be coming as soon as I heard her surname. Romano. Clearly, she only came to university for a fun time like all the other rich kids here, picking entertainment over studying.
When he gave up, shrugging his shoulders and going to cross her name out, the door at the front of the hall flung itself open as a panting woman stood there, looking like she’d just run a marathon. Hands on her knees, she had to bend down to catch her breath.
“Lilliana?” The professor asked with a raised brow.
“Here... I’m here.” She gasped, standing back up straight and composing herself as she stepped into the room, eyes looking over the expanse of the space to find an empty spot to sit in.
“Glad you could make it.” He smiled at her as she smiled back, brushing her hair back as she ran up the steps, eyes focused on the empty seat beside me where she quickly came to sit down. As she did so, the sweet scent of her perfume wafted through my senses, a hypnotising smell that I couldn’t put my finger on. Vanilla? Or was it some sort of flower?
She breathed out a long, tired breath of air, relief evident on her face as she pulled a notebook out of her backpack, placing it in front of her before rummaging through her bag again, momentarily surprising me. She’s not using an expensive laptop like everyone else? I’m poor compared to everyone here but even I’m using a laptop.
And suddenly I felt guilty for jumping to conclusions about her.
Then again, I didn’t know her. I’d only ever seen her in passing or from a distance, and her name made her that much more popular, so I’d be crazy not to have heard of her.
Lilliana Romano.
Daughter of Marcos Romano, one of the richest, most influential men alive, and Dahlia Romano, a famous figure skater that made history before retirement; She was their youngest child.
I didn’t know much about her or her family, but they were famous enough for people to recognise their names. It didn’t help that she followed after her mother’s footsteps in figure skating since it only made her that much more popular.
Even now, as we sat beside each other, it felt as though she were from a different world. One filled with confidence, surrounded by people, wealth, and more love than I knew existed. Without a worry in the world, she was bathed in glitter and gold, to an extent that even celebrities looked up to her.
But not wanting to dwell too much on her or her presence, I turned my attention back to face in front of me as the professor spoke about the schedule for the upcoming year as well as how we’d be asked to do more group and collaboration work rather than solo work this year, great.
But my concentration didn’t last long as the woman sitting beside me nervously leaned in towards me, her voice a smooth whisper that made me listen as if on command.
“Excuse me...” She called, not doing nor saying anything more until I turned to look at her, slipping my headphones back off my ears to rest around my neck, signalling that she had my attention.
“I’m sorry to bother you, but have you got a pen I could borrow? Or even a pencil? Anything would do, really.” She sounded disappointed in herself as she spoke, and I bit back a smile in an attempt to hold back any amusement I got from this unamusing situation.
Now that I got a proper look at her, I noticed how nervous she looked. As if asking me this simple question took a lot of bravery out of her, which I, once again, couldn’t understand. She’s a world famous figure skater who always has a smile on her face; Was I really so intimidating that she had to work up her courage to ask me for something as simple as a pen?
Her grey eyes, a beautiful shade which I had never had the luxury of seeing before, were downcast to her manicured fingers which fidgeted with the ends of her skirt. Her light brown locks of hair hung in loose curls around her slender frame, over her shoulders with the curtain fringe casting a light shadow over her striking features.
I wasn’t one to pay attention to other people’s faces, but even I could respect whichever architect had carefully constructed her delicate and unique facial features. The long eyelashes, sharp jawline and plump pink cheeks which refused to lose its baby fat accentuated her beauty as well as her small nose and tinted lips with a sharp Cupid’s bow, there was no denying it, she was pretty.
“Um... So, do you have anything I could use?” She eventually asked again, lulling me back to reality with her soft whisper of a voice.
I answered the question by taking a simple black ballpoint pen out of my bag and handing it to her.
“Here you go.” I calmly spoke, watching as her eyes lit up with relief as she graciously took the item, smiling at me with all her white teeth on display, her laugh lines becoming visible as she did that, somehow making her look so much prettier than I had originally thought.
“Thank you.” And with that last whisper, she quickly went to start scribbling words down in her notebook, Maxwell’s words from earlier today ringing in my ears as my eyes cast themselves on her for a moment longer than expected.
I guess he wasn’t all wrong.
Smiling can truly make someone look prettier than you originally think. This woman here was the perfect example.
...
First Chapter is finally out, I apologise for the delay.
Ps. It’s not necessary to read the books of this series in order, but it is highly recommended since the main couple from Book 2 of this series ‘The Reverence of a Man on Fire’ have many appearances in this story so spoilers from that book will be inevitable.
Nevertheless, I hope you enjoy reading this story as much as I enjoyed writing it. Happy reading :)
