The café buzzed with chatter and music, the usual mix of teens skipping first period. Aurora sat with her friends, Razzbar Peach Ice vape in hand, laughing at a joke one of them had just made.

The door swung open, and a group of guys walked in. They knew her friends, she knew them, but she and Mateo had never really talked. She had seen him around, his brown eyes catching the light as he joked with his friends, but this was the first time they were really at the same table.

One of the guys asked for cigarettes, and one of Aurora’s friends slid a pack across. While everyone else lit up, Mateo’s gaze lingered on Aurora.

“Peach Ice?” he asked, nodding toward her vape. “Never tried that flavor before.” Aurora smirked, holding it out. “Then you’re missing out.”

Their fingers brushed as he took it, and he inhaled slowly, exhaling with a grin. “Okay… that’s actually really good.”

“You like it?” she teased. “Yeah… so, uh… what school did you pick?” he asked, leaning in slightly, his leg brushing hers under the table. “How do you like it?” Aurora shrugged, taking a small puff before answering. “It’s good. Different from what I thought, but I like it.”

He nodded, smiling. “Cool. Sounds like you’re settling in.”

One of his friends nudged him, smirking. “Mateo… you shooting your shot or what?” Mateo glanced at Aurora, eyes flicking to her lips and back up to her eyes, then chuckled. “Maybe,” he said, voice low enough that only she could hear, and the corners of his mouth tugged into that crooked half-smile that made her chest flip.

The conversation flowed easily from there—music, stupid school stories, weekend plans—while their legs kept brushing under the table, subtle but deliberate, neither of them pulling away.