Chapter 93 – They Looked Like a Couple
The place was filled with white lights, bright storefronts, and people walking back and forth carrying bags. The noise was constant: conversations, footsteps, distant music from some store.
Diana walked ahead confidently, as if she knew the place perfectly.
Titus hung back a few steps at first, still a little uncomfortable with the whole situation. But soon they ended up walking together through the stores.
They went into several.
They looked at school uniforms: white shirts, pants, jackets with the school crest. Diana would pick up the clothes, check the fabric, compare sizes.
They went into store after store. Fitting rooms. Fabrics. Measurements. Diana chose, Titus nodded. It was almost domestic. Almost normal.
But it wasn't.
"This one fits you better," she would say sometimes, holding the fabric up to his chest to measure.
Titus would nod.
But what he started to notice soon wasn't the clothes.
It was the people.
Several people turned to look at them. Not a quick glance. A curious stare. Because Diana didn't look much older than him. Dressed casually, with her hair down, without the formality of the classroom, she didn't look like a teacher.
They looked like a couple.
And a very striking one at that.
They were both attractive. And they walked through the stores together like it was the most natural thing in the world.
Some people even discreetly pulled out their phones.
A couple of girls passed by them, and one of them murmured something while pointing her camera. Selfies. Sneaky photos.
Titus started to notice. And he got even more nervous.
Meanwhile, Diana seemed to be enjoying it all.
They went into one store. Then another. Titus ended up carrying several bags. Shirts. Pants. Shoes. Jackets.
Diana even bought a few things for herself. In one store, she picked up some delicate lingerie and placed it on the counter without any hesitation. Titus stood frozen like a statue. He didn't know where to look.
Diana noticed immediately. And let out a small laugh.
"Relax, Titus."
He just cleared his throat, completely red.
She seemed to enjoy every second of his discomfort.
After going through several stores, they finally came out with enough bags to stock half a closet. Titus was carrying almost all of them.
When they were done, Diana turned to him. "Do you need anything else?"
Titus shook his head quickly. "No… we already bought more than enough."
Diana nodded. "Then we're done for today."
Titus hesitated for a moment. Then he spoke. "Would you like to get a coffee with me?"
She looked at him for a second. And smiled. "Yeah."
They walked to a nearby coffee shop inside the mall. It was an elegant, quiet place. The lighting was dim and warm. Music played softly in the background. The atmosphere was relaxed.
They sat at a secluded table. Ordered coffee.
For a while, they chatted about simple things. School. Classes. A few jokes about what had happened that day.
But at one point, the conversation stopped.
Diana was looking at him. Intently. Like she was seeing something beyond his face. Something only she could see.
Titus noticed. "What's wrong?" he asked.
Diana didn't answer right away. Her eyes seemed a bit more watery than usual.
Then she murmured: "You look so much like him… I can't believe it."
Titus frowned. That phrase again. He had heard it before.
"Who is he?" he asked.
At that moment, Diana straightened up in her chair. Like she had suddenly woken up. Her eyes opened a little wider. She realized what she had said. She had let her guard down again.
She swallowed hard. Her eyes glistened slightly.
"Someone…" she finally said, "who was very important in my life."
She paused briefly. "Someone who meant a lot to me."
And for a second, something in her gaze revealed an old pain that Titus couldn't understand.
They sat in silence for a moment. Diana took a breath, forcing a small smile. "Forget it. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to—"
"It's okay," Titus said quietly. "You don't have to explain."
She looked at him, and for a moment her composure wavered. But then she nodded, gathered herself, and picked up her coffee cup.
"Finish your coffee," she said, her voice almost normal again. "We still need to drop off your bags."
They finished their drinks in a lighter mood, though something unspoken lingered in the air between them.
When they finally left the coffee shop, the sun was beginning to set. The mall lights flickered on, casting everything in a soft golden glow.
They walked back toward the car, Titus loaded with bags, Diana beside him. The people who passed them this time didn't stare as much. But the ones who did still smiled—two attractive people, arms brushing occasionally, looking for all the world like a couple finishing a long afternoon together.
Diana stopped at the driver's side and looked at him over the roof of the car.
"Same place?" she asked.
Titus nodded. "Sofía's mansion."
She got in. He loaded the bags in the back and slid into the passenger seat.
The drive back was quieter. Not awkward, but thoughtful. The city lights began to appear as they left the shopping district behind.
After a few minutes, Diana spoke without looking at him. "Thank you for today, Titus."
He glanced at her. "Thank you. For… everything. The uniform. The coffee."
A small smile tugged at her lips. "You paid for the coffee."
"Still."
They fell silent again, but it was a comfortable silence.
When they finally pulled into the long driveway of Sofía's mansion, the garden lights were already on, casting a warm glow over the stone facade.
Diana stopped the car. "We're here."
Titus hesitated. He wanted to say something—about the way she looked at him, about the man she had lost, about the strange pull he felt whenever she was near. But he didn't know how.
Instead, he said, "See you tomorrow, Professor."
She nodded, her expression unreadable in the dim light. "See you tomorrow."
He got out and retrieved the bags from the back. By the time he turned to say goodbye, the car was already pulling away, its red taillights disappearing down the driveway.
Titus stood there for a moment, the weight of the bags in his hands, the echo of her words still in his ears.
You look so much like him.
He shook his head and walked toward the mansion.
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Hook: But something in the darkness was already moving, ready to change everything…